Patents by Inventor Thomas Niehr

Thomas Niehr has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20160137472
    Abstract: A filling machine includes a rotor, a rotor bearing that rotatably mounts the rotor on the machine-frame for rotation about a machine axis, and filling elements disposed on the rotor. Each filling element, together with a container carrier, defines a filling point. The machine includes a filling-material boiler arranged on the rotor and configured to rotate with the rotor, as well as a boiler-cover connected to the machine-frame and configured to not rotate with the rotor, and a seal. The seal seals a transition between the boiler cover and the filling-material boiler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventors: Thomas Niehr, Jürgen Vorwerk, Andreas Lörcks
  • Publication number: 20150360835
    Abstract: An apparatus for permitting inspection of container processing includes a one-piece elastic peripheral lip seal that seals a transition between a window and a mounting frame. In its un-deformed state, the lip-seal, which has first and second strip-shaped lip-sections, has an at least partially sickle-shaped cross-section in its un-deformed state. Both lip sections extend outward toward respective first and second edges, the second edge being a sealing edge. A thickness of the second lip-section decreases towards the sealing edge. The lip sections curve around an axis oriented along a longitudinal direction of the lip seal. The first lip-section defines a concave curve along a first surface of the lip seal, and the second lip-section defines a convex curve along the first surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Inventors: Jürgen Vorwerk, Thomas Niehr, Marcel Scheufen
  • Patent number: 9205985
    Abstract: A container carrier that moves containers in a transport direction has container holder with a recess and a hold-down. The recess receives a container between its mouth and its flange and forms a bearing surface to support a lower face of the flange thereby suspending the container. Meanwhile, the hold-down engages the opposite or top face of the flange to prevent the container from swinging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: KHS GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Niehr, Jurgen Vorwerk
  • Publication number: 20150298954
    Abstract: A filling machine comprises a rotor driven by a drive around a machine axis surrounded by a pitch circle on the rotor, filling elements provided at even pitch intervals around the pitch circle, a closure-element supporting-ring surrounding and concentric with the machine axis, closure elements, a filling-material discharge opening, and a locking device. Each closure element closes a corresponding filling element on an underside thereof during cleaning or disinfection of said filling machine. Relative movement between the ring and the rotor, which is generated by the drive, moves the closure elements between a non-engaged state, in which the closure elements are between filling elements on the pitch circle, and an engaged state, in which the closure elements are on an underside of a corresponding filling element. The locking device causes this state transition by blocking co-rotation of the ring and the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Matthias Klotz, Thomas Niehr, Jürgen Vorwerk
  • Publication number: 20150246801
    Abstract: A sterilizing machine for sterilizing bottle seals includes a rotor with vertically-oriented seal holders disposed on its periphery. Each seal holder accommodates a seal stack. As the rotor rotates, the seal holder carries the stack from a seal input, past first and second stations, to a seal output. The first station has a sterilizing-agent sprayer with successive outlets spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction by one seal diameter. The sprayer is directed toward a seal holder for applying sterilizing agent onto individual seals held therein. The second station is an activating and/or drying station downstream of the first station in the rotation direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2013
    Publication date: September 3, 2015
    Inventors: Thomas Niehr, Jürgen Vorwerk, Igor Singur
  • Publication number: 20140151193
    Abstract: A container carrier that moves containers in a transport direction has container holder with a recess and a hold-down. The recess receives a container between its mouth and its flange and forms a bearing surface to support a lower face of the flange thereby suspending the container. Meanwhile, the hold-down engages the opposite or top face of the flange to prevent the container from swinging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: KHS GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Niehr, Jurgen Vorwerk
  • Publication number: 20140137521
    Abstract: A method for filling containers with a filling material and subsequently sealing the filled containers with container closures includes, using a linear transporter, moving the containers in a container-transport direction and in a timed manner, toward a sealing device, at the sealing device, sealing the containers with a container closure during a stationary phase of a timed movement, moving the containers onward in a subsequent movement phase of the timed movement, and during the subsequent movement phase, and before applying a container closure on the containers, dosing headspaces of the containers with liquid nitrogen to force air out of the headspace and to achieve an internal pressure in the sealed containers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Inventor: Thomas Niehr
  • Publication number: 20120180429
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for treating packaging elements, in particular in the form of bottles or similar containers (2), comprising a transport route formed by a transporter (5), on which transport route the packaging elements (2) are moved at least by means of a sub-area of the packaging elements having a packaging element opening (2.1) within a sterile interior (3) bounded from the surroundings by an enclosure (9).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: KHS GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Niehr
  • Publication number: 20120151873
    Abstract: A system for filling bottles or similar receptacles in a sterile or aseptic manner comprises a receptacle supplying mechanism, by means of which the receptacles that are to be filled are supplied to the system, a receptacle discharge mechanism, by means of which the full, closed receptacles are removed from the system, at least one unit designed as a filler for filling the receptacles, a unit designed as a closing device for closing the full receptacles, and a housing forming at least one sterile space, inside which at least an area of the receptacles that includes a receptacle opening is accommodated during the filling and closing process and to which a sterile gaseous and/or vaporous medium can be fed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: KHS GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Niehr
  • Patent number: 7536839
    Abstract: For closing bottles with sterile caps, the caps are placed in a non-sterile environment in a vertical arrangement and are supplied vertically to a first sterile area. The interior of the caps is arranged to be accessible horizontally. The caps are sterilized in the first sterile area and transferred to a second sterile area where the caps are placed onto bottles. Subsequently, the bottle is closed with the cap. The machine for sterile closing of bottles with caps has a sterilization device with an individualization device for picking up caps and a vertical transport path feeding the caps to the sterilization chamber. A placing device receives the caps from the sterilization device and places the caps onto bottles. A closing device closes the bottles with the cap placed thereon. The sterilization device, the placing device, and the closing device operate as synchronized modules of a linear machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: SIG Technology AG
    Inventors: Berthold Kemper, Thomas Niehr
  • Publication number: 20080256902
    Abstract: A method and an installation for the sterile filling of containers with a product, wherein the method includes, after the container has been filled with the product and before it is sealed, introducing liquid nitrogen is introduced into the container. The container is then sealed. The installation of the dosing system for the liquid nitrogen is sterilized at least once with hydrogen peroxide. The containers are conveyed along at least one linear conveyance path from a filling station to the area of the dosing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Andreas Lorcks, Thomas Niehr
  • Publication number: 20070006550
    Abstract: For closing bottles with sterile caps, the caps are placed in a non-sterile environment in a vertical arrangement and are supplied vertically to a first sterile area. The interior of the caps is arranged to be accessible horizontally. The caps are sterilized in the first sterile area and transferred to a second sterile area where the caps are placed onto bottles. Subsequently, the bottle is closed with the cap. The machine for sterile closing of bottles with caps has a sterilization device with an individualization device for picking up caps and a vertical transport path feeding the caps to the sterilization chamber. A placing device receives the caps from the sterilization device and places the caps onto bottles. A closing device closes the bottles with the cap placed thereon. The sterilization device, the placing device, and the closing device operate as synchronized modules of a linear machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Publication date: January 11, 2007
    Applicant: SIG TECHNOLOGY AG
    Inventors: Berthold Kemper, Thomas Niehr
  • Patent number: 6701692
    Abstract: The device for sealing plastic bottles, especially PET bottles, after they are filled with a material under aseptic conditions, comprises a magazine for the seals, a delivery device for taking individual seals from the magazine and placing the seals on the filling opening of the bottles, which are fed to the treatment stations singly, consecutively and in a clocked sequence. The device further comprises a tool for carrying out the sealing operation. To this end, the delivery device takes sealing blanks, which are used as the seals, from the magazine and passes them on to the filling opening of the respectively prepared bottle, after which the sealing tool seals the sealing blank in the same working cycle onto the edge region surrounding the filling opening of the bottle, which remains in its position of readiness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: GEA Finnah GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Niehr
  • Patent number: 6516939
    Abstract: For transporting bottles with a carrying ring in the neck region, particularly PET bottles, along a specified path of motion through processing stations (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), of a processing installation particularly a bottle-filling installation, in each case a number of bottles (8), grouped in a row (9) transversely to the direction of transport (20), is transported by a carrier (13) and positioned relative to the latter. The carriers (13) can be moved by conveying chains (11) or similar driving means at uniform intervals consecutively from a bottle feeding station (1) past at least one processing station, especially a filling station, to a bottle delivery station (7) and, from there, empty back to the bottle feeding station. As carrier for a row (9) of bottles (8), a cellular board-like flat carrying strip (13) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: GEA Finnah GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Schmidt, Thomas Niehr