Rugged high flow rate valve for bottle filling machines

Abstract

There is disclosed a filling valve for incorporation in a bottle filling machine such as the Crown bottle filling machine or other functionally similar bottle filling machine, which the filling valve has a housing adapted so that the liquid beverage will flow through the valve orifice from a reservoir and further through a bottle sealing rubber into the bottle or other container. A valve stem centrally located in the valve has a passageway extending through it which permits gas displaced from the container as it is filled to pass upward through the stem into the reservoir. A distinctive valve stem guide is provided in the housing which has a non-circular opening, preferably a generally triangular opening, which serves to restrain rotational movement of the stem by virtue of a hexagonal shape, or other polygonal shape, of the cross-section of a portion of the stem. A drip stopper in the valve includes a slidably mounted, generally conically shaped element which in its upward position obstructs the opening for liquid flow and in its lower position provides a large annular area for rapid flow of liquid. The drip stopper is urged with a modest force to an upward position by a spring that is overcome by the unbalanced pressure existing during the filling mode before the liquid in the container has reached the desired fill level.