The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 09, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 17, 2001
Abstract
A container cleaning apparatus comprises a solvent cleaning unit having a solvent cleaning chamber, and a rinsing unit having a rinsing chamber connected to the solvent cleaning chamber. Containers are conveyed by a conveyor through the solvent cleaning chamber and the rinsing chamber. The containers are cleaned by jetting a water-soluble or partially water-soluble solvent against the containers in the solvent cleaning chamber. Shutter devices have shutters disposed at an entrance to the solvent cleaning chamber and an exit from the solvent cleaning chamber, respectively, and capable of being moved between closed positions to close the entrance to and the exit from the solvent cleaning chamber and to isolate the solvent cleaning chamber from the rinsing chamber, and open positions to permit the containers to move from the solvent cleaning chamber to the rinsing chamber. During a solvent cleaning process for cleaning the containers with the solvent in the solvent cleaning chamber, the solvent cleaning chamber is isolated from the external space so that the solvent may not leak outside.