Valve control mechanism for receptacle filling machines

Claim 1

A FILLING MACHINE HAVING A PLURALITY OF FILLING OUTLETS OVERLYING AND MOVABLE ALONG A PATH IN SYNCHRONISM WITH A PLURALITY OF CONTAINER RECEIVING POCKETS, COMPRISING A COMMON RESERVOIR FOR MATERIAL; MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID FILLING OUTLETS COMPRISING, A FILLER CONTROL VALVE INCLUDING A STEM LONGITUDINALLY RECIPROCABLE BETWEEN TWO POSITIONS, A CYLINDER, THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF WHICH IS IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO SAID VALVE STEM, A PATH COMMUNICATING SAID CYLINDER WITH SAID RESERVOIR AND SAID OUTLET, AND A RECIPROCABLE PISTON IN SAID CYLINDER, MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RECIPROCATING SAID PISTON FOR PUMPING A MEASURED QUANTITY OF MATERIAL INTO A CONTAINER BENEATH ITS ASSOCIATED FILLING OUTLET; EACH SAID FILLER CONTROL VALVE INCLUDING A CAM FOLLOWER CONNECTED THERETO, HOLDING MEANS FOR YIELDINGLY RETAINING EACH FILLER CONTROL VALVE IN A FIXED LONGITUDINAL POSITION, A CAMMING SURFACE NORMALLY INCLINED IN THE PATH OF EACH SAID CAM FOLLOWER FOR EFFECTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF EACH SAID CONTROL VALVE FROM A FIRST LONGITUDINAL POSITION TO A SECOND LONGITUDINAL POSITION, SAID CAMMING SURFACE BEING MOVABLE FROM SAID INCLINED POSITION TO A POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID CAM FOLLOWERS INEFFECTIVE FOR EFFECTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF EACH SAID VALVE MEMBER, A SECOND CAM SPACED FROM AND INCLINED OPPOSITELY TO SAID NORMALLY INCLINED CAMMING SURFACE FOR ENGAGING EACH SAID CAM FOLLOWER AND RESTORING EACH OF SAID CONTROL VALVES FROM SAID SECOND LONGITUDINAL POSITION TO SAID FIRST LONGITUDINAL POSITION, SAID FIRST LONGITUDINAL POSITION OF EACH FILLER CONTROL VALVE CLOSING SAID OUTLET AND OPENING SAID PATH COMMUNICATING SAID CYLINDER WITH SAID RESERVOIR, AND SAID SECOND LONGITUDINAL POSITION OF EACH SAID FILLER CONTROL VALVE OPENING SAID OUTLET AND CLOSING SAID PATH COMMUNICATING SAID CYLINDER AND RESERVOIR, DETECTION MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL EMPTY CONTAINER BENEATH THE OUTLET OF A PARTICULAR FILLING OUTLET, AND CYLINDER MEANS PRESSURE ACTIVATED RESPONSIVE TO SAID DETECTION MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID CAMMING SURFACE SO THAT IT IS MOVED INTO ITS INCLINED POSITION ONLY AT SUCH TIMES AS THERE IS A CONTAINER DISPOSED BENEATH THE PARTICULAR FILLING OUTLET AND FOR MOVING SAID CAMMING SURFACE TO ITS INEFFECTIVE POSITION ONLY AT SUCH TIMES AS THERE IS NO CONTAINER DISPOSED BENEATH THE PARTICULAR FILLING OUTLET FOR MAINTAINING THE PARTICULAR FILLING OUTLET CLOSED WHILE PORTING THE ASSOCIATED CYLINDER TO THE RESERVOIR TO RELIEVE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CYLINDER FROM THE AUTOMATIC ACTION OF SAID PISTON ON THE MEASURED QUANTITY OF MATERIAL THEREIN.