Rotary filling machine and filling tubes therefor

Claim 1

IN A ROTARY FILLING MACHINE FOR BOTTLING LIQUIDS SUCH AS DRY WINES WITH A MINIMUM OF ENTRAINED AIR, A RESERVOIR FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPLYING THE LIQUID TO BE BOTTLED IN SAID MACHINE, AND INLET FOR THE LIQUID, A CONDUIT RISING FROM SAID INLET AND CONNECTED TO THE BASE OF SAID RESERVOIR FOR VERTICAL FLOW UPWARDLY INTO SAID RESERVOIR, SAID CONDUIT HAVING STEPPED ENLARGEMENTS TO DECREASE THE VELOCITY AND TURBULENCE OF THE LIQUID ENTERING SAID RESERVOIR, A COLLECTING CHAMBER IN THE BASE OF BUT SEPARATED FROM THE CONDUIT FOR SAID RESERVOIR, THE LIQUID FLOWING BY GRAVITY FROM SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER FOR BOTTLING, BAFFLES PROVIDED IN SAID RESERVOIR FOR DIRECTING THE ENTERING LIQUID IN A TORTUOUS PATH TO SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER WHEREBY THE LIQUID IN SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER IS IN A QUIESCENT STATE, A FILLING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FILLING HEAD COMMUNICATING WITH AND WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER BY GRAVITY, A STATIONARY CAM TRACK OVER WHICH THE HEAD IS MOVED AND BY WHICH THE HEAD IS LOWERED DURING FILLING OF A BOTTLE AND ELEVATED WHEN THE BOTTLE HAS BEEN FILLED, A FILLING TUBE UNIT INCLUDING A FILLING TUBE DEPENDING FROM AND CARRIED BY SAID HEAD WITH ITS LOWER END MOVABLE VERTICALLY IN SAID UNIT AND INTO AND OUT OF A BOTTLE TO BE FILLED, A CENTERING BELL HOUSING SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID UNIT AND IN WHICH SAID FILLING TUBE IS SLIDABLY MOUNTED, A TUBE MOUNTED IN SAID CENTERING BELL AND ENCOMPASSING AND SPACED FROM THE FILLING TUBE TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR RESTRICTED PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN, A FLEXIBLE SEALING COLLAR CARRIED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID ENCOMPASSING TUBE FOR SEALING CONTACT WITH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE, A FILLING TIP ON THE LOWER END OF SAID FILLING TUBE, SAID TIP BEING PROVIDED WITH A SEALING RING AND ONE OR MORE OUTLET PORTS ABOVE SAID RING, SAID TIP BEING TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED IN THE ENCOMPASSING TUBE WITH THE LOWER END OF THE ENCOMPASSING TUBE ENGAGING THE SEALING RING TO COVER THE PORTS AND SEAL THE ANNULAR RESTRICTED PASSAGE, A RETURN HOSE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RESTRICTED ANNULAR SPACE AND OF A SMALLER INTERNAL DIAMETER THAN THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE FILLING TUBE FOR THE ESCAPE THROUGH SAID RESTRICTED PASSAGE AND RETURN HOSE OF AIR AND ENTRAINED LIQUID FROM THE BOTTLE DURING THE INITIAL PART OF THE FILLING OPERATION WHEN A LIMITED QUANTITY OF LIQUID ENTERS THE BOTTLE THROUGH THE UNCOVERED OUTLET PORTS AFTER WHICH THE TIP IS LOWERED TO ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE AND LIQUID ISSUES THROUGH SAID PORTS BENEATH THE COLLECTED LIQUID UNTIL THE BOTTLE IS FILLED, SAID CAM TRACK AND FILLING HEAD LOWERING AND RAISING SAID TIP IN A PREDETERMINED TIMED SEQUENCE.