Means for cleaning and filling ampoules, bottles and similar containers

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FILLING AMPOULES AND SIMILAR OPENENDED CONTAINER, COMPRISING CONVEYOR MEANS ARRANGED TO MOVE THE CONTAINERS CONSECUTIVELY PAST A FILLING STATION SO THAT THE OPEN END OF EACH CONTAINER FACES UPWARDLY; A FILLING DEVICE PROVIDED AT SAID FILLING STATION AND COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL TUBE MEANS HAVING A LOWER PORTION ARRANGED TO ADMIT A FILLING SUBSTANCE INTO CONSECUTIVE CONTAINERS; HOLDER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TUBE MEANS; SHIFTING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID HOLDER MEANS SO THAT THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID TUBE MEANS MAY BE INSERTED INTO AND WITHDRAWN THROUGH THE OPEN END OF A CONTAINER AT SAID FILLING STATION; AND AN EJECTING DEVICE LOCATED UPSTREAM OF SAID FILLING STATION AND ARRANGED TO TEST THE DIMENSIONS OF THE OPEN ENDS OF CONSECUTIVE CONTAINERS AND TO EJECT FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS ALL SUCH CONTAINERS WHOSE OPEN ENDS ARE TOO NARROW TO PERMIT ENTRY OF SAID TUBE MEANS BEFORE SUCH CONTAINERS REACH SAID FILLING STATION.