Apparatus for filing aerosol packages

Claim 2

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous and liquefied propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder defining a metering chamber having propellaNt-admitting and propellant-evacuating inlet and outlet means; a hollow plunger reciprocably received in said chamber, said cylinder further defining a lubricant-containing annular space surrounding a portion of said plunger and sealed from said metering chamber: drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a source of conditioning fluid; means for circulating conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a source of gaseous propellant; supply conduit means connecting said propellant source with said inlet means, pressure-reducing valve means provided in said conduit means; and one-way valve means provided in said conduit means between said pressure-reducing valve means and said inlet means, said conduit means comprising a portion extending intermediate said pressure-reducing valve means and said one-way valve means and dipping into conditioning fluid in said first mentioned source.

Claim 3

A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said portion of the supply conduit means forms at least one coil.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous or liquid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a conditioning fluid; means for circulating the conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a gaseous propellant; supply conduit means connecting said second source with said inlet means; pressure reducing valve means provided in said conduit means; and one-way valve means provided in said conduit means between said pressure-reducing valve means and said inlet means.

Claim 5

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous or liquid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a conditioning fluid; means for circulating the conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a gaseous propellant; supply conduit means connecting said second source with said inlet means; pressure reducing valve means provided in said conduit means; and one-way valve means provided in said conduit means between said pressure-reducing valve means and said inlet means.

Claim 6

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous or liquid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a conditioning fluid; means for circulating the conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a liquefied propellant; and supply conduit means connecting said second source with said inlet means.

Claim 7

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous or liquid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a conditioning fluid; means for circulating the conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a liquefied propellant; and supply conduit means connecting said second source with said inlet means.

Claim 8

A combination as defined in claim 4, further comprising pump means provided in said supply conduit means and operative to deliver liquefied propellant from said second source to aid inlet means.

Claim 9

A combination as defined in claim 5, further comprising one-way valve means provided in said conduit means between said pump means and inlet means.

Claim 10

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous or liquid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a conditioning fluid; means for circulating the conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a liquefied propellant; a third source containing a supply of gaseous propellant; first conduit means connected with said inlet means; second conduit means connected with said second source; third conduit means connected with said third source; and valve means connected with said conduit means and movable between a plurality of positions in one of which said first conduit means is connected with said second conduit means and in another of which said first conduit means is connected with said third conduit means.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with gaseous or liquid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a conditioning fluid; means for circulating the conditioning fluid from said source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a liquefied propellant; a third source containing a supply of gaseous propellant; first conduit means connected with said inlet means; second conduit means connected with said second source; third conduit means connected with said third source; and valve means connected with said conduit means and movable between a plurality of positions in one of which said first conduit means is connected with said second conduit means and in another of which said first conduit means is connected with said third conduit means.

Claim 12

A combination as defined in claim 7, further comprising one-way valve means provided in said first conduit means, pump means provided in said second conduit means, a pressure-reducing valve means provided in said third conduit means.

Claim 13

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with fluid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a fluid-conditioning medium; means for circulating the conditioning medium from said first source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a fluid propellant; and supply conduit means connecting said second source with said inlet means.

Claim 14

In an apparatus for filling aerosol packages with fluid propellants, a combination comprising a metering cylinder having an end wall and defining a metering chamber having propellant-admitting inlet means and propellant-evacuating outlet means; a hollow internally cooled plunger extending into said cylinder and reciprocable therein to thereby change the volume of said metering chamber, said end wall of said cylinder sealingly surrounding said plunger and defining a lubricant-containing annular space which surrounds a portion of said plunger and is sealed from said metering chamber; drive means for reciprocating said plunger; a filling head connected with said cylinder and having an inlet in communication with said outlet means and a normally sealed outlet, said filling head and said cylinder having hollow jackets; a first source containing a supply of a fluid-conditioning medium; means for circulating the conditioning medium from said first source and through said jackets; a second source containing a supply of a fluid propellant; and supply conduit means connecting said second source with said inlet means.

Claim 15

A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said cylinder further comprises a record end wall which is connected with said filling head and is provided with said outlet means.

Claim 16

A combination as defined in claim 9, further comprising means for regulating the temperature of conditioning medium said first source.

Claim 17

A combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said regulating means comprises thermostat means.

Claim 18

A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said drive means comprises a cylinder and piston unit whose piston is rigid with said hollow plunger.

Claim 19

A combination as defined in claim 9, further comprising a pair of annular sealing devices surrounding said plunger at the opposite axial ends of said lubricant-containing space.

Claim 20

A combination as defined in claim 14, wherein said drive means comprises a second cylinder and a piston reciprocable in said second cylinder and connected with said plunger, said second cylinder having an end wall adjacent to the end wall of said metering cylinder and each of said end walls accommodating one of said sealing devices.

Claim 21

A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said drive means comprises a second cylinder separably secured to said end wall of said metering cylinder, said metering cylinder having another end wall separably secured to said filling head.

Claim 22

A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said means for circulating the conditioning medium comprises second conduit means connecting the interior of one of said jackets with the interior of the other jacket.

Claim 23

A combination as defined in claim 17, wherein said means for circulating the conditioning medium further comprises third conduit means for delivering the conditioning medium from said first source to one of said jackets and fourth conduit means for returning the conditioning medium from the other jacket to said first source.

Claim 24

A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said metering cylinder comprises a second end wall which is connected with said filling head and wherein the outlet means of said metering cylinder is parallel to the axis of the metering cylinder.

Claim 25

A combination as defined in claim 9, wherein said drive means comprises a fluid-operated cylinder and piston unit whose piston is rigid with said plunger, said plunger having at least one opening establishing communication between the interior of the cylinder of said unit and the interior of said plunger whereby the fluid which operates said unit can circulate between the interior of said plunger and the interior of the cylinder of said unit to internally cool the plunger.

Claim 26

A combination as defined in claim 20, wherein said opening is closely adjacent to the piston of said unit.