Method and apparatus for controlling the filling of containers under aseptic conditions

• US 20030188512A1
• Filed: 03/14/2003
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grifols SA
• Original Assignee: Grifols SA
• Inventors: Sanchez Sabate, Jose Ramon, Jorba Ribes, Javier, Morales Perez, Ramon
• Granted Patent: US 6,796,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/411
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/006 Related operations, e.g. scoring ampoules
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 55/027 Packaging in aseptic chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/00 Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices registering wrapping or container-forming material fed from rolls B65B41/18
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages

Abstract

The method comprises viewing by means of a magnetic recording camera the zone for the opening of vials and for metered filling thereof and continuously recording said zones visually during the operation of the installation and simultaneously carrying out the identification marking of each full glass container, with indelible marking means, at the outlet of the installation.

Claims

1. A method for controlling filling into containers under aseptic conditions, in which, in a first step, the containers to be filled, together with their lids, are sterilized, then passed on to a step of opening and subsequent metered filling of the containers, which then pass to a re-capping zone prior to the emergence of the full containers, characterized by two stages simultaneous in time which consist respectively in:

viewing by means of a magnetic recording camera the zone for the opening of vials and metered filling thereof and continuously recording said zones visually during the operation of the installation, and simultaneously proceeding with the identification marking of each full glass container, with indelible marking means, at the outlet of the installation.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that synchronization of the operation and the marking of time on the video camera or the like and on the walls of the glass container is carried out during the marking operation.

3. A method according to the preceding claims, characterized in that in the indelible marking of the full containers, the batch number, the time in hours, minutes and seconds at which marking is carried out, and a sequential order number are marked.

4. An apparatus for carrying out the method of claims 1 to 3, which comprises a work station for feeding the partially closed and sterilized empty containers to the zone for opening and metered filling of the containers, which is contained in an enclosure separated by partitions from the other zones of the installation, comprising means for opening the vials and for their metered filling, and the installation then having a capping zone and a discharge table for the full containers, characterized in that in the enclosure containing the zones for opening of the containers and the zone for metered filling thereof a video camera or the like is arranged which focuses on both sections, that is to say, the section for opening of the containers and the metered filling zone, in order to enable the recording of the operations of opening of the containers and of metered filling thereof to take place continuously, with indication of the hour, minutes and seconds at which said operations are carried out, and in that said camera is synchronized with a station for indelible marking of the walls of the containers, before they emerge from the installation.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the device for indelibly marking the containers is a laser marking device.