BEVERAGE BOTTLING PLANT FOR FILLING BEVERAGE BOTTLES WITH A LIQUID BEVERAGE, WITH AN INFORMATION ADDING ARRANGEMENT FOR ADDING INFORMATION RELATING TO THE BEVERAGE BOTTLES, AND A METHOD OF OPERATING THE BEVERAGE BOTTLING PLANT

• US 20070157559A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Original Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Inventors: TILL, VOLKER
• Application Number:
  US11/621,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157559A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/411
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00214 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/06 by electric or magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/316 with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/40733 Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0088 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages

Abstract

A beverage bottling plant for filling beverage bottles with a liquid beverage, with an information adding arrangement for adding information relating to the beverage bottles, and a method of operating the beverage bottling plant. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

Claims

1. A beverage bottling plant for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material, said beverage bottling plant comprising:

a plurality of rotary machines comprising at least a rotary beverage bottle filling machine, and a rotary beverage bottle closing machine;

a first conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey beverage bottles to be filled to said beverage bottle filling machine;

said beverage bottle filling machine being configured and disposed to fill beverage bottles with liquid beverage material;

said beverage bottle filling machine comprising;

a rotor;

a rotatable vertical machine column;

said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

a plurality of beverage bottle filling elements for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

each of said plurality of beverage bottle filling elements comprising a beverage bottle carrier being configured and disposed to receive and hold beverage bottles to be filled;

each of said plurality of beverage bottle filling elements being configured and disposed to dispense liquid beverage material into beverage bottles to be filled;

at least one liquid reservoir being configured to hold a supply of liquid beverage material;

at least one supply line being configured and disposed to connect said at least one liquid reservoir to said beverage bottle filling machine to supply liquid beverage material to said beverage bottle filling machine;

a first star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles into said beverage bottle filling machine;

a second star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles out of said beverage bottle filling machine;

a second conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey filled beverage bottles from said beverage bottle filling machine to said beverage bottle closing machine;

said beverage bottle closing machine being configured and disposed to close tops of filled beverage bottles;

said beverage bottle closing machine comprising;

a rotor;

a rotatable vertical machine column;

said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

a plurality of closing devices being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

each of said plurality of closing devices being configured and disposed to place closures on filled beverage bottles;

each of said plurality of closing devices comprising a beverage bottle carrier being configured and disposed to receive and hold filled beverage bottles;

a first star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move filled beverage bottles into said beverage bottle closing machine;

a second star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move filled, closed beverage bottles out of said beverage bottle closing machine;

a rotary beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

a third conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey beverage bottles from said beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

said beverage bottle information adding arrangement being configured and disposed to add information to the outside surface of empty beverage bottles prior to the bottles being filled;

said beverage bottle information adding arrangement comprising;

a rotor having a central rotational axis;

a rotatable vertical machine column;

said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

a plurality of beverage bottle support structures being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

said beverage bottle support structures being configured to support and hold beverage bottles;

a first star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move empty beverage bottles into said beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

a second star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles with information thereon out of said beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

at least one beverage bottle information adding device being configured and disposed to add information to the surface of a beverage bottle;

said at least one beverage bottle information adding device comprising at least one charged information adding head;

said at least one information adding head having a longitudinal axis being disposed substantially perpendicular to the central rotational axis of said rotor;

said at least one information adding head comprising a plurality of individually actuatable information adding dispensers disposed in a row one after another along the longitudinal axis; and

a packing station configured to pack filled bottles ready to be packed into packs.

2. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 1, wherein said beverage bottle information adding arrangement is configured to move beverage bottles from a vertical position to a horizontal position to permit information to be added on the beverage bottles, such that the central longitudinal axes of the beverage bottles are disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said at least one information adding head.

3. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 2, wherein:

said information adding arrangement comprises at least one moving arrangement for the generation of a controlled relative movement between beverage bottles to have information added thereon and said at least one information adding head around the central longitudinal axes of the beverage bottles during the adding of information;

said at least one moving arrangement being configured and disposed to rotate beverage bottles about their central longitudinal axes during printing; and

said information adding arrangement comprises a computer control device for the control and operation of said information adding dispensers and for the control and operation of said at least one moving arrangement.

4. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 3, wherein said row of information adding dispensers defines an information adding area, the length of which area is equal to or greater than the width of the area of the information added.

5. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 4, wherein at least one of:

(A) said at least one information adding head, at least during the printing process, is oriented above the surface of a beverage bottle to be printed;

(B) said at least one information adding device comprises at least one clamping holder and at least one support and/or centering element, between which a beverage bottle is to be held or chucked at least during the printing process means to grip and/or fix the beverage bottle in the printing position;

said at least one clamping holder is configured to hold a beverage bottle in the vicinity of the mouth or neck of the beverage bottle;

(C) said at least one information adding head comprises at least one electrostatic print head;

said plurality of information adding dispensers comprise nozzles for the controlled dispensing of paint or ink;

said at least one information adding device comprises one of;

at least two information adding heads and at least three information adding heads;

said print heads are configured to print a multiple-color image on beverage bottles;

said print heads are provided offset from one another around the beverage bottle axis or around the printer station axis;

said print heads can each be moved for printing into a printing position or into a printing plane that defines this printing position;

(D) said at least one print head can be adjusted for the printing on the beverage bottle surface;

(E) said at least one print head is held at some distance from the beverage bottle surface by at least one spacer element;

(F) said at least one information adding device comprises a spacing measurement system for the setting and/or regulation during the printing process of the distance between the at least one print head and the beverage bottle surface to be printed;

(G) said at least one information adding device comprises an arrangement for drying or hardening of the ink applied to the surface of the beverage bottle by heat and/or UV radiation;

(H) the axis of each information adding device is oriented radially or approximately radially with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is inclined with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is oriented so that it is tangential or approximately tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotor;

(I) the printer station axis is a horizontal axis, at least during the printing process;

or

the printer station axis encloses an angle with the horizontal, at least during the printing process;

(J) on conical surfaces to be imprinted, the print head longitudinal axis, at least during the printing process, encloses an angle with the beverage bottle axis or with the printer station axis that is equal or approximately equal to one-half of the conical angle of the conical surface of the beverage bottle;

(K) each printer station has beverage bottle gripping and/or holding means, each of which grips a beverage bottle presented at a beverage bottle inlet, and moves it into a printing position and holds it there, at least during the printing process.

(L) said at least one print head is inclined with respect to the vertical machine axis such that in the interior of the at least one print head along the printing area there is a sufficiently uniform distribution of the pressure exerted by the ink that results from the pressure of the column of fluid of the ink and from the centrifugal force produced by the rotating rotor;

(M) said information adding arrangement comprises a clocked machine;

(N) the conveyor and/or the additional conveyor are a rotor that rotates around a machine axis, with brackets or receptacles provided on the periphery of the rotor for the beverage bottles, and the at least one printer station is provided on the path of movement of the beverage bottle receptacles or of the beverage bottles that are held on these receptacles so that it does not move with the rotor; and

(O) the beverage bottles are held on the beverage bottle receptacles with their beverage bottle axis oriented radially with respect to the machine axis.

6. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 4, wherein all of:

(A) said at least one information adding head, at least during the printing process, is oriented above the surface of a beverage bottle to be printed;

(B) said at least one information adding device comprises at least one clamping holder and at least one support and/or centering element, between which a beverage bottle is to be held or chucked at least during the printing process means to grip and/or fix the beverage bottle in the printing position;

said at least one clamping holder is configured to hold a beverage bottle in the vicinity of the mouth or neck of the beverage bottle;

(C) said at least one information adding head comprises at least one electrostatic print head;

said plurality of information adding dispensers comprise nozzles for the controlled dispensing of paint or ink;

said at least one information adding device comprises one of;

at least two information adding heads and at least three information adding heads;

said print heads are configured to print a multiple-color image on beverage bottles;

said print heads are provided offset from one another around the beverage bottle axis or around the printer station axis;

said print heads can each be moved for printing into a printing position or into a printing plane that defines this printing position;

(D) said at least one print head can be adjusted for the printing on the beverage bottle surface;

(E) said at least one print head is held at some distance from the beverage bottle surface by at least one spacer element;

(F) said at least one information adding device comprises a spacing measurement system for the setting and/or regulation during the printing process of the distance between the at least one print head and the beverage bottle surface to be printed;

(G) said at least one information adding device comprises an arrangement for drying or hardening of the ink applied to the surface of the beverage bottle by heat and/or UV radiation;

(H) the axis of each information adding device is oriented radially or approximately radially with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is inclined with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is oriented so that it is tangential or approximately tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotor;

(I) the printer station axis is a horizontal axis, at least during the printing process;

or

the printer station axis encloses an angle with the horizontal, at least during the printing process;

(J) on conical surfaces to be imprinted, the print head longitudinal axis, at least during the printing process, encloses an angle with the beverage bottle axis or with the printer station axis that is equal or approximately equal to one-half of the conical angle of the conical surface of the beverage bottle;

(K) each printer station has beverage bottle gripping and/or holding means, each of which grips a beverage bottle presented at a beverage bottle inlet, and moves it into a printing position and holds it there, at least during the printing process.

(L) said at least one print head is inclined with respect to the vertical machine axis such that in the interior of the at least one print head along the printing area there is a sufficiently uniform distribution of the pressure exerted by the ink that results from the pressure of the column of fluid of the ink and from the centrifugal force produced by the rotating rotor;

(M) said information adding arrangement comprises a clocked machine;

(N) the conveyor and/or the additional conveyor are a rotor that rotates around a machine axis, with brackets or receptacles provided on the periphery of the rotor for the beverage bottles, and the at least one printer station is provided on the path of movement of the beverage bottle receptacles or of the beverage bottles that are held on these receptacles so that it does not move with the rotor; and

(O) the beverage bottles are held on the beverage bottle receptacles with their beverage bottle axis oriented radially with respect to the machine axis.

7. A method of operating a beverage bottling plant for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material, said beverage bottling plant comprising:

a plurality of rotary machines comprising at least a rotary beverage bottle filling machine, a rotary beverage bottle closing machine, and a rotary beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

a first conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey beverage bottles to be filled to said beverage bottle filling machine;

said beverage bottle filling machine being configured and disposed to fill beverage bottles with liquid beverage material;

said beverage bottle filling machine comprising;

a rotor;

a rotatable vertical machine column;

said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

a plurality of beverage bottle filling elements for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

each of said plurality of beverage bottle filling elements comprising a beverage bottle carrier being configured and disposed to receive and hold beverage bottles to be filled;

each of said plurality of beverage bottle filling elements being configured and disposed to dispense liquid beverage material into beverage bottles to be filled;

at least one liquid reservoir being configured to hold a supply of liquid beverage material;

at least one supply line being configured and disposed to connect said at least one liquid reservoir to said beverage bottle filling machine to supply liquid beverage material to said beverage bottle filling machine;

a first star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles into said beverage bottle filling machine;

a second star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles out of said beverage bottle filling machine;

a second conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey filled beverage bottles from said beverage bottle filling machine to said beverage bottle closing machine;

said beverage bottle closing machine being configured and disposed to close tops of filled beverage bottles;

said beverage bottle closing machine comprising;

a rotor;

a rotatable vertical machine column;

said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

a plurality of closing devices being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

each of said plurality of closing devices being configured and disposed to place closures on filled beverage bottles;

each of said plurality of closing devices comprising a beverage bottle carrier being configured and disposed to receive and hold filled beverage bottles;

a first star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move filled beverage bottles into said beverage bottle closing machine;

a second star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move filled, closed beverage bottles out of said beverage bottle closing machine;

a third conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey beverage bottles from said beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

said beverage bottle information adding arrangement being configured and disposed to add information to the outside surface of empty beverage bottles prior to the bottles being filled;

said beverage bottle information adding arrangement comprising;

a rotor having a central rotational axis;

a rotatable vertical machine column;

said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

a plurality of beverage bottle support structures being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

said beverage bottle support structures being configured to support and hold beverage bottles;

a first star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move empty beverage bottles into said beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

a second star wheel structure being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles with information thereon out of said beverage bottle information adding arrangement;

at least one beverage bottle information adding device being configured and disposed to add information to the surface of a beverage bottle;

said at least one beverage bottle information adding device comprising at least one charged information adding head;

said at least one information adding head having a longitudinal axis being disposed substantially perpendicular to the central rotational axis of said rotor;

said at least one information adding head comprising a plurality of individually actuatable information adding dispensers disposed in a row one after another along the longitudinal axis;

said method comprising the steps of;

filling beverage bottles with said filling machine;

closing filled beverage bottles with said closing machine; and

adding information to beverage bottles with said information adding dispensers of said information adding arrangement.

8. The method of operating a beverage bottling plant according to claim 7, wherein the print head longitudinal axis is in an orientation or is brought into an orientation such that the pressure of the ink resulting from gravity and centrifugal force along the individual nozzles is constant or approximately constant, and that the surface line of the surface to be printed is then oriented parallel to the print head longitudinal axis.

9. The method of operating a beverage bottling plant according to claim 8, wherein the image to be transferred to the beverage bottle during a printing process is composed for the specific beverage bottle from constant components as well as from variable components.

10. The method of operating a beverage bottling plant according to claim 9, wherein the variable components are graphic information.

11. The method of operating a beverage bottling plant according to claim 9, wherein the variable components are numerical or alpha-numerical components.

12. A beverage bottling plant for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material, said beverage bottling plant comprising:

a filling machine being configured and disposed to fill empty beverage bottles with a filling material;

a first moving arrangement being configured and disposed to move beverage bottles to said filling machine;

said filling machine comprising;

a moving device being configured and disposed to accept beverage bottles from said first moving arrangement and to move beverage bottles within said filling machine;

an apparatus being configured and disposed to hold beverage bottles during filling; and

at least one filling device being configured and disposed to fill beverage bottles with a filling material upon the beverage bottles being within said filling machine;

a closing machine being configured and disposed to close filled beverage bottles;

a second moving arrangement being configured and disposed to accept filled beverage bottles from said moving device of said filling machine to move filled beverage bottles out of said filling machine;

said second moving arrangement being configured and disposed to move filled beverage bottles from said filling machine to said closing machine;

said closing machine comprising;

a moving device being configured and disposed to accept filled beverage bottles from said second moving arrangement and to move filled beverage bottles within said closing machine;

an apparatus being configured and disposed to hold filled beverage bottles during closing; and

at least one closing device being configured and disposed to close filled beverage bottles upon the filled beverage bottles being within said closing machine;

a beverage bottle information adding arrangement being configured and disposed to add information to the beverage bottles;

said beverage bottle information adding arrangement comprising;

a moving device being configured and disposed to move filled beverage bottles within said information adding arrangement;

an apparatus being configured and disposed to hold beverage bottles during adding of information; and

at least one beverage bottle information adding device being configured and disposed to add information to beverage bottles;

said at least one beverage bottle information adding device comprising at least one charged information adding head;

said at least one information adding head having a longitudinal axis;

said at least one information adding head comprising a plurality of individually actuatable information adding dispensers disposed in a row one after another along the longitudinal axis.

13. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 12, wherein said beverage bottle information adding arrangement is configured to move beverage bottles from a vertical position to a horizontal position to permit information to be added on the beverage bottles, such that the central longitudinal axes of the beverage bottles are disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said at least one information adding head.

14. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 13, wherein said information adding arrangement comprises at least one moving arrangement for the generation of a controlled relative movement between beverage bottles to have information added thereon and said at least one information adding head around the central longitudinal axes of the beverage bottles during the adding of information.

15. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 14, wherein said at least one moving arrangement being configured and disposed to rotate beverage bottles about their central longitudinal axes during printing.

16. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 15, wherein said information adding arrangement comprises a computer control device for the control and operation of said information adding dispensers and for the control and operation of said at least one moving arrangement.

17. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 16, wherein said row of information adding dispensers defines an information adding area, the length of which area is equal to or greater than the width of the area of the information added.

18. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 17, wherein said information adding dispensers comprise nozzles.

19. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 18, wherein at least one of:

(A) said at least one information adding head, at least during the printing process, is oriented above the surface of a beverage bottle to be printed;

(B) said at least one information adding device comprises at least one clamping holder and at least one support and/or centering element, between which a beverage bottle is to be held or chucked at least during the printing process means to grip and/or fix the beverage bottle in the printing position;

said at least one clamping holder is configured to hold a beverage bottle in the vicinity of the mouth or neck of the beverage bottle;

(C) said at least one information adding head comprises at least one electrostatic print head;

said plurality of information adding dispensers comprise nozzles for the controlled dispensing of paint or ink;

said at least one information adding device comprises one of;

at least two information adding heads and at least three information adding heads;

said print heads are configured to print a multiple-color image on beverage bottles;

said print heads are provided offset from one another around the beverage bottle axis or around the printer station axis;

said print heads can each be moved for printing into a printing position or into a printing plane that defines this printing position;

(D) said at least one print head can be adjusted for the printing on the beverage bottle surface;

(E) said at least one print head is held at some distance from the beverage bottle surface by at least one spacer element;

(F) said at least one information adding device comprises a spacing measurement system for the setting and/or regulation during the printing process of the distance between the at least one print head and the beverage bottle surface to be printed;

(G) said at least one information adding device comprises an arrangement for drying or hardening of the ink applied to the surface of the beverage bottle by heat and/or UV radiation;

(H) the axis of each information adding device is oriented radially or approximately radially with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is inclined with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is oriented so that it is tangential or approximately tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotor;

(I) the printer station axis is a horizontal axis, at least during the printing process;

or

the printer station axis encloses an angle with the horizontal, at least during the printing process;

(J) on conical surfaces to be imprinted, the print head longitudinal axis, at least during the printing process, encloses an angle with the beverage bottle axis or with the printer station axis that is equal or approximately equal to one-half of the conical angle of the conical surface of the beverage bottle;

(K) each printer station has beverage bottle gripping and/or holding means, each of which grips a beverage bottle presented at a beverage bottle inlet, and moves it into a printing position and holds it there, at least during the printing process.

(L) said at least one print head is inclined with respect to the vertical machine axis such that in the interior of the at least one print head along the printing area there is a sufficiently uniform distribution of the pressure exerted by the ink that results from the pressure of the column of fluid of the ink and from the centrifugal force produced by the rotating rotor;

(M) said information adding arrangement comprises a clocked machine;

(N) the conveyor and/or the additional conveyor are a rotor that rotates around a machine axis, with brackets or receptacles provided on the periphery of the rotor for the beverage bottles, and the at least one printer station is provided on the path of movement of the beverage bottle receptacles or of the beverage bottles that are held on these receptacles so that it does not move with the rotor; and

(O) the beverage bottles are held on the beverage bottle receptacles with their beverage bottle axis oriented radially with respect to the machine axis.

20. The beverage bottling plant according to claim 18, wherein all of:

(A) said at least one information adding head, at least during the printing process, is oriented above the surface of a beverage bottle to be printed;

(B) said at least one information adding device comprises at least one clamping holder and at least one support and/or centering element, between which a beverage bottle is to be held or chucked at least during the printing process means to grip and/or fix the beverage bottle in the printing position;

said at least one clamping holder is configured to hold a beverage bottle in the vicinity of the mouth or neck of the beverage bottle;

(C) said at least one information adding head comprises at least one electrostatic print head;

said plurality of information adding dispensers comprise nozzles for the controlled dispensing of paint or ink;

said at least one information adding device comprises one of;

at least two information adding heads and at least three information adding heads;

said print heads are configured to print a multiple-color image on beverage bottles;

said print heads are provided offset from one another around the beverage bottle axis or around the printer station axis;

said print heads can each be moved for printing into a printing position or into a printing plane that defines this printing position;

(D) said at least one print head can be adjusted for the printing on the beverage bottle surface;

(E) said at least one print head is held at some distance from the beverage bottle surface by at least one spacer element;

(F) said at least one information adding device comprises a spacing measurement system for the setting and/or regulation during the printing process of the distance between the at least one print head and the beverage bottle surface to be printed;

(G) said at least one information adding device comprises an arrangement for drying or hardening of the ink applied to the surface of the beverage bottle by heat and/or UV radiation;

(H) the axis of each information adding device is oriented radially or approximately radially with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is inclined with respect to the rotor axis at least during the printing process;

or

the axis of each information adding device is oriented so that it is tangential or approximately tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotor;

(I) the printer station axis is a horizontal axis, at least during the printing process;

or

the printer station axis encloses an angle with the horizontal, at least during the printing process;

(J) on conical surfaces to be imprinted, the print head longitudinal axis, at least during the printing process, encloses an angle with the beverage bottle axis or with the printer station axis that is equal or approximately equal to one-half of the conical angle of the conical surface of the beverage bottle;

(K) each printer station has beverage bottle gripping and/or holding means, each of which grips a beverage bottle presented at a beverage bottle inlet, and moves it into a printing position and holds it there, at least during the printing process.

(L) said at least one print head is inclined with respect to the vertical machine axis such that in the interior of the at least one print head along the printing area there is a sufficiently uniform distribution of the pressure exerted by the ink that results from the pressure of the column of fluid of the ink and from the centrifugal force produced by the rotating rotor;

(M) said information adding arrangement comprises a clocked machine;

(N) the conveyor and/or the additional conveyor are a rotor that rotates around a machine axis, with brackets or receptacles provided on the periphery of the rotor for the beverage bottles, and the at least one printer station is provided on the path of movement of the beverage bottle receptacles or of the beverage bottles that are held on these receptacles so that it does not move with the rotor; and

(O) the beverage bottles are held on the beverage bottle receptacles with their beverage bottle axis oriented radially with respect to the machine axis.