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Title: Bottle washing machine
Claims: I claim: 1. Bottle washing machine comprising a vessel (10) adapted to hold a treatment liquid; a plurality of bottle holding boxes (22) adapted to hold the bottles (24) to be cleaned; a rotatable frame (16) having a central shaft (28) located within the vessel, said frame including a plurality of spaced, radially extending arms (36) formed with box holding track means (42) for seating the bottom of the bottle holding boxes (22), said boxes being insertable between said arms (36) and being open at the top; separable covers (44) for the boxes; cover holding track means (50, 54) formed on the arms (36) to seat the covers over the boxes, at least one of said track means comprising a plurality of tracks spaced above each other to permit locating bottles of different heights in said boxes (22) and beneath said covers (44); and drive means (36) coupled to the frame (16) to rotate the frame within the vessel, and hence expose the bottles in their holding boxes to the treatment liquid. 2. Machine according to claim 1, further comprising locking means (58, 64) engageable with said arms and said bottle holding boxes to lock said boxes in position between the arms. 3. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the box holding track means (42) extend radially to permit radial insertion of said boxes between said arms (36). 4. Machine according to claim 1, further comprising a substantially axially extending spray tube (26) located in said vessel (10) laterally with respect to the frame (16) and being formed with spray nozzles having a spray direction to spray upwardly and into the bottles to be treated and which become inverted upon rotation of the frame. 5. Machine according to claim 4, further comprising pump means (94) having its suction side connected to the vessel (10), and pipe means connecting the pump means (94) to the spray tube (26). 6. Machine according to claim 5, further comprising a supply tank (104) for treatment liquid, a drain connection (108) on the supply tank (104) connecting the supply tank (104) with the vessel (10); the pump means (94) having its outlet connected to an inlet supply connection (102) 7. Machine according to claim 1, further comprising an overflow line (124) connected to the vessel to determine the maximum level of treatment liquid therein. 8. Machine according to claim 7, wherein the overflow level is set approximately midway between the highest and lowest positions of the bottles in the holding boxes upon rotation of the frame; a substantially axially extending spray tube (26) is provided and located in the vessel (10) laterally with respect to the frame (16) and above the level of the overflow line and being formed with spray nozzles having a spray direction to spray upwardly into the bottles to be treated. 9. Machine according to claim 1, further comprising air supply means (112-120) including air cleaning means (116, 118) connected to supply clean air to the interior of the vessel (10). 10. Machine according to claim 1, further comprising a steam supply means (74, 100) connected to supply steam to the interior of the vessel to permit sterilization of bottles therein. 11. Machine according to claim 10, wherein the vessel (10) comprises a pressure vessel having such strength that the steam pressures used in sterilizing the bottles can be safely accepted by the vessel. 12. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the box holding track means (42) comprises a single track and the cover holding track means (50, 54) comprises a plurality of stacked guide tracks. Other info: Inventors: Rutten, Werner (Erkrath, DT) Application Number: 530963 Filing Date: 1974-12-09 Publication_date: 1976-05-18 Assignee: Anton Huber, GmbH & Co. KG (Freising, DT) Primary Class(es): 15/302 15/304, 15/305, 134/79, 134/152 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Christian, Leonard D. Assistant Examiner: Moore, C. K. Attorney: Flynn and Frishauf |
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