Today in 1974, US Patent 3807463 A was issued, an invention of W. Heckmann, H. Jordan, U. Knabe, K. Plock, K. Quest, F. Rademacher, and D. Unger, assigned to Holstein & Kappert Maschf, for their “Apparatus for Filling Beer Cans or the Like.” Here’s the Abstract:

The filling devices in an apparatus which fills beer cans orbit about a vertical axis and have upright housings supporting cylindrical centering members which carry deformable gaskets for the mouths of cans. Such canes are supported by a conveyor which orbits with the filling devices and is movable up and down or is held against vertical movement during rotation with the filling devices. The introduction of liquid into the cans takes place subsequent to introduction of a compressed gas, and such gas can be used to bias the gaskets against the mouths of cans during filling. When the filling of a can is completed, the pressure in its interior is increased to facilitate separation from the respective gasket. That supply of beer which remains in a channel of the housing on closing of the beer-admitting valve can be expelled in response to expansion of gas in a chamber which receives such gas by way of the container and is sealed from the container by beer in the channel. The expansion of gas in the chamber takes place in response to opening of a valve which reduces the pressure of gas above the body of liquid in the container.

Today in 1930, US Patent 1756548 A was issued, an invention of Oswald H. Hansen, for his “Can-Filling Machine.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention relates to improvements in the construction and operation of machines for automatically measuring and for placing measured batches of fluent substances into successive receptacles while they are transported in series through the machine.”

Today in 1981, US Patent 4255457 A was issued, an invention of George J. Collias, assigned to the Kepros-Ganes Company, for his “Method and Apparatus for Preventing Buckle of Beer Cans During Pasteurization.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method is described for preventing buckling of beer-can tops and bottoms during pasteurization of the beer. Prior to the pasteurization, an anti-buckle ring is mated with each beer can such that the ring captures the base portion of the can’s bottom. The ring permits the bottom’s panel to bulge outwardly while preventing radial displacement of the bottom’s base area and, hence, buckling of the can bottom, when the heat applied during pasteurization causes the internal pressure of the can to increase. To prevent buckle of the beer can’s top, another anti-buckle ring may be mated with the top of the can such that the latter ring captures the double-seam area on the top of the can to prevent radial displacement at key points of the top. After pasteurization, both rings are automatically removed from the can for use with another can.