Importance

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Abstract

Container filling systems include a container filling station which fills empty containers with a product, most preferably a frozen dessert. The container filling station will necessarily include a fill valve assembly which has a housing defining a inlet and discharge openings, and a cylindrical spool having a spool port defined therethrough. Preferably, the spool is mounted asymmetrically within said housing for rotation between an open and closed conditions. A container lid supply and transfer system is most preferably employed in the system of this invention and includes a lid supply assembly to provide an available stand-by supply of container lid stacks, a lid feeding assembly for sequentially feeding individual container lids onto an awaiting product-filled container, and a lid transfer assembly for transferring a lid stack from the lid supply assembly to the lid feeding assembly. Most preferably, the lid transfer assembly pivotally moves between a loading position (wherein a lid stack from the lid supply assembly may be loaded thereon), and an unloading position (wherein the lid stack supported by the lid transfer assembly is aligned with the lid stack supported by the lid feeding assembly).

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First Claim