Air elimination method and apparatus

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF PACKAGING AN EFFERVESCENT LIQUID IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL CONTAINERS ARE CONTINUOUSLY MOVED ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH DURING THE PACKAGING OPERATION, THE STEPS OF PARTIALLY FILLING EACH OF THE CONTAINERS WITH SAID LIQUID, EXCITING THE LIQUID IN EACH OF THE CONTAINERS AT A POINT ALONG SAID PATH TO GENERATE A FOAM TENDING TO FILL A PORTION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE CONTAINER, WHEREBY A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE AIR REMAINING IN THE CONTAINER IS EXPELLED, THEREAFTER APPLYING UNDER PRESSURE A GAS OTHER THAN AIR TO THE OPEN ENDS OF THE CONTAINERS ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH OF SAID PATH SUBSEQUENT TO SAID POINT TO DISPLACE AIR REMAINING IN THE CONTAINERS, CONFINING THE EXCESS GAS APPLIED TO THE CONTAINERS TO ESTABLISH AN ATMOSPHERE OF SAID GAS ALONG SAID LENGTH OF PATH AT A LEVEL TO ENVELOP THE OPEN ENDS OF THE CONTAINERS AS THEY PASS THERETHROUGH TO PREVENT ENTRY OF ADDITIONAL AIR, AND THEN HERMETICALLY SEALING THE OPEN ENDS OF THE CONTAINERS.