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For closing bottles with sterile caps, the caps are placed in a non-sterile environment in a vertical arrangement and are supplied vertically to a first sterile area. The interior of the caps is arranged to be accessible horizontally. The caps are sterilized in the first sterile area and transferred

For closing bottles with sterile caps, the caps are placed in a non-sterile environment in a vertical arrangement and are supplied vertically to a first sterile area. The interior of the caps is arranged to be accessible horizontally. The caps are sterilized in the first sterile area and transferred to a second sterile area where the caps are placed onto bottles. Subsequently, the bottle is closed with the cap. The machine for sterile closing of bottles with caps has a sterilization device with an individualization device for picking up caps and a vertical transport path feeding the caps to the sterilization chamber. A placing device receives the caps from the sterilization device and places the caps onto bottles. A closing device closes the bottles with the cap placed thereon. The sterilization device, the placing device, and the closing device operate as synchronized modules of a linear machine.

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What is claimed is: 1. A method for closing bottles with sterile caps, the method comprising the steps of: placing the caps adjacent to one another in a non-sterile environment in a vertical arrangement; supplying the caps in a substantially vertical transport direction to a first sterile area, whe

What is claimed is: 1. A method for closing bottles with sterile caps, the method comprising the steps of: placing the caps adjacent to one another in a non-sterile environment in a vertical arrangement; supplying the caps in a substantially vertical transport direction to a first sterile area, wherein an interior of the caps faces in a horizontal direction; sterilizing the caps in the first sterile area while the interior of the caps faces in the horizontal direction; transferring the caps from the first sterile area into a second sterile area; feeding filled bottles linearly to the second sterile area; placing the caps by a placing device onto the bottles to produce a bottle-cap unit in the second sterile area; conveying the bottle-cap unit to a third sterile area; and subsequently closing the bottle with the cap by a closing device, wherein the closing device is not the placing device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of subsequently closing the bottle, a relative movement between the cap and the bottle is carried out by a push-and-snap-on action or a screwing action. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caps that have been sorted outside of the first sterile area into vertical areas of the transport path with the interior being horizontally accessible are transported in synchronized fashion into the first sterile area that is to be passed vertically, are sterilized by a horizontal spraying device with a sterilization agent, are guided on a transport stretch determining a residence time of the sterilization agent to a spraying and drying area, are subsequently deflected on the transport path into a turned position such that the interior faces downwardly and are moved in the turned position into the second sterile area and placed onto the bottles. 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of presterilizing the caps during the step of supplying to the first sterile area by an air-sterilization agent mixture exiting from the first sterile area. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caps when passing the first sterile area are sprayed at least phase-wise with a sterilization agent containing hydrogen peroxide, wherein the sterilization agent is introduced with overpressure into the interior of the caps, and wherein subsequently a drying step is performed by at least blowing out the interior of the caps. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein in the first sterile area simultaneously several of the caps moveable on the transport path are sterilized and dried. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sterile area, the second sterile area, and the third sterile area are protected against recontamination by individually generated laminar displacement flows that contain at least one of sterile air and a sterilization agent. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of introducing displacement flows of sterile air into a zone between the first and second sterile areas for preventing recontamination of the caps and the filled bottles and for ensuring aseptic closure of the filled bottles. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein in an area where the caps are placed onto the bottles sterile air is supplied and guided in laminar flow downwardly about the incoming bottles. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bottles are plastic bottles and wherein the plastic bottles and the caps are supplied on several paths in a synchronized fashion into the second sterile area and are transported out of the second sterile area as a bottle-cap unit. 11. A machine for sterile closing of bottles with caps, the machine comprising: a sterilization device, defining a first sterile area and comprising an individualization device for picking up caps and a vertical transport path feeding the caps, orientated with an interior of the cans facing in a horizontal direction, in a downward vertical direction from the individualization device to a sterilization chamber of the sterilization device, wherein the sterilization device is adapted to sterilize the caps in the sterilization chamber while the interior of the cans faces in the horizontal direction; a linear horizontal bottle supply; a placing device receiving the caps from an exit of the sterilization device and placing the caps onto bottles supplied by the linear horizontal bottle supply to the placing device; a closing device arranged at a distance from the placing device and having at least one closing member for closing the bottles with the cap placed thereon, respectively; a conveying path extending from the placing device to the closing device and conveying the bottles with the can placed thereon from the placing device to the closing device; and wherein the sterilization device, the placing device, and the closing device are configured as synchronized modules of a linear machine. 12. The machine according to claim 11, wherein the transport path passing vertically through the sterilization chamber has a deflection section, wherein the placing device is arranged in a second sterile area, and wherein the deflection section ends proximal to the placing device. 13. The machine according to claim 12, wherein the sterilization device comprises an aerosol spraying device that has several spray nozzles and is arranged proximal to the transport path, wherein the spray nozzles are directed toward a horizontally accessible interior of the caps, wherein the sterilization device further comprises a drying module downstream of the aerosol spraying device in a transport direction of the caps on the transport path, wherein the drying module flushes the caps with hot and/or cold air, wherein the deflection section of the transport path begins at the drying module and exits from a bottom side of a sterile housing of the sterilization device. 14. The machine according to claim 13, wherein the spray nozzles of the aerosol spraying device have cover parts that widen conically in a direction toward the caps located on the transport path, wherein the cover parts ensure that the interior of the caps is directly sprayed with a 32% hydrogen peroxide aerosol in such a way that overpressure is present. 15. The machine according to claim 13, wherein the spray nozzles are arranged parallel and above one another. 16. The machine according to claim 13, wherein three of the spray nozzle are provided and the drying module has three drying nozzles, wherein downstream of the three spray nozzles in the transport direction of the caps several idle cycles are provided. 17. The machine according to claim 13, wherein exhaust air of the drying module is mixed with a hydrogen peroxide aerosol of the aerosol spraying device and wherein the mixture of the exhaust air and of the hydrogen peroxide aerosol is diverted out of the sterile housing toward the individualization device in a direction counter to the transport direction of the caps through a passage of the transport path. 18. The machine according to claim 13, wherein the sterilization device in proximity of the deflection section of the transport path has a partition extending into the second sterile area of the placing device and substantially horizontally across the bottle supply. 19. The machine according to claim 18, wherein the deflection section of the transport path above the partition opens through an opening in a housing wall of the sterile housing into the second sterile area, wherein the opening acts as a sluice because of flows of sterile air. 20. The machine according to claim 12, further comprising a pendulum holder gripping the caps supplied by the deflection section of the transport individually, wherein the placing device has a vertically moveable placing member, and wherein the pendulum holder interacts with the placing member. 21. The machine according to claim 20, wherein the pendulum holder is pivotable in and counter to a bottle supply direction between the placing member and a vertical wall of the second sterile area, wherein the vertical wall is arranged at an exit side of the second sterile area. 22. The machine according to claim 20, wherein the placing member has a forward cylindrical part having an outer side vertically moveable into a position in front of an outlet of the deflection section in such a way that in an upper release position of the cylinder part a leading cap positioned at the outlet in the deflection section is individually transferred to the pendulum holder, gripped by the placing member and in a subsequent vertical downward movement of the placing member placed onto a bottle, wherein the next cap following the leading cap is retained by the cylinder part in the deflection section. 23. The machine according to claim 22, wherein the cylinder part has a bore supplied with vacuum, wherein the bore opens in an annular surface of an end face of the cylinder part so that the caps are secured by vacuum when the cylinder part is placed onto a top side of the caps, respectively. 24. The machine according to claim 23, wherein the pendulum holder has an L-shaped receiving arm having a short leg and a long leg, wherein the short leg is positionable in a receiving position below the placing member and wherein in the receiving position the caps are individually pushed onto the short leg and the caps are picked up individually by the placing member from the short leg by applying vacuum through the bore, wherein the next cap in the deflection section is retained by a cylinder wall of the cap picked up by the placing member, wherein the receiving arm is pivotable away from the placing member, so that the cap picked up by the placing member is vertically downwardly moveable. 25. The machine according to claim 20, wherein the placing member is adjustable in order to provide different vertical stroke lengths in a direction toward the bottles. 26. The machine according to claim 20, wherein the placing member, after having placed the cap onto the bottle, is linearly moveable toward the bottle to provide a snap-on connection or a positive locking connection of the cap and the bottle. 27. The machine according to claim 12, wherein the closing device of the synchronized linear machine has a screwing module having a screwing head moveable arranged in a third sterile area supplied with sterile air, wherein the screwing head engages the caps placed on the bottles by the placing device and screws the caps onto the bottles, respectively. 28. The machine according to claim 27, wherein the screwing module comprises a screwing chamber and a turning and lifting drive, wherein the screwing head is connected with the screwing chamber to the turning and lifting device and wherein the turning and lifting device is arranged external to the screwing chamber that is suitable for ultraclean operation. 29. The machine according to claim 27, wherein the third sterile area and the screwing chamber are connected to one another in the area of a movement gap supplied with sterile air. 30. The machine according to claim 27, wherein in the area of the movement gap an annular chamber is provided that is connected to a sterile air supply, wherein from the annular chamber the sterile air is distributed to the third sterile area and to the screwing chamber. 31. The machine according to claim 27, wherein the air contained in the third sterile area is removable by suction and wherein a vertical wall between the second and third sterile areas acts in the way of a sluice. 32. The machine according to claim 27, wherein the screwing head has a servo motor as a drive. 33. The machine according to claim 11, wherein the sterilization device, the placing device, and the closing device each have a sterile housing that are arranged in serial connection above the horizontal bottle supply. 34. The machine according to claim 33, further comprising supply nozzles and/or exhaust passages supplying essentially germ-free and/or sterile air or sterilization agent of a venting system to the sterile housings, respectively. 35. The machine according to claim 34, comprising cleaning lines enabling sterilization after an automatic cleaning of areas of the linear machine. 36. The machine according to claim 11, comprising a welding or gluing device for fusing or gluing the caps to the bottles, respectively. 37. The machine according to claim 11, wherein the closing device is a welding device.