Patent GB-190315322-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and connected with the Filling and Corking of Bottles.
Inventor: PATTON MARCUS ALEXANDER
Filed: 1903-07-10
Granted: 1904-07-09
Abstract: 15,322. Patton, M. A., Chambers, R. M., and Chambers, C. E. July 10. Corking; corks, retaining; stoppering; bottling.- Relates to the filling and corking of bottles intended to contain aerated and like liquids, and more particularly to bottles of the "pop-off'' cork variety iu which a short cork is retained in the bottle, against the gas pressure, by a pivoted bail. A machine for these purposes is described in Specification No. 14,085, A.D. 1902, in which means are employed for automatically turning up the bail over the cork while the latter is held in the bottle by the cork plunger. In order that the machine may automatically adapt itself to bottles of various sizes the bottle support a, according to this invention, is of the " cataract " type described in Specification No. 13,446, A.D. 1899. The bottle is held by hand up against a washer 6 in the filling-head, and the bottle support a is raised by the parallel linkage k, l, operated by a cam h, until it bears against the bottom of the bottle. The support a is mounted on the top of a plunger t, working in a cylinder containing liquid, and having an inlet valve v, and a discharge valve w communicating with a reservoir x. The pressure of the support a against the bottom of the bottle is soon sufficient to cause the liquid pressure to open the valve w against the force of the springy, and the plunger descends relatively to the whole bracket in which it is mounted, forcing the liquid into the reservoir x until the spindle 3* of the valve w engages a spring lever 4, which closes the valve w, thereby preventing further escape of liquid, and causing the whole support to rise as a solid block, whereby any size of bottle is held securely against the filling-head, and against the driving of the cork. Instead of using two springs y, 5*, the tension on the spring y may be increased near the end of the stroke. Later, when the support begins to descend, the valve w is again forced open and the plunger also descends, so that the bottle is held in such a manner that it maintains an exact distance from the corking-plunger c, to prevent the cork from " blowing," or from being forced further into the bottle. The plunger c is operated by a cam i through a lever m which has a collar n bearing on the cam i. A cork is placed in the cone 8 of the filling - head, and is forced down into it by the plunger c. The bottle is then filled by liquid entering through a valve r while air escapes through a valve s. The plunger then forces the cork into the bottle, and, when this operation is complete, it still continues to descend with it to retain the cork in place until the bail 13 has been moved from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 4 on to the top of the cork. The bail 13 is moved into, and retained in, the horizontal position by a rod 11 attached to a lever p operated by a cam j, which, subsequently, engages a roller 15 on a lever q attached to a rod d, which is thus moved forward and underneath the bail 13. The rod 11 is then moved back, and the bottle commences to descend, whereby the bail 13, being caught by the rod d, is raised to a vertical position, and then the rod d is moved further forward to force the bail over the cork. The bail employed consists of a loop 13 pivoted to a collar 18 formed somewhat in the shape of a horse-shoe so that it springs around the neck with a snap and holds securely. The top of the bail is slotted to accommodate it to the plunger c, which has remained in contact with the cork. A projection 20 facilitates the removal of the bail from above the cork. The Provisional Specification states, (1), that irregularity of action on the part of the valves r, s, is avoided by not allowing the stems to project beyond the valvechamber, and fitting a spring disc to the bottom of the chamber under the valve which is forced into its seat by a spring on top and bears against the spring disc below ; the valve may then be raised by passing on the outside of the disc, (2), that the machine may be of a type in which the bottle remains stationary and a cam or its equivalent moves to replace the bail on the cork, (3), that the top of the bail may be variously shaped to allow it to accommodate itself to the plunger c, or the plunger may itself be slotted for this purpose, and, (4), that the plunger may have an outer sleeve which helps to force the cork into the bottle but does not descend with the plunger.