Patent GB-622213-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for mounting sealing rings on stoppers for bottles, or the like
IPC: B67B1/03
Filed: 1946-03-04
Abstract: 622,213. Mounting packing rings upon stoppers. SNELLING, L. C., and BEDFORD, S. J. March 4, 1946, Nos. 6648 and 10354. [Class 125(iii)] Apparatus for mounting sealing rings on stoppers for bottles or the like comprises a plurality of rigid fingers whose ends engage within a sealing ring, means to move the ends outwards to stretch the ring and to permit a stopper to be entered therein, and a member which, by its motion relative to the fingers, forces the ring on to the stopper. The fingers 50, Fig. 3, pivotally mounted on a split ring 58 held by a plate 59 in an annular recess 57 in a block 51, have inclined surfaces 54, which co-operate with a block cam 53 to move them outwardly. The cam 53 is carried by a plunger 23 slidable in blocks 60 and 51 secured to a sliding head 11 which may reciprocate upon a vertical pillar 12, guided by a spline 13. The plunger is upwardly urged by a helical compression spring 63 situated between a collar 64 keyed to the plunger and the lower block 51. The fingers 50 are inwardly constrained by a garter spring 65 and have nib-like extensions 52 at the lower end for engagement within the sealing rings 70. The plunger 23 has attached thereto an annulus 62 by a spider 61. A sealing ring may be placed upon the extension 52 and stretched by depressing the plunger 23 and a stopper may be inserted within the stretched ring. Further depression of the plunger causes the annulus 62 to force the ring on to the stopper. The plunger may be depressed by a hand operated cam or link mechanism, the pivot block 51 being fixed horizontally, or the apparatus may form part of a machine, illustrated in Fig. 1, in which the pillar 12 is fixed to a base 9 and the sliding head 11 is pivotally connected to a lever 14 which co-operates with a rotary cam 15 driven by an electric motor 19, to impart reciprocating motion to the sliding head 11. Upon the same shaft as the cam 15 is a second cam 18 controlling a lever 17 provided with a tappet 22 which, upon rotation of the cam, depresses the plunger 23. A lever 25 pivoted to a column 26 is controlled by a third cam 24 mounted upon the cam shaft and acts through a spring 28 and chain 29 to impart reciprocating motion to a rod 31 having a peg 34 which engages ratchet teeth 36 on the periphery of a plate 37, thus giving the plate stepby-step rotation. This rotary table 37 is mounted on a spindle 42 screwed in an extension 39 of the base 9 and is held in frictional contact therewith by a spring 40 acting through a thrust bearing 41. The table has extending through it a circle of alternate chamfered recesses 43, 44, into which are placed sealing rings and stoppers respectively. The cams 15, 18 and 24 are shaped so that when the sliding head 11 and fingers 50 are in the position shown in Fig. 1, a sealing ring in a recess 43 is vertically beneath the fingers. The lever 14 then lowers the sliding head 11 for the extensions 52 to enter the sealing ring 70 followed by the depression of the plunger 23 by the lever 17 to stretch the ring slightly. The sliding head is then raised by the lever 14 which moves slightly faster than lever 17, so raising and further stretching the ring. During this process, the table 37 is rotated one step, owing to the action of cam 24, and a stopper 71 is brought and held below the fingers. The head and plunger are then depressed so that the stretched ring embraces the stopper and is forced thereon by the annulus 62. During ensuing operations, the head and plunger are raised to the initial position and the stopper is carried in the recess 44 and finally drops through a hole 45 in the table. The surfaces of the extensions 52 are parallel to the axis of the sealing ring so that there is no tendency for it to fly off. The fingers are positioned by radial slots in the block 51 and annulus 62. The machine may be suitably encased as indicated by the broken line 66. According to the second Provisional Specification, a counting device may be provided to determine the number of stoppers passing through the machine.