IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP CASKS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clapperton, Manager of the Walkinshaw
Foundry, Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, and
Abram Lyle, Cooper, of Greenock, in the same County, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP CASKS OR
Sealed the 28th December 1865, and dated the 4th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clapperton and
Abram Lyle at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 4th July 1865.
We, WILLIAM CLAPPERTON, Manager of the Walkinshaw Foundry, John-
stone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, and ABRAM LYLE, Cooper,
of Greenock, in the same County, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP CASKS OR BARRELS,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its objects increased speed, efficiency, and economy
in the operation of setting up casks or barrels. The partly formed .cask
having the staves in position, and with their bottom ends close together, but
with their upper ends standing apart, is placed upon a table, above which is
situated the apparatus comprising the present improvements. This apparatus
consists of a square frame hinged at one side to a wall or other support,.so
that it can be tilted up for entering or removing the cask, the outer side
having attached to it a chain passing over a pulley to a counterweight.

page_text: Within the frame are four segments, which are forked to fit into each other,
and each segment is set on the inner end of a screw spindle, carried one in
each of the four sides of the frame. The part of the frame at which each
screw spindle crosses is slotted to receive a worm wheel, the eye of which is
screwed internally to work on the spindle. With each worm wheel there
gears a worm on a shaft parallel with the side of the frame, and the four
worm shafts are connected by bevil wheels so as to work together, whilst the
one at the hinge side of the frame has upon it fast and loose pulleys to be
driven by a belt from an overhead shaft. Before entering the partly formed
cask the gearing is set in motion to screw the segments sufficiently far out to
permit of the top ends of the staves being got within them. The cask
being entered, the frame is turned down into the horizontal position, and the
gearing is set in motion to screw the segments towards the centre. The
segments in collapsing in this way act equally all round upon the staves, and
"set them up" in a superior and rapid manner. A hoop is placed on the
ends of the staves, which project above the segments sufficiently for that
purpose, the segments are then screwed outwards, and the frame being lifted
up the cask is removed. If preferred the apparatus may be provided with
more than four segments with their actuating gear.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clapperton and Abram Lyle in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 1st January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CLAPPERTON, Manager of the Walkinshaw Foundry, Johnstone, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, and ABRAM LYLE, Cooper, of Greenock, in the
same County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Clapperton and Abram Lyle, Her special licence that we, the said
William Clapperton and Abram Lyle, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said William Clapperton and Abram Lyle,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,

page_text: within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POR
SETTING UP CASKS OR BARRELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said William Clapperton and Abram Lyle, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Clapperton and Abram Lyle,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-
Our said Invention has for its objects increased speed, efficiency, and
economy in the operation of setting up or trussing casks or barrels.
And in order that the said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing &
modification of our improved apparatus.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus,
whilst Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation. The same reference numerals
are used to mark the same parts in all the Figures.
The apparatus consists of a square frame 1, of cast iron, hinged at one side
to a wall 2, or other support by means of pins entered through eyes in the
frame 1, and through eyes in a plate 3 bolted to the wall. The frame 1 can
thus be tilted up for entering or removing the cask or barrel 4, the outer side
of the frame baving attached to it a chain 5 passing over pulleys carried by a
bracket 6 above to a counterweight 7. The partly formed cask 4 having the
staves in position, and with their bottom ends close together, but with their
upper ends standing apart, is placed upon a table or horizontal surface below
the frame 1. Within the frame 1 there are four segments 8, which are
forked to fit into each other, as is best seen in Figure 3, the side of the frame 1
being in that Figure supposed to be cut away. Each segment 8 is fixed on
the inner end of a screw spindle 9, carried one in the middle of each of the
four sides of the frame 1, and the part of the frame at which each screw
spindle 9 crosses is formed with a slot or opening to receive a worm wheel 10,
the eye or boss of which is screwed internally to work on the spindle. With
each worm wheel 10 there gears a worm 11 on a shaft 12, carried parallel

page_text: with the side of the frame in brackets fixed to the frame, and the four worm
shafts 12 are connected by bevil wheels 13, so as to work together, whilst the
shaft at the hinge side of the frame has upon its projecting end fast and loose
pulleys 14, to be driven by open and crossed belts from an overhead shaft.
Before entering the partly formed cask, if the segments 8 are not far enough
apart, the gearing is set in motion to screw the segments sufficiently far out to
permit of the top ends of the staves being got within them. The cask being
placed in position, the frame 1 is turned down into the horizontal position,
and the gearing is set in motion to screw the segments 8 towards the centre.
The segments in collapsing in this way act equally all round upon the staves,
and "set them up" in a superior and rapid manner. A.hoop is placed on
the ends of the staves, which project above the segments 8 sufficiently for the
purpose, the segments are then screwed outwards, and the frame 1 being
lifted up the cask is removed. If preferred the frame 1 may be provided
with more than four segments with their actuating gear.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, we have to state that we do not
restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described and delineated; but
that what we claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is, the arranging or combining together of the
parts of apparatus for setting up casks or barrels, substantially in the
improved manner berein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clapperton, on behalf of myself
and of the said Abram Lyle, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
WILLIAM CLAPPERTON. (L.S.)