Improvements in Apparatus for Filling and Corking or Stoppering Bottles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 11th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 9th Nov.. 1889.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filling and Corking or Stoppering
Bottles.
I FREDERICK FOSTER of Niagara Works Eagle Wharf Road Hoxton in the County
of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in filling and stoppering or filling and
corking machines such as are employed for bottling beers or liquids of a similarly
frothy nature, by the system forming the subject of a prior patent granted to me,
numbered 2426 dated May 23rd 1882; or for filling and stoppering bottles with
other liquids under pressure, such as aërated waters of all kinds.
In order to construct such a filling machine for filling and stoppering screw
stoppered bottles I employ close to the base of the machine a horizontal shaft with
a cam wheel to operate the hydraulic pump, which with the special hydraulic rubber
band described in the specification of the above mentioned Patent No. 2426 of the
year 1882, serves to make the necessary hermetical joint at the bottle neck while
filling with liquid under pressure.
This horizontal shaft is operated by the foot of the bottler, bearing upon a treadle
attached to a crank or winch fixed to the horizontal shaft.
The horizontal shaft I also provide with a balance weight for the purpose of
returning it to its normal position when the bottler removes his foot from the
treadle.
In order to avoid the necessity of winding by hand the vertical spindle K, shown
in the drawings accompanying the specification No. 2426 of the year 1882 herein-
before referred to, I provide gearing by preference consisting of mitre wheels, one of
which is placed upon the spindle K provided with keyway and feather in such a
manner as to allow for the upward and downward passage of the spindle through the
mitre wheel, without interfering with their rotation.
The mitre wheel which engages with the mitre wheel already referred to, is fitted
on its spindle in such a manner as to revolve freely, excepting that by regulating the
tension of a spring capable of urging, the mitre wheel in contact with a collar on the
spindle referred to, the necessary amount of terision may be obtained to insure
screwing in the stoppers without applying too much pressure.
Consequently, while by this arrangement screw stoppers cannot be screwed too
tightly into bottles, there is the advantage of being able, by means of a fast and loose
pulley, to keep the stopper holder of the filling and stoppering machine in constant
motion inserting the screw stopper in the stopper holder, raising and depressing the
same, and removing the bottle when the screw stopper has been screwed in sufficiently
tightly by the application of a uniform pressure, being more or less, at the will of the
operator, according to the regulation of the spring which urges the mitre wheel
against a collar upon the spindle on which this mitre wheel is fitted; so as to cease
rotating the said spindle, whenever a certain amount of resistance occurs.
The stopper-holder or gripping apparatus I also improve, so as to make it capabie
of bolling ordinary screw stoppers which have no slots at their peripheries, as
required for use with the gripping apparatus hitherto employed.
For this purpose I provide one or more of the gripping dogs as hitherto, for the
purpose of retaining the screw stopper in position, while the bottle is being filled; and
I provide a pad of india rubber or such like soft material in the stopper holder. By
this means, sufficient frictional contact is produced to screw the stopper sufficiently.

page_text: into the bottle and the gripping dogs need serve only to sustain the weight of the
stopper while removed from the bottle, during the operation of filling.
When the filling machine is intended for filling and corking bottles, the liquid to
be bottled being of a frothy nature, then I effect improvements which apply also to
the filling machine when employed for filling and stoppering screw stoppered bottles,
and consist in providing a tube fitted with a rack engaging with a pinion so that on
turning on the supply tap the tube descends through a stuffing box, and crossing the
neck of the bottle, enters therein at an angle and delivers the liquid in such a manner
that it may run down the sides of the bottle and not fall through the bottle to the
bottom.
By this arrangement, together with the system of return pipes described in my
prior specification already referred to No. 2426 of the year 1882, liquids of a frothy
nature may be bottled under pressure with very little trouble and with an expedition
nearly equal to bottling still liquors.
..מ
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filling and Corking or Stoppering
Bottles.
I FREDERICK FOSTER of Niagara Works Eagle Wharf Road Hoxton in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:—
This Invention relates to improvements in filling and stoppering, or filling and
corking machines such as are employed for bottling beers or liquids of a similarly
frothy nature by the system forming the subject of a prior patent granted to me
numbered 2426 of the year 1882 or for filling and corking, or filling and stoppering
'bottles with other liquids under pressure such as aërated waters of all kinds.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a filling and
stoppering machine, and
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a filling and corking machine with improvements
applied in accordance with this invention. Figure 3 is a sectional view of frictional
driving gear for the stopper holder shaft. Figure 4 is a sectional view of the head of
the filler with the liquor inlet inclined tube and its operating mechanism. Figure.5 is
a sectional elevation of the stopper holder and Figure 6 is a plan of Fig. 4. In all
the figures like reference letters are employed to indicate the same part.
In the machine illustrated by Figure 1 I employ close to the base of the machine
a horizontal shaft A with an eccentric B to operate the hydraulic pump C which with
the special hydraulic rubber band D described in the specification of the above
mentioned Patent No. 2426 of the year 1882 serves to make the necessary
hermetical
joint at the bottle neck while filling with liquid under pressure.
This horizontal shaft A is operated by the foot of the bottler bearing upon a
treadle E attached to a crank or winch F. I also provide a balance weight G for the
purpose of returning the horizontal shaft A to its normal position when the bottler
removes his foot from the treadle E.
In order to avoid the necessity of rotating by hand the vertical spindle K in the
manner described in the specification No. 2426 of the year 1882 herein before referred
to I provide gearing by preference consisting of a pair of mitre wheels a and b one of
which is placed upon the spindle K provided with key way and feather in such
a manner as to allow for the upward and downward passage of the spindle (governed
by the balance lever H with friction wheels c d bearing against the top and bottom
collars ef) through the mitre wheel b without interfering with its rotation.

page_text: The mitre wheel a engaging with the mitre wheel bis rigidly fitted upon a spindle
passing through a sleeve a which carries a loose pulley and a driving pulley 7.
The spindle y revolves in company with the sleeve or remains stationary, while
the sleeve a rotates according to the tension exerted by the spring k which urges the
sleevo a laterally, in contact with the shoulder of the mitre wheel a.
The necessary
amount of tension is obtained by means of the wing nut m employed to regulate the
tension of the spring k.
By this arrangement screw stoppers cannot be screwed too tightly into bottles, and
there is the advantage of heing able to keep the stopper holder of the filling and
stoppering machine in constant motion during the operation of bottling, inserting the
screw stopper in the stopper holder, raising and depressing the same and removing
the bottle when the screw stopper has been screwed in sufficiently tightly by the
application of a uniform pressure being more or less at the will of the operator who
by means of the wing nut m regulates the pressure upon the spring k and so increases
or decreases the frictional contact of the tension sleeve a with the spindle g.
The stopper holder or gripping apparatus I also improve so as to make it capable
of holding ordinary screw stoppers which have no slots at their peripheries as required
for use with the gripping apparatus hitherto employed.
For this purpose I provide the stopper holder J having one or more of the gripping
dogs n as hitherto for the purpose of retaining the screw stopper in position while the
bottle is being filled and I provide a pad p of india rubber or such like soft material
in the stopper holder. By this means sufficient frictional contact is produced to
screw the stopper sufficiently into the bottle and the gripping dogs n need serve only
to sustain the weight of the stopper while removed from the bottle during the
operation of filling.
A gas jet Lis provided for showing the progress of the filling operation through
the bottle when the bottles employed are of a dark coloured glass.
The improvements in the filling machine which apply when the liquid to be bottled
is of a frothy nature are common to both filling and stoppering machines and filling
and corking machines and consist in providing a tube 9 fitted with a rack ? movable
in a guide w engaging with a pinion or toothed quadrants so that upon turning on
the supply tap the tube q descends through a stuffing box and crossing the neck
of the bottle enters therein at an angle and delivers the liquid (which it received
through the lateral opening y) in such a manner that it may run down the sides of the
bottle and not fall through the bottle to the bottoin.
By this arrangement together with the system of return pipes described in my
prior specification herein before referred to No. 2426 of the year 1882 liquids of a
frothy nature may be bottled under pressure with very little trouble and with an
expedition nearly equal to bottling still liquors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a machine for filling and stoppering screw stoppered bottles, the treadle
movement for actuating the hydraulic pump for the purpose of leaving the hands
of the bottler free for lowering the stopper holder and for removing bottles when
filled substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a machine for filling and stoppering screw stopped bottles, the tension sleeve
and pulley by which the stopper holder may be rotated in a manner to stop whenever
by screwing the stopper in sufficiently tightly a sufficient resistance is met to arrest
the motion of the stopper holder until the filled bottle is removed substantially as
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. In a machine for filling and stoppering screw stoppered bottles or filling and
corking ordinary bottles the combination of the bandle of the supply tap t with the
pinion or quadrants and the guide to for operating the dipping inclined filling tube
substantially as described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
g

page_text: 4. In a stopper holder the employment of a renewable pad of india rubber or
like soft material to provide frictional contact between the stopper holder and the
stopper sufficient for screwing a screw stopper into a bottle substantially as described
and illustrated.
Dated this 11th day of Sentember 1889.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
9 & 10, Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.