IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CAPSULING BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER LIKE RECEPTACLES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Betts, of No. 1, Wharf Road, City
Road, in the County of Middlesex, Capsule Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CAPSULING
BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER LIKE RECEPTACLES."
Sealed the 9th March 1869, and dated the 16th September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Betts at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th September 1868.
I, WILLIAM BETTS, of No. 1, Wharf Road, City Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Capsule Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
CAPSULING BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER LIKE RECEPTACLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement, and
combination of machinery or apparatus to be worked by steam or
other suitable prime mover for the purpose of capsuling or fixing
metallic capsules on to the necks of bottles, jars, and other like
receptacles, whereby such operation is effected more expeditiously

page_text: and with greater neatness than by the existing arrangements for that
purpose.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ, say, four or any
other suitable number of revolving segments of a circle, which I call
"shapers," each "shaper" being formed to suit the particular make of
bottle to be capsuled, and being of a length sufficient to cover the whole
of that portion of the capsule which extends behind or below the
external shoulder or lip of the bottle neck. These shapers, which I
prefer to make of steel or gun metal, are jointed on to the ends of hinged
lever arms or are carried by converging slides, and are caused to revolve
round and converge upon and grip with any desired pressure the
capsule upon the bottle neck by the action either of springs or of the
hand of the operator. The neck of the bottle with the capsule adjusted
loosely upon it is introduced between the revolving "shapers," and is
brought up to a central adjustable stop or guage. The shapers which
are caused to revolve rapidly are simultaneously allowed to close upon
the capsule by the action of springs, or by the pressure of the hand of
the workman upon a lever, which causes a sliding collar or its
equivalent to bring the shaper levers together. When the pressure is
obtained from springs the sliding collar serves to open or expand the
shapers, but when the pressure is applied by the hand of the workman
then the action of the springs is reversed and they tend to open the
shapers for the reception of the bottle neck in lieu of closing them as
in the first arrangement.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Betts in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BETTS, of No. 1, Wharf Road, City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Capsule Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Betts, Her special license that I,

page_text: the said William Betts, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Betts, my executors, administrators,
or 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, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR CAPSULING BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER LIKE RECEPTACLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Betts, my
executors and administrators, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 I, the said William Betts, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, referenco being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement,
and combination of machinery or apparatus to be worked by the foot,
or by steam, or other suitable prime mover for the purpose of capsuling
or fixing metallic capsules on to the necks of bottles, jars, and other
like receptacles, whereby such operation is effected more expeditiously
and with greater neatness than by the existing arrangements employed
for that purpose.
According to my Invention I propose to employ, say, four or any
other suitable number of revolving segments of a circle, which I call
"shapers," such shapers being formed to suit the particular make
of bottle to be capsuled, and being of a length sufficient to cover the
whole of that portion of the capsule which extends behind or below
the external shoulder or lip of the bottle neck; or they may be made
. shorter, and the bottle neck moved to and fro longitudinally so as to
cause the shapers to pass over the whole of the smooth surface of
the capsule. These shapers, which I prefer to make of steel or gun
metal, are jointed on to the ends of hinged lever arms or are carried
by converging slides, and are caused to revolve round and converge upon

page_text: "
and grip with any desired pressure the capsule upon the bottle neck
by the action either of springs or of the hand of the operator. The.
neck of the bottle with the capsule adjusted loosely upon it is intro-
duced between the revolving shapers," and is brought up to a central
adjustable stop or guage. The shapers which are caused to revolve
rapidly are simultaneously allowed to close upon the capsule either
by the action of springs, or if preferred by the pressure of the hand
of the workman upon a lever, which causes a sliding conc or its.
equivalent to bring the shaper levers together. When the pressure is
obtained from springs the sliding cono serves to open or expand the 1
shapers, as in the Drawing herein-after referred to, but when the pressure
is applied by the hand of the workman then the action of the springs
is reversed and they tend to open the shapers for the reception of
the bottle neck in lieu of closing them as in the first arrangement,
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I 1
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of one form 2
of my improved machine for applying capsules to the necks of bottles;
Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same; Figure 3 is a longitudinal
vertical section of the machine; Figure 4 is a front elevation thereof;
and at Figures 5 and 6 are represented detail views of two of the
forms of shapers which I propose to use.
2
A is a casting or base which may be secured to a table or work-
bench and has two upright standards or brackets B, C, cast thereon,
the upright or bracket B' is by preference for the convenience of con-
struction made separately and is bolted to the bracket B. In the centre
of the upper portion of the bracket B' is formed a boss D within which 3
is fixed by means of a nut E the hollow stud F; upon this stud
revolves freely the grooved driving pulley G, to the front face or side
of which are hinged or jointed at a, a, four lever arms H, H, which
carry each a "shaper" I hinged or jointed freely thereto by a pin,
as shown at b, b. These shapers should cach form on their acting 3
face a segment of the cylindrical surface of the bottle neck to be
capsuled, as will be seen on referring to the detail views, Figure 5.
In cases where an annular shoulder or projection is formed round the

page_text: bottle neck, as in beer bottles for example, the shaper employed should
have a corresponding groove made therein, as shown at c in the details,
Figure 6, in order to fit on to the said annular projection on the
bottle neck. An annular india-rubber spring K embraces all the four
levers and draws them together, causing the several shapers to grasp
the bottle neck as herein-after described. On the extreme front end
of each of these levers is fitted an antifriction roller d which when
the levers are caused to revolve roll round and upon the smooth conical
surface L; this surface is formed on an annular casting M, to each
side of which is secured a guide rod N sliding horizontally in
bearings O, O, formed in the uprights or brackets B', C. A to-and-fro
motion is imparted at will to the cone by means of the lever arm P which
is screwed to a long boss or bearing Q turning on pivots or centres e, e,
in the fixed brackets R. On this boss are cast two perpendicular
arms ff, which engage at their lower ends in slots cut in the rear
ends of the two sliding guide rods N, N. It will thus be seen that
by depressing the hand lever P the cone L will move inwards and
will thereby cause the levers to expand in order to admit of the bottle
neck being introduced between or in the centre of the four "shapers."
Tho end of the bottle neck with the capsule placed loosely thereon
is brought to bear against an adjustable yielding stop S, which may
be cup-shaped and padded internally with cloth or other suitable soft
material so as not to injure or deface in any way the end of the capsule.
This stop is carried on the end of a rod T which slides longitudinally
through the centre of the hollow stud F, and is screwed at its rear
end and provided with adjusting nuts g, g, for the purpose of regulating
the position of the stop as regards the shapers in order to suit different
necks of bottles. The sliding rod T is prevented from turning inside
the hollow stud when the adjusting nuts g are being turned by having
a portion of its length made of a square or equivalent section, such
portion sliding in a correspondingly shape opening in the hollow stud,
as is clearly shown in Figure 3. U, U, are india-rubber springs for
the
purpose of bringing the stop into its proper position again when
it is necessary to move the bottle longitudinally to and fro whilst under
the action of the shapers with a view to sleeking or smoothing the
surface of the capsule. A cord passed over the grooved pulley and
round a large driving wheel, worked by a foot lever or otherwise, imparts
a rapid rotatory motion to the levers and their shapers, and causes
them whilst grasping the capsule to revolve round it and press it evenly

page_text: and closely round the neck of the bottle. So soon as the operation
has been completed the attendant depresses the lever F and thereby
causes the levers and shapers by the action of the cone L to open
out or expand and leave the capsuled bottle neck free to be withdrawn.
If desired the cone may be forced outwards by springs on the slide
rods N, but it is preferrable to make the spring which acts upon the
revolving levers sufficiently strong to force out the cone through the
action of the antifriction rollers on the inclined surface thereof.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may
be used or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
First. The combination of rotatory levers and shapers caused to
close upon the capsule on the neck of a bottle, jar, or other similar
vessel either by the action of the hand of the operator or by the action
of a spring or springs, and to expand or be caused to release the capsuled
bottle either by the action of a moveable cone or of a spring or springs,
for the purpose of applying capsules to the necks of bottle, jars, and
similar vessels, arranged, combined, and operating substantially as herein-
before described.
Second. The peculiar construction, arrangement, and combination of
machinery or apparatus for applying capsules to the necks of bottles,
jars, and similar vessels, as herein-before described and illustrated by
my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Betts, have to this my
Specification set my hand and scal, the Sixteenth day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.