of Capsules for Bottles and similar Receptacles.
Year: 1886

page_text: of Capsules for Bottles and similar Receptacles.
I CHARLES CHESWRIGHT of Leith Villa Parkhurst Road in the County of Middlesex
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to further improvements upon the machine for perforating the
sides of soft metal capsules for the necks of bottles and other like receptacles described
in the specification to my Patent bearing date, the 12th June 1882 No. 2749 and
consists of a peculiar combination and arrangement of parts constituting a new and
improved machine whereby the operation of perforating is performed in a more
expeditious and efficient manner than by the apparatus or means hitherto employed
for that purpose. My improved perforating machine consists of a centrally disposed
rotating hollow mandrel for the reception of the capsule to be perforated said mandrel
having one or more of its sides slightly flattened, or it may be of polygonal form (say
for facility of description having eight sides). Each flattened side is perforated to
correspond with the size and order or arrangement of the perforations to be produced
round the sides of the capsule. In combination with the said hollow flat sided
perforated mandrel I employ as many converging slides as there are flattened perforated
sides to the mandrel. The several slides work in guides connected with the spindle of
the mandrel, and each slide carries a group of punches or perforators at its inner end.
These slides are caused to travel round along with their guides and mandrel by an
intermittent motion imparted in any convenient manner so that the group of punches
or perforators mounted on the inner end of each slide shall always work in its own set
of perforations in the corresponding lateral face of the mandrel. The outer ends of
these converging slides are provided with anti-friction rollers which travel along a cam
groove formed in the face of a disc or plate fixed to the front of the bracket or standard
of the machine the said cam groove being in the form of an endless series of curves or
undulations corresponding in number to the number of perforated flat sides on the
mandrel, so that on rotating the mandrel along with its converging or radial slides to

page_text: the extent of one of the curves or undulations or say one eighth of a revolution the
slides will all be forced inwards and outwards together thereby completing the
perforating of a capsule at each eighth of a revolution of the mandrel. A perforated
guide or stripping plate for the several punches or perforators is fixed so as to surround
the mandrel and turns therewith in order to protect the ends of the punches or
perforators and guide them accurately into the corresponding holes in the sides of the
mandrel, and also to strip the metal of the capsule from off the punches. Through a
longitudinal bore in the centre of the mandrel and its spindle there is inserted a sliding
rod acted upon by a helical or other spring and carrying a button at its front end just
outside the end of the mandrel, said button being forced outwards from the mandrel
by the action of the spring and thereby serving to release or push off each capsule as
fast as it is perforated. On introducing a fresh capsule the releaser is pushed inwards
and maintained in that position by the thumb or finger of the attendant until the
capsule is ready to be discharged. Suitable discharge openings or exits are made in
the front end of the mandrel for the escape of the fragments punched out by the
perforators.

page_text: Improvements in machinery or Apparatus for Periorating the sides
of Capsules for Bottles and similar Receptacles.
I CHARLES CHESWRIGHT of Leith Villa Parkhurst Road in the County of Middlesex
Manufacturer 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 upon the machine for perforating the sides of
soft metal capsules for the necks of bottles and other like receptacles described in the
specification to my patent bearing date the 12th day of June A.D. 1882 No. 2749 and
it consists essentially in the combination with a hollow flat sided or polygonal shaped
mandrel whether stationary or receiving an intermittent rotary motion, of a series of
converging slides revolving or not with the mandrel according as a rotary or a
stationary mandrel is employed and corresponding in number with the flat sides to be
operated upon on the mandrel the several slides carrying at their inner ends groups of
punches or perforators corresponding to holes or perforations in the respective sides of
the mandrel, and the punches being so spaced round the flat sided mandrel as to
produce perforations equidistant from each other round the whole or any desired
portion of the circumference of the capsule at one operation by the simultaneous action
of all the groups of punches. The said slides are forced inward and outward by a face
cam groove in a stationary or in an intermittently rotating plate according as the
mandrel and its converging slides revolve or remain stationary. Along the aforesaid
cam groove travel antifriction rollers mounted on the outer ends of the several slides
the cam groove being so shaped as to impart an inward and outward movement to all
the slides simultaneously.
By my present improved arrangements the operation of perforating is performed in
a much more expeditious and efficient manner than by the apparatus or means hitherto
employed for that purpose.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings
in which :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of one arrangement of my improved
perforating machine in which the mandrel and converging slides receive an intermittent
rotary motion and the actuating cam is stationary.
Figure 2 is a corresponding front elevation of a portion of the same machine showing
the several converging slides in their inward position that is to say with their punches
or perforators entered into the perforated sides of the central mandrel.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of a slightly modified arrangement of the
same machine in which the actuating cam rotates intermittently and the mandrel and
slides are stationary.
Figure 4 is a detail side elevation of the Pall lever for actuating my improved
perforating machine.
Figure 5 is a full sized transverse section of the mandrel with the punches entered

page_text: therein showing the equidistant spacing of the punches all round the mandrel; and
Figure 6 is a diagram of the old arrangement of punches and inandrel.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A (Figures 1 and 2) is the. fixed bracket or standard of the machine bolted to any
convenient work bench or table.
B is a spindle turning in the bearings D D', to one end of which spindle is secured
a hollow laterally perforated mandrel C said spindle and mandrel being disposed
centrally in the machine and having an intermittent rotary motion imparted thereto.
This mandrel receives the capsule to be perforated and is flat sided or of polygonal
form, say for facility of description having eight sides as shown in the drawings.
Each flattened side is perforated to correspond with the size and spacing of the
perforations to be produced round the whole or any part of the sides of the capsule.
E is a solid block fixed on the spindle B. In combination with the said central hollow
flat sided perforated mandrel C I employ as many converging slides F F (each
carrying a group of punches) as there are flattened perforated sides to the mandrel
the several slides working in the outer ends of guides G or G¹ which are secured
to the block E and which guides may or may not be provided with caps or cover
plates H. In order to afford facility for the ready removal and replacement of the
hollow flat sided perforated mandrel and the corresponding converging slides FF I
prefer to make the mandrel proper C or C₁ separate from the spindle B or B¹ and to
screw or otherwise fix it into the block Ę as shown in figures 1 and 3. This mandrel
is by preference made slightly tapering toward its outer or front end and it is formed
with an internal cavity or chamber a for the reception of the punchings or fragments
which escape through the apertures in the front end thereof as it rotates as in
Figure 1.
ec (figures 1 and 5) are the thin flat perforated sides of the mandrel. d is a
perforated guide by preference of steel fixed to the mandrel so as to surround the same
in order to protect the ends of the punches or perforators of each group of punches II
attached to the inner ends of the slides F and to guide them accurately into the
corresponding holes in the sides of the mandrel. The slides F (in the arrangement
shown in figures 1 and 2) are caused to travel round along with the guides G and
mandrel C by an intermittent motion so that the group of punches or perforators
mounted on the inner end of each slide shall always work in its own set of perforations
in the corresponding lateral face of the mandrel. KK are antifriction rollers working
freely along the face cam groove L formed in the disc or plate M which in the
arrangement shown in figure 1 is secured to the front of the standard of the machine
and is consequently stationary. The said cam groove consists of a series of connected
short curves or arcs approaching toward the centre of the machine at their junctions
on the radial dotted line ee (fig. 2) and receding away from the centre at the middle
of their length on the radial dotted line ff. Thus on rotating the mandrel along with
its converging or radial slides to the extent of one of the said curves or undulations-
or say one eighth of a revolution in the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of
my drawings the slides will all be forced inward and outward together thereby
completing the lateral perforating of the capsule on the mandrel at each oighth of a
revolution of the same.
The same result is obtained whether the slides revolve along with the mandrel and
traverse the stationary cam groove or remain stationary with the mandrel and are acted
upon by the rotation of the cam groove which latter arrangement is shown by the
modification Figure 3.
N is a removeable ring placed in front of the rollers K and screwed to the face of the
cam in order to keep the said rollers in their grooves. When it is required to change
the mandrel for one of a different size or shape the ring N is removed; also the caps
or cover plates H of the guides G so as to release the several slides F when the
mandrel together with its punch guide d can be unscrewed from the block E to be
replaced by a fresh mandrel and punch guide and corresponding set of slides and
punches.

page_text: U is a ratchet wheel fast on the spindle B as shown in figure 1 if the mandrel is to
revolve and having as many teeth as there are perforated sides to the mandrel.
P is an ordinary pall and spring carried by a lever P' and engaging into and driving
the ratchet wheel O so that at each movement to the extent of one tooth of the ratchet
wheel the mandrel and its converging slides will describe one eighth of a revolution
the rollers K and slides F during such movement being caused to travel outward and
inward once and to repeat the movement on passing along each of the several curves
of the cam groove in succession. A suitable detent not shown in my drawings will of
course be employed to prevent any over-running of the rollers in the cam groove or
over-running of the cam groove on the rollers as the case may be. The lever P¹ may
be worked either by hand direct or through a connecting rod attached thereto at Phi
and receiving a longitudinal reciprocating motion from any suitable driver.
Through a longitudinal bore in the centre of the spindle B or B¹ there is inserted a
sliding rod Q (figures 1 and 3) acted upon by a helical or other spring R and carrying
a button or releaser S at its front end just outside the end of the mandrel said button
being forced outward from the end of the mandrel by the action of the spring R
thereby serving to release or push off each capsule as fast as it is perforated. On
placing a fresh capsule on the mandrel it is passed over the releaser button S and is
pushed inward along with the button until it has passed well onto the mandrel in
which position it is maintained by the pressure of the thumb or finger of the attendant
during the operation of perforating until the capsule is ready to be discharged by the
outward movement of the releaser S on the withdrawal of the finger of the attendant.
The throw of the releaser can be adjusted by the nut T.
The modification Figure 3 resembles in its general construction the arrangement
shown in Figure 1 but differs therefrom in the mode of action in-as-much as the cam
groove L' rotates whilst the mandrel C with the converging slides F and guides G¹
receive no rotary motion. The spindle B¹ is held fast in its bearing D₁ by a set
screw U or otherwise. The cam groove L' is formed in the face of a casting V which
rotates inside the fixed bearing Wand is formed with a boss X turning loosely on the
fixed spindle B which boss is provided with ratchet teeth O' actuated by the pall P.
It will thus be seen that the movement of the lever P' will impart an intermittent
rotary motion to the casting V and cam groove L' in lieu of to the spindle B¹ and
mandrel C. This modified arrangement may however be readily made to work on the
same principle as figure 1 if desired as by the use of an additional ratchet wheel O
made fast on the spindle B¹ and by transferring the pall P to the opposite side of the
lever P¹ so as to engage with the ratchet wheel O the spindle B' will be rotated whilst
leaving the part V with its cam groove L' stationary. In this case the part V should
be fixed inside its bearing W by tightening the set screw Y and the spindle B¹ should
be left free to rotate in its bearing by slackening the set screw U. The same pall
lever P¹ working loose on the spindle B' between the two ratchet wheels serves on
suitably adjusting the pall to one side or the other of the lever to drive either the
ratchet wheel O or the wheel O' according to the desired mode of working the machine.
When a capsule is to be perforated in a particular manner say with a Signature, for
example on one particular part of the capsule I find it more advantageous to employ a
stationary mandrel and rotating cam as the adjustment of the capsule in its proper
position on the mandrel can be more easily accomplished with a stationary mandrel
than with a rotary one. For ordinary plain perforating all round the capsule
requiring no special adjustment of the capsule to any particular side of the mandrel
both the arrangements herein described will answer equally well.
With a view to reducing the risk of breakage of the punches or perforators by the
springing or lateral deflection of the same and to further simplify the construction of
the machine I propose to shorten considerably the length of the perforators and to
dispense with the perforated guide plate d in which case the converging slides may
either be lengthened or the throw of the cam groove somewhat increased.
Rotating perforated flat sided mandrels have been proposed in combination with
separate groups of punches or perforators corresponding to the number of flat sides on

page_text: the mandrel, for perforating the sides of capsules but the said groups of punches or
perforators were attached to the mandrel itself and were brought into action in
succession or one at a time and therefore I do not claim broadly as constituting a part
of my present invention the use in combination of perforated flat sided mandrels and
corresponding groups of punches.
Owing to the smallness of the angle between each two adjoining flat sides of the
mandrels heretofore proposed it was found impracticable to so space the punches as
that all the punches of the various groups whilst working at right angles to their
corresponding sides of the mandrel, should be equidistant from each other all round
the mandrel without interference between the outer punches of cach two adjoining
groups when at the inner end of their stroke. Consequently a wider space had to be
left between each group of punches at the junctions of the several flat sides of the
mandrel to permit of the free action of the outer punches of the several groups. The
result was that portions of the capsule corresponding to the several junction angles of
the mandrel were left unperforated and these portions could only be perforated by
shifting the capsule round the mandrol, after the first action of the-punches, to n
sufficient extent to bring the unperforated part under the action of the punches at
their next inward stroke, whereby much time was lost and the equidistant spacing of
the perforations circularly round the capsule was rendered uncertain and difficult. I
remedy this defect by the adoption of a mandrel wherein the junction between any
two of its contiguous flat sides will form an obtuse angle as shown in the full sized
transverse section in Fig. 5 of an eight sided mandrel. Now as the groups of punches
must work at right angles to their corresponding flat sides on the mandrel facility is
afforded by the use of an obtuse angled flat sided mandrel such as is shown in fig. 5
for spacing all the punches of the various groups equidistantly from each other all
round the mandrel, the space left between the outer punches ii of any two adjoining
groups of punches being the same as that between the punches in the separate groups.
This will be clearly understood on comparing the diagram Figure 6 of a flat sided
mandrel having four sides united at an angle of 90° with its punches arranged on the
old system, with my improved form and arrangement of flat sided obtuse angled
mandrel and its punches as shown at Figure 5. In figure 6 a wider space is necessarily
left between the outer punches ii of two adjoining groups II than between the
punches in the groups themselves, whereas in Figure 5 no such increase of space is
necessitated.
In order to avoid as much as possible the marking or creasing of the capsule
longitudinally between each group of punches, the apices of the junction-angles between
the several flat sides may be slightly rounded.
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. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of metallic capsules for
bottles and similar receptacles, of a hollow mandrel having one or more of its sides
flattened and perforated, a series of converging slides worked by cam grooves, each
slide carrying a group of punches or perforators working through the perforations in
each of the corresponding flattened. sides of the mandrel and a self acting releaser for
pushing off the perforated capsule as specified.
2. A polygonal shaped mandrel in combination with groups of punches working at
right angles to the flat sides thereof and spaced equidistantly around the same, as and
for the purpose specified and illustrated by Figure 5 of the Drawings.
3. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles and
similar receptacles of an intermittently rotating hollow mandrel C having perforated
flat sides and reciprocating converging slides F carrying groups of punches I as set
forth.
4. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles and
similar receptacles of a stationary hollow mandrel C₁ having perforated flat sides and
reciprocating converging slides F carrying groups of punches I as set forth.

page_text: 5. The combination, in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles
and similar receptacles of an intermittently rotating mandrel Chaving perforated flat
sides, with rotating guides G and converging punch carrying slides F as set forth.
6. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles and
similar receptacles of a stationary hollow mandrel C¹ having perforated flat sides,
guides G and converging punch carrying slides F as set forth.
7. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles and
similar receptacles of the intermittently rotating mandrel C, reciprocating converging
slides F, carrying groups of punches I and antifriction rollers K, with the stationary
face cam groove Las set forth.
8. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles and
similar receptacles of a stationary hollow mandrel C', reciprocating converging slides F
carrying groups of punches I and antifriction rollers K with a rotating face cam
groove Las set forth.
9. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles and
similar receptacles of the hollow rotating spindle B, ratchet wheel O, pall P, and
lever P¹ with the rotating mandrel C, reciprocating converging slides F, and self
acting releaser S as specified.
10. The combination in a machine for perforating the sides of capsules for bottles
and similar receptacles of the hollow stationary spindle B¹ ratchet wheel O', pall P
and lever P with the stationary mandrel C¹ reciprocating converging slides F and self
acting releaser S as specified.
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
Agent for the Applicant.