AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CORKING BOTTLES
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MASTERMAN, of 68, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of March, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence that I, my executors, admi-
nistrators and assigns, and every of them, by myself or themselves, or by my
or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, 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 of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also
within all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CORKING BOTTLES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within four calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I do hereby
declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, is described and ascertained by the Drawings in the
margin hereof, and by the explanation thereof, and by the descriptions and
observations herein-after contained, that is to say :-
My method of corking bottles is by introducing, either by pressure or
impulse, the cork into the neck of the bottle through a conical tube, having its
smaller orifice in direct and immediate communication with the mouth of the
bottle, so that the tube and the neck of the bottle may form in effect one
continuous tube, such conical tube having its smaller orifice of such a size
with respect to the cork to be passed through it as that the sides of the cork
must be compressed in passing through it, or at least must be in such close
contact with the inside of the tube as to be prevented from bulging out or
expanding laterally while the lower end of the cork is entering the smallest
part of the neck of the bottle; but I prefer and use the tube with the same
orifice so small that the cork must be considerably compressed in passing
through it. The length of the tube need not much exceed the length of
common corks; its upper or larger orifice ought to be sufficiently large to
admit very easily the end of the cork to the middle of the tube. Machines
by which the corks may be forced through the conical tubes into the bottles
according to my said method of corking bottles admit of such a variety of
constructions that were I to describe any one machine in particular proper for
this purpose, and claim the whole of that one alone as constituting my said
Invention, the said Letters Patent might probably be evaded by modifications
of several of the parts of that one machine; therefore the only part of any
machine for corking bottles according to my said method which I claim as my
said Invention, is the conical tube or conical tubes therein, through which the
corks are to be forced into the bottles according to my said method; but I declare
that the constructing, selling, using, or exercising of any machine of whatever
construction, for corking bottles according to my said method, will be an
infringement of the said Letters Patent, provided that the conical tube or
tubes, as before described and to be applied in the manner before mentioned,
enter into the construction of any such machine.
I now proceed to describe a machine for corking the ordinary quart bottles
according to my said method; in which machine the conical tubes, and the
mechanism for forcing the corks through them into the bottles, are arranged
in that manner which I consider the best adapted for carrying my said method
into execution. Figure First is the front view of the machine. Figure Şecond
is the side view thereof. Each Figure is drawn to a scale of three inches to a

page_text: foot. The letters refer to the corresponding parts in each Figure. (a) is a
frame; the two sides are connected by the cross piece (6). Two cylindrical
pillars of iron (c, c,) of similar dimensions are fixed to the cross piece (6),
parallel with each other; their tops are connected by the bridging piece (d).
(e) is a four-sided bar of iron, which traverses upon the upper parts of the
said pillars at right angles with them, by means of a hole towards each end
through which (c, c) pass. Each end of (e) projects beyond (c), and termi-
nates in the form of a gudgeon. (f. f. f) are what I term "the impellers;"
they are passed through and are fixed in the bar (e), their upper ends traverse
through three holes in the cross piece (d), for the purpose of maintaining
them parallel with each other. (9) is firmly fixed to (a, c,) and (a, a) at such
a distance from the top of the pillars (c, c,) that when (e) is raised close to
the cross piece (d) there may be a space between the bottoms of the impellers
and the top of (9) at least equal to the length of a cork.
In (9) are
fitted or formed three conical metal tubes (represented by the dotted lines);
they are so placed with respect to the "impellers" as to have common centres
or axes with them respectively. The largest tube has its top larger and its
bottom smaller than the largest sized cork required; the smallest tabe has the
same relation to the smallest sized cork required, and the middle tube is a
medium size between the two others. Three different sized tubes are sufficient
for quart bottles, whether for wine or beer. The bottoms of the "impellers"
are smaller than the lower orifices of their respective tubes. (i, i) are two
lovers of equal dimensions, which work on the gudgeons at the ends of (e);
these levers are firmly secured parallel with each other by cross metal rods (h,h,)
connecting the corresponding ends of each. Thus these levers and connect-
ing rods form in effect, and will be referred to, as one lever. (k, k,) are two
side rods; their lower ends work on two pins fixed in the sides of the frame (a)
at corresponding points; their upper ends work over the ends of the cross rod
that connects the shorter arms of the lever, and which ends are made to pro-
ject for that purpose. () is. a trough which is elevated or depressed by a
wedge (m) acting between it and (b). The machine, as above described, is
ready for being worked; place a bottle so that its mouth may be under and in
contact with that tube, which is the proper size for introducing the cork into
it. (I prefer that the end of the tube should be a little within the mouth of
the bottle.) Retain the bottle in this position by elevating the trough up to
the bottom of the bottle by means of the said wedge. Then raise the impel-
lers by means of the lever, and put a proper sized cork into that tube in
contact with the bottle, then depress the lever, by which means the impeller
will force the cork into the neck of the bottle. The bottle and trough are

page_text: then lowered by withdrawing the wedge; the bottle is then removed, and the
machine is thus ready for corking another. By my said method of corking
bottles it is evident that common corks may be used, which (if preferred) may
be introduced with the larger end downwards; that cylindrical corks may be
used; that as the corks may be introduced so far as that their heads may be
within or lower than the top of the mouth of the bottle, shorter corks may be
used and be as efficient as the common ones; that a bottle may be corked
with a larger cork than by the common method; that the time lost in biting
the corks or in crushing their ends by other means is gained; that there
exists little or no risk of breaking a bottle in corking. The result of all
which is that bottles may be corked both in a better manner and at a cheaper
rate by my said method than by that now in use.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Masterman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.
JOHN (L.s.) MASTERMAN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of June, in the
sixth
1 year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Fourth, the said
John Masterman came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-five.