Improvements in Machines for Filling and Corking Bottles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Filling and Corking Bottles.
I, WILLIAM SHOTT, of 7, Lisburn Cottage, Portslade, Brighton, in the County of
Sussex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to bottle filling and corking machines of the kind primarily
intended for use for carbonated beer and other aerated liquids, the object of my
invention being to provide improved means for preventing the escape of gas after the
filling and before the corking.
In a machine constructed according to my invention the bottle holder which has a
seat against which the bottle mouth is pressed and a support for the bottle is made
movable in such a manner that after a bottle has been filled the holder may be
moved from the filling position to the corking position without the necessity for
moving the bottle in the holder and thereby allowing the gas to escape.
In practice I find it advantageous to pivot the bottle holder and to arrange the
filling tube and corking plunger to move in lines radiating from the centre of
the bottle holder pivot so that a slight oscillatory movement of the holder moves the
latter from the filling position to the corking position or vice versa. The head of
the holder against which the bottle mouths are pressed is formed in a slide moving on a
guide, holes being formed through the latter corresponding with the filling and
corking nozzles so that during the movement of the holder from one position to the
other the escape of gas is prevented. A leather or other suitable packing is provided
to prevent the escape of gas between the slide and guide.
The guide has arranged in conjunction with it a cork compressor which is operated
by the lever which moves the corking plunger and also the bottle holder.
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I, WILLIAM SHOTT, of 2, Lisburn Cottage, Portslade, Brighton, in the County of
Sussex, 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 :-
My invention relates to bottle filling and corking machines of the kind primarily
intended for bottling carbonated beer and other aerated liquid, the chief object of my
invention being to provide improved means for preventing the escape of gas and
liquid after the filling and before the corking.

page_text: In a machine constructed according to my invention the bottle holder which has a
seat against which the bottle mouth is pressed and a support for the bottle is made
movable in such a manner that after a bottle has been filled the holder may be moved
from the filling position to the corking position without the necessity for moving the
bottle from the holder and thereby allowing the gas or beer to escape.
In practice I find it advantageous to pivot the bottle holder and to arrange the
filling tube and corking plunger to move in lines radiating from the centre of the
bottle holder pivot so that a slight oscillatory movement of the holder moves
the latter from the filling position to the corking position or vice versa. The head
of the holder against which the bottle mouths are pressed is formed in a slide moving
on a block provided with a guide, holes being formed through the said block
corresponding with the filling tube and corking plunger. A leather or other suitable
packing is provided to prevent the escape of gas between the slide and guide.
The block has arranged in conjunction with it a cork compressor which is operated
by the lever which moves the corking plunger and also the bottle holder.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which :---
Figures 1 and 1A are views of the upper and lower parts respectively of my
improved filling and corking machine, which together form a front elevation; and,
Figures 2, 2A and 2B are upper, middle and lower sections respectively which
together form the side elevation of my machine:
Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of the filling nozzle, the
sliding holder and the cork compressor:
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively sections on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 Figure 3:
Figure 6 is an end view of the parts shewn in Figure 3 looking in the direction of
the arrow in the said figure :
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a side elevation and a plan of a sliding filling
piece hereinafter described; and,
Figures 9 and 10 are sections respectively on the lines 9-9 and 10--10 of
Figure 7.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the base plate of the machine and b is the frame which is bolted upon the
same; c is the holder or support for the bottles (one of which is indicated at d) to be
filled and corked. This holder is fixed to à bar c¹ pivoted at the upper end of a rod c²
the lower end of which is connected with a treadle c³ whereby the said bottle holder c
can be raised and lowered in the manner hereinafter described.
e, e are guide bars upon which a guide f, fixed to the upper end of the rod c², slides,
the lower end of the said rod, which is connected with the treadle lever by the
links f, sliding through a guide f2, all as clearly shewn in Figure 1A.
g is the block having in it holes h and i through which the liquid and the corks
respectively pass; this block is fixed to the frame b and is on its underside curved to
a circle having its centre at the pivot of the bar c¹ of the bottle holder c when the
latter is raised by the depression of the treadle. At the lateral edges of this block g
are guide flanges g¹, g¹.
j is the slide or sliding neck holder which moves upon and is carried by the said
guides g¹, as clearly shewn in Figure 5, the said slide being provided with a nozzle j¹
which is designed to be placed successively beneath the holes h and i in the said
block. Around this nozzle jl is a cone 2 which serves to centre the bottle necks
relatively with the nozzle j¹ when the bottles are placed in the holder c and raised
by the treadle.
It will be obvious that with the arrangement hereinbefore described the nozzle j¹
can be placed either beneath the filling aperture h or beneath the hole i through
which the corks are to be passed into the bottle necks.
Adjacent to the hole is a cork compressing chamber k, Figures 3 and 4, and in
connection with this chamber is the sliding cork compressor k, the said compressor
being designed to co-operate with the closed end of the chamber k in order to
compress the corks so that they can be forced through the aperture i by the corking

page_text: plunger. The said compressor is adapted to slide in guides, upon the upper
side of the block g, as shewn in Figures 3 and 4.
To impart movement to the slide j and cork compressor I advantageously make
use of the double crank plate shown detached in side view in Figure 1° mounted
upon the axle or stud and having two crank pins 12, 13 which are respectively
connected by rods 14, 15 with the cork compressor and the slidej, Figure 1, the said
crank pins 2, 3 being placed diametrically opposite to one another so that as the
slide is moved to bring the bottle neck beneath the filling aperture the cork
compressor will be moved away to permit of a cork being introduced into the
corking chamber and that as the slide j is moved to bring the bottle neck beneath
the corking aperture i the cork compressor k¹ will be inoved to compress the said
cork ready to be inserted.
Motion is imparted to this oscillating plate by the following means, that is to say,
upon the frame b is arranged a sliding bar m, shewn detached in face view in Figure 1",
carrying an arm m¹ to which the corking plunger m² is attached.
This sliding
bar m which moves in suitable guides n, n is at its lower end connected with a
lever o (pivoted at o¹ upon the frame of the machine) by links o², o² in such a manner
that when the lever is moved down from its normal position, shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, the corking slide m will also be moved down. Upon the plate is
a roller pand upon the corking slide m is a recess p² engaging with the
roller p.
By this arrangement of parts it will be seen that when the lever o is moved
downwards the recess pl will move the plate by means of the roller p until the said
roller becomes disengaged from the said recess the lever o continuing to perform
the corking operation. The plate is also provided with a roller 16 in alignment with
the pin which roller during the described movement of the said plate is brought
into contact with the edge of the slide m; the other roller also being in contact
with the edge of the slide the plate is prevented from moving upon its stud while
the lever o is performing the corking operation.
•
p2, pare rollers on the sides of the slide m designed to engage with recesses p³, p³
in the plate l, the said rollers serving to commence the return movement of the plate
until such time as the roller p again engages with its recess p' in the slide m.
same.
qis the cock through which the gas to be charged into the bottles is introduced
into the aperture hand r is a snift cock arranged adjacent to the said filling cock q
for allowing the escape of any compressed air or excess of gas. The liquid filling
apparatus comprises a sliding tube adapted to be projected through the passage h in
the block g and through the nozzle j into the bottle and close to the bottom of the
To permit of this, the said tube, which is indicated by the letters in
Figures 1, 2, 7 and 9, is at its upper end connected to a box t adapted to slide on two
guide rods t, t¹ carried in brackets (2, 2 on the frame 6, the said box being raised and
lowered by means of a lever u pivoted upon a bracket arm u¹ of the frame and
connected with the box t by the link u², Figures 1, 7 and 9. The lower end of the
tube s is guided through a gland and stuffing box v upon the block g, as clearly shewn
in Figures 1, 4 and 5.
The lever is provided with a counterweight u° which normally retains the said
lever in the position shewn in Figure 2. The liquid to be supplied to the bottles
enters the box t through the aperture w to which a flexible pipe is connected. To
prevent the liquid from passing out of the box t except at the desired time, the tube s
is normally retained closed by a valve w¹ having a leather seat w² and a spring w³
arranged around its stem and normally holding the said valve against its seat. In
the box t is pivoted a lever a which passes through the head of the valve w¹ and at its
free end enters a recess in the head of a rod x¹, as shewn in Figure 9.
8
Upon the guide rods t¹, t is a stop y the position of which may be adjusted upon
the said rods according to the height of the bottles to be filled. When, as the box t
with the tube s is moved down to introduce the said tube into the bottle, the rod x¹
comes into contact with the stop y the valve we will be raised from its seat against
the pressure of the spring w³ allowing the liquid to flow through the said tube.

page_text: Immediately the lever u is released and the box t with the tube 8 commences to rise
the supply of liquid is automatically stopped.
The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows, Assume the
parts to be in the position shewn in Figures 1 and 1^ except that the bottle holder c
is in its lowest position, the operator having placed the bottle upon the holder c
places his foot upon the treadle c³, and moves the said bottle so that its mouth is
pressed into the cone j². Whilst the operator still retains his foot upon the treadle
he opens the cock q to admit gas into the bottle and then closes the same, and then
depresses the lever u, in order to fill the bottle with liquid, during which filling
operation the operator places a cork in the cork compressing chamber. The filling
having been completed the lever u is released and returned to its normal position by
the counterweight u°. The operator then commences to pull down the lever o the
first part of the downward movement of which causes the slide m to oscillate the
plate which in its turn causes the slidej to move so as to place its nozzle j¹ beneath
the hole i and at the same time move the cork compressor to compress the cork over
the said aperture. The continued downward movement of the lever o during
which the plate is stationary causes the plunger m² to enter the cork compressing
chamber and force the cork out from the latter through the nozzle j¹ into the bottle
neck.
The operation having been thus completed the operator releases the lever o which
is returned to its normal position by the counterweight o° and takes his foot from off
the treadle so that the bottle holder drops, the filled bottle is then removed and
replaced by an empty bottle.
It will be noticed by reference to Figures 4 and 5 that a space
is left between the
slide and the block g, this space is provided to permit of a packing piece being
placed between the said slide and block for preventing the escape of gas and liquid
around the nozzle j¹.
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. A bottle filling and corking machine wherein the filling nozzle is carried by a
slide adapted to move upon the underside of a block in order to permit of placing the
said nozzle beneath a filling hole and a corking hole, the said slide being adapted to
have a piece of packing material placed between it and the block in order to prevent
the escape of gas and liquid whilst moving the slide from one position to another,
substantially as described.
2. In a bottle filling and corking machine of the kind wherein a slide works upon a
block in the manner referred to in the preceding claiming clause, of a cork com-
pressor also sliding upon the said block and so arranged that the same movement
which moves the slide from the filling hole to the corking hole also compresses the
cork, substantially as described.
3. The improved bottle filling and corking machine consisting of the parts con-
structed and combined substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes set
forth.
Dated the 24th day of November 1897.