AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR CORKING BOTTLES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eugène Frédéric Jules Adolphe Gervais, of No. 56, Ruo
Montgolfier, at Bordeaux, in France, Merchant, for the Invention of AN
IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR CORKING BOTTLES."
Sealed the 21st October 1876, and dated the 1st May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Eugèno Frédéric Jules
Adolphe Gervais at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May
1876.
EUGENE FRÉDÉRIC JULES ADOLPHIE GERVAIS, of No. 56, Rue Montgolfier, at
Bordeaux, in France, Merchant. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR
CORKING BOTTLES."
This Invention consists in the construction of an improved machine for corking
bottles, whereby the corks are forced into the bottle in a more speedy, simple, and
efficient manner than hitherto, and without requiring skilled labor to work the
machine.
The improved machine or apparatus is constructed with a pillar or column fixed
to a bench provided with a moveable seat; at the upper part of the piliar is a
weighted lever handle working a toothed pinion gearing into two racks. The
front rack carries the piston which serves to force down the cork, and the other
rack which is formed with an inclined plane and grooves at the moment of its
ascension moves forward a metal wedge on a roller. This wedge pushes the cork
forward into the narrow part of a tube, from whence, having been gradually pressed
in the direction of the grain so as to preserve its solidity and elastic properties, the
cork is forced into the bottle by the piston. This cylindrical and lateral compres-
sion of the cork allows of doing away with the ordinary needle, and also allows of
using the same single-tubed piston for quart, pint, and half-pint bottles, the cork
always being smaller than the mouth, and its lateral increase leaving time for the
superfluous liquid to escape.
The lower portion of the tube is formed so as to retain the bottle in the middle,
although not held by the workman.
The handle being released after having forced the cork to descend recovers its
first position; the rack has grooves in which slide two rollers or pins for the pur-
pose of withdrawing the compressing wedge, these grooves being parallel to the
Inclined plane of the rack the tube is re-opened by the movement and ready to
eceive another cork.

page_text: The rod of the rack works the lever of the fixing wedge and holds the latter in
its position when the handle is elevated. At the moment of corking this rod rising
and so ceasing to press on the lever allows the wedge to fall and to tighten the
holding wedge. This wedge has one side vertical to the side of a box with vertical
guides, which forces it always to work up and down on the same plane, and the
other sido is oblique and parallel to the sides of the fixing wedge, and also to the
opposite side of the box, in such a manner that the two wedges being in contact
with one another, and resting on the sides of the box, form a solid and fixed body
for all pressure coming from above.
A metal screw nut adjusted in the head of the wedge at the entrance of the pas-
sage receives a rod with a screw thread so as to raise or lower the bottle, whatever
may be its height, by a simple screwing movement. The perpendicular play of the
wedge is to allow of placing and taking away the bottle, the mouth of which is
received into the neck of the tube. The screwed rod is made square at its upper
end in order to fit into the different forms and sizes of mushrooms, which serve at
the same time to screw and unscrew the rod and to fix the bottles.
The box for the wedges is held by two thumb screws under the bench of the
machine by its two lips; it has the form of a trapezium according to the shape of
the wedges.
Two basins are provided, one placed so as to receive the liquid in case of break-
age or of overflow, from whence it flows by an india-rubber tube to a suitable
recipient placed underneath the bench, the other basin is to contain the corks, and
may be placed on the right or left hand side of the machine as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Eugène Frédéric Jules Adolphe Gervais in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st November 1876.
EUGENE FRÉDÉRIC JULES ADOLPHE GERVAIS, of No. 56, Rue Montgolfier, at
Bordeaux, in France, Merchant. AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR
CORKING BOTTLES."
"
This Invention consists in the construction of an improved machine for corking
bottles, whereby the corks are forced into the bottle in a more speedy, simple, and
efficient manner than hitherto, and without requiring skilled labour to work the
machine.
The improved machine or apparatus is constructed with a pillar or column fixed
to a bench provided with a noveable seat; at the upper part of the pillar is a
weighted lever handle working a toothed pinion gearing into two racks. The front
rack carries the piston which serves to force down the cork, and the other rack
which is formed with an inclined plane and grooves at the moment of its ascension
moves forward a metal wedge on a roller. This wedge pushes the cork forward
into the narrow part of a tube, from whence, having been gradually pressed in the
direction of the grain so as to preserve its solidity and elastic properties, the cork is
forced into the bottle by the piston. This cylindrical and lateral compression of the
cork allows of doing away with the ordinary needle, and also allows of using the
same single-tubed piston for quart, pint, and half-pint bottles, the cork always being
smaller than the mouth, and its lateral increase leaving time for the superfluous
liquid to escape.
The lower portion of the tube is formed so as to retain the bottle in the middle,
although not held by the workman.
The handle being released after having forced the cork to descend recovers its
first position; the rack has grooves in which slide two rollers or pins for the pur-
pose of withdrawing the compressing wedge, these grooves being parallel to the
inclined plane of the rack the tube is re-opened by the movement and ready to
receive another cork.

page_text: The rod of the rack works the lower lever of the fixing wedge and holds the
latter in its position when the handle is clevated. At the moment of corking this rod
rising and so ceasing to press on the lever allows the wedge to fall and to tighten
the holding wedge. This wedge has one side vertical to the side of a box with
vertical guides, which force it always to work up and down on the same plane, and
the other side is oblique and parallel to the sides of tho fixing wedge, and also to the
opposite side of the box, in such a manner that the two wedges being in contact
with one another, and resting on the sides of the box, form a solid and fixed body
for all pressure coming from above.
A metal screw nut adjusted in the head of the wedge at the entrance of the
passage receives a rod with a screw thread so as to raise or lower the bottle, whatever
may be its height, by a simple screwing movement. The perpendicular play of the
wedge is to allow of placing and taking away the bottle, the mouth of which is
received into the neck of the tube. The screwed rod is made square at its upper
end in order to fit into the different forms and sizes of mushrooms, which serve at
the same time to screw and unscrow the rod and to fix the bottles.
The box for the wedges is held by two thumb screws under the bench of the
machine by its two lugs; it has the form of a trapezium according to the shape of
the wedges.
Two basins are provided, one placed so as to receive the liquid in case of break-
age or of overflow, from whence it flows by an indin-rubber tube to a suitable
recipient placed underneath the bench, the other basin is to contain the corks, and
may be placed on the right or left-hand side of the machine as required.
In a modification of the improved bottling machine I employ only one rack
instead of two.
But to make my Invention better understood I will now proceed to describe the
same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sido
elevation of my improved machine for corking bottles; Figures 2 to 20, details; and
Figure 21, side elevation of the machine in which only one rack is employed.
Similar letters in all the Figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
a is the pillar or column fixed to the bench or stand A; b is the lever handle;
c, counterweight of same; d is the toothed pinion on the axis c of the handle b;
f is the front rack with the piston y at its lower end; h is the back rack with
grooves and inclined plane, shewn detached at Figure 7; i, Figure 6, is the com-
pressing wedge with its roller; j is the tube; is the lever of the fixing
wedge ; m, holding wedge; n, screwed rod; o, box for the wedges; p, counter-
weighted lever for holding the bottle; q, basin for catching the overflow of liquid
communicating by means of an india-rubber tube with the can or recipient 8;
t, recipient for the corks; u, covering plate with wedges.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The bottle to be corked is placed
on the head of the rod n and a cork in the tubo j, and the handlo b being pulled
downwards will turn the pinion d, thereby moving down the rack f and raising
the rack h, the inclined plane of which acting on the roller moves forward the com-
pressing wedgo i so as to complete the circle in tho tube j through which the cork
passes, and the piston g at the end of the rack f now comes against the cork and
forces it through the tubej into the neck of the bottle. At this moment the lower
end of the rod of the rack ceases to press on the lever k, and releases the fixing
wedge l, which falls and prevents the descent of the holding wedge m, and keeps
it fixed under the tube. The handle b must now be released, and in returning to
its normal position causes the racks f and h by means of the pinion d to move in
the opposite direction to that hereiu-before described, and the pins in the grooves of
the inclined plane of the rack draw back the compressing wedge i so as to re-open
the tube in which the cork is placed before being forced into the cylindrical part
thereof. The rod of the rack h now presses on tho lever k so as to raise the fixing
wedge l, and allow the holding wedge m to fall when the corked bottle can be
removed.

page_text: I will now describe the modification of the machino shown in Figure 21, which
differs from the machine herein-before described only in the employment of the
sliding piece B, which slides in the standard a of the machine and requires only one
rack. The sliding piece B is provided at the back with a rack gearing with the
toothed segment d of the handle b. On the top of the sliding piece B is fixed the
piston g, and at the lower part the heel piece C which serves to work the wedges,
and the inclined plane for operating the compressing wedge is formed on the sliding
piece where it slides in the interior of the standard or frame a. The screwed rod n
and lever aro so arranged that at the required moment the rod n pressing on the
lever causes the latter to raise the fixing wedge when the holding wedge m being
released falls with the bottle from the pressure of the piston in such a manner
that a certain length of cork is left projecting from the neck of the bottle, which
length may be regulated by lengthening or shortening the rod n. By this arrange-
ment it will be seen that by the employment of the sliding piece B with only one
rack the sliding piece B is caused to act on the compressing wedge on the piston g
on the holding wedge m and on the lever for raising the fixing wedge where it
is desired to lower the bottle from the pressure of the piston g, so as not to force
the cork entirely into the neck of the bottle.
Having thus described my said Invention, and the best means with which I
am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down and shewn in the
Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar character
of the Invention; but what I claim is-
Firstly. The general arrangement and construction of the improved machine or
apparatus for corking bottles, substantially as herein-before described and repre-
sented in Figures 1 to 20 of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The employment in corking machines of the holding and fixing wedges
operated by a rod and levers, and the employment of the compressing wedge for
forming the tube to compress the cork in combination with the screwed rod and
the two racks working simultaneously as herein-before described and represented
in the Drawing.
Thirdly. The modification of the machine in which only one rack is employed
as herein-before described and represented in Figure 21 of the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Eugène Frédéric Jules Adolphe Gervais, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.