IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINERY FOR CORKING BOTTLES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Perkins Jackson, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO
MACHINERY FOR CORKING BOTTLES." Partly a communication from abroad
by Monsieur C. Duché, of St. Nazaire, in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Perkins Jackson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th May 1881.
JOHN PERKINS JACKSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINERY FOR CORKING BOTTLES." Partly
a communication from abroad by Monsieur C. Duché, of St. Nazaire, in the
Republic of France.
In corking machines as at present constructed the cork is compressed from one
or at most two sides only, and in the most perfect machines I know of the operator
has to sit on a stool or stand at the side of the machine, whereas if he could sit in
front and draw the handle towards him it would be vastly more convenient, and
be less heavy on the muscles.
Now my Invention is designed to press the cork from several sides, and to
enable the operator to work sitting in front. To effect this I place a slot in the
vertically reciprocating trunk, and a roller in this slot held in a stirrup working
through a guide hole in the frame. A slot or double cam on each side of the
reciprocating trunk also holds a roller fixed to revolve at the end of a lever
fulcrumed in the middle. These levers each carry a flat or curved block at the
end. The centre stirrup carries a block with semicircular groove at end corre-
sponding to another semicircular groove in the blocks or frame. These grooves
when brought together form a round hole, a continuation of the hole through which
the cork is forced into the bottle in the ordinary way.
The mode of action is as follows:-Placing the bottle on the counterweighted
foot ordinarily used with its neck immediately below the hole, a cork is put into
the space left between the jaws, the handle is then pulled by the attendant sitting
on the bench in front, this pulls down the reciprocating trunk by means of a

page_text: weighted lever, on the axis of which the handle is keyed. As the reciprocating
trunk descends the rollers of the side levers come into the curves of their slots and
are moved till their two blocks come near together and parallel, compressing the
cork between them and forming a firmner guide for the plunger on the stirrup;
this then is advanced (by its roller coming into the curve of its slot) till the block
reaches the end of its travel, and forms with the groove in the frame a round hole.
The vertical plunger at the same time enters the hole and forces the cork into the
bottle.
The counterweighted foot has a projecting horn, so that as the plunger descends
it lets loose a wedge which rests between the horn and frame, and so prevents
further descent of the counterweighted foot till the trunk rises again, so that no
matter to what point the bottle forces the counterweighted foot down to, as the
reciprocating trunk descends it locks the counterweighted foot in that position,
and thus prevents the plunger when pressing down the cork from pressing down
the bottle also. Sometimes instead of a handle I use a treadle; also I do not limit
myself to the exact mechanical arrangement of levers, as
convenient to press towards the trunk instead of away from it.
may sometimes be

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Perkins Jackson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th November 1881.
JOHN PERKINS JACKSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINERY FOR CORKING BOTTLES." Partly
a communication from abroad by Monsieur C. Duché, of St. Nazaire, in the
Republic of France.
"
In corking machines as at present constructed the cork is compressed from one
or at most two sides only, and in the most perfect machines I know of the operator
has to sit at a stool or stand at the side of the machine, whereas if he could sit in
front and draw the handle towards him it would be vastly more convenient and
be less heavy on the muscles.
Now my Invention is designed to press the cork from several sides (say at least
three sides in the same plane), and to enable the operator to work sitting in front
of the machine; and to effect this I arrange that the action of the handle to draw
down the plunger that forces the cork into the bottle shall also before the plunger
comes in contact with the cork by means of levers or cams actuate levers or
pressers carrying dies that shall compress the cork from three sides at least,
preferably in the directions towards the sides and front of the machine.
The Invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings, Fig. 1 being a sectional elevation of a corking machine showing my
improved compressing arrangement; Fig. 2, back elevation showing the slide that
actuates the two side compressing levers; and Fig. 3, a plan view partly in
section (on an enlarged scale), showing the position of the levers and dies for
compressing the cork."
A is the framework of the machine; B, reciprocating trunk which carries the
plunger C; C, plunger for forcing cork into bottle; D, handle; E, weighted lever
connected with B; F, levers for compressing the cork in opposite directions pivoted
at f; G, rollers on end of levers actuated by cam H; I, slot or cam in reciprocating
trunk B; J, roller that works in cam I; K, presser actuated by cam I and roller J;
k, die on end of presser K; L, blocks or dies on end of levers F.
.
The slot or cam I in the vertically reciprocating trunk B acting on the roller J
held in a stirrup in the presser K drives the presser to and fro, working through a
guide or hole in the frame as the trunk B rises and falls. A slot or double cam H
on each side of the reciprocating trunk B also hold rollers G fixed to revolve at
the end of levers F fulcrumed in the middle at f. These levers each carry a flat
or curved block or die L at the end. The centre stirrup or presser K carries a
block or die with semicircular groove corresponding to another semicircular
groove formed by the end of the blocks or dies L coming together, or in case
where these are not curved at the end with a semicircular groove made in the
frame, but this I have not thought necessary to show in the Drawings. These.
grooves when brought together form a round hole, through which the cork is
forced into the bottle by the plunger C.
.
The mode of action is as follows:-Placing the bottle on the counterweighted
foot ordinarily used with its neck immediately below the hole a cork is put in the
space left between the jaws or dies L and k; the handle D is then pulled by the
attendant sitting on the bench in front; this pulls down the reciprocating trunk B
by means of a weighted lever E, on the axis of which the handle is keyed. As
the reciprocating trunk descends the rollers G of the side levers F come into the
curves of the cam H, and are moved with an angular motion till the dies L come
close together at the ends, or in the case where. flat dies are used until they come

page_text: parallel or nearly so along their sides, compressing and flattening the cork between
them and forming a further guide for the presser K with die k. The presser K is
then driven forward by the action of the cam I and roller R until the block reaches
the end of its travel, and forms with the curved ends of the dies L or the groove
on the frame a round hole, and gives the previously flattened cork a round form.
The vertical plunger C thereupon and by the same operation enters the hole and
forces the cork into the bottle.
The counterweighted foot has a projecting horn, so that as the plunger descends
it lets loose a wedge which rests between the horn and frame, and so prevents
further descent of the counter weighted foot till the trunk rises again, so that no
matter to what point the bottle forces the counterweighted foot down to, as the
reciprocating trunk descends it locks the counterweighted foot in that position,
and thus prevents the plunger when pressing down the cork from pressing down
the bottle also, but this I have not shown in the Drawings, as I do not make any
claim for this arrangement, as it is that which is ordinarily in use in corking
machines.
Sometimes instead of a handle I use a treadle; also I do not limit myself to the
exact mechanical arrangement of levers, as it may sometimes be convenient to use
a rack and pinion, and also to press towards the trunk instead of away from it.
Having now described my Invention and the best modes known to me of carrying
it into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim broadly the com-
pressing of the cork by means of dies acting horizontally to the axis of the cork,
but that what I believe to be new and desire to protect under the hereinbefore
in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. In a machine for corking bottles the combination, substantially as
described and shown, whereby by the action of a lever (D) or its mechanical
equivalent a cork is compressed from several (including two opposite) sides in a
plane horizontal with the axis of the cork, and then driven fully home into the
bottle at one operation.
Second. In a machine for corking bottles the use of levers for compressing the
cork pivoted or hinged on their fulcrums, which close the dies and compress the
cork in an angular direction until the sides of the said dies are parallel or nearly so,
substantially as described and shown.
Third. In a machine for corking bottles the general arrangement of levers and
dies for compressing the cork, substantially as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Perkins Jackson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
J. O. O'BRIEN,
Clerk to .
Messrs. Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Liverpool & London.
J. P. JACKSON.
(L.S.)