Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Apr.. 1895-Accepted, th June, 1895
I, WILLIAM BEETHAM, of Llanrwst, Denbigh, North Wales, Mineral Water
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for washing bottles.
A complete apparatus constructed according to my invention comprises, firstly, a
machine in which, or by means of which, the bottles are soaked and washed on the
outside, and secondly, a machine by which the bottles are washed and rinsed inside
being finally transferred to a crate or other receptacle placed to receive them.
In my improved machine for washing the outsides of the bottles I provide a belt
or chain carried on two pulleys or wheels one of which is adapted to give an
intermittent or step-by-step motion to the belt.
Said belt or chain has secured to it at suitable intervals holders for the bottles.
Said holders may be of any convenient design, a very suitable holder consists of
two rings a small ring which receives the neck of the bottle and a larger ring
which receives the body of the bottle said rings are secured to the belt or chain at
a suitable distance apart. The bottle is preferably held on the belt or chain with
its axis perpendicular to the direction of motion of the said belt or chain.
The greater part or the whole of the belt or chain is submerged in water
contained in a tank of suitable shape and size and I prefer to arrange a brush or a
series of brushes in the tank adjacent to the belt or chain so that after the bottles
have been passed for some distance through the water, they are brushed to clean
off the dirt and labels which have been loosened by the water, after being brushed
the bottles pass again through water so as to be thoroughly cleansed outside. The
bottles emerge from the water at the top of the tank where I provide an arm or
lever which in the interval between successive movements of the belt or chain
disengage the bottle at the top or at any other particular point from its holder.
The disengaged bottle is delivered to a shoot or otherwise carried away from the
machine.
I prefer to so arrange that the bottles after being cleaned on the outside by the
machine above described shall be automatically delivered to another machine,
the construction of which I will proceed to indicate, for washing the inside of said
bottles.
Said machine is provided with a hollow shaft capable of being rotated in suitable
bearings by means of a pulley keyed to said shaft. I provide a spindle passing
through the shaft and capable of moving axially but not of rotating therein. Said
spindle therefore rotates with the shaft. The end of said spindle is furnished with
spring brush which can expand inside the bottle so as to touch the sides thereof.
I provide a cradle or bottle holder which slides to and fro upon a suitable support
na direction parallel with the rotating shaft and threads the bottle upon the
brush at the end of the spindle. The spindle is provided with a flanged sleeve
which forms one end of the cradle and moves easily to and fro along the spindle sı
hat when the cradle is at one end of its travel the sleeve surrounds the brush on
he end of the spindle. The bottles are arranged to be received one by one in the
radle with their mouths against the sleeve the flanges of which are coned or

page_text: otherwise formed to centre said bottles. When the cradle moves along its slide
the sleeve with the neck of the bottle adjacent and following, moves along the
shaft the brush being gradually introduced into the bottles during the forward
movement and expanding as soon as it leaves the neck thereof so as to touch the
sides. The sleeve is attached to the cradle by means of a spring which admits of
said sleeve moving lengthwise for a short distance. I provide also a suitable stop
fixed to the bed plate of the machine so that when the cradle is at the rear end of
its travel the sleeve is separated from the rear end of the cradle by such a distance
that a bottle can easily roll between them. During the forward movement of the
cradle the sleeve is drawn by the spring nearer to the rear end of the cradle so that
the bottle is tightly held in the cradle and is pushed on to the brush at the end of
the spindle. At the end of the backward movement the bottle rolls into another
part of the cradle in readiness to be delivered to the rinsing.machine which will
hereinafter be described.
If the travel of the cradle be too great so that the forward movement of the
bottle 'does not finish at the same time as the brush inside reaches the bottom
thereof, the spindle which as hereinbefore mentioned-is arrangedito move lengthwise
in the shaft, is moved along.owing. to the movement of the cradle so that no injury
is done to the brush or bottle. I provide a spring to prevent such axial movement
of the spindle when not. required.
The second part of the cradle into which the bottle rolls after being cleaned
inside by the brush delivers the bottle to the rinsing. machine which I will now
describe. I provide a ring, journalled upon a suitable stud and provided with a
suitable number of hollow or tubular arms. The ring is provided with a circular
toothed rack and a pawl journalledi concentric with the ring, and rack, which pawl
is by a suitable crank or eccentric. caused to give a step-by-step rotary, motion to
the ring. Or I may, use other means for giving an intermittent, motion to the
ring. During the forward movement of the cradle the bottle which was cleaned
by the brush inside during; the last preceding. forward' movement. of the cradle is
slipped on: to one of, the arms of, the ring placed: to receive it and during the
backward movement of the cradle the ring is rotated one, step so that the bottle is
raised out of the way. and another arm is brought into position for receiving. a
bottle on the next, forward, movement of the cradle. Each bottle by successive
rotary movements of the ring is brought to the opposite side and below the centre
of the ring. whereupon. said bottle slides off its arm into a shoot by which it is
delivered to a crate or other receptacle or if. desired; to a suitable drying
apparatus.
The rinsing of; the bottles with clean water is accomplished in the following
manner that is to say, the study on which the, ring. is journalled is perforated with
a veдtical, hole to which by a suitable union a water pipe is connected, and I.so
arrange that when an arm, which is hollow or tubular as hereinbefore-mentioned-
reaches a vertical position, the internal.orifice, of, said arm that is to say the orifice
inside, the ring, shall coincide with the hole..in the stud so that a stream of water
ascends the arm into the bottle, on the said, arm and rinses the said bottle. I may.
however considerably modify the details of this part of my invention.
I prefer that the cradle and, the pawl, which; operates the ring.. in the rinsing
machine shall be, both operated, by cranks or eccentrics on a shaft which, is driven
from the rotating, shaft by means of a worm on said shaft and a worm wheel on the
eccentric shaft. I am thereby enabled' to time the movements of; the, cradle and
ringing machine so that the rotary movement of the ring with the arms takes place
during the backward movement of the cradle. I sometimes provide a. tap or cock
which is automatically actuated by simple means to cut off the water supply.from
the rinsing machine when the ring with the bottles is being,rotated.
The brush which, I prefer to use, consists of one, two or more.curved springs
secured to the end of the spindle. The free end or ends of the spring or springa.is
or are provided with a suitable cleansing pad of india-rubber or the like ori-may
provide a small brush at the end of the spring or each said spring.

page_text: I may, however use an ordinary brush instead of the expanding brush above
described.
Doted this 21st day of July 1801
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: are rapidly rotated during the whole of the time the apparatus is at work, are so
arranged that the chains and bottles pass between them on the rising side and so
that at each period of rest of the chain a bottle is retained between the brush and
disc. During such period therefore the hottle is rapidly rotated in its rings by
contact with the brush and disc. I preferably make the disc and brush of different
diameters or rotate them at different speeds to ensure an efficient rubbing action on
the bottle the outside of which will thereby be thoroughly cleaned. I furnish the
dise D with rubber rings to ensure a good grip on the bottle. To clean the end of
the bottle I provide a stationary brush D suitably supported at the side of the
tank in such a position that when the bottle being rapidly rotated by the rotary
brush and disc its base will rub against the stationary brush and will be thereby
cleaned.
The bottles are fed by hand one at a time into the rings b', 12 at the top of the
upper chain wheels B', B¹ and are then carried downwards by the chains into the
water, around the lower chain wheels, and up between the rotary disc and brush
being thereby first well soaked and their exteriors then thoroughly brushed.
Finally as they emerge from the top of the tank they are successively delivered
from the rings on to a sloping table or shoot E. The empty rings are then fed
with a fresh bottle which is similarly treated in its turn.
The bottles are delivered from the holders or rings by a reciprocating rod F
which in the interval between successive intermittent movements of the chains
advances in a direction parallel with the axis of the bottles and engages with the
mouth of the cleansed bottle that has just emerged from the top of the tank and
pushes it out of the rings on to the sloping table or shoot E aforesaid. The end of
the rod F enters the mouth of the bottle but a cross pin F1 fixed in the rod engages
the rim of the bottle mouth and pashes the bottle out of the rings.
The machine for washing the insides of the bottles comprises a bed G supported
on suitable standards G', a reciprocating cradle H for holding the bottles while
they are washed, means for reciprocating the cradle, a rotary brush spindle .J
furnished with brushes, and other details hereinafter described.
The brush spindle J is supported in bearings J' and is driven by a belt working
on pulleys JJ one of which is fast and the other loose on the spindle. J³ is a
belt shifter connected to a bar J* capable of sliding to and fro and having a
handle J at both ends for convenience in starting and stopping the machine from
either end thereof. The cradle H is mounted on guides H' and is reciprocated by
a connecting rod K and crank K' the latter being fixed on the spindle k of a worm
wheel K2 which gears with and is rotated by a worm K³ fixed on the spindle J.
The spindle k of the wheel K³ is supported in suitable bearings in or attached to
the bed G. The number of teeth in the worm wheel K² determines the relation
between the reciprocations of the cradle H and the speed of the brush spindle,
and may be arranged to suit any requirement. I slot the crank K' as shown in
Figure 2 to admit of changing the point of attachment of the connecting rod K
thereto I thus provide for varying the travel of the cradle to suit bottles of
different lengths.
Mounted on the cradle H is a sleeve or cup L (shown in section in Figure 1)
between which and the end H2 of the cradle the bottle is held while it is brushed
internally. The said cup is not rigidly fixed to the cradle but can slide in a
longitudinal slot L' see Figure 1 formed in the cradle and is controlled by a spring L³
see Figure 2 that tends to draw it towards the end H2 of the cradle. Secured to
the bed G is a stop T.³ that arrests the cup or sleeve L at the proper moment while
the cradle is travelling backward and thus withdraws the end pressure on the bottle
for a purpose hereinafter described. The cup or sleeve also serves to close the
brushes at the end of the spindle so that they may properly enter the neck of the
bottle. To hold the bottle in place on the cradle before it is gripped by the cup L
and also to assist in holding the bottle during the whole of the time it is being
brushed internally I provide a bent lever M pivoted at M' to the cradle and having
rubber or like feet M² to press on the bottle. The downwardly extending arm of

page_text: the said lever is controlled by a spring M³ that operates to press the feet M
tightly on the bottle. To release the bottle at the proper moment after it is brushed
I provide a stop in to engage the lower end of the lever as the cradle reaches
the extreme limit of its backward travel. The lever is thereby tilted during the
last part of the movement of the cradle and the bottle is thus released. Previous
to this action of the stop m the cup L has been withdrawn as above described from
contact with the bottle neck, so that immediately the lever M is tilted the bottle
is completely released. It is then pushed or rolled away against a stop N by the
hottles on the sloping table E which bottles are at that moment in line with the one
that has been brushed and press against the latter. O is a bar attached to and
moving with the cradle; the said bar serves to support the bottles on the sloping
table when the cradle moves forward. The stop N is furnished with a light
spring N¹ to prevent shock when the bottle is rolled thereagainst as above described.
The said stop is also made adjustable to accommodate bottles of different sizes,
and is so adjusted that when one bottle is resting against it, the next bottle is
exactly in line with the brush spindle and will be pushed thereon when the cradle
next moves forward.
In some instances it is desirable to retain the holding feet M² of the lever M in
the raised position for a longer period than is possible by the above described
arrangement. For this purpose I provide a spring catch P carried by a pillar P
adjustably secured to the bed G and adapted to engage with the upper end M* of
an extension of the bent lever M. The catch P allows the end M* of the lever
to pass under it when the cradle is travelling backward but engages with and
retains the lever when the cradle begins to move forward again thus causing the
lever to tilt and thereby raise the feet M³ which are maintained raised until the
cradle has moved so far forward again that the end M* of the lever can escape from
the catch.
The brushes for cleaning the interiors of the bottles comprise a pair of curved
steel springs R fitted with rubber ends see Figure 6 for scraping the sides of
the bottle, a readily removable brush R' at the extreme end of the spindle for
cleaning the end of the bottle, and preferably also another brush R2 projecting
sideways from the spindle to brush the shoulder of the bottle. All of these
brushes are contracted by being drawn into the bore of the cup or sleeve L when
the cradle moves back to release a bottle and to receive another one, and are then
in a suitable condition for readily entering the mouth of another bottle presented
to the cup. During the first part of the forward movement of the cradle the cup
remains stationary until the end of the bottle neck beds therein, after which it
moves forward with the cradle, whereupon the brushes enter the bottle neck and
expand in the bottle and thoroughly clean the interior thereof. In lieu of the
special brush above described I may use an ordinary or any suitable brush.
In order to prevent risk of damage to the bottle I make the brush spindle in
two parts, the inner part or rod J which carries the brushes being capable of
sliding axially but not of turning in the other or tubular part J on which the
driving pulley is fixed. The rod Jo is controlled by a spring J7 that is compressed
between a standard JB and a collar J' on the rod and that keeps the rod pressed
forward with the collar J' normally resting against the worm K but allows of a
rearward movement of the rod in case the brush bears too powerfully against the
end of the bottle by reason of the cradle continuing to move forward after the brush
has reached the end of the bottle. This construction also permits of obtaining an
intensified brushing action on the end of the bottle which is usually the most
difficult part to clean.
The mechanism for working the driving mechanism actuating the chains in the
soaking tank, comprises a rod s secured to the cradle, and a bell-crank lever s¹
pivoted on the pins secured to the bed G. To one arm of this lever is attached
the rod b' hereinbefore referred to. When the cradle moves forward the rod s
presses against and turus the bell-crank lever and thus pulls the rod and operates
the chains. is a spring for drawing back the bell-crank lever during the

page_text: Backward movement of the cradle. ' is a stop to limit the backward movement of
the lever. The rod s is preferably provided with an antifriction roller.
The rod. F for delivering the bottles from the rings on the chains is secured by
the arm to the cradle H and moves to and fro therewith.
After the bottle has been brushed internally as above described it is ready
to be. rinsed.
:
The rinser comprises a ring or hub T journaled upon a stud T¹ and furnished
with a suitable number of hollow or tubular radial arms T T3 is a ratchet
wheel secured to the hub T; T is a pawl engaging with said ratchet wheel and
pivoted on an arm To loosely mounted on the axis of the hub. To is a rod which
connects the arm. T with a crank T on the spindle k of the wheel K whereby
an intermittent motion is imparted to the hub T. Other means may be used to
intermittently rotate the hub. During the forward movement of the cradle the
bottle which was cleaned by the brush inside during. the last preceding forward
movement of the cradle and which is now resting against the stop N is slipped on
to one of the radial arts T3 which is in a position ready to receive it, and is
retained by and moved round with said arm as the latter is rotated one step by
the crank T' during the backward movement of the cradle. By this movement
the bottle is raised out of the way and another arm is brought into position for
receiving a bottle on the next forward movement of the cradle. Each bottle by
intermittent rotary movements of the ring is brought to the opposite side and
below the centre of the hub whereupon said bottle slides off its arm through a
hole G in the bed G and into a shoot U whence it can be transferred to a crate
or other receptacle or if desired to a suitable drying apparatus.
The rinsing of the bottles with clean water is accomplished in the following
manner that is to say, the stud T¹ on which the hub T is journalled is made hollow
and is connected by a suitable union to a water pipe T8 see Figure 5. A vertical
orifice T is also made in the stud and I so arrange that when an arm T2, which
is hollow or tubular as herein before-mentioned, reaches a vertical position it
communicates with the orifice T' so that a stream of water can then ascend the arm
and pass into the bottle on this arm and rinse the said bottle.
I sometimes provide a tap or cock which is automatically actuated by simple
means to cut off the water supply from the rinsing apparatus when the bub with
the bottles is being rotated.
The part H of the cradle extends only behind the bottle which is being brushed
and not behind that which is ready to pass to the rinser so that in case the
arm of the rinser is not in a proper position for passing into the neck of the
bottle, no harm will be done, as the bottle would simply be pushed along
the cradle.
V is a brush at the forward end of the rod Je to be used by the attendant
for brushing any bottle that is not thoroughly clean after it leaves the rinser.
The bottles after being washed externally as above described are delivered
successively on the sloping table E down which they roll to the cradle H and are
then washed internally as above described, after which they pass on to the rinser
and are rinsed, and they are then delivered to the shoot U whence they are removed
by hand and packed.
It is obvious that I may use either of the three chief parts of my apparatus,
riz. the apparatus for washing the bottles externally, the machine for washing
them internally, or the rinser, independently of the other parts. I can also vary
the construction somewhat in detail without departing from the spirit of my
invention, for example I may in some instances use one endless chain in lieu of
two in the soaking tank.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Bottle washing apparatus so constructed that bottles fed thereto at one point

page_text: will be washed externally and internally and rinsed and then delivered at another
point without manual assistance, substantially in the manner described.
2. A bottle washing machine constructed to receive at one point bottles that
have been soaked and washed externally and which then washes the bottles
internally and rinses them and delivers the washed bottles at another point without
the aid of manual assistance, substantially in the manner described.
3. Apparatus for soaking bottles and washing them externally comprising a
soaking tank, an endless chain or chains furnished with holders for receiving
the bottles, means for intermittently revolving the chain or chains in the liquid
contained in the soaking tank, and brushing apparatus between which the bottles
are successively passed.
4. A rinsing device having radial tubular arms turning in a vertical or substan-
tially vertical plane and so arranged that the bottles fed to said arms will be
carried round and rinsed when at or near the top of the rinser and subsequently
delivered automatically.
5. The brush consisting of metal springs secured to the rotary spindle and
having rubber or other material secured to their ends substantially as described,
and for the purpose specified.
6. The combination with the aforesaid brush and spindle of a removable brush
secured in the end of the spindle for brushing the end of the bottle, with
or without the brush for brushing the shoulder of the bottle, substantially as
described.
7. The combination, with the brushes, of the cup or sleeve for closing the
same to enable them to be passed readily into the bottle neck, substantially as
described.
8. The reciprocating cradle in combination with the spring-controlled cup
for holding the bottles while they are being brushed internally, substantially as
described.
9. The device for retaining the bottle (after the same has been brushed internally)
until the bottle has a free course to roll away and another bottle can take its place,
substantially as described.
10. The combination of the disc and brush for rotating and cleaning the bottles
in the soaking tank with or without the stationary brush for cleaning the end of
the bottle substantially as described.
11. The means for delivering the bottles from the rings of the endless chain,
substantially as described.
12. The apparatus for soaking the bottles and cleaning them externally
constructed substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
13. The machine constructed substantially as described with reference to the
drawings for cleaning the bottles internally, with or without the rinsing device as
shown and described, and with or without the apparatus for cleaning the bottles
externally as shown and described.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.