Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Retainers and their Application to Bottle-necks and in Apparatus Applicable therefor.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Retainers and their
Application to Bottle-necks and in Apparatus Applicable therefor.
1, ANDREW CAMPBELL, of Brooklyn, King's County, in the State of New York,
one of the United States of America, Mechanician, 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 an improved method of and apparatus for applying cork-
retaining wires to bottles; and the object I seek to attain is the application of a
triform wire retainer about the neck of the bottle behind the fillet thereof and over
the cork; the necessary connecting and fastening twists being given to the wires
automatically and by a series of successive operations.
The wire retainer applied by a machine constructed in accordance with this
invention comprises a circular band tightly embracing the neck of the bottle
behind the fillet, and three branches projecting from the said band at intervals of
about 120°, and which pass up over the fillet and cork, and meet at the centre of
the latter, where they are fastened by being twisted together; the twisted ends being
afterwards bent down flat upon the top of the cork. This wire retainer is formed of
two wires, preferably of different lengths, in order to economize the material; and
these wires are united by being twisted together at two points, the two uniting
twists being separated by a distance equal to about one-third of the circumference
of the bottle-neck. The branches of the shorter wire are bent, near these twists,
upwards and over the cork; the branches of the longer wire being passed round the
bottle-neck in opposite directions until they meet, then twisted together until the
band is tight and then bent upwards and over the cork. The four, ends of the wires
are then twisted together on the top of the cork, afterwards cut off to an uniform
length, and finally bend down and einbedded in the cork.
A holder or support is provided to receive and clamp the bottle to be wired,
which, when clamped by the holder, is arranged, by preference, to lie in a horizontal

page_text: position. Two similar wire-feeders draw two wires from two reels or swifts and feed
them down through suitable guides. The wires are fed down unequally, in order
that pieces of unequal length may be cut off therefrom. The length of the one
piece of wire cut off is to the length of the other piece as 5 is to 7, or there-
abouts. The guides for the wire move longitudinally in a vertical direction; but,
at first, they stand aligned, with their ends meeting at the level of the bottle-neck
and at one side thereof. When the wires have been fed down in these guides to
the proper distance, the latter move apart-say from 1 in. to 1+ins. and the
primary twister, arranged at the side of the bottle-neck, twists the two wires
together. The guides then move further apart, so as to expose enough of the wire
to form a fastening for the bottle-neck. A band-placer moving horizontally then
passes the ends of the longer piece of wire about the neck of the bottle and
eventually crosses them, whereupon a second twister approaches from the opposite
side and twists the two ends aforesaid together; thus uniting the band and closing it
tightly upon the bottle-neck. The wire band then has three branches projecting out
radially and at equal distances apart. A device, which I call the crown-twister, and
which is axially aligned with the bottle, then advances to a predetermined position,
and, striking the end of the cork in the bottle, pushes the latter back longitudinally
in its holder; simultaneously with this movement, three forked pushers, embracing
the neck of the bottle, move out and bend the three branches up over the fillet
and into guide-ways in the crown-twister aforesaid. Three gathering fingers carried
by the crown-twister then bend in the three branches over the top of the cork and
gather them together at the centre, whereupon suitable twisting jaws, also carried by
the crown-twister, grip the gathered wires. The crown-twister then rotates axially,
thus twisting the wires tightly together and forming the final twist; whereupon a
cutter cuts the said twist to a suitable length. The process of wiring is then
practically completed; but, as soon as the final or crown twist is effected, and the
wires are cut off, the crown-twister is moved laterally, thus bending down the twist
and embedding the same in the soft substance of the cork.
Having thus briefly set forth the general purpose, construction, and mode of
operation of my machine, I will now describe it more particularly with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
The first four figures of the drawings show the wires and the mode of wiring.
Fig. O represents the two pieces of wire x and y both before and after they have
been united by the primary twists.
Fig. O is a perspective view of the fillet end of the bottle, showing the wiring
over the cork .
Fig. O is an end view of the cork and wired bottle; and Fig. Oc represents the
wire fastening as it would appear if removed from the bottle-neck.
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the wiring machine as a whole; the view
being designed mainly to indicate the positions of the several shafts, operating
cams, &c.
Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the machine as seen when looking in the
direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1.
Figs. 2 and 2 are sectional elevations taken substantially in the same plane along
the line 22 in Fig. 1; the arrows 2" and 2 in that figure indicating,
respectively, the directions from which the views are seen.
Figs. 1, 2, 2 and 2 are drawn to the same scale.
Figs. 3 to 3° are detached and more or less fragmentary views illustrating the
construction of the wire-feeding, cutting, and primary twisting devices, indicated in
general by W in. Figs. 2 and 2.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the upper guides, showing how the wires are led into
the same through tubes.
Fig. 3" is a sectional view of the lower guide showing the rack-and-pinion dovice
whereby the said guides are moved.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view on a large scale of the wire-feeder taken in a plane
substantially in the axis of the driving shaft.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a face view of the rachet-device seen in section in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a much-enlarged sectional view of a part of the wire-feeding wheels,
showing how at their peripheries they grip the wires.
Fig. 3° is a much-enlarged sectional view of the differential device connected with
the wire-guides.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the primary twister on a large scale.
Fig. 3 is a side view, on a large scale, of the wires at the twisting point, and
illustrating the formation of the primary twists.
Fig. 3 is an end view, Fig. 3' a side view, and Fig. 31 a sectional view of the upper
wire-guides; showing the wire-cutters.
Fig. 3 is an end view, Fig 3' a side view, and Fig. 3 a sectional view of the lower
wire-guides; showing the clamps therein.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the primary twister and the mechanism connected
therewith.
Fig. 3° is a view of the ratchet-device connected with the operation of the primary
twister.
a
Figs. 4. to 4 are detached views illustrating the band-placer, indicated as
whole by X in the principal figures, and the secondary twister, indicated as a
whole by Y.
Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation showing the band-placer in operation and the
secondary twister in position.
Fig. 4 is a side view of the band-placer as it appears when retracted.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, Fig. 4" a sectional plan, and Fig. 4° an end view of the jaws
of the secondary twister.
Figs. 5 to 5 are detached views illustrating the construction of the crown-twister,
indicated as a whole by Z in the principal figures.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the crown-twister when retracted.
Fig. 5 is a view of the front end or face-plate thereof.
Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the twister, taken in the plane of one of the three
gathering slots therein.
Fig. 5 is a view showing the lugs inside the casing in which the gatherers are
mounted.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5d in the several longitudinal sectional
views.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the twisting jaws in the casing; Fig. 5' being a
similar view showing the cutters.
Fig. 5 is a view of one of the cutters, detached, drawn to a large scale.
Figs. 6 to 6' are detail views illustrating the holders or supports for the bottle and
the pushers, indicated as a whole by V in the principal figures.
Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of this imechanism, showing the parts in their
most advanced position.
Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the clamp for the body of the bottle.
Fig. 6b is a front elevation of the clamp for the bottle neck.
a is the frame of the machine, and is, by preference, made of cast-iron. In Fig. 1,
al is a recess in the bed of the frame where the bottle-support or carriage is situated,
and all a space in the centre of the bed where the wiring is performed. is the main
driving shaft, c are the driving pulleys, and d is the fly-wheel. e indicates in dotted
lines the position of a transverse cam-shaft mounted in the frame a under the bed
thereof; this shaft being driven from the shaft b by the gears f. The transverse
shaft e drives a cam-shaft g through the mitre gears h and a cam-shaft i, situated at the
opposite side of the frame, through the mitre gears j. On these three shafts e, g and i,
are fixed the various cams that actuate the several mechanisms which constitute the
machine. These cams will be referred to in their proper order.
I have designated the several mechanisms, each as a whole, by a capital letter, for
convenience of reference. V is the mechanism for clamping and supporting the
bottle A whilst it is being wired. W is the wire-feeding mechanism and guides,

page_text: together with the device for effecting the primary twists in the wires. X is the band-
placer, which applies the wires supplied by the feeder to the neck of the bottle. Y is
the secondary twister, which closes and completes the band; Z being the crown-twister,
which gathers the ends of the wires together at the centre of the cork, twists them,
cuts them off, and flattens them down.
Before proceeding to minutely describe the machine, it may be said that the
attendant places the unwired bottle A, with its stoppered end directed towards the
centre of the machine-bed, in clamps in a support or holder; the body of the bottle
being held in one clamp and the neck in another and independent clamp. The
wire band of the fastening encircles the neck of the bottle just below, or at the
back of, the fillet. The operation of placing the bottle in the holder or support
is facilitated by a suitable guide on the machine.
The different mechanisms, and the operations they perform will now be described
in order.
2
I will first explain the action of the wire-feeder and primary twister, with special
reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 to 3º, premising that each of the wires and y is fed
by a separate device; the two devices being similar and both being required because
the one wire has to be longer than the other wire y. These wires are fed from reels
or swifts (Fig. 2) by means of feed-wheels which grip them between their
peripheries. Each wire is fed by two pairs of wheels, which grip it at different
points; one wheel of each pair being driven from a toothed rack, and this wheel
driving its fellow wheel through the medium of teeth on their respective peripheries.
1 and 2 are the upper and lower feed-wheels for the wire y, and 1 and 2 are
their fellow wheels; the latter being held up to the former by a spring. Fig. 3
is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing how the wheels grip the wires;
a ridge on one wheel entering a groove in its fellow wheel. The wheels 1 and 2
are positively driven, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 3º. On a cross-shaft 4 is fixed
a toothed wheel 5, with which gears a vertically-sliding rack 6 secured to a rack-
bar 7. On the opposite end of the shaft 4 is fixed a box-wheel 8, in which is or
are hung a spring-pawl or pawls 9 engaging with a ratchet-wheel 10 fixed in a
sleeve 11 on the said shaft. Secured on this sleeve 11 is a toothed wheel 12
gearing with two toothed wheels 13 and 13 which form, respectively, parts of the
feed-wheels 1 and 2. Downward movement of the rack 6 causes the wire y to
be fed downwards, but the upward movement of the rack does not affect the
wheels 1 and 2 by reason of the pawls 9 riding over the teeth of the ratchet-
wheel 10. Such a method of connecting a sleeve with a shaft is a well-known
device, and needs no further description. The longer wire is fed downwards along-
side the shorter wire y by a similar arrangement to that above described and
comprising upper and lower feed-wheels 1 and 2, their fellow wheels I^1 and 201
held up to their work by a spring, and a toothed wheel 12' on the sleeve 11
gearing with the toothed wheels 131 and 131 on the wheels 1 and 2¹ respectively.
The wheels 12, 13 and 13ª are so proportioned as to feed the wire y slower than
the wire is fed by the wheels 121, 131 and 131; this proportion in the present
imachine being about as 5 is to 7, though it may be varied, if desired. The
wires and y pass longitudinally through two slender fixed guide-tubes 14' (which
keep them straight) into two vertically-sliding upper guides 14 and 14'; one wire
passing through each guide. These guides are in the form of bars and play in suitable
slide-bearings in the machine frame a; they are actuated by a cam, as will be
hereinafter set forth.
The lower ends of the upper guides 14 and 14 stand, when at their lowest points,
on a level with the axis of the bottle in the holder; a wire-cutter being mounted in
the extremity of each guide. These wire-cutters are alike and are represented to an
enlarged scale in Figs. 3, 3' and 3, which also show the general construction of the ends
of the guides. In the end of the guide 14 is mounted a cutter-slide. 15, through
which a hole is drilled for the passage of the wire y. This slide is held in its normal
position by a spring 16 attached to the guide aforesaid. The opposite end of the

page_text: y.
slide 15 projects laterally from the bar, and, when pressure is applied to the projecting
end, the spring 16 yields, the slide is moved longitudinally and the wire is sheared off.
The guide 14 is provided with a similar cutter to sever the wire the slide being
marked 15 and the spring 16. Aligned with the upper guides 14 14' are the lower
guides 17 171, which are also arranged to be moved up and down longitudinally. The
upper ends of the latter, when at their highest point, respectively register and stand
in contact with the ends of the guides 14 14, when at their lowest point. When the
wires and y are fed from the upper into the lower guides, the middle points of the
pieces of wire to be cut off stand where the two sets of guides meet; that is, at
the level of the axis of the bottle A. The lower guides 17 171 are provided with
similar brakes to bind, under certain conditions, the respective wires & and These
brakes are represented to a large scale in Figs. 3*, 3 and 3", which also show the
construction of the ends of the said guides. At the inlet in the guide 17 for the
wire y is placed a brake-jaw 18. This jaw is adapted to bear on the said wire and is
attached to the free end of a strong spring 19 secured to the guide 17. This spring
constantly presses the brake-jaw on or towards the wire. Under the spring 19 is
placed a loose pin 20, one end of which enters a longitudinal groove 21 in the adjacent
face of the other guide 171. The groove 21 is formed with a slight projection 22,
which when the ends of the guides 17 17' are flush, forces out the pin 20; thus acting
as a cam to press back the spring 19 and relieve the brake, so that the wire y
may move freely through the guides.. To allow the brake to act upon the wire, it is
only necessary to move one guide longitudinally with respect to the other, whereupon
the pin 20 and the projection 22 are removed out of contact, so that the brake-spring
may again act upon the brake. The other guide 17' is, as previously stated, provided
with a similar brake.
The operations of feeding, twisting and cutting off the pieces of wire x and y are
accomplished in the following manner :-Suppose the ends of the upper and lower
wire-guides are in contact. The rack-bar 7 is then drawn down by a cam 7' and the
wires are fed downwards by their feed-wheels until the halves of the lengths to be
eventually cut off have passed into the lower guides 17.17. There is then (say) 2 ins.
of the wire y and 34 ins. of the wire in the lower guides. The feed of the wires is
thereupon arrested and the upper and lower guides are moved apart, the former
upwards and the latter downwards; the wires remaining stationary. When the guides
are the proper distance from one another (say 1 ins.,) the members of the pairs of
guides which have moved thus far side by side and at the same speed-begin to
move at different rates of speed; the upper guide 14 and the lower guide 17 apper-
taining to the wire y. moving more slowly than the guides 14¹ and 17' appertaining to
the wire ..
I will now describe the devices by which the wires are fed, the guides actuated and
the differential movements of the members of cach pair of guides are effected;
premising that the upper guides 14 14' have precisely the same arrangements for this
purpose as the lower guides 17 171, and that the movement imparted to one member
of each pair is communicated by that member to the other, either to an increased or
diminished extent, as the case may be. In the present instance, the movement is
increased. I have herein represented the guides for the shorter wire y as the drivers,
but the other guides may be so employed, if preferred.
23 is a sliding rod mounted in the machine-frame a and arranged parallel with the
guides for the wires. This rod is attached by a bracket 24 to the upper guide 14 and
by a bracket 25 to one end of a connecting rod 26. The other end of the rod 26 is
connected by an adjustable joint to a lever 27 pivotted in the machine-frame; the
other end of the said lever carrying a roller which bears on the guide-operating cam 28,
a portion only of which is shewn. The rack-bar 7, which actuates the wire-feeding
mechanism, stands parallel with the guides and is operated by a cam 7', through a
connecting rod and a lever, in a similar manner to that in which the wire-guides are
worked. The lower guide 17 is provided with a rack 29 (Fig. 3), which gears with
a toothed wheel 30 mounted in the machine-frame. The wheel 30 gears on the
opposite side with a rack 31 which plays end wise in guides in the machine-frame and

page_text: is connected at its upper end with the bracket 25. Thus the lower guide 17 is caused
to move at the same rate of speed as the upper guide 14, but in the opposite direction.
As only one guide in each pair is moved by the cam, the following device is employed
to impart a differential movement to the guides constituting each pair :-On the upper
guides is mounted a pinion-frame 32 (see Figs. 2 and 3) carrying two pinions 33
and 33, which are keyed upon the same axle, have different diameters and are
connected together; the lesser pinion 33 gearing with a rack 34 on the guide 14, and
the larger pinion 33¹ gearing with the rack 341 on the guide 14. By these means,
the movement of the guide 14 causes the guide 14¹ to travel a greater distance in the
same direction. To enable the guide 14 to thus actuate the guide 14', it will, however, be
necessary to prevent the frame 32 and the pinions mounted therein from moving with
the said guides, and this end I effect by constructing the frame a of the machine to
embrace and hold the frame 32. A little play is, however, allowed the latter, as seen
in Fig. 2, and the pinions 33 and 331 are provided with some suitable frictional device,
such for example as the soft washer 36 (seen in Fig. 3), to enable the frame 32 to
move with the guides 14 14' as far as the play allowed the said frame will permit.
The reason for this I will now explain, reverting to the description of the operation of
the feeding mechanism, where the upper and lower guides are described as having been
moved apart about 1 ins. It may be said, however, that the lower guides 17 17¹ are
provided with a device for effecting a differential movement precisely similar to that
just described.
The play of the pinion-frames 32 32 permitted by the spaces in the frame a, causes
the guides constituting each pair to move together at the same speed until the further
movements of the said pinion-frames are arrested, whereupon the differential move-
ment in each pair of guides begins. When, however, the upper and lower guides are
about 1 ins. apart and their movements have been arrested, the primary uniting twists
are effected; and, whilst this is being done, it is desirable that the guides con-
stituting each pair should stand with their ends flush, in order to afford a better
abutment or shoulder when the twist is made, and also to ensure that the same length
of each wire is exposed. The two primary uniting twists are marked 37 37 in
Fig. 3, wherein the guides are shown as separated to the proper extent, and the
twists completed by the primary twister. It should be understood that when
the upper and lower guides move apart, the wires x and y are exposed; that
they are parallel and about in. apart; and that they are clamped above by the
feed-wheels and are free or loose in the brakes in the lower guides.
I will now describe the primary twister and its operation, with special reference to
Figs. 2, 3 and 3". Mounted rotatively in the machine-frame, in such a manner as to
concentrically embrace the lower guides 17 171, is a sleeve-like shaft 38 on which is
formed a pinion 39 engaging with a rack 40; the latter being actuated at the proper
time by a cam 40' (Fig. 1) in such a manner as to impart two revolutions (or more,
if desired) to the hollow shaft 38. This shaft carries at its upper end an elbow-
lever 41, on the upright arm of which is secured a pair of twisting blades 42. These
blades stand opposite the point where the upper and lower guides meet, and are
normally drawn back by the downward pressure on the horizontal arm of the lever 41
exerted by one end of a lever 43, which is pivotted to the machine-frame and actuated
by a cam 43. At the time the upper and lower guides move apart, the cam which
actuates the lever 43 permits the said lever to liberate the elbow-lever 41 so that a
spring 44 may act on the latter and drive the blades 42 forward over the wires & and
so as to embrace them. The driving rack 40 thereupon imparts two revolutions to
the shaft 38, and the blades 42 are carried round concentrically with the wires and
impart the primary uniting twists thereto, as seen in Fig. 3*. The lever 43 then
descends; and, by pressing on the short arm of the elbow-lever 41, withdraws the
twisting blades into their normal position out of action. The cam 28 then sets the
upper and lower wire-guides 14 14 17 and 17' again in motion, and they move apart
until the proper lengths of the wires x and y are exposed-say 7 ins. of the wire a
and 5 ins. of the wire y-when the said guides are again momentarily arrested.
During this operation, the brake-jaws in the lower guides slide over and act upon the

page_text: wires to keep them tight; enough of the ends of these wires remaining in the lower
guides for the brake-jaws to clamp upon. As the upper guides 14 14' move upwards,
the projecting ends of the cutter-slides 15 151 pass respectively under the pendent
of elbow-levers 45 and 45'; the other arms of which are coupled to
rods 45 through which cams 15" (Fig. 1) actuate the said levers at the proper
times for operating the cutter-slides by means of which the wires a and y are
severed.
arms
.
Before the wires are cut off by the mechanism last described, the band-placer comes
into operation. This device is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 4. The wires are arranged
at right angles to the axis of the bottle when the latter is in position in the holder,
and stand at one side of the bottle-neck, preferably at a distance of about two inches
from the axis thereof; that is, at such a distance therefrom that, when pushed
laterally over against the bottle-neck, the wires have an inclination of about 60°.
The function of the band-placer is to push the united wires and y towards and
about the neck of the bottle. It comprises a frame.46 mounted to slide in horizontal
guides in the frame a and actuated by a cam 47 and lever 48. In the frame 46
is mounted a sliding rod 49, bearing at one extremity two similar forked fingers 50 50
and provided at the other extremity with a spring 51. In the frame 46 are arranged
two similar forked fingers 52 52. The latter are pivotted respectively in the outer
ends of two short levers 53 53, which are in turn pivotted to the frame 46; their
inner ends projecting into the path of an adjustable shoulder 491 on the rod 49.
Between the tails of the pivotted fingers 52 is arranged a spring 531, which tends to
move the operating ends of the said fingers towards each other. In Fig. 4 the band-
placer X is represented in its advanced position, and in Fig. 4" as having been drawn
back. The operation of the parts is as follows:- -At the proper moment, the band-
placer advances towards the wires and y, and the forked ends of the fingers 50
engage with the branches of the wire a just beyond the primary uniting twists 37.
The continued movement of the band-placer causes the fingers 50 to apply the wires
to the side of the bottle-neck, whereupon the further forward movement of the rod 49
and the fingers 50 carried thereby is arrested. The other parts, however, move on;
the spring 51 being placed under compression thereby. The forked ends of the
fingers 52 also engage with the branches of the wire ; the latter being then severed
at the end of the upper guide 14'. As the fingers 52 advance, they push the branches
of the wire, which are now free, round the opposite sides of the bottle-neck to
form the band; the spring 531 keeping the said fingers pressed towards the bottle.
When the forked ends of the fingers have reached and passed the axial plane of the
bottle-neck, the shoulder or collar 491 on the sliding rod 49 opposes the further
advance of the inner ends of the two short levers 53, but the pivots of the said levers
travel on with the frame 46, which causes the outer ends of the levers aforesaid to
throw forward the fingers 52 in such a manner as to cause their forked extremities to
close about the bottle-neck and cross the branches of the wire at the back of the
said neck, as seen in Fig. 4. This forward and inward movement of the fingers 52
compresses two retracting springs 54 54, as clearly illustrated in the drawings. The
wire is then severed by the cutter in the end of the guide 14, and the hand-placer X
stands momentarily in its advanced position until the secondary twister Y has had
time to advance and seize the crossed branches of the wire a. The two sets of
fingers 50 and 52 stand in the same vertical plane as that in which the wire & stands,
and both sets engage with this wire by means of their forked ends. The wire y is
carried to the bottle-neck by the wire a. In order to ensure the branches of the
wire a crossing each other properly, without colliding, the forks in the two fingers 52
are formed with slight inclines arranged in opposite directions to cause the two
branches of the wire to pass one another.
The secondary twister, which seizes and twists together the two branches of the
wire x, is illustrated in Fig. 4. It comprises a carriage or frame 55, mounted to
slide on the frame of the machine and actuated by a cain 56 and lever 57. In the
frame 55 is rotatively mounted a tubular shaft 58, on which is fixed a long pinion 581
gearing with a toothed wheel 59 arranged in the main frame. The rotation of the

page_text: wire ..
wheel 59 is effected by a cam 59¹ acting through a lever 551 and a rack 55. The
pinion 581 is long enough to enable the wheel 59 to keep in gear therewith in all
positions of the frame 55. On that end of the shaft 58 which is directed towards the
bottle are mounted two twisting jaws 60 and 60¹. These jaws are adapted to be
opened and closed as required, and are seen detached and drawn to a large scale in
Figs. 4, 44 and 4", which also illustrate how they seize the crossed branches of the
Each jaw is formed with a long tooth or prong; these prongs being so
arranged that, when the jaws come together, the branches are embraced at their
crossing point on all sides and firmly held, as shown. On one of the jaws-in the
present illustration, the jaw 60-a tooth is provided which enters between the
branches beyond their crossing point; this tooth keeping them separated so that the
twist may be properly effected. When the jaws of the twister have advanced into
the proper position to seize the branches of wire, the said jaws are closed thereon by
a device illustrated in Fig. 4, and which I will now describe. The jaws 60 and 60¹
are hinged to a head on the hollow shaft 58 in which is arranged a sliding rod 61
carrying at its extremity a device for opening and closing the jaws 60 60 by the
end wise movement of the rod aforesaid. The opener or spreader consists of a bar 62,
which acts as a wedge between the inclined inner faces of the jaws, and the closing
device consists of two similar rollers or pairs of rollers or blocks 63 63¹ mounted
respectively in the ends of two arms projecting from the rod 61; these arms passing
through and playing in slots in the respective jaws 60 and 601. The rollers 63 631
roll on the inclined outer faces of the jaws. The operating rod 61 is moved
longitudinally by a cam 64 and a forked lever 64 having branches engaging with
trunnions 65 on a ring 66 which embraces a circumferentially-grooved sliding ring or
-sleeve 67 mounted on the shaft 58. This sleeve 67 is pinned to the sliding rod 61;
the pin playing in a slot in the tubular shaft 58. This construction is the same as
that employed in the well-known "pencil slide." As the secondary twister Y advances,
the jaws thereof are made to close on the branches of the wire a (as previously described)
by the movement of the rod 61. The shaft 58 is then rotated by the wheel 59,
whereby the jaws of the twister are caused to twist the wires together. After two
revolutions have been made, the said jaws begin to slacken their grip, and the cam 56
commences to draw back the carriage 55. The effect of this is that two tight band-
closing twists are first made the wires being then loosely twisted together. The
movement of the carriage 55 is sufficient to cause the jaws of the twister to pass
from the wire and leave it free.
As soon as this secondary twist is formed, and the three branches of the fastening wires
are left standing out radially from the band about the neck of the bottle, the device that
pushes these up over the fillet on the bottle comes into action. This device consists of
three notched or forked arms connected with the neck-clamp. Before proceeding to
explain the operation hereof, I will describe more minutely the bottle-supports and
the operating mechanism connected therewith, with special reference to Figs. 6, 6ª
and 6. The body of the bottle A is supported as well as the neck. In the recess a¹
in the bed of the machine-frame a is mounted a carriage 100 sliding in guides and
adjustably connected to a sliding rod 101 by a suitable screw-clamp 102, whereby the
said carriage may be set at different points along the said rod. The sliding rod 101
plays in bearings in the machine-frame a, and an irregular reciprocating endwise
movement is imparted thereto from a barrel-cam 103 through a vibrating lever 104
coupled at its upper end to the said rod 101 by a connecting rod 105. Pivotted to
the carriage 100 are two lateral jaws 106 106' which embrace and clamp the sides of
the bottle A. There is also mounted in the said carriage a supporting sliding
jaw 10610, upon the upper end of which the bottle rests. The mechanism for actuating
these three clamping jaws comprises a gear-wheel 107 rotatively mounted on the
carriage 100, to which wheel the lower ends or tails of the jaws 106 106' are coupled
respectively by links 108 and 1081. These links extend across the face of the
wheel 107 and are connected thereto by wrist-pins 109. On the outer ends of the
pins 109 is fixed a disc 110 which is, by these pins, rigidly connected with the
wheel 107 a jaw 106" being coupled to a wrist-pin 1091 on the said disc 110

page_text: A
cam and
through the medium of a link 108". The three jaws are simultaneously set on the
bottle by the partial rotation of the wheel 107. About the shaft 1071 upon which
this wheel is mounted is coiled a stout spring 111; one end of the same being
secured to the shaft-bearing and the other to a collar fixed on the said shaft. This
spring causes the jaws to grip the bottle by rotating the shaft 1071, which is turned
in the opposite direction by a long pinion 112 rotatively mounted in the machine-
frame and in gear with the wheel 107. The pinion 112 is actuated by a cam 113
through the medium of an elbow-lever 114 and a segment-rack 115 gearing with the
pinion aforesaid. The neck-clamp for the bottle is constructed as follows:-116 is a
carriage similar to the carriage 100 and mounted in a continuation of the guides apper-
taining thereto. It has a
pendent lug 116 through which plays the sliding rod 101.
Upon the latter are two collars 117 117, one on each side the lug aforesaid. Thus
the said rod is permitted to play a distance equal to that between the said collars
without moving the carriage 116; but a further movement in either direction causes
both the carriages 100 and 116 to travel together. The bottle-neck is clamped by
three similar sliding jaws 118 arranged to play in guides in a part of the carriage 116;
these jaws being actuated simultaneously by a series of knuckle-levers 119. The
lowest of these levers has a pendent arm 1191 coupled to a pin in a transversely-
arranged sliding rod 120 mounted in bearings in the carriage aforesaid.
spring 121 on the rod 120 causes the jaws 118 to grip the neck of the bottle; the
said jaws being opened so as to release the bottle-neck by the same
intermediate mechanism that are employed to open the jaws that clasp the body of
the bottle. On the end of the shaft 112 upon which the long pinion 112 is mounted
is a crank 112. When the carriage 116 is drawn back, a pin 120¹ in the rod 120
is placed in position to be caught by the wrist-pin of the said crank when the
shaft 112 is rotated, and thus serves to move the rod 120 ondwise so as to compress
the spring 121 and open the jaws of the neck-clamp. Before explaining the movements
of the carriages and clamps, I will describe the pushers previously referred to, and
which are borne by the jaws of the neck-clamp aforesaid. On each jaw 118
is pivotted a pusher 122 which projects towards the corked end of the bottle and is
kept pressed up to the bottle-neck by a spring 1221. Each pusher has a fork and
groove at its extremity and is arranged to stand in such a position with respect to the
three radially-projecting branches of wire that, when all three pushers are moved up
towards the corked end of the bottle, the fork in each of their extremities engages
with its particular wire and carries it up over the fillet. Fig. 6 shows the bottle-
holders, or clamps, and the pushers in their most advanced position. When drawn
back to their normal position, the clamps are opened and the bottle may then bo
inserted therein. In placing the bottle in the holder, the attendant is guided by a
forked spring-supported guide 123 mounted on the carriage 116 just in front of the
neck-clamp. When the bottle is properly situated in the clamps, this guide stands
just at the shoulder of the fillet at the point where the wire band is to be placed.
The cam 113 then passes and allows the springs 111 and 121 to act upon the respective
clamps which embrace the body and the neck of the bottlo; the cam 103 moving the
carriage 100 inwards, carrying the bottle with it and pushing its neck through the
neck-clamp, which loosely grasps the said bottle. This neck-clamp is merely designed
to steady and centre the bottle, and not to grip it tightly. The aforesaid movement
continues until the collar 117' on the rod 101 reaches the lug 116' on the carriage 116,
which latter has so far remained stationary. This inward movement of the bottle
brings the shoulder of the fillet to the correct position for the band-placer X to
properly place the wire band about the bottle-neck. The forked end of the pushers 122
then stand a little way behind the point where the band is to encircle the neck. The
carriages 100 and 116 then remain stationary whilst the band is being applied until
the secondary twister Y begins to operate, when the cam 103 again sets these carriages
in motion and moves them inwardly together. Whilst this is taking place, however,
the crown-twister comes into action and moves in from the opposite direction; its
axis being aligned with that of the bottle and its advancing face moving up to a fixed
point regardless of the bottle aforesaid; that is, if the outer end of the cork in the
R

page_text: bottle projects from the bottle-carrier beyond a predetermined minimum distance (as
is generally the case), then the face of the crown-twister strikes the end of the cork
and pushes the bottle back in the clamps. The carriages and clamps, however,
continue to advance and the forks in the ends of the pushers 122 engage with their
respective wires and push them up over the fillet. When the pushers and the crown-
twister cease to move towards each other, the advanced ends of the pushers stand
close to the face of the crown-twister, as seen in Fig. 6.
Before proceeding with the description of the crown-twister and its functions, it
will be advantageous to explain that bottles of the kind that require wiring are not
uniform, those of like capacity varying considerably in their dimensions, and particu-
larly in the distance between the shoulder of the fillet (where the wire band is to be
placed) and the end of the cork. To adapt the machine to these variations in the
bottles, I so construct it that the two points where the work is to be done, namely,
the manufacture and application of the wire band and the gathering together and
twisting of the wires on the top of the cork, are closer to each other than the distance
from the band to the top of the cork in the smallest bottle to which the wire retainer
is to be applied. This renders it necessary for the larger bottles to be moved endwise
in the clamps by the crown-twister. In order to effect the crown twist properly the
crown-twister, after it has moved up to its most advanced position and pushed back the
bottle, at once recedes far enough to leave a space of say in. between its face and,
the end of the cork.
The functions of the crown-twister are to bend the three branches of wire over the
cork and gather and twist them together; then to cut off the twist to an uniform
length, and finally to bend it over and flatten it down upon the cork. This device is
illustrated in detail in Figs. 5 to 5%, to which reference will be made in connection
with the following detailed explanation :-In suitable bearings 68 on the frame a is
mounted a bar 69 which is capable of rotating and moving longitudinally in its
bearings. Suspended from this bar by brackets 70 is a tubular shaft 71 rotatively
mounted and carrying at one extremity a cylindrical casing or box 73 containing the
operative mechanism. This easing is fixed to the shaft and is provided internally
with suitable lugs to form bearings for the moving parts. The face-plate 731 of the
casing 73 (Fig. 5) has formed therein three equally-spaced radial slots 74, which meet
in the centre of the plate and are widened at their outer ends. These slots are
arranged to receive, respectively, the three branches of wire when the latter are bent
up by the pushers so as to stand parallel with the axes of the bottle and the crown-
twister. As the crown-twister advances, its face-plate strikes and pushes back the
bottle simultaneously with the bending up of the wires and their engagement with
the slots 74. The wires then stand in their respective slots, and are within the
easing 73. In suitable lugs on the inside of the latter are pivotted three gatherers 75
for the branches of wire. These gatherers are situated so as to play in their respective
slots 74, and their heads or free ends are adapted to draw in the wires over the
cork and gather them together at the centre of the same. The gatherers are actuated
simultaneously by mechanism that will now be described. In the tubular shaft 71 is
mounted a sliding bar 76 having on its inner projecting end a cylindrical rack 76¹
which gears with rack-segments on the pivotted ends of the three gatherers 75. The
movement of the bar 76 in the one direction throws the gatherers outwards and in
the other direction inwards. The sliding bar 76 projects out through the end of the
tubular shaft 71 and is actuated to effect the gathering by a cam 77 and lever 771.
These gatherers are not designed to grip the wires tightly, but to close up the slots
and embrace the branches of wire. When the latter have been collected together at
the centre of the cork by the gatherers 75, they are seized by two twisting jaws 78 78
mounted to play radially in guides on the inner face of the plate 731. These jaws are
actuated simultaneously by two levers 79 79 pivotted in lugs in the casing 73; the
outer ends of these levers being connected by links to a sleeve 80 which slides on the
tubular shaft 71. This sleeve is connected by a pin to a tubular slide-bar 81 arranged
inside the said shaft and embracing the slide-bar 76; the connecting pin playing in
a slot in the shaft aforesaid. The tubular bar. 81 is moved end wise, to cause the jaws

page_text: to clamp the wires, by a cam 82 and a forked lever 821. The forks on the lever are
coupled to a ring on a "pencil-slide" 83 on the shaft 71 which is connected by a pin
with the bar 81; the said pin playing in a slot in the shaft 71 aforesaid. This "pencil-
slide" is, in itself, a well-known device and needs no further description. When the
jaws 78 have been made to firmly grip the wires, rotation is imparted to the shaft 71
and casing 73 through the medium of a long pinion 84, mounted on the said shaft,
and a toothed wheel or sector 85 gearing therewith; the latter deriving its motion
from a cam 851 (Fig. 1). The effect of this is to twist the wires together and draw
them down tightly into the soft material of the cork. Two or three turns suffice to
effect the twist, which is then cut off by two cutters 86 86 mounted to play radially
(like the jaws 78) in guides on the interior of the face-plate 73¹. These cutters are
actuated simultaneously by two levers 87 87 pivotted in lugs in the casing 73.
The outer ends of these levers are connected by links with a sleeve 88 which
slides on the tubular shaft 71 and is connected by a pin with the tubular sliding
bar 81; the said pin playing in a slot in the shaft aforesaid. The cutters 86 are thus
actuated in precisely the same manner as the jaws 78, and from the same sliding
bar 81; but the endwise movement of the bar to actuate the cutters is in one direction
and to actuate the jaws in the other direction. I will now explain how this is effected.
A spring 89 acts on the sleeve 80 so as to retract the twisting jaws 78, and a spring 90
acts on the sleeve 88 so as to retract the cutters 86. The. pins which connect the
sleeves 80 and 88 with the tubular sliding bar 81 play in a slot in the main shaft 71
in order to allow the said sleeves to move along the said shaft, but each of the said pins
also plays in a slot in its sleeve. The object of this construction is to allow the
sliding bar 81 to move outwards carrying with it the sleeve 80 until the jaws 78 are
forced on the wires; this being done without disturbing the sleeve 88. During this
movement the pin slides in the slot in the said sleeve. When the sliding bar 81 begins
its return movement, the spring 89 is allowed to drive the sleeve 80 back to retract
the jaws 78. When the said bar reaches the middle of its stroke, the pin in the
sleeve 88 is at the end of the slot therein and the sleeve 80 is retracted. In the last
half of its inward movement, the bar 81 moves the sleeve 88 inwards and causes the
cutters to sever the twist. The bar 81 then moves out to its central position (Fig. 5');
thus permitting the spring 90 to retract the sleeve 88 and the cutters 86. The twist
is then embraced by the gatherers only, which remain closed. The next and final
operation is that in which the twist is flattened down upon the cork, and this is effected
by a lateral swinging movement of the crown-twister Z by the oscillation of the bar 69
in its bearings 68. This movement, which need not exceed half an inch, is effected
by an arm 91 fixed to the said bar 69 and coupled by a connecting rod 92 to a lever 93
which carries a roller actuated by a cam 94. The end wise movements of the
casing 73 and its shaft 71 are effected by a cam 921 and an elbow-lever 72. The
gatherers are retracted by a spring 76 arranged in the end of the shaft 71 beyond
the end of the sliding bar 81. This spring abuts 'at one end against a collar on the
sliding bar 76 and at the other end against an internal shoulder on the shaft 71. The
swinging movement of the casing 73 is not sufficient to interfere with the engagement
of the pinion 84 with the spur-wheel 85.
Owing to lack of space for the rotation of the primary twister 42 when retracted,
this twister does not rotate backwards after having made the primary twists. To cause
the reciprocating motion obtained from the cam to impart intermittent rotary motion
to the pinion 39, I employ the ratchet-device illustrated in detail in Fig. 3°. This
device I will now describe. A cam 40' on the shaft e (Fig. 1) acts through a suitable
rod to impart a reciprocating movement to the horizontal rack 40, which is mounted
to slide in guides in the main frame. This rack gears with a pinion 126 mounted on a
stud or shaft which also carries a toothed wheel; the former being connected with the
latter by a ratchet arrangement. The wheel 127 gears with the pinion 39. For
conveniently actuating the rack 40 from a cam, the parts are proportioned as follows
The wheel 127, in making two-thirds of a revolution, imparts two revolutions to the
pinion 39; the pinion 126 being preferably of the same diameter as the latter. A
ratchet having three teeth is formed or mounted on the pinion 126; a pawl on the
-

page_text: wheel 127 engaging therewith. To hold the twister-blades 42 stationary after the
twists have been completed and during the withdrawal of the rack 40, the lever 43
when depressed is adapted to engage either directly or indirectly with the pinion to
prevent the same rotating.
In order to keep the wires from "buckling" as they are fed down to the upper
guides, I secure to the frame a two guide-tubes 141 (Fig. 3). The upper ends of these
tubes stand in close proximity to the respective wire-feeding wheels, and their lower
ends extend down into the boxes in the upper ends of the guides 14 14. The latter
in moving up and down play over the tubes 14", but never entirely separate
therefrom.
I have not deemed it necessary to give the forms and sizes of the various cams
employed to impart motion to the several mechanisms, as these are matters within the
knowledge of any workman skilled in the art; nor have I shown all the various springs
used to withdraw different parts of the machine into the normal position after they
have been thrown into operation by the cams. As examples of the retracting springs
employed, the spring 128 (Fig. 2) which acts to withdraw the wire-guides 14 14' 17
and 17 and the spring 129 for imparting the return motion to the rack-bar 7 are
selected and shown. The various cam-levers are provided with suitable bearings below
the bed in the main frame. The two levers 57 and 64, which act respectively to feed
forward the secondary twisters and to open and close the jaws thereof, are operated
by separate cams 56 and 641, but may be provided with a common retracting spring
arranged between them.
The machine may be adjusted to suit bottles of different sizes. For instance, the
connection between the cam-lever 27 and the rod or link 26 (Fig. 2) embodies a curved
slot for enabling the effective length of the said lever to be varied for the purpose of
regulating the extent of the movement imparted to the wire-guides. The stem carry-.
ing the twister-blades 42 is made readily detachable from the elbow lever 41 in order
that blades of a size appropriate for larger or smaller bottles, as the case may be,
may be substituted when requisite. In the band-placer X, the adjustable shoulder 491
on the rod 49 has three faces arranged at different distances from its centre, so that
either, according to circumstances, may be turned into the path of the tails of the short
levers 53. The object of this is to enable the fingers 52 to cause the branches of the
wire to cross either sooner or later according to the size of the bottle-neck.
In describing the action of the machine, I have referred to one operation as
succeeding another, but it should be understood that the cams are so set that one
operation is commenced before another is ended, so that no time may be lost. For
example, the wire-feeders and the primary twister are in operation feeding down and
uiting the two wires to form a band for the next bottle, whilst the band last made is
being applied to the bottle then in the holder.
The machine is provided with an automatic device for stopping it at the close of
each wiring operation. The attendant has to restart the machine after he has removed
the wired bottle and replaced it by the bottle to be wired. This appliance, however,
forms no part of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is illustrates the way in which it is preferred to couple the lever 64 to the
sliding bar 61. To prevent the jaws of the said twister from closing too forcibly on
the wires, whereby one or both might be severed, I provide a cushion-spring 671
arranged between the slide 67 and a flange on a slide 65 which is pinned to the
rod 61. The spring 671 is strong enough to keep the jaws on the wires whilst the
twisting is being effected, but yields before the wires are clamped forcibly enough
to sustain injury. This is a precautionary device and not essential.
In Fig. 58 I have shown the form of the cutter employed for cutting the wire twist.
in the crown-twister. In order to prevent the two cutters 86, which meet edge to
edge in cutting the wire, becoming blunt, I form each cutter out of a bar, as
indicated, so that, when the said cutters strike together, the cutting edges are
protected against injury, because the flat parts of the ends of the bars arrive in contact
with one another before such injury can take place.
The ends of the guides 14 14 and 17 17' may be provided respectively with conical

page_text: studs and corresponding conical recesses, so that, when the ends of the guides meet
each other and these studs have entered the said recesses, the wire-passages may be
brought into exact coincidence.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. In the preparation of a triple-branched wire retainer for the cork of a bottle, the
improved method of uniting two pieces of wire by twists disposed at a regulated
distance apart, substantially as herein described.
2. In the formation of a triple-branched wire retainer for the cork of a bottle, the
improved method of uniting two pieces of wire by twists disposed at a regulated
distanco apart, carrying two of the four ends of the wires around the neck of the
bottle, twisting them together and thereby forming the third branch; the said twist
serving to close the band about the bottle-neck.
3. The herein described method of forming the uniting twists, which consists in
exposing enough of the two wires to form about one-third of the band and then
twisting them together simultaneously by means of a twister which embraces both
wires and is rotated about them, as set forth.
4. The herein described method of constructing a wire retainer for a bottle-cork,
which consists in feeding from the reels two wires of different lengths, uniting them
centrally and for a regulated distance and employing the surplus length of one wire
to complete the band about the bottle-neck.
5. In a bottle-wiring machine, the combination, with a double set of wire-feeding
wheels, of two sets of reciprocating wire-guides and a primary twister which unites
the two wires between the upper and lower pairs of guides, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
6. In a bottle-wiring machine, the combination, with two sets of wire-feeders for
the wires driven at different rates of speed, of two sets of reciprocating wire-guides
which move at different rates of speed and a primary twister which unites the wires
between the upper and lower pairs of guides, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
7. In a bottle-wiring machine, the combination, with feeders which feed the two
wires, of upper and lower reciprocating guides which are in axial alignment and
through which the wires pass longitudinally, wire-cutters for severing the wires, and
a twister which unites the wires exposed by the separation of the upper and lower
guides aforesaid, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. In a bottle-wiring machine, the combination, with the wire-feeders, of the
reciprocating upper wire-guides and the guide-tubes which lead the wires from the
feeders into the guides, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
9. The combination, with one of the upper wire-guides provided with a cutter-slide
and spring, of the elbow-lever having one arm arranged in the path of the projecting
end of the said slide, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
10. The combination, with reciprocating wire-guides, of the primary twister for
uniting the wires between the upper and lower guides, the said twister consisting of
a twister-shaft rotating concentrically about the guides, the elbow-lever 41 mounted
on the said shaft, the twisting blades 42 carried by the said lever, and the spring
which actuates the said blades, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
11. In a bottle-wiring machine, operating pairs of wire-guides simultaneously
in opposite directions from the same source of motion, substantially as set forth.
12. In a bottle-wiring machine, the employment of wire-guides arranged in pairs;
the guides constituting each pair being connected together by differential gears so
that one guide moves its fellow guide at a different rate of speed, substantially as
herein described.
13. In a bottle-wiring machine, providing the upper pair of wire-guides with
cutters for severing the wires, substantially as set forth.
14. In a bottle-wiring machine, providing the lower pair of wire-guides with clamps
for holding the wires, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 15. The combination, with one of the lower wire-guides (17 or 17¹) which contains
a longitudinal passage for the wire, of the brake-jaw (18 or 18') arranged to bear
upon the wire, the loose pin (20 or 20¹) the other lower wire-guide (17' or '17)
provided with a projection (such as 22) arranged to bear against the said pin whilst
the two guides remain at the same elevation, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
16. The means, substantially as herein described, whereby the two guides in each
pair are made to move side by side at the same speed fer a predetermined distance and
then to move at different speeds.
17. The means, substantially as herein described, whereby the wires are fed at
different speeds from the same feeding mechanism.
18. In a bottle-wiring machine, the device for placing or applying the band about
the neck of the bottle, arranged or operating substantially as herein described and
consisting of two pairs of fingers adapted to hold the band to the bottle-neck and to
pass two of the wires about the neck and then to cross them.
19. The combination, with the wire-guides and the primary twister which together
serve to produce the wire-band (the axis of the said guides being at right angles to the
axis of the bottle in the machine), of clamps for holding the bottle whilst it is being
wired, the band-placer (X) adapted to place the band about the bottle-neck, and a
secondary twister arranged opposite the band-placer and operating to close and
tighten the band.
20. In a bottle-wiring machine, the secondary twister adapted to receive and to
twist the crossed wires of the band whereby the band is closed and the third branch of
the retainer formed, substantially as set forth.
•
21. For closing the band of the retainer, the use of a twister consisting of a
rotating tubular shaft 58, two jaws 60 and 60 hinged to the end of the said shaft and
provided with teeth to embrace the wires (one of the said jaws being provided with a
tooth which enters between the wires) a rod 61 sliding in the shaft 58, a device
attached to the said rod and actuating the said jaws, the said device comprising,
spreader for opening the jaws aforesaid and, for closing them, rollers or blocks
connected to the said sliding rod.
a
22. In a bottle-wiring machine, the employment of a holder for the bottle consisting
of a reciprocating carriage provided with a spring-actuated clamp which embraces the
body of the bottle and a second reciprocating carriage whereon is mounted a spring.
actuated clamp for embracing the bottle-neck; the said carriages being capable of a
limited differential motion, the body clamp causing the bottle-neck to pass a certain
distance through the neck-clamp, substantially as set forth.
23. The combination, with a clamp for holding the bottle and a movable carriage
whereon the said clamp is mounted, of spring-actuated pushers attached to the said
carriage and serving to embrace the bottle-neck; the said pushers being arranged to
press the braches of the wire band over the fillet, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
24. The combination, with a movable bottle-holder carrying forked pushers for
engaging with radial branches of wire (the said pushers embracing the bottle-neck),
of the movable crown or crown-twister which serves as an abutment to stop the move-
ment of the bottle whilst the said pushers are in action, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
25. The combination, with the carriage 116 and the neck-clamp carried thereby, of
the spring-supported guide 123 mounted on the carriage, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
26. In a bottle-wiring machine, the means, substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 5 5 5 and 5, for gathering the wires over the cork.
27. The combination, with a rotatively-mounted casing, such as 73, of radially-
movable twisting jaws, such as 78,. mounted in the said casing, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
28. The combination, with a rotatively-mounted casing, such as 73, of movable
twisting jaws, such as 78, and movable cutters, such as 66, the twisting jaws and the

page_text: cutters being mounted in the said casing, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
29. The combination, with a rotatively-mounted casing, such as 73, having radial
slots in its face-plate to receive the wires, of the vibrating gatherers playing in the
said slots, movable twisting jaws which grip the wires and movable cutters for severing
the twist, the jaws and the cutters being mounted in the said casing, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
30. In a bottle-wiring machine, the employment of a crown-twister having its shaft
mounted in swinging arms so as to be capable of lateral motion in order to flatten the
twist upon the cork.
31. The combination, with the slotted shaft (58) of the secondary twister and the
twisting jaws hinged thereon, of the jaw-actuating rod (61) sliding within the said
shaft, the slide 65 pinned thereto and sliding upon the shaft aforesaid, the operating
slide 67 mounted on the slide 651 and the cushion-spring 671, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
32. In a bottle-wiring inachine, the employment of a primary twister for uniting
the wires by means of two twists produced in the wires between the ends of the upper
and lower wire-guides, substantially as set forth.
33. The combination, with two pairs of movable wire-guides adapted to separate and
thus expose the middle portions of the wires in which the uniting twists are to be
formed, of a primary twister adapted to simultaneously produce between the ends of
the guides aforesaid the two twists for uniting the said wires.
34. The improved manufacture of wire retainers of the kind herein referred to and
the application thereof to the necks of bottles, substantially as described.
35. The improved machine adapted for use in the production of wire retainers
of the kind herein referred to and their application to the necks of bottles, arranged
and operating substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
314
1
2000
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.