A New or Improved Machine for "Screw Stoppering" Bottles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Machine for "Screw Stoppering" Bottles.
I, EDWARD HANDSLIP, of Winchester Street, South Shields, in the County of
Durham, Mineral Water Manfacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said in-
vention to be as follows:
The invention consists of a machine, which will be preferably portable and light,
so that it can be readily fixed to a support at any convenient position in the
bottling department and as readily detached, removed to, and fixed in another
position, or it may be arranged in a frame to form a fixture and adapted to work
vertically or at any convenient angle.
The machine consists of a spindle carried in a bearing or bearings in a frame
and rotated by bevil or other gearing driven by a handle worked by the bottler
or it may be in some cases worked by power. The bottom end of the rotating
spindle is fitted with a cup like socket rotating with it, in which may be provided
springs or equivalent means to retain the stopper, when inserted, in position, which
socket will be lined with some suitable substance such as will, when the "milled"
rim of the stopper is forced into it by the bottler (holding the bottle in one hand
and rotating the spindle with the other) rotate the stopper by friction and screw
it firmly in the bottle neck.
A New or Improved Machine for Screw Stoppering Bottles.
I, EDWARD HANDSLIP, of 36, Winchester Street, South Shields, in the County of
Durham, Mineral Water Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertain and by the following statement:
My improved machine consists essentially of a bracket adapted to be fixed to
object of my invention being to provide a simple machine for this purpose and
one which is also cheap and portable.
My improved machine consists essentially of a bracket adapted to be fixed to
a support by screws or bolts the said bracket being provided with a horizontal
spindle and having projecting from it at right angles a spindle upon which a
Ti Q77

page_text: sleeve carrying a stopper holding socket or clip at its outer end, is adapted to be
rotated, the said sleeve being preferably formed at its upper end with bevel teeth
with which a bevel pinion on the horizontal shaft engages. The socket is formed
with spring jaws and is lined at the bottom with india-rubber or like substance
which will grip against the stopper and cause it to rotate.
'
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved machine; and,
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line 2-2 figure 1:
i
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the socket drawn to a larger scale than
figure 2:
Figure 4 is a plan view of certain parts of the socket; and,
Figure 5 is a view of a detail.
a is the bracket or frame of the machine which is formed with a flange b
adapted to be bolted to a suitable support, c is the horizontal spindle
carried by the said bracket and d is the spindle at right angles thereto, which
spindle for convenience of description I will hereinafter refer to as the inclined
spindle, the said inclined spindle, as shewn, having its upper end inserted through
a hole in the bracket a and being held therein by means of a set screw c.
f is the sleeve which rotates on the said spindle the said sleeve being held in
position by boring out the lower end somewhat larger than the other part thereof,
as clearly shewn in figure 2, and by providing the inclined spindle d with a head g
the said spindle d being applied to the bracket a after the sleeve has been placed
upon it. h is a bevel wheel formed integral with the sleeve f and i is a bevel
wheel on the spindle c which engages with the wheel h, the said bevel wheel i
being provided with an operating handle j and being held upon the spindle c by
a nut k. With this arrangement it will be understood that the rotation of the
handle causes the rotation of the sleeve f upon the inclined shaft d.
1 is the socket for holding the screw stoppers one of which is shewn as being
held in the socket at m in figure 2. The socket 7 is composed of three sections or
jaws n, n, n, a plan view of one of which is shewn in figure 5; these sections are
each formed with an angle piece o, the angle pieces of the several sections engaging
in a groove p formed in a flange 9 upon the end of a stem r which latter is adapted
to fit into the lower open end of the sleeve f and to be secured therein by a set
screws, as shewn in figure 2. This method of carrying the sections upon the
stem permits of the said sections having a pivotal or hinge like movement upon
the said stem.
t is an india-rubber washer which is passed over the stem and fits within the
upper ends of the sections and u is another washer which is fitted between the
lower ends of the said sections, these two washers t and u being of such diameter
that they act as springs to retain the sections in their normal position and at the
same time allow of their expanding and gripping the stopper when the letter is
inserted between the lower ends of the said sections n.
To prevent the angle pieces of the sections from becoming disengaged from
the groove in the stem a cap is screwed on to the stem so as to lie just above
the upper ends of the said sections, as shewn in figure 3, and in order to prevent
the sections from turning upon the stem a pin wo is inserted into the groove pa
recess. being formed in two of the sections to receive the said pin, as clearly
shewn in figures 3, 4 and 5. To prevent the lower spring washer u from dropping
out of the clip it is formed with a circumferential rib y which enters a corresponding
groove formed in the sections. The space beneath the said spring washer u serves
to receive the heads of the screw stoppers.
In using my machine the screw stopper is inserted into the space z in the socket
and then the bottle to be stoppered is pressed by the operative against the stopper
with one hand whilst with the other hand he rotates the handle and consequently
ງ
also the socket 7 with the stopper therein, the friction or grip between the india-
rubber washer and the stopper serving to screw the latter firmly into the neck.

page_text: As shewn in the drawing the spring washer is represented as having a hole
in the centre this being provided to permit of applying stoppers having central
projections. When, however, stoppers with flat heads are to be applied such a
hole is unnecessary.
Although in the drawings I have represented the socket as being placed at an
angle to the vertical it is to be understood that the parts may be so arranged that
the socket shall occupy a vertical position or it may be arranged at any other con-
venient angle as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. The improved machine for applying screw stoppers to bottles comprising a
bracket carrying a sleeve to which rotary motion can be imparted and which at
its lower end carries a spring socket for holding the screw stoppers, substantially
as described.
2. In a machine for applying screw stoppers to bottles a spring socket for holding
the said stoppers, constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
3. The manufacture and use of the improved machine hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dal 111'1...
1907
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.