Improvements in Bottle-filling Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 5th Feb., 1898
Improvements in Bottle-filling Machines.
I, WILLIAM MILES FOWLER, of Stamford, in the County of Fairfield and State of
Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates to an improvement in bottle-filling machines, in which
provision is made for turning any drip which may occur through the air escape
passage of the filler, into a bottle or other vessel which is to be, or has been, filled.
A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in. the accompanying
drawings, in which—
Fig. 1 is a view, in perspective, of so much of the machine as will suffice to
illustrate the present invention;
Fig. 2. is a vertical, central section; and
Fig. 3 represents views in detail of the split wedge shaped ring.
The reservoir from which the fillers depend is denoted by A, the filler by
B, and the bottles to be filled by C. The bottles are arranged to be fed in
banks of six, more or less, to positions beneath the fillers, and when in position,
the fillers are lowered into the mouths of the bottles, and the liquid allowed to
flow into the bottles until the air escape openings in the fillers become closed by
the rise of the liquid.
In filling the bottle or other vessel with the heavier or more viscid liquids, it has
been found that a slight quantity of the liquid will be retained in the air escapo
conduit, and provision for its escape other than into the reservoir, in which there
is more or less opposing pressure, has been found desirable.
The present invention provides for the escape of the small quantity of liquid
held suspended in the air conduit, into a neighbouring bottle or other vessel, by
turning the course of the air conduit in such a direction as to cause its open end to
enter the mouth of a neighbouring vessel to be subsequently filled, or which has
been previously filled at the same time the filler enters the mouth of the bottle
to be filled.
The air escape conduit is denoted by b, and from its point of ter-
mination at or near the end of the filler, lower than the lower end
of the liquid discharge conduit b*, it extends upwardly along the
interior casing of the filler to a point above where the filler enters the bottle,
and then turns either forwardly or rearwardly, in the present instance, forwardly,
A tube ba is bent
in a general horizontal direction, and terminates in a socket b¹.
to form a downwardly extending portion to enter the mouth of a bottle, and a
horizontal portion to enter the socket b¹. The tube & forms a continuation of the
air escape passage, and it is constructed to be adjusted to bring its downwardly
extending end into alignment with the mouth of a neighbouring bottle, by
sliding its horizontal portion a greator or lesser distance in the socket b'. The
adjustment is conveniently effected by making the end of the socket somewhat
flaring as shown at 3, and providing a split wedge-shaped ring D surrounding
the tube ³ at the entrance of the socket, and adapted to be forced into the space

page_text: between the flaring wall of the socket and the tube by means of a cap nut E, which
has a screw threaded engagement with the socket, and a flange e, which engages
the end of the wedge-shaped ring.
By turning the nut in one way, and loosening the wedge-shaped ring, the tube b
may be slid to bring its discharge end nearer to or further from the filler, to suit
the distances between banks of bottles or other vessels of varying sizes, according
to the particular use to which the filler is, for the time being, put; and, when
properly adjusted, it may be locked in position by screwing the nut on.
As the fillers are depressed to fill one bank of bottles or other vessels to be filled,
the tubes will be lowered into the mouths of a neighbouring bank of bottles
or other vessels, and the small quantity of liquid which may have been suspended
in the air escape conduits during a previous operation of the fillers, will be dis-
charged from the tubes 68 into the said neighbouring bottles thereby rendering
the machine cleanly, and clearing the air escape passage with facility, to permit
the prompt discharge of the liquid into the bank of bottles in which the fillers are,
for the time being, inserted.
It is obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrange-
ment of the several parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of this
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with a filler, of an air-escape conduit lending from the filler
into position to enter the mouth of a receptacle at the same time the filler enters
the mouth of another receptacle, the said air escape conduit being formed in
sectious, and means for adjusting one of the sections relative to the other, substan-
tially as set forth.
2. The combination with the filler, of the air escape conduit leading therefrom,
the said air escape conduit consisting of a section fitted to telescope within another
section, a wedge-shaped ring fitted to enter between the movable section and the
inner wall of the other section, and a nut for forcing the ring into position to lock
the movable section in the desired adjustment, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of November 1897.
NEWTON & SUN,
Agents for the Applicant.