Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass Bottles and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 15th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 15th Mar., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass Bottles and Apparatus
therefor.
1 WILLIAM BOWERS FITCH of New Cross Glass Works, Deptford, in the county of
Kent, Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the finishing of the mouths of glass bottles by means of
suitable machinery such as is hereinafter described operated by steam or other power
whereby skilled labor is dispensed with and economy effected, the bottles produced
being more uniform and better finished than when completed by hand labor.
In carrying out my invention the plunger and jaws for finishing the mouth of the
bottle instead of being fixed on and operated by a hand tool or pair of tongs are
adapted to a head plate fixed to a suitable bearing or support; the plunger and the
jaws are so arranged that they can be revolved by any suitable power (preferably from
electro-motors) means being also provided for closing the jaws when required.
For cutting or whetting off the bottle from the blowing iron, I employ revolving
cutters operated by mechanical means.
For casting the ring on the mouth of the bottle, instead of the bottle being turned
by hand as hitherto, I revolve it by means of a gauge or punty adapted to be operated
in the required manner by a treadle or otherwise.
1001
G. F. REDFERN.
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass Bottles and Apparatus
therefor.
I, WILLIAM BOWERS FITCH, of New Cross Glass Works, Deptford, in the county of'
Kent, Chemist, 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 the finishing of the mouths of glass bottles by means of
suitable machinery such as is hereinafter described operated by steam or other power
whereby skilled labor is dispensed with and economy effected, the bottles produced
being more uniform and better finished than when completed by hand labor.
In carrying out my invention the plunger and jaws or the rollers for finishing the
mouth of the bottle instead of being fixed on and operated by a hand tool or pair of
tongs are adapted to a head plate fitted in suitable bearings or supports; the plunger
and the jaws or the rollers are so arranged that they can be revolved by any suitable
power (preferably from electro-motors) means being also provided for closing the jaws
or rollers.
For cutting or whetting off the bottle from the blowing iron, I employ revolving
cutters operated by mechanical means.
For casting the ring on the mouth of the bottle instead of the bottle being turned
by hand as hitherto, I revolve it by means of a gauge or punty adapted to be operated
in the required manner by a treadle or otherwise.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a suitable machine for revolving the plunger and
jaws for finishing the mouth of a glass bottle, according to my invention an electro
motor being shown by way of example for driving the machine."
Figure 2 is a similar view of a suitable machine for revolving a glass bottle whilst
the ring is being cast on its mouth, according to my invention.
Referring to figure 1, a indicates the plunger and b, bare the jaws which are
generally similar to those usually fixed on a hand tool or pair of tongs for finishing
the mouths of glass bottles by hand.
c is the head plate to which I adapt the plunger a and jaws b, band which is fitted
to a shaft d revolving in bearings e, e on standards or supports ff. The shaft is
driven from the electro-motor a¹ through pulleys 61, 62 and a driving cord or chain c¹.
The jaws are carried on the ends of springs g, g fixed to the head plate d and the
plunger a carries a clamping rod or ring for automatically pressing the jaws b, b
towards each other directly the jaws are set revolving. This is effected by extending
the plunger a through the shaft d to the rear of the machine where it is provided
with a grooved wheel i embraced by a fork j on one end of a lever k, pivotted at 1 to
one of the standards f. The lever is operated through a connecting rod m and
vertical rod n by means of a treadle o in such a manner that when the treadle is
depressed the lever & will draw back the plunger a, which by means of its clamping

page_text: rod or ring h, will close the jaws upon the mouth of the bottle which the operator has
previously passed onto the plunger a.
The treadle o has on its under side a projection 2 which makes electrical contact
with a pin q on the motor so as to set the pulley b in operation and thereby rotate the
jaws b, band plunger a for operating on the mouth of the bottle.
Immediately the operator releases the treadle o the machine will stop and the jaws
will open to allow the finished bottle to be removed.
Instead of employing spring jaws for shaping the mouths of bottles it will be
evident that I can use rollers attached to a head plate and caused to approach or be
separated from one another by suitable mechanisin such as springs which will keep
the rollers apart except when their pressure is overcome by operating a lever or
the like.
The plunger as shown is arranged to revolve with the spring jaws but it is evident
that they can if required be loose or free of the spring jaws or rollers or be arranged to
revolve in an opposite direction thereto.
In the machine shown in figure 2 for casting the ring on the mouth of a bottle,
is the gauge or punty on which the bottle s is placed. The punty is provided with
a square stem, shown in dotted lines at t, and fitting in a correspondingly shaped
socket on a shaft adapted to be rotated by a crank plate w and a treadle as will
be readily understood. The operator having set the bottle rotating by operating the
treadle a proceeds to wipe a piece of soft glass on the mouth of the bottle in the usual.
manner.
The revolving cutters hereinbefore referred to for cutting or whetting off a bottle
from the blowing iron can be operated by any suitable mechanical means such a
treadle and crank and will be readily understood without the aid of drawings.
The bottle having been blown by the blower is brought from the mould on the
blow-pipe and the neck of the bottle is applied between the cutters which cut or whot
it off from the blow-pipe.
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 1
claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of glass bottles, finishing the mouths thereof by means of
plungers and jaws or rollers adapted to a head plate arranged and operating as and
for the purposes described.
2. In the manufacture of glass bottles, cutting or whetting off the bottle from the
blowing iron by means of revolving cuiters as herein-before described.
3. In the manufacture of glass bottles, casting the ring on the mouth of the bottle
by revolving the bottle by means of a gauge or punty, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4. The general arrangement and construction of the machine for operating the
plungers and jaws for finishing the mouths of glass bottles, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in figure 1 of the accompanying drawing.
5. The machine for rotating a glass bottle whilst the ring is being cast on the mouth
of the bottle, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figure 2 of the
accompanying drawing.