An Improved Apparatus for Stoppering Bottles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Stoppering Bottles.
We, CHERY BERNARD, Engineer and JACQUES ESCUYER, Merchant, both of
16, Rue Drouot Paris in the Republic of France do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved machine or apparatus for
automatically and rapidly stoppeting all kinds of bottles, and which may be
worked by hand or by means of a motor.
Our invention consists in the peculiar arrangement of a bottle carrying table,
which has a rotary movement and allows each bottle which is to be corked or
stoppered to be presented automatically and successively under a socket or tube in
which the cork or stopper is pushed in the direction of its length and compressed
horizontally by means of a suitable compressor, the cork is then driven vertically
into the neck of the bottle under the action of a punch fixed in a carriage which
moves vertically in a frame of suitable form.
This improved machine is composed of a frame having a vertical part in which a
carriage moves vertically and carries an adjustable driving punch. The carriage
is operated by a rod keyed on a cranked shaft, which shaft is driven by a fixed
pulley from any suitable motor. On the shaft is a helicoidal toothed wheel which
engages with a pinion keyed on a vertical shaft and imparts to the latter a rotary
movement. This vertical shaft has a cam which acting on the rollers of a
compressor imparts to this latter a reciprocating movement; this vertical shaft
has further on its lower part a small plate or disc which is provided with a roller..
At each revolution of this plate or disc, the roller engaging in one of the notches
of a second disc. or plate causes the latter to turn an eighth of a revolution in this
case and consequently brings successively under the punch the bottles placed in the
recesses of a bottle-carrying plate mounted on the same axis as the aforementioned
second disc or plate.
A vertical tube serves for storing a certain number of corks one above the other,
the distribution, of which is brought about by the action of the aforementioned
compressor.
As soon as a bottle is placed under the punch the stopper is pushed horizontally
by the compressor, which forces it to enter by compression into a semi-cylindrical
chamber arranged in a support fixed to the frame.
In descending under the action of the punch this stopper carries with it the
socket or die aforementioned in which it passes. The latter in descending fits over
and surrounds the upper part of the bottle and the punch continues its course until
the stopper is completely driven in. The die or socket, which is suitably guided by
means of bolts sliding in lugs of the support, rises under the action of a spiral
spring and allows the stoppered bottle to be carried round, in this case one eighth
of a revolution to give place to another one.
At the other extremity of the cranked shaft a fly wheel is fixed, serving for
operating the machine by hand or for regulating it. It also serves for producing
the instantaneous stoppage of the machine. For this purpose a brake moved by an
inclined plane in the form of a sector, which is fixed on a disengaging shaft is
operated by means of a handle. The upper end of the disengaging shaft has a
crank which actuates a disengaging rod provided with forks. When the apparatus
i

page_text: is thus engaged the inclined plane causes the brake to rise, whilst the belt is
directed on to the loose pulley. As soon as the disengaging is effected, the brake
acting on the fly wheel blocks the latter and the machine is instantaneously
stopped.
In the case of stoppers of larger dimensions the grip jaws instead of being single
may be multiplied. In this case three grip jaws may be employed, first a
compressor which acts in the manner of the compressor herein before described,
secondly, two lateral grips having for their object to compress the cork on its
longitudinal sides. The movement of these different parts being as follows, a
vertical shaft is provided corresponding to the vertical shaft herein before men-
tioned. On this shaft is mounted a cam corresponding to the cam of the preceding
figures, the action of which between rollers is the same as the action of the cam and
rollers afore mentioned, that is to say, that it serves to communicate a reciprocating
movement to the compressor. On this same shaft two cams are mounted, which,
by their respective movement against the rollers, serve to communicate to the
lateral jaws a scissors-like movement, which produces a lateral compression of the
stopper, these lateral jaws being returned to their position of opening by a spring.
The whole of this movement is combined with a descending movement given to a
die or socket acting as did the die in the first described arrangement and which
serves to cap the bottle.
Datod.shin 10th
1005
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Stoppering Bottles.
We, CHERY BERNARD, Engineer and JACQUES ESCUYER, Merchant both of
16 Rue Drouot, Paris in the Republic of France, 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 has for its object an improved machine or apparatus for
automatically and rapidly stoppering all kinds of bottles, and which may be
worked by hand or by means of a motor.
Our invention consists in principle in the peculiar arrangement of a bottle-
darrying table, which has a rotary movement and a mechanical arrangement
enabling an ascending movement to be imparted to each bottle to cause its neck
to enter a special device for guiding the stopper. The rotary movement of the
table allows each bottle which is to be corked or stoppered to be presented
automatically and successively under a socket or tube in which the cork or stopper
is pushed in the direction of its length and compressed horizontally by means of a
suitable.compressor, the cork is then driven vertically into the neck of the bottle
under the action of a punch fixed in a carriage which moves vertically in a frame
of suitable form.
In order to facilitate description reference will be had to the accompanying
drawings, in which
€
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine,
Figure 2 a vertical section on the line 1-2 of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 a horizontal section on the lines 3-4 of Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 4 is a detail view in section of the parts which guide the stopper.
This improved machine is composed of a frame, A, having a vertical part in
which a carriage B moves vertically and carries an adjustable driving punch C. The
carriage is operated by a cam D keyed on a shaft E, which is driven by a pulley F
from any suitable motor. On the same shaft E there is fixed another cam D'

page_text: serving to raise the bottle a a little before the stopper is forced in, in order that..
the neck a¹ of this bottle may enter into its guide b, and also a helicoidal toothed
wheel G which engages with a pinion H keyed on a vertical shaft I and imparts to
the latter a rotary movement. This vertical shaft I has a cam J. in its centre
which, acting on the rollers ; of a compressor K, imparts to this latter a..
reciprocating movement; this vertical shaft I has further two other cams 8 and 9
which by their respective movement against the rollers 10 and 11 serve to
communicate to a system of side claws 2 hinged at 3 and forming one with the
said rollers a scissors movement, which produces a lateral compression of the
stopper B¹ on its circular longitudinal walls. When the side claws are no longer.
subjected to the action of the-rollers 10 and 11 they are returned to their initial
position by a spring 13.
On its lower part the vertical shaft I has also a little plate L which is provided
with a roller M. At each revolution of this plate or disc L the roller M engaging.
in one of the notches N of a plate O causes the latter to turn an eighth of a
revolution in this case and consequently brings successively under the punch C the-
bottles a placed in the recesses P of a bottle-carrying plate Q mounted on the same
axis as the aforementioned disc or plate O.
A vertical tube R serves for storing a certain number of corks one above the
other, the distribution of which is brought about by the action of the afore-
mentioned compressor K.
As soon as a bottle a is placed under the punch C, the cam D' acting on the
lever L causes the inclined plane P¹ to advance, which pushes up a bottle a,.
the neck of which then fits into the guide B. At the same time the stopper B¹ is
pushed horizontally by the compressor K, which forces it to enter by compression.
into a semi-cylindrical chamber formed by the side claws 2 when they are
approached and descend under the action of the punch C, and enters the socket S
fixed to the support and from there it is guided into the bottle.
The inclined plane P¹ which has caused the bottle to rise then retires and the
latter descends from its guide and is carried away to of a revolution by the plate Q.
which brings up another bottle.
The stopper being compressed the driving punch forces it to pass into a socket S
fixed to the support in case the stoppering is done level with the neck of the bottle,.
but where the stopper is not driven to the end and projects to a certain extent, as.
in the case of champagne bottles for instance, the socket is made in two movable
parts fixed under two claws arranged like scissors. These two parts or claws being
approached form a cylindrical hole below which is the guide 6 of the neck. The
bottle once stoppered, the claws 2 open, carry with them the two parts of the guide,
and the bottle can pass away carried along by the plate.
At the other extremity of the shaft E a fly wheel V is fixed, serving for
operating the machine by hand or for regulating it. It also serves for producing
the instantaneous stoppage of the machine. For this purpose a brake X moved by
an inclined plane Y in the form of a sector, which is fixed on a disengaging shaft Z.
is operated by means of a handle v. The upper end of the disengaging shaft Z has
a crank which actuates a disengaging rod y provided with forks z. When the
apparatus is disengaged by means of the handle v, the inclined plane causes
the brake to rise whilst the belt is directed on to the loose pulley F'. As soon as
the disengaging is effected the brake acting on the fly wheel blocks the latter
and the machine is instantaneously stopped.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An improved apparatus for stoppering bottles capable of being operated by
hand or by some suitable motor, characterized by the combination with a plate
having a rotary motion and adapted to receive the bottles of a mechanical device
enabling an ascending motion to be given to each bottle, and an arrangement of

page_text: punch having a rising and falling movement serving in combination with a system
of compressing parts to force previously compressed stoppers into the neck of the
bottle, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown as an example in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In an apparatus for stoppering bottles an arrangement of compressors formed
by the combination of parts operated by cams, said parts receiving some, a
reciprocating, and others a scissors-like movement, and acting all on the longitudinal
sides of the corks so as to compress them, in order afterwards to enable the punch
to insert them into the neck of the bottle, substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown as an example on the accompanying drawing.
3. In an apparatus for stoppering bottles, an arrangement of lever operated by a
cam adapted to cause an inclined plane to advance aud recede, in order to produce
a raising of the bottle so that the neck of the latter will fit precisely into a guide,
whereby the stopper may be accurately guided up to the moment at which it enters
the said neck, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of November 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.