Improvements in Machinery for Unstoppering, Filling, and Re-stoppering Screw Stoppered Bottles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left. 20th Jan. 1900-Accepted. 17th Mar.. 1900
Improvements in Machinery for Unstoppering, Filling, and
Re-stoppering Screw Stoppered Bottles.
I, EDWARD SAMUEL CHAVASSE, of Naunton, Holt, near Worcester, in the County
of Worcester, Mineral Water Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention has reference to machinery for automatically un-stoppering,
filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered bottles and is applicable more particu-
larly to screw stoppered aerated water bottles but when modified can also be
applied to screw stoppered bottles for containing beer stout or other fermented
and carbonated liquids.
My invention comprises improvements in the mechanism for automatically
gripping and clamping the bottle in position whilst the stopper is being removed
and the bottle filled and the stopper re-screwed into the bottle, also improved
mechanism for automatically removing the stopper from the empty bottle and
re-screwing the stopper into the bottle when filled, also improvements in
mechanism for operating the various moving parts of the machine and also im-
provements in the general arrangement of the machine all as hereinafter described
whereby the cost of the construction is reduced and the machine is rendered certain
in its action and not liable to undue wear or to get out of order.
In carrying out this invention I provide a suitable base on which are fixed
two standards forming the frame of the machine. Between these standards and
arranged to revolve on pins one above the other are two revolving cam plates
made with spur teeth on their peripheries and driven by an intermediate spur
pinion on a driving shaft which receives rotary motion from any convenient
source. These cam plates operate the various mechanisms hereinafter described
for clamping the bottle in position and locking it whilst the stopper is being
removed and the bottle filled and re-stoppered, mechanism for unscrewing the
stopper from the bottle, for operating the syrup and water and snift valves and
syrup pump and for re-screwing the stopper into the bottle when filled and for
finally unclamping the filled bottle and forcing it out of the rubber ring which
makes the joint round the bottle neck. The said revolving cam plates also operate
the mechanism which locks the stopper operating mechanism at the proper times
when stationary. Fixed to the front of the machine is the vertical cylindrical
spring box which is somewhat like that described in the Specification of my
prior Letters Patent No. 19978 of A.D. 1894. From the top of this spring box
projects the plunger on the top of which the bottle stands this plunger being
shouldered down inside the spring box so as to be acted upon and raised by a coiled
spring contained therein. The plunger passes through a guide in the bottom
of the spring box and at its lower end is connected to a lever on a way shaft on
which is another lever which is operated by a cam on the lower revolving cam
plate so as to pull down the plunger while the empty bottle is being placed in
the machine and also to raise the empty bottle at the proper time as hereinafter

page_text: described. In order to clamp the plunger in position after it and the bottle have
been raised as above described I provide a cross bolt or slide in the lower part
of the spring box adapted to act against and grip the lower part of the plunger
and this bolt or slide is operated by a lever receiving motion from a vertical push
rod which is actuated by a cam on the lower revolving cam plate. On the said
plunger and above the spring box is the boat shaped compressor arranged some-
what as described in the specification of my prior Letters Patent above referred
to, but operated by a forked lever which at one end takes under the bottom, of the
compressor at the top of the spring box and at the other end is operated upon
by the push rod above described made with adjustable collars which at the proper
times forces down one end of the forked lever whilst the other end is raised
and forces the upper part of the compressor against the jointing ring (preferably
of the kind described in my prior Specification No. 5144 of A.D. 1895) in the
bottom of the valve box and makes the joint round the bottle neck. The push rod
has springs under the collar to take up any inequality in the bottles. The valve
box containing the valves which control the syrup and water to the bottle and
also the snift valve which allows of the escape of the air from the bottle whilst
it is being filled is fixed at the front of the machine, in front of the upper revolving
cam plate on which are cams which act on pusher pieces which
operate the valves. Between these pusher pieces and the valve spindles
are wedges adjustable by screws to regulate the lift of the snift and water valves
as in my prior Letters Patent No. 19838/93. The appliance which grips and
removes the screwed stopper from the bottle is arranged somewhat similarly to
what is described in my prior Letters Patent No. 27582/97 but I employ the
following arrangement of mechanism for imparting motion to the screwed spindle
which at its lower end has the clutch for holding the screw stopper, that is to say,
at the upper end of the said spindle I provide a bevelled pinion which gears with
a bevelled wheel arranged on a spindle at some little distance above the valve
box the teeth of this bevelled wheel being arranged in a spiral form so that they
will gear with the pinion as it rises and falls by the action of the screw which
removes the stopper. The shaft on which this spiral bevelled wheel is fixed has a
pinion at its other end which at one time gears with internal teeth.extending for
a certain distance round the upper cam plate and at another time gears with
external teeth on the said cam plate so that as the cam plate revolves the external
teeth gear with the pinion and turn the shaft and spiral bevelled wheel in one
direction so as to turn the bevel pinion and screw and raise the screw stopper
and then there is a period of rest whilst the bottle is being filled after which the
internal teeth on the cam plate gear with the said pinion and rotate the screw
in the opposite direction so as to re-screw the screw stopper into the bottle.
In order to prevent undue wear on the rubber clutch which grips the stopper
I make the said screwed spindle in two parts connected together by a spiral spring
through which the twisting motion is transmitted thereby allowing of a certain
amount of give and take which after the stopper has been screwed.down into the
bottle as far as it will go prevents the rubber clutch from turning and wearing
against the stopper.
The spiral bevelled wheel above described has to be locked whilst it is stationary
and the stopper is being forced out of the stopper holder. This locking is effected
by a sliding bolt carried by the frame which bolt just at the time when the spiral
bevelled wheel should be stationary is by a spring and cam forced into the slot
in the back of the bevelled wheel thus locking the bevelled wheel in this position,
and just before the bevelled wheel commences to turn the cams draw the bolt back
and unlock the wheel.
In order to force the stopper of the filled bottle out of the clutch after it has
been screwed into the bottle the spiral bevelled wheel is provided with a sliding
pin which projects through the wheel from front to back at a certain distance from
its centre and at its front end is inclined so as to act upon the top of the pusher
rod which works down the screw and forces the stopper out of the clutch the

page_text: back end of this slide being arranged to be acted upon by a projecting piece on
the bolt above described so that the forcing down of the stopper takes place while
the spiral bevelled wheel is locked.
The syrup pump is by preference fixed on the top of the frame and the plunger
is operated by a push rod which receives its motion from a cam fixed on the back
of the upper revolving cam plate.
The machine above described acts as follows:-The machine having been set
in motion, so that the cam plates are revolving a bottle is put in the machine
whilst the plunger in the spring box is depressed and then the spring forces up
the plunger and drives the upper part of the bottle into the valve box and the
stopper into the stopper holder. Immediately this operation is completed the
lever raises the boat shaped compressor the top of which compresses the indiarubber
ring in the valve box round the bottle neck and at the same time the spindle of
the plunger is locked to keep the bottle in this position. When this operation is
completed the spiral wheel turns the screw and clutch and unscrews the stopper
out of the bottle and lifts it up to its upper position. The syrup pump now
drives the syrup into the bottle and when this is complete the water valve is
opened and the water flows into the bottle. When the water valve is closed the
shift valve is opened and the air and superfluous gas allowed to escape from the
Lottle. The snift then closes again and the water valve opens again and fills up
the bottle and the bottle is again snifted before the stopper is screwed down
which is done by the spiral bevelled wheel being turned as above described so
as to revolve the screwed spindle in the direction to screw the stopper into the
bottle. After the stopper has been screwed into the bottle the plunger in the
valve box and the boat like compressor are pulled down by the cam, at the same
time the stopper is forced out of the clutch and the bottle released.
The machine is fitted with a valve rod attached to the bottle holder bracket
which cuts out the water and syrup when no bottle is in the machine as in my
other bottle-filling machines which are well known.
If desired the machine can be duplicated by having two sets of bottle holding
and un-stoppering and re-stoppering appliances and the valve box and water and
snift regulating appliances on the other side of the standards.
Dated this 18th day of March 1899.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Machinery for Unstoppering, Filling, and
Re-stoppering Screw Stoppered Bottles.
I, EDWARD SAMUEL CHAVASSE, of Naunton, Holt, near Worcester, in the County
of Worcester, Mineral Water Engineer, 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 reference to machinery for automatically un-stoppering,
filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered bottles and is applicable more particu-
larly to screw stoppered aerated water bottles but when modified can
applied to screw stoppered bottles for containing beer stout or other fermented
and carbonated liquids.
be
My invention comprises improvements in the mechanism for automatically
gripping and clamping the bottle in position whilst the stopper is being removed

page_text: and the bottle filled and the stopper re-screwed into the bottle, also improved
mechanism for automatically removing the stopper from the empty bottle and
re-screwing the stopper into the bottle when filled, also improvements in
mechanism. for operating the various moving parts of the machine and also im-
provements in the general arrangement of the machine all as hereinafter described
whereby the cost of the construction is reduced and the machine is rendered certain
in its action and not liable to undue wear or to get out of order.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the machine constructed according to
this invention for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered bottles;
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of parts of the said machine to show the operation
of the mechanism which unscrews the stopper from the bottle and rescrews it into
the same, Fig. 2* is a plan of the levers of the said machine;
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the said machine;
Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a part of the same;
Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section on line of Figure 1 looking from
the inside towards the back of the front standard of the machine and of the parts
carried thereby;
Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of a part of the said machine on y y of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is an elevation partly in section of the said machine with the front
standard and the mechanism carried thereby removed so as to show the revolving
cam plates; Fig. 7* illustrates the operation of one of the cams and Fig. 7** is
a plan of the same cam;
Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation of the upper revolving cam plate;
Fig. 9 is a sectional side elevation of the lower revolving cam plate;
Fig. 10 is a sectional plan of the valve box;
Fig. 11 is an elevation of the same;
Fig. 12 is a sectional side elevation of the same on line W W of Fig. 10;
Fig. 13 is a sectional side elevation and Fig. 14 is a front view of parts of the
said machine;
Figs. 15 and 16 are views of other parts of the said machine separately as herein-
after described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figs. of the
drawings.
In carrying out this invention I provide a suitable base A (represented as
broken in the drawings) on which are fixed the front standard and the back
standard C forming the frame of the machine. Between these standards B and C
and arranged to revolve on the pins which are fixed in the standard Cone
above the other are two revolving cam plates D and E made with spur teeth all
round their peripheries and gearing with the intermediate spur pinion F fixed on
the driving shaft f¹ provided with the fly wheel f and two fast and loose driving
pulleys ff so as to receive continuous rotary motion from any convenient source.
These cam plates 1) and E operate the various mechanisms hereinafter described
for clamping the bottle in position and locking it whilst the stopper is being
removed and the bottle filled and re-stoppered, mechanism for unscrewing the
stopper from the bottle, for operating the syrup and water and snift valves and
syrup pump and for re-screwing the stopper into the bottle when the latter is
filled and for finally unclamping the filled bottle and forcing it out of the rubber
ring which makes the joint round the bottle neck. The said revolving cam
plate E also operates the mechanism which locks the stopper operating mechanism
at the proper times when the latter is stationary. Fixed to the front of the
standard B is the vertical cylindrical spring box Ġ which is somewhat like that
described in the Specification of my prior Letters Patent No. 19978 A.D. 1894.
From the top of this spring box G projects the plunger g¹ on the top of which
is fixed the casting g² on which the bottle h stands. This plunger gl is shouldered
down at g³ inside the spring box G so as to be acted upon and raised by the coiled
spring contained therein. The plunger g¹ passes through the guide y in the

page_text: bottom of the spring box G and at its lower end is connected to the lever i on
the way shaft 1 which turns in bearings formed in the frame B. On the other
end of this way shaft is another lever which is operated by a cam formed on
the tower revolving cam plate D so as to pull down the plunger g' while the empty
5 bottle is being placed in the machine at the proper time as hereinafter described.
In order to clamp the plunger g¹ in position after it and the bottle / have been
raised I provide a cross bolt or slide in the back of the lower part of the spring
box G adapted to act against and grip the lower part of the plunger gl and this
bolt or slide is operated by the lever J which turns on the fulcrum pin and
receives motion from the vertical push rod which is actuated by the cam j
formed on the lower cam plate D. Sliding on the upper part of the plunger gi
above the spring box G is the boat shaped compressor K arranged somewhat as
described in the specification of my prior Letters Patent above referred to but
operated by the forked lever shown separately in Fig. 2* which at the forked
end takes under the compressor K at the top of the spring box G and at the
end of the other arm k is operated upon by the spring on the push rod which
acts against the shoulder of the said push rod so that at the proper times as
hereinafter described the push rod will force down the end of the lever arm k
and raise the forked end and the compressor K and force the upper part k
of the compressor against the indiarubber jointing ring (which is preferably of
the kind described in my prior Specification No. 5144 of A.D. 1895) in the
socket m in the bottom of the valve box M so as to make the joint round the
neck of the bottle h. The spring of the push rod takes up any inequality in
the length of the bottles. The valve box M, containing the valves which control
the syrup and water to the bottle and also the snift valve which allows of the
escape of the air from the bottles whilst it is being filled, is fixed to the front
of the machine in front of the upper revolving cam plate E on which are the
cams which act on the pusher piece which operates the water valve
spindle and on this cam plate E there are also the cams
which act
on the pusher piece which operates the snift valve spindle and between these
pusher pieces to and the valve spindles t u are the wedges adjustable
by the screws to regulate the lift of the snift and water valves as in my
prior Letters Patent No. 19838/93. The appliance which grips and removes the
screw stopper from the bottle is arranged somewhat similarly to what is described
in my prior Letters Patent No. 27582/97 but I employ the following arrangement of
mechanism for imparting motion to the screw spindle which at its lower end has
the india rubber clutch N for holding the screw stopper O that is to say, at the
upper end of the screwed hollow spindle P P I provide a small bevelled pinion p¹
which gears with the bevelled wheel fixed on the spindle 73 at some little
distance above the valve box M. The teeth of this bevelled wheel (see Fig. 3)
are arranged in a spiral form so that they will gear with the pinion as it rises
and falls by the action of the screw P P which removes the stopper O. The
upper part P is screwed and works in the stationary screw threaded boss in
he standard B. The shaft 7 on which the bevelled wheel is fixed has a
inion at its other end which at one time gears with internal teeth e fixed
o the upper cam plate E and at another time geurs with the external teeth
n the cam plate E so that as the cam plate E revolves the external teeth e gear
with the pinion p and turn the shaft p³ and spiral bevelled wheel in one
irection so as to turn the bevelled pinion and the screw P1 P2 and raise the
crew stopper 0, and then there is a period of rest while the bottle is being
lled, after which the internal teeth e of the cam plate E gear with the pinion
nd rotate the screw PP in the opposite direction so as to rescrew the screw
topper into the bottle h.
In order to prevent undue wear on the rubber clutch N which grips the
opper U, I make the said screw spindle in two principal parts marked respec-
vely P P connected together by the spiral spring P3 through which the twisting
otion is transmitted thereby allowing a certain amount of give and take which

page_text: after the stopper. O has been screwed down into the bottle has far as it will go
prevents the rubber clutch N from turning and wearing against the stopper O.
These parts P 12 and 13 are shewn separately from the machine by Fig. 15.
The spiral bevelled wheel 2 above described has to be locked while it is sta-
tionary and the stopper O is being forced out of the stopper holder or clutch N.
This locking is effected by the sliding bolt Q carried by the front frame B of
the machine which bolt just at the proper time with the spiral bevelled wheel p
is stationary is by the spring g' forced into the hole in the back of the bevelled
wheel 2 thus locking this bevelled wheel in this position, and just before the
bevelled wheel 2* commences to turn one of the cams q² q3 fixed on the face of the
cam plate E draws the bolt Q back and unlocks the wheel 7. The cam is
clearly shewn in Figs. 7 and 7** acting on the roller 7 of the bolt Q so as to
withdraw the same..
In order to force the stopper of the filled bottle out of the clutch N after
tle stopper has been screwed into the bottle the spiral bevelled wheel p is
provided with a sliding pin R (see Fig. 2) which projects through the wheel p²
from front to back at a certain distance from its centre and at its front end is
inclined so as to act on the top of the push rod which works down the screw P¹ P
and forces the stopper O out of the clutch N the back end of this slide Rt being
arranged to be acted upon by a projecting piece of the bolt Q above described
co that the forcing down of the push rod and stopper O takes place whilst the
spiral bevelled wheel p is locked. This forward movement of the bolt R and
pin is obtained by the cam acting upon the back end of the pin Q. S is
the syrup pump fixed to the top of the frame C. The plungers of the syrup
pump is fixed to and operated by the vertical push rod which receives its
motion from the cam formed at the back of the upper revolving cam plate E.
The said push rod has a roller s fixed on a pin and slide at its lower end to
engage in the slot of the can. W is the suction and delivery pipe to and
from the syrup pump which is fitted with suction and relief valves as usual.
20 is the delivery valve from the syrup pump.
The machine above described acts as follows:-The machine having been set
in motion so that the cam plates D E are revolving, a bottle is put into the
machine whilst the plunger g of the spring box G is depressed and then the
spring forces up the plunger 7 and drives the upper part of the bottle into
the rubber ring into the lower part of the valve box M and the stopper O into
the stopper holder N. Immediately this operation is completed the lever raises
the boat shaped compressor K the top of which compresses the ring in the
valve box round the bottle neck and at the same time the spindle part g of the
plunger is locked by the sliding bolt and lever J to keep the bottle h in this
position. When this operation is completed the spiral wheel turns the
screw PP and the clutch N unscrews the stopper out of the bottle and
lifts the stopper up to its upper position shewn in Fig. 1. The syrup pump S
now drives the syrup into the bottle and when this is completed the water valve to
is opened by the cam t' and the water flows into the bottle through the pipe Y
(see Figs. 3 and 10). When the water valve t is closed by the can t having
passed the pusher piece to the snift valve 6 is opened by the cam pressing
in the pusher piece and the air and superfluous gas allowed to escape from
the bottle through the pipe % (Fig. 3) the snift valve then closes again and as
the cam E revolves the water and snift valves are again opened and closed in
proper order by the cams so as to fill up the bottle and again snift it
before the stopper is screwed down which is done by the spiral bevelled wheel
turning as above described so as to revolve the screw spindle P1 P2 in the direction
to screw the stopper O into the bottle. After the stopper O has been screwed
into the bottle the plunger g is released by the rising of the spindle J and
the boat like compressor K and the spindle g are pulled down by the cam acting
on the levers and at the same time the stopper O is forced out of the clutch
by the pressure rod and the bottle h released. The machine is fitted with a valve

page_text: rod r fixed to the bottle holder bracket s the top of which forms a valve to fit on
the seating m¹ in the valve box M and cut out the water and syrup when no bottle
is in the machine as in my other bottle filling machines which are well known.
When the machine above described is used for filling screw stoppered bottles
with beer stout or other fermented or carbonated liquids for which the syrup
pump is not required, the said syrup pump and its accessories are dispensed with.
and the pipe Y serves to convey the beer or other carbonated or fermented liquid
to the valve box M. As no snifting of the bottle is required but as a vacuum or
partial vacuum has to be maintained in the bottle during the filling process the
pipe Z leading from the snift outlet is connected to a vacuum chamber in which
a vacuum or partial vacuum is maintained by any well known means.
The arrangement illustrated by my drawings is what I consider to be the best
for carrying my invention into practice but it will be understood that if desired
the machine can be duplicated by having another set of cams and bottle holding
and un-stoppering and re-stoppering appliances and valve box and water and
snift regulating appliances on the right hand side of the standard C Fig. 1
arranged similarly to those above described and shewn on the left hand side of the
said standard.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a machine for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered
bottles, the combination and employment with the socket in which the neck
of the bottle is held by the pressure of an elastic ring around the same, of the
particular mechanism herein described which raises the neck of the empty bottle
into the elastic ring and locks the bottle in its position and raises the compressor
to compress the elastic ring round the bottle neck and then when the bottle is
filled releases the pressure on the said elastic ring and unlocks the bottle and
withdraws the bottle stand so that the filled bottle can be removed, said
mechanisms being constructed and arranged for joint operation substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a machine, for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered
hottles, the combination and employment, with the socket in which the neck
of the bottle is held by the pressure of an elastic ring around the same, of the
particular mechanism herein described which automatically grips and removes
the stopper from the empty bottle and holds the stopper in its highest position
whilst the bottle is being filled and finally re-screws the stopper into the filled
bottle and also forces the stopper out of the clutch when the bottle is filled, said
mechanism being constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. In a machine for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered
bottles, the employment with the stopper gripping clutch of a screwed spindle
carrying the same and made in two principal parts connected together by a spiral
spring so that one part has a certain movement independently of the other part
to prevent the clutch from rubbing and wearing on the stopper, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
4. In a machine for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered
bottles, the employment of the two revolving cam plates E D driven from a
common driving shaft and made with cams on their faces for operating the various
moving parts of the machine the said cam plates being arranged one above the
other and the upper cam plate being provided with cams on its face which operate
the water and snift valves and the locking and unlocking of the screw stopper
operating mechanism and the mechanism which forces the stopper out of the
clutch said cam plate also having internal and external spur teeth to operate the
screw stopper mechanism, said lower cam plate being provided with cams which
operate the mechanism which clamps the bottle in position and compresses the

page_text: jointing ring round the bottle neck and also withdraws the bottle stand when
the bottle is filled substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
5. In a machine for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw stoppered
bottles, the combination and employment, with the socket in which the neck
of the bottle is held by the pressure of an elastic ring around the same, of the
particular mechanisms herein before described which compresses said elastic ring
round the bottle neck and grips the screw stopper and turns and unscrews the
stopper from the bottle and locks the screw stopper operating mechanism whilst
the stopper is in this position and also unlocks the said stopper operating
mechanism when the bottle is filled and rescrews the stopper into the bottle and
finally releases the stopper, said mechanisms being constructed and arranged for
joint operation substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
6. The improved machine for unstoppering filling and re-stoppering screw
stoppered bottles constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of January 1900.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.