IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR FILLING BOTTLES
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 12th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Aug., 1887.
We JOHN HOLT, of Bank Field, Radcliffe, in the County of Lancaster, Mill-
wright, and JOSEPH EAGLES, a member of the firm trading as William Eagles, of
East Phillip Street, Salford, in the said County, Soda Water Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR FILLING
BOTTLES, to be as follows:-
This invention consists in certain improvements in the construction and in the
arrangement of parts of machinery for filling bottles with beer, stout, spirits, and other
non-aërated liquids.
The improved machine comprises a tank or reservoir to contain the liquid with which
the bottles are to be filled, the tank being connected to a series of measuring vessels.
There are as many of these measuring vessels employed as there are bottles to be filled
at one operation, and the capacity of each vessel is equal to that of the bottle which it
is intended to fill. Each measuring vessel is provided with a valve which controls the
pipe or passage by which it is connected to the tank and these valves are so arranged
inside the tank that they can be opened or closed simultaneously and together by one
movement of a lever or handle. Each vessel is also provided with a valve at the
bottom which when the measuring vessels have been filled with liquid from the tank,
and the tank valves closed, are opened or moved away simultaneously by suitable
mechanism to allow the contents of each vessel to flow into a tun dish or funnel by
which the liquid is guided into the bottle it is intended to fill.
The filled bottles are then removed and others substituted, the valves moved back to
close the measuring vessels which are again allowed to fill from the tank by moving
the lever or handle and opening the tank valves, the empty bottles can then be filled
from the measuring vessels as already described.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Filling Bottles.
We JOHN HOLT of Bank Field Radcliffe in the County of Lancaster Millwright
and JOSEPH EAGLES a member of the firm trading as William Eagles of East Phillip
Street Salford in the said County Soda Water Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR FILLING BOTTLES, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in certain improvements in the construction and in the
arrangement of parts of machinery for filling bottles with beer stout spirits and other
non-aërated liquids.
The improved machine comprises a tank or reservoir to contain the liquid with which
the bottles are to be filled the tank being connected to a series of measuring vessels.
There are as many of these measuring vessels employed as there are bottles to be filled at
one operation and the capacity of each vessel is equal to that of the bottle which it is
intended to fill. Each measuring vessel is provided with a valve which controls the
pipe or passage by which it is connected to the tank and these valves are so arranged
inside the tank that they can be opened or closed simultaneously and together by one
movement of a lever or handle. Each vessel is also provided with a valve at the
bottom which when the measuring vessels have been filled with liquid from the tank
and the tank valves closed are opened or moved away simultaneously by suitable
mechanism to allow the contents of each vessel to flow into a tun dish or funnel by 2
which the liquid is guided into the bottle it is intended to fill. The filled bottles are
then removed and others substituted the valves moved back to close the measuring.
vessels which are again allowed to fill from the tank by moving the lever or handle
and opening the tank valves the empty bottles can then be filled from the measuring
vessels as already described.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation Fig. 2 a plan and Fig. 3 an end sectional elevation of
our improved machine for filling bottles. Fig. 4 is a view on a larger scale than the
preceding Figures of a contrivance which we employ for raising and lowering the rail

page_text: which carries the tun dishes and Fig. 5 is a view of a bottle holder which we use for
the purpose of withdrawing the filled bottles from the machine.
and
In Figures 1 to 3.-a designates the tank or reservoir in which the beer stout or
other liquid to be filled into the bottles is contained; c is a stand recessed to receive
twelve bottles 6 that being a convenient number to handle and fill at one operation.
Above the bottles b an equal number in this case twelve of tun dishes or funnels d
are mounted in a horizontal rail e supported at each end by a vertical rod f on which
is secured an adjustable stop or catch piece f', the rods are carried in brackets
are raised to lift the rail e with the tun dishes d away from the mouths of the bottles b
by means of an eccentric disc or cam h see Fig. 4 which is pivoted to the frame and
operated as required by a handle h¹. Above each tun dish d is placed a measuring
vessel which is connected to the tank a by a pipe or passage j and is supported by a
union k¹ screwed to an arm & secured to the tank a. Each pipe or passage j is controlled
by a valve which is fixed adjustably upon a shaft m supported and free to be moved
axially in brackets m¹ fixed inside the tank. On the shaft m is fixed an arm or lever n
which is acted upon by a piston o¹ and a compressed spring contained in a small
cylinder or casing o to keep the valves normally closed against the liquid in the
tank a.
The discharge pipes at the bottom of the measuring vessels i are controlled
by valves p secured on a shaft q supported and free to be moved axially in brackets q³.
The discharge valves p are arranged to be opened when the tank valves are closed
and vice versa and the following arrangement is a suitable one for effecting the required
movements of the valves.
:
Two of the valves p are connected by cords p¹ passing over pulleys p² to weights p³
so that the weights always tend to keep the valves p open. Above the tank a shaft s is
supported in bearing on two cross rails s¹ and is free to be turned axially by a handle s²
on the shaft are secured two grooved pulleys t connected by cords or equivalents t¹
fastened thereon to brackets q2 on the shaft q so that by moving the handle s² in the
direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 3 the shaft y is turned and the valves p moved
to close the discharge pipes . On the shaft s is secured adjustably an arms which
when the shaft s turned to close the discharge valves pas above described is brought
against and moves the arm n thereby turning the shaft m opening the valves and
allowing the liquid from the tank a to flow through the passages j into the measuring
vessels i.
When the said vessels have been filled and the handle s² is operated to turn the
shafts and pulleyst unwind the cords and allow the weights på to open the valves p
and discharge pipes the arm s³ moves away from the arm n thereby allowing the
compressed spring to act through the piston o' on the arm n and close the tank valves
while the liquid in the measuring vessels i flows from the discharge pipes ¹ through
the tun dislies d into the bottles b. The rail e with the tun dishes d is then by means
of the eccentric h raised to clear the mouths of the filled bottles which are then
removed simultaneously by means of the notched or recessed rail u.
C
A fresh set of empty bottles may then be placed on the stand c and filled as before
by operating the handles to close the discharge valves p and to allow the spring and
piston o' to open the tank valves then when the measuring vessels i have been filled
by reversing the handle the tank valves lare closed and the discharge valves p opened
to allow the liquid in the vessels i to flow into the bottles.
We have shown and described our improved machine as arranged and adapted for
the simultaneous filling of twelve bottles it is evident however that the machine may
be adapted for any convenient number. Again the details may be varied or modified
as any suitable arrangement of mechanism other than that shown may be employed
for opening and closing the tank valves and discharge valves and for raising the rail
which carries the tun dishes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is-
1. The combination with a tank and a series of measuring vessels, of a series of
valves for controlling the passages between the vessels and the tank and a series of

page_text: valves for regulating the discharge passages of the vessels and operating mechanism
for opening one series of valves and simultaneously closing the other series substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and as illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
2. The combination with a series of measuring vessels provided with filling
and discharge passages and valves for regulating the same, of the mechanism herein
shown and described or any mere mechanical equivalent thereof for operating said
valves as required.
3. The combination with the rail e and tun dishes, of the eccentric disc h and
handle has and for the purpose set forth.
4. The construction combination and arrangement of parts embodying our
improvements in machines for filling bottles substantially as and for the purposes
herein described and as shown.