Improvements in Machines for Filling and Stoppering Bottles.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Filling and Stoppering Bottles.
We, CHARLES WILLIAM CLAYTON of No. 131 New Kings Road Fulham in the
County of Middlesex and ROBERT JAMES WHITE of Cunard Street Camberwell
in the County of Surrey Mineral Water Manufacturers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in machines for filling bottles with
liquids and to means for securing screw stoppers therein such as are described in
our previous Patent Specification No. 2691 of 1896.
We mount on a suitable frame a lever provided with a weight or spring and
this lever is connected to a rod or bar sliding in brackets on the frame by means
of a link. Adjustably fixed on the sliding rod is a bottle rest of ordinary con-
struction provided with a handle and spring. To the upper end of the sliding rod
is attached a mouth piece having a circular india rubber washer with a tapered
opening so as to make a tight joint with the mouth of the bottle when the latter
is pressed up against it. Passing through the mouth piece there is a spindle
provided with a square or a cup at the bottom which either fits into a correspond-
ingly shaped hole in the top of the stopper or on the top of and round the outside
of the stopper respectively. But preferably we make the spindle also round in
section at the bottom and provide it with a circular collar or shoulder having a
washer of india rubber or of other suitable material underneath in such manner
that when the stopper (which has a round hole in the top) is pushed on to the
spindle and there is sufficient friction between the end of the spindle and the
stopper to hold the latter in place thereon. We cause this friction by either
providing the end of the spindle with a small spring of metal or india rubber or
we split the end of the spindle and cause the two ends thus formed to be normally
held apart sufficiently to bind slightly in the hole. The india-rubber washer
referred to has for object to cause the stopper to revolve with the spindle when
pressure is applied to the stopper. The spindle passes through a stuffing box
in the top of the mouth piece and the upper end of the spindle is attached to a
screw of a steep pitch. This screw passes through a nut fixed to the frame and
the upper end of the screw is provided with a weight or spring so that the tendency
of the screw to descend is constant. The mouthpiece is preferably provided with
filling and snifting valves of which the filling may be done automatically by the
spindle or other part of the valve striking a fixed stop or lug on the frame or
instead thereof the valve may be operated indirectly by a lever or otherwise and
the snifting valve may conveniently be automatic in its action. There may also
be a syrup pump fixed to the machine which pump is operated directly or indirectly
D

page_text: by some moving part thereof or the pump may be made to move and be actuated
by some fixed stop or in any other convenient manner.
Instead of using a screw for operating the spindle in the mouthpiece the screw
may be dispensed with and the spindle in that case is provided with a weight or
spring to cause it to descend. The spindle is further provided with a featherway,
and mounted on a bracket capable of sliding up and down are two bevel wheels
one of which has a feather to take into the aforesaid featherway. The other bevel
wheel gears with the one first described and is mounted on a stud fixed to the
bracket and motion is conveniently given to the second bevel wheel by means of
a pinion fixed thereto and concentric therewith by causing the said pinion to
gear with a rack fixed to the frame. The bracket carrying the bevel wheels' and
pinion is fixed or connected to the mouthpièce which is as before described and
motion is communicated to the mouthpiece by reason of its being mounted on the
sliding rod which is connected to the weighted hand lever as first described..
Dated this Twenty-third day of December 1896.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Filling and Stoppering Bottles.
We, CHARLES WILLIAM CLAYTON of No. 131 New Kings Road Fulham in the
County of Middlesex and ROBERT JAMES WINITE of Cunard Street Camberwell
in the County of Surrey Mineral Water Manufacturers 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in machinery for filling bottles with
liquids and to means for securing screw stoppers therein such as are described in
our previous Patent Specification No. 2691 of 1896.
Figure 1 of the accompanying sheet of drawings represents in front elevation
a vertical filling and stoppering machine.
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a mouth piece to a larger scale and
Figure 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of machine.
We mount on a suitable frame A a lever B provided with a spring or a weight B¹
and this lever is connected to a rod or bar C sliding in brackets A and A2 on the
frame by means of a link B. Adjustably fixed on the sliding rod C is a bottle
rest C of ordinary construction provided with a spring and handle. To the upper
end of the sliding rod C is attached a mouthpiece D having a circular india rubber
washer D (see Figure 3) with a tapered opening so as to make a tight joint with
the mouth of the bottle when the latter is pressed up against it. Or instead of
making the washer in one piece it may be made in more than one piece. Passing
through the mouthpiece there is a spindle E which may be provided with a square
or a cup at the bottom which either fits into a correspondingly shaped hole in the
top of the stopper or on the top of and round the outside of the stopper respectively."
But preferably we make the spindle E also round in section at the bottom as
shown and provide it with a circular collar or shoulder E' having a washer E² of
India rubber or of other suitable material underneath in such manner that when
the stopper (which has a round hole in the top) is pushed on to the spindle end E³
there is sufficient friction between the end of the spindle and the stopper to hold
the latter in place thereon. We cause the friction necessary for holding the

page_text: stopper either by providing the spindle with a small spring of metal or India
rubber or we split the end 3 of the spindle as shown and cause the two ends thus
formed to be normally held apart sufficiently to bind slightly in the hole. The
india rubber washer E has for object to cause the stopper to revolve with the
spindle E when pressure is applied to the stopper. The spindle E passes through
a stuffing box D in the top of the mouthpiece and the upper end of the spindle E
is attached to a screw F of a steep pitch (see Figures 1 and 2). This screw F
passes through a mut A3 fixed to the frame and the upper end of the screw is pro-
vided with a spring or weight F so that the tendency of the screw to descend is
constant. The mouthpiece D is conveniently connected to the soda water supply
pipe G by filling valve G with a spindle or stem G arranged to strike a fixed
stop or lug A on the frame A or instead thereof the valve may be operated
indirectly by a lever or otherwise. There is also a snifting valve H which may
suitably be automatic in its action. If desired a syrup, pump I mounted on a
bracket A discharges syrup by the pipe I' past the back pressure valve I* into
the mouthpiece. The piston of the syrup pump is operated directly or indirectly
by some moving part of the machine or the pump barrel may be made to move
while the piston is a fixture. In the example shewn the sliding rod C is pro-
vided with a lug or projection C which comes into contact with the stop 13 on
the piston rod I. Is is a set screw mounted in a bracket A to regulate the length
of stroke of the piston of the syrup pump I. The upward movement of the piston
in the present instance is effected by means of a spring placed preferably in a box
or holder on the top of the barrel of the pump but as the particular method of
operating the piston is immaterial details are not shown.
Instead of using a screw for operating the spindle in the mouthpiece the screw
may be dispensed with and the spindle in that case is as shewn in Figure 4
surmounted by a weight F and provided with a feather way E. Mounted on a
bracket C³ attached to the sliding rod C are two bevel wheels F2 and F3, of which
1 has a feather (not shown) to take into the aforesaid feather way E. The other
bevel wheel gears with 1 and is mounted on a stud F fixed to the bracket C³.
Motion is conveniently given to the bevel wheel F3 by means of a pinion F5 keyed
to or made in one therewith which pinion gears with a rack A fixed to the
frame A. The bracket C³ carrying the bevel wheels and pinion is fixed or con-
nected to the mouthpiece D) and sliding rod C which is provided with a bottle rest
and is operated as before described.
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. A machine for filling bottles with liquids and securing screw stoppers therein
consisting of a frame on which is mounted a sliding bar or rod having bottle rest
and a mouthpiece with filling and snifting valves attached thereto, in which
mouthpiece a spindle works adapted to engage with the stopper of the bottle,
means for causing the motion of the sliding bar and means for causing the spindle
to revolve substantially as set forth.
2. In a machine for filling bottles with liquids and securing screw stoppers
therein with or without a syrup pump operated automatically the combination of
a frame on which is mounted a lever B connected to a sliding bar or rod C having
a bottle rest C¹ and a mouthpiece D) with filling and snifting valves, a spindle E
working in said mouthpiece adapted to engage with the stopper of the bottle and
means for causing the spindle to revolve substantially as described and shewn.
3. A mouthpiece D for filling and stoppering machines having filling and
snifting valves and provided with a washer or washers for forming a tight joint
with the mouth of the bottle, a spindle having a spring end to hold the stopper in
position a circular collar El mounted on said spindle adapted to hear on the top
of the stopper with sufficient friction to unscrew or screw the said stopper sub-
stantially as described and shewn.

page_text: 4. The constructions of machines for filling bottles with liquids and securing
screw stoppers therein substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this Twenty-third day of September 1897.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.