Improvements in and connected with Machines for Filling Bottles Closed by Screw Stoppers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left. 3rd Oct., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Machines for Filling Bottles
Closed by Screw Stoppers.
I, JOHN JAMES VARLEY, of Haslemere, Merton, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machines for filling screw mouthed bottles and for
closing the stoppers thereof, the improvements having mainly for object to facilitate
the placing of the stoppers in the machine.
In carrying out my invention I employ a key adapted to turn the stopper, such
The mouth of the
key working in the upper part of the framing of the machine.
bottle to be filled is placed in the underpart of the chamber containing the filling
and snifting valves. This chamber is movable, and has a seating in the upper part
through which the stem of the stopper can be freely passed. The stopper having
been passed through the seating the chamber is moved upwards so as to bring the
head of the stopper against the key, the seating forming a tight joint between the
stopper and the valve chamber. The bottle is now filled and snifted, the stopper is
Screwed by the key into the mouth of the bottle, forcing the head through the
seating and the bottle being released is removed and the chamber falls ready to
receive a fresh stopper.
The spindle of the key is provided with suitable means such as a clutch to
automatically release the key when the stopper is screwed home.
In place of employing a seating as above named the stopper may be supported
in the valve-chamber by any other suitable means, in which case the head of the
stopper would have to be enclosed to prevent the escape of the liquor during the
filling and closing operations.
T
1002
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Machines for Filling Bottles
Closed by Screw Stoppers.
1, JOHN JAMES VARLEY, of Haslemere, Merton, in the County of Surrey,
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 relates to machines for filling screw-mouthed bottles with aërated
or gaseous liquids and for closing the stoppers thereof, the improvements having
mainly for object to facilitate the placing of the stoppers in the machine. Hitherto
in such machines it has been necessary to pass the stopper up through an opening
in the cup of the machine which has been found to be inconvenient but by my
improvements the stopper can be placed in the machine from the top as in an
ordinary corking machine, thereby effecting a considerable saving of time.
In carrying out my invention I employ a key adapted to turn the stopper, such
key working in the upper part of the framing of the machine. The mouth of the
bottle to be filled is placed in the under part of the chamber provided with the
filling and snifting valves. This chamber is formed. in a cross-head which is
movable, and in the upper part of the chamber is a seating through which the stem
of the stopper can be freely passed. The stopper having been passed through

page_text: the said seating the cross-head is moved upwards so as to bring the head of the
stopper against the key, the seating forming a tight joint between the stopper and
the valve-chamber.
The bottle is now filled and snifted, the stopper is screwed by the key into the
mouth of the bottle, forcing the head through the seating and the bottle being
released is removed and the cross-head falls ready for a fresh stopper to be placed
in the seating of the chamber.
The spindle of the key is provided with suitable means such as a spring-friction
clutch to automatically disconnect the handle from the key when the stopper is
screwed home. In some cases the spindle is formed with a screw-thread corre-
sponding with the screw-thread on the stopper.
In place of employing a seating as above named the stopper may be supported
in the valve-chamber by any other suitable means, in which case the head of the
stopper would have to be enclosed to prevent the escape of the liquor during the
filling and closing operations.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a front sectional elevation of a bottling machine constructed
according to my invention and shewing a bottle in position ready to be filled and
closed.
Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the same:
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively horizontal sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4
of Figure 1:
Figure 5 is a detached view shewing the stopper in its closed position:
Figures 6 and 7 are an elevation and a plan respectively of the stopper; and,
Figures 8 and 9 are respectively a vertical section and a part plan of a
modification..
•
In the machine illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, a represents the
upper part of the framing a' of the machine in which turns the spindle 6 of the
key is the cross-head containing the filling chamber d having openings e and f,
the opening e communicating with the filling valve g and the opening with the
snifting valve h.
The cross-head c can be moved up and down on the guides i, i fixed to the frame
of the machine, the full lines (Figure 1) shewing it in its raised position while the
dotted lines shew it in its lowered position.
.
jis the seating in the upper part of the chamber e, the said seating cousisting of
a ring or washer of suitable elastic material such as india-rubber, the central
hole being just large enough to allow the stem of the stopper to be passed freely
therethrough.
k is a screw-mouthed bottle of ordinary construction, the bottom thereof resting
on the block or carrier which is adapted to be moved up and down by means of the
treadle m in the usual manner. n is a seating at the lower part of the chamber d
against which the mouth of the bottle is held during the filling operation.
is the
o and pare the usual levers for operating the filling and snifting valves.
handle for turning the key-spindle b. is a friction-clutch on the key-spindle,
ands the spring of the same. The said clutch consists of two parts,, the
part being connected to or formed on the spindle band provided with a notch
while the part 2 forms the boss of the handle 9 and is provided with a tooth r
entering the notch and with a recess containing the spring the pressure of
the said spring being adjusted by the nut r screwed on the spindle b. t is the
stopper (shewn in detached views at Figures 6 and 7) the head of the said stopper
being provided with holes or depressions u, u adapted to receive pins or studs v, v
on the underside of the key b.
The operation of the machine is as follows:- -A stopper being passed through
the seating so that its head rests thereon, as clearly shewn in Figure 1, a bottle k
is placed on the block or carrier and is moved upwards by depressing the treadle m
so as to bring its mouth against the seating n in the usual manner and at the same

page_text: time raise the cross-head c so as to bring the head of the stopper into engagement
with the key b¹ whereby the stopper will be pressed against the said seating so as
to form a tight joint. The filling valve g is now opened and the bottle filled and
then snifted by opening the valve when the key is pressed downwards and at
the same time rotated by its handle q so as to force the head of the stopper through
the seating and screw it into the mouth of the bottle, as clearly shewn
in Figure 5; the treadle m being released the bottle with the cross-head c
will move downwards and the bottle can be removed ready for another one to
be placed in position.
The object of the spring-friction clutch n is to prevent the stopper being too
tightly screwed into the mouth of the bottle the tooth (when the stopper is
screwed down tightly) riding up out of the notch ³, allowing the handle 7 to be
rotated independently of the spindle b.
Instead of moving the key downwards by hand as hereinbefore described I
sometimes arrange to screw it down, and for this purpose I form the spindle 6 with
a thread corresponding with the screw-thread on the stopper, the screw-thread of
the spindle working in a female screw in the upper part a of the frame.
In the modification of the machine represented in Figures 8 and 9 the construction
is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described except that instead of
supporting the stopper by means of an elastic seating in the chamber dit is
supported on springs w; in which case the joint is formed by a downwardly pro-
jecting rim on the upper part a of the frame pressing against an elastic seating y
in the chamber d, as clearly shewn in Figure 8. In this case the stem 6 of the
key b works through a stuffing-box; the operation is otherwise the same as that
hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of any said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a machine for filling bottles closed by screw-stoppers an elastic seating
such as jas, and for the purpose, set forth.
2. In a machine for filling bottles closed by screw-stoppers, a movable cross-head
containing a filling chamber provided with an elastic seating such as j for forming
a joint between the stopper and the said chamber and a key adapted to force
down and turn the said stopper into the mouth of the bottle, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a machine for filling bottles closed by screw-stoppers, the combination with
a movable cross-head containing a filling chamber with an elastic seating for the
head of the stopper, of filling and snifting valves and a key for turning the stopper,
all arranged and operating substantially as described.
4. The combination of parts forming the improved machine for filling bottles
closed by screw-stoppers arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The modification of the machine herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1802
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.