Improvements in Apparatus for Stoppering or Corking Bottles.
Year: 1890

page_text: e of Application, 25th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 21st June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stoppering or Corking Bottles.
A communication from HORST MORITZ HASELHORST, Merchant, and the Firm of
VOGEL AND SCHLEGEL, Machine Builders, of Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony,
German Empire.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 apparatus for stoppering bottles and the like in a continuous
and uninterrupted manner. To obtain this result a plunger adapted to press the corks
through a funnel-shaped or taper tube into the neck of the bottle, is pressed down by
a driving shaft and raised again by the action of a spring. The feed of the corks is
effected by a plate or disc on which the said corks are set; and which, at each descent
of the plunger, is caused by a pawl connected with the driving shaft, to advance one
tooth. All the operative attending to the machine has to do is to hold the bottle,
while it is being stoppered, with one hand within the apparatus, and arrange with the
other hand a fresh supply of corks upon the said rotary disc. The apparatus is so
constructed that the operative while thus handling the bottles and corks will be free
from danger of being caught in the gearing, inasmuch as the operation of the
mechanism is perfectly independent and self supporting, and the corks are placed on
the side of the disc, which is opposite to the side facing the working parts.
While this apparatus differs from those hitherto used for the like purpose in the
above details of construction, its operation is also unlike that of the analogous devices
previously known. In these, the bottles were generally placed upon a plate or disk,
and the stoppering device was placed upon and supported by them; and the corks
were conveyed from the cylinder into the neck of the bottle direct. It has been seen
that in this present arrangement the usual cork guiding cylinder is on the contrary
supplemented by a funnel-shaped extension, whereon the neck of the bottle is
passed. As soon as about one half of the cork, on being placed in contact with
the neck of the bottle, has come out of the said funnel, the latter slips off the bottle-
neck, in which movement the other half of the cork is also withdrawn from the
funnel-shaped tube. By this means the stamping action bitherto sustained by bottles
in stoppering machines is avoided, and the frequent breakage consequent thereon
obviated; the only part of the bottle still liable to break being the neck, in
case there should be any cracks or exceptionally thin portions in that part. Thus
the loss not only of the bottles broken but also of their contents is effectively
prevented.
In the accompanying drawings fig. 1 is a side view, fig. 2 a front view, fig. 3 a
top view, and fig. 4 a cross section of this improved stoppering machine.
An upright post or column a carries in bearings the shaft d provided with
the fast and loose pulleys c c'. A cam e is also set upon this shaft, between the
bearings. This cam is adapted to press down the plunger supported in the
guides ff; while the forked lever h causes the said piston or plunger to rise again,
through the action of the spring i acting on the opposite or back end of the lever h.
A bell crank lever & pivotted upon the upper guide fis adapted to be shifted by the
pin provided upon the came so that its backwardly extending arm will press
upon the lever and ensure the operation thereof. Below the plunger a collar or
socket m is supported by the column or post a into this socket is fitted the funnel-
shaped or taper tube n, adapted to convey the corks to the neck of the bottle.
Upon an arm wa plate or disc r is arranged reaching beyond the collar or socket m
and provided with an opening of a size corresponding to the adjacent opening of the

page_text: tube n.
The said arm w also supports above the disc through the medium of pin s
a plate or disct, having a toothed edge. This plate or disc is adapted to receive a
number of corks, for which purpose it is provided with perforations of a diameter
corresponding to that of the corks used. The said corks are retained in these
perforations by the disc situated underneath the disc t only one cork at a time being
allowed to drop into the funnel shaped tube n when it comes opposite the opening
provided therefor in the said disc r.
With the toothed edge of the disc t engages a pawl v pivotted to the arm w, which
is itself adjustably connected to a second arin w', within a guide slot provided in the
latter. This arm w' is connected by means of a collar ol to the spindle y movably
held in the bearings a a. A rocking motion is imparted to this spindle through a
crank or eccentric mounted upon the driving shaft, which crank moves backwards
and forwards a rod 22 universally jointed to a screwed arm u so that an oscillatory
(ie. a partial rotary motion in both directions alternately) will be transmitted through
the boss or collar o of said, arm u to the shaft y.
According to the diameter of the corks, a larger or smaller disc may be used, the
number of perforations in it being also immaterial. To enable the disc t to be
changed according to requirements it is loosely and removably placed upon the arm w,
which arm in its turn is adjustable at its connection with the armi w by means
of the slot in said arm w'. In the same way the speed of motion of the disc or
plate can be varied by giving the pawl more or less play, for which purpose
it is sufficient to adjust one of the bearings or joints upon the screwed arm u of the
*shaft y.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In apparatus for stoppering or corking bottles and the like a plate or disc
such as carrying the supply of corks and caused by suitable ratchet teeth and
pawl to turn one step at each stroke of the plunger g whereby one cork after
another at each plunger stroke is continuously fed to the tube, such as n, leading
into the neck of the bottle; substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawings.
2. In a bottle stoppering or corking machine the employment of arms such
as ww adjustable in relation to each other, in combination with a universal joint
such as attached to a screwed arm such as u of a rocking shaft y, substantially as
and for the purpose described and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this and day of Anil 1800
.↓
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.