Improvements in Machinery for Filling Syphon Bottles with Aërated Liquids.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application. 15th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL DIDOTIVATION
Improvements in Machinery for Filling Syphon Bottles with
Aërated Liquids.
I FREDERICK FOSTER of Niagara Works, Eagle Wharf Road Hoxton in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide power driven machinery to receive from
an operator syphon bottles to be filled, to convey them through the various opera-
tions of filling and snifting, and of syruping when required, and deliver them filled
at the point where they may be exchanged by the operator for empty ones.
For this purpose I provide a rotary vertical column having radial arms extending
therefrom, two for each set of filling apparatus.
The upper radial arms are each fitted with a filling head containing a supply
valve, a snift valve, and a stop valve; the stop valve being opened only when a
syphon bottle is present to be filled, thus avoiding waste in case the operator fails
to put a syphon bottle in position for filling when the filling head passes the point
at which the filled syphon is to be removed and replaced by an empty one to be
filled. The said filling head resembles a filling head ordinarily used for filling
syphon bottles by hand the stop valve being added thereto and the push pieces
controlling the supply valve and snift valve are fitted with balls which roll in
contact with cams to operate alternately the supply valve and the snift valve as
required.
The supply of aërated liquid is admitted centrally to the interior of the rotary
vertical column through a packed gland and is distributed therefrom by means of
suitable tubes and connections to each of the supply valves contained in the several
filling heads.
If the syphons, during the filling operation, are to be dosed with syrup, I provide
at the upper part of the apparatus a syrup pump to be operated separately by each
set of filling mechanism passing thereunder. In this case the supply of aërated
liquid is admitted centrally to the interior of the rotary vertical column through a
packed gland at one end and the supply of syrup is admitted similarly through a
packed gland at the other end; the syrup being distributed by suitable tubes and
connections to the filling heads in advance of the aërated liquid supply valves.
The lower radial arms which are situated vertically beneath the upper ones are
provided with carriages which form guards for the syphon bottles to shield the
operator during the filling operation. These carriages are made to rise and fall by
means of an "under" and "over cam with which a roller appended to the
carriage engages.
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Thus in the course where filled syphon bottles are removed and replaced by
cam from which it
empty ones to be filled, the carriage is lowered by the "under"
is subsequently released and then raised by the " over
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cam.
The carriage in rising conducts the spout of the syphon into the filling cone of
the filling head and allows the extension of a spring to operate a lever which bears
upon the handle of the syphon to open its valve and maintain the same open
throughout the filling operation at the end of which before the carriage commences
to descend a roller connected with a vertical spindle passes over a cam which
compresses the said spring and removes the lever from contact with the syphon
handle. The said lever may be adjusted in position to suit syphons with long or
short lever handles.
The rotary vertical column is rotated preferably by means of a worm wheel
attached thereto engaging with a worm driven by a horizontal shaft provided

page_text: with a fly wheel and fast and loose pulleys for stopping and starting as
required.
The rotary column rotates continuously during the operation of the apparatus
conveying syphons placed in the several carriages as they pass a certain point
through the various stages of syruping, filling and snifting or of filling and snifting
only when the syruping operation is not required; the whole attention of the
operator being directed to removing the filled syphons and replacing them by empty
ones to be filled.
Dated this 13th day of September 1890.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Filling Syphon Bottles with
Aërated Liquids.
I FREDERICK FOSTER of Niagara Works, Eagle Wharf Road, Hoxton in the
County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide power driven machinery to receive
from an operator syphon bottles to be filled to convey them through the various
operations of filling and snifting and of syruping when required and deliver them
filled at a point where they may be exchanged by the operator for empty ones.
For this purpose I provide the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings
in all the figures of which like parts are indicated by the same reference letter or
numeral.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete apparatus.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan with the top plate removed.
Figure 4 is a plan of the cam plate.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the same.
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the vertical rotary column.
Figure 7 is a plan of Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a plan to enlarged scale of one filling head and its pipes connecting
it with the vertical rotary column.
Figure 9 is a sectional elevation of one filling head.
Figure 94 is a section through the push piece above its valve.
Figure 10 is a side elevation of Figure 9.
A is a vertical rotary column having radial arms B C extending therefrom to
carry each set of filling apparatus.
When the machine is required for syruping filling and snifting syphon bottles,
the radial arms B each carry a filling head D in which are fitted a syrup valve a,
a supply valve 6 for aërated liquid, a snift valve c, and a stop valve d, the stop
valve d being opened only when a syphon bottle is present to be filled, thus
avoiding waste in case the operator should fail to put a syphon bottle in position
for filling when the filling head passes the point at which the filling syphon is to be
removed and replaced by an empty one to be filled.
The filling head D is shown in detail by Figures 89 and 10. Figure 9 is a
sectional diagram in which the syrup chamber, its valve and passages are brought
forward from their actual position to the plane of section in order to show clearly
all the valves contained in the filling head D and the disposition of the passages
leading thereto and therefrom. The aërated liquid supply passage e is shown in
dotted lines leading to below the aërated liquid supply valve b.
When by depressing the push piece f the aërated liquid supply valve bis driven
from its seating the aërated liquid passing this valve, flows by an upwardly inclined

page_text: passage g, communicating with a central chamber h closed by a valve d urged to its
seating by the spring j inserted under the nut. When the stop valve d is raised
by contact of a syphon spout at the padded outlet the aërated liquid passing the
supply valve 6 passes through openings in the stem m one of which openings n is
shown communicating with the central channel p.
b
When by depressing the push piece the snift valve c is driven from its seating
the air and excess gas pressure in the syphon bottle pass out by the downwardly
inclined passage q passing the seating of the valve c and thence by the passage r to
the snift pipe shown in Figure 8 connected through the vertical rotary column A
(see Figure 6 with a central waste pipe which may be led to a suitable
receptacle under the machine to receive the waste liquid which passes out during
the snifting operation.
When the machine is required for syruping as well as snifting and filling with
aërated liquid the syrup valve a is provided; to be driven from its seating by
depressing the push piece whereupon syrup forced by a syrup pump E enters
by the syrup inlet s and passing the seating of the valve a finds its way by the
syrup passage t to the central chamber and thence, the stop valve d being
open, it passes by the passages np to the syphon bottle in the same way as the
aerated liquid which follows at a later period in the operation of charging the syphon
bottle.
The
The push pieces ff' and f11 are suitably packed as shown, and f¹ by packing
compressed by the nuts u u¹ and f" by the small hydraulic cup leather ..
valves ab and c are similarly held to their seatings by springs enclosed by
nuts www. The stem of the stop valve d is suitably packed by means of a
hydraulic cup leather retained by the nut . The aërated liquid entry to the
filling head D is shown at y more particularly in Figure 10 being marked in
dotted lines in Figure 9.
The depression of the push pieces f f¹ and f" is provided for at the required
periods by means of cams in the manner hereinafter described, against which the
friction rollers z carried by pivoted levers 1, 2, 3, each provided with a set
screw and lock nut 4, these being adjustable to provide the amount of stroke
required for a sufficient movement of the push piece. The pivoted lever 3 with
friction roller is shown in elevation on an enlarged scale in Figure 10 all three
being shown in plan in Figure 8.
The vertical rotary column A carries preferably three sets of filling heads, one
set of which I have herein before described; so that during the operation of the
machine there are constantly three syphon bottles proceeding through the necessary
stages to accomplish the syruping filling and snifting. Figure 6 shows clearly how
one set of pipes from one filling head are connected with the vertical rotary
column A through which the supply of syrup and aërated water are centrally
admitted from above and from which the snift discharge pipe 1 centrally passes
outward below. In that figure indicates the point at which the snift pipe
proceeding from the filling head is attached; y' the point at which the aërated
liquid pipe y' is attached, and s¹ the point at which the syrup pipe s¹ is attached.
Of these connections and y' there are three sets distributed about the vertical
rotary column in convenient positions for attachment to the pipes ¹ s' and y'
proceeding from each filling head. Thus all the filling heads are supplied with
syrup through the syrup pipe passing centrally through the vertical rotary column A
connected so that the vertical rotary column A can rotate thereon by means of the
gland 5. Similarly all the filling heads are supplied with aërated liquid through
the aërated liquid pipe passing centrally through the syrup pipe and packed thereon
by the gland 6; and all the filling heads discharge for snifting purposes through
the central pipe passing out centrally at the lower end of the vertical rotary
column A.
In order to operate the syrup valves a and the aërated liquid valves b of
each filling head D successively I provide a cam plate F; cams such as 7. 8
being suitably disposed in the course of the travel of the filling heads D to

page_text: engage the friction wheel of the lever 1by which the push piece f" is
depressed to open the syrup valve a at the required time for passing the syrup
into the syphon bottle, and once twice or three times to engage the friction
wheel of the lever 2 by which the push piece is depressed to open the
aërated liquid valve at the required times for passing charges of aërated
liquid as required in conjunction with the snifting operations to properly fill the
syphon bottle at the necessary pressure by the time the rotation of the vertical
rotary column A. is completed."
The snifting may be varied as to the period at which it takes place as to the extent
to which it is to be accomplished and as to the number of times (once or twice)
during the operation of filling which may be required; the requirement depending
upon the size of the syphon bottles to be filled and the pressures at which they
are to be filled. In order that the time and extent of the snifting operation may
be suitably arranged to suit these varying conditions I cause the friction wheel
of the lever 3 to be engaged once or twice during each revolution of the vertical
rotary column A by buttons 9, 10 carried in segmental slots 11, 12, in which
they may be regulated as to circumferential position and as to depth to which they
descend and consequently extent to which they depress the snift push piece f¹ by
means of a lock nut and wing nut by which these buttons 9. 10 are secured in
position in the segmental slots 11, 12. A continuous cam G is mounted upon
the three radial arms B to operate the syrup pump E three times during each
revolution, once for each syphon bottle to be syruped successively. To operate
the syrup pump E the continuous cam G raises the plunger of the syrup pump from
below, a friction wheel 13, depending from the plunger engaging the cam for
that purpose when the syruping operation is desired; but in case the syphon bottles
are to be filled without syruping then the plunger of the syrup pump E is drawn
up and maintained in that position by a support 31 so that the cam G passes
beneath without making contact with the friction wheel 13 and thus the syrup
pump remains inoperative.
I have already referred to a stop valve d by means of which in a manner herein-
after described during the absence of a syphon bottle to be filled all outlets from
the filling head are closed and the operation of the various push pieces is
consequently performed without effect. Consequently in such a case the operation
of the syrup pump must either stop the machine or break the pump barrel if only
the ordinary inlet and outlet pipes 14, 15 were provided for the pump barrel. I
therefore provide another pipe 16 in the course of which a spring valve is provided
to remain closed under ordinary conditions of working the pump but to act as a
safety valve when the ordinary outlet from the pump is barred, and thus allow the
return of syrup to the source whence the supply came.
66
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"
In order to cause the syphon bottle to operate the stop valve d; to be held
hermetically closed in contact with the padded outlet ; and in order to operate
the lever handle of the syphon bottle to keep its valve open while the syphon
bottle is carried through the syruping filling and snifting operations; to release
the syphon from the padded outlet and allow its valve to close when the
syphon bottle has been filled, I provide a cam plate having an "under and
over cam path 17. 18 to raise and lower the carriage 19 in which the
syphon bottle is seated and a cam 20 making contact with a roller 28 on a
rod 29 depressed by a spring 30 to operate the lever 21 which bears upon the
lever handles 22 of the syphon bottles by the intervention of rollers 23 held in
one or the other of the bearings 24 or 25 according to the length of the lever
handle of the syphon to be filled. Each friction wheel 26 at the foot of the
carriage 19 engages successively traversing under the cam 17 and over the
cam 18 thus lowering and raising the carriage 19 in its guide 27.
The vertical rotary column A may he rotated most conveniently by means of a
main shaft H provided with fast and loose pulleys J K a fly wheel Land a worm M
to engage with a worm wheel N rigidly connected with the rotary vertical
column.

page_text: The operation of the machine is as follows:-
"
The vertical rotary column A being put in motion an empty syphon is placed in
the carriage 19 while it is held down by the "under cam 17 or before it has risen
much on the over cam 18, the lever 21 being held clear of the syphon lever
handle 22 by the rod 29 lifted by its roller 28 on the cam 20. The syphon
carriage 19 rising as the rotation of the rotary vertical column proceeds the spout
of the syphon is brought in contact with the padded outlet and continuing to rise
lifts the stem m opening the stop valve d. Then the cam G begins to operate
the syrup pump and simultaneously the roller "coming in contact with a cam 7
the syrup is admitted to the syphon by the depression of the push piece fl
opening the syrup valve a. Next the roller z comes in contact with one of the
cams 8 and the push piece f being depressed aërated liquid is admitted by the valve b
the syphon being partly filled. Continuing its course the roller comes in contact
with the snift button 9 and thereby the push piece f' is depressed opening the snift
valve c. Again the roller z comes in contact with a cam and more aërated liquid is
admitted then the snift button 10 is reached and the roller z¹ being again engaged
the snifting operation is repeated and finally the roller z again comes in contact
with a cam admitting aërated water to complete the filling of the syphon.
Proceeding on its journey the roller 26 engages with the "under" cam 17 and
the syphon carriage 19 descends while the roller 28 mounting upon the cam 20
releases the lever handle 22 of the syphon. Thus the filled syphon is brought
round to the attendant who removes it and replaces it by an empty syphon bottle to
be filled.
The foregoing description of the operation of the machine applies equally to each.
of the three syphon bottles which follow each other successively during the rotation
of the rotary vertical column A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my 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 syphon bottles a rotating column to which syrup and
aërated liquid are admitted centrally by glands to fittings from which a supply of
either may be distributed by suitable pipes to various filling heads carried by the
movement of the column into contact with cams to operate the syrup, aërated liquid
supply and snift valves as required for completely filling the syphon bottle substan-
tially as described.
2. In a machine for filling syphon bottles, the filling head D provided with a
controlling or stop valve d, a syrup valve, supply valve and snift valve and means
of operating the first by the rise and fall of the syphon; the second and third by
cams and the last by adjustable snift buttons substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3. In a machine for filling syphon bottles the spring controlled rod 29 in com-
bination with a cam 20 to operate a lever 21 for depressing and releasing the lever
handle of the syphon as and when required for the filling operation substantially as
described.
4. The general construction arrangement and combination of parts constituting
an improved machine for syruping, filling, snifting and closing syphon bottles
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of June 1891.
FREDK. FOSTER.