Improvements in Machines for Filling Bottles or other Receptacles:
Year: 1892

page_text: his Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 23rd day of December 1898.
•
Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
Improvements in Machines for Filling Bottles or other Receptacles:
I, JOHN SNEATH, of 15, Acland Street, Limehouse, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in machines for filling bottles, jars or other
receptacles, and is particularly adapted for dealing rapidly, cheaply, and efficiently,
with powdered or finely divided substances, the escape of which, during the operation
of filling, would cause inconvenience and expense.
One of the objects of my invention is to provide means whereby the bottle or jar
may if necessary be shaken or buinped while the material is being fed thereinto,
in order that the said material may pack itself compactly in the said bottle or
jar.
Other objects of my said invention are to enable the material to be filled to uniform
height in the said bottles or jars, and to prevent the inconvenience and waste of
material which results in the ordinary methods of filling owing to inaterial being
spilt upon the outsides of the bottles or jars or otherwise allowed to escape above the
necks or orifices of the same.
According to my said invention, which is herein described, by way of example, in
its application for filling bottles with granular material, I provide a rotatable hopper
or other receptacle adapted to receive the granular material which is to be delivered
into the bottles, and I make the bottom of the said receptacle, or a portion or portions
of the said bottom, flexible or resilient, either by forming it or them of elastic material
such as dermatine, or of corrugated sheet metal, or by other suitable arrangements.
For example, the bottom of the hopper may be made with a central disc which
supports, by means of brackets, an outer rigid annulus, between which and the disc
an annulus of dermatine is suitably secured. In the said elastic portion I secure. a
number of outlet tubes or spouts preferably constructed, as hereinafter described, with
their lower ends movable telescopically upon their upper portions; and upon the said
lower ends of the said tubes or spouts I provide rotatable portions forming valves to
open or close the passages provided in the said tubes or spouts for the exit of the
material. Within the said out let tubes or sponts I preferably provide channels, or
passages for the escape of air displaced from the bottles when the material is fed into
them. A suitable shield or cover is provided for the purpose of returning to the
hopper or other receptacle any of the said material which may be brought througli
the air channels or passages by the ercaping air.
The said rotatable portions of the outlet tubes are shaped so that they approxi
mately fit the necks of, the bottles, and enter the said necks for a certain distance

page_text: determined by the position of rubber or other rings secured upon the rotatable
portions and serving to make a tight joint between them and the necks of the bottles.
For each outlet tube or spout a suitable spring or other appliance is provided so that
when the bottles are automatically delivered to the apparatus and their necks placed
upon the outlet tubes or spouts in contact-with-the-packing rings, the bottles may be
raised to cause the lower portions of the said tubes or spouts to move endwise against
the resistance of the said spring or other appliance in order that a tight joint may be
maintained between the tubes or spouts and the bottles, which, while being filled are
carried round with the hopper as hereinafter set forth.
Teeth are provided upon the rotatable portions of the tubes or spouts, and pro-
jections or studs are suitably arranged upon stationary parts of the apparatus so that
in the rotation of the hopper with the bottles the said projections or studs are caused
to operate the rotatable portions of the tubes or spouts to open and close the exit
passages at suitable times. The bottles are preferably arranged to rotate with the
said portions of the tubes, to avoid wear of the packing rings.
A suitable traveller or endless conveyor constructed of metal, leather, or other
suitable material, is arranged to travel within guides in which empty bottles are
placed. Below the aforesaid hopper is a frame which is rotated by suitable
mechanism at the same speed as the hopper, and is provided with suitable recesses
to receive the bottles, which are delivered thereto by the traveller or conveyor; the
said traveller or conveyor is suitably geared with the hopper and frame, so that it
may always run at a proper speed relatively] thereto. In order that the bottles
may not be broken, if, by carelessness on the part of the operator they are not
delivered to the rotating frame at proper intervals, the said guides are provided with
a suitable hinged portion controlled by a spring, so that a bottle fed forward at the
wrong time may be drawn into its proper place in the frame or may be thrust back
into the guides and re-delivered to the next recess.
.
At the bottom of each recess in the frame is a piston or plunger, and below the
frame is a cam surface, and each of the said pistons or plungers is provided with a
rod or other attachment which bears upon the said cam surface. A portion of the
said cam surface is fixed, and is curved in such a manner that it lowers each piston
or plunger as a filled bottle is delivered from the corresponding recess; the said fixed
portion of the cam surface allows the piston or plunger to remain down while the
Baid full bottle is replaced by an empty one, and raises the empty bottle into contact
with the delivery tube or spout, which it forces up against the resistance of the
spring or other appliance as hereinbefore stated. The remaining portion of the cam
surface keeps the bottles in close contact with the delivery tubes or spouts and is
raised and lowered by suitable cams so that the bottles while being filled are bumped
or jerked with sufficient violence to cause the material to settle closely in the bottles.
The elasticity of the parts of the hopper bottom to which the outlet tubes or spouts
are attached, enables the tubes or spouts to have the necessary freedom of movement
during the operation of bumping the bottles as aforesaid. By the entry of the
delivery spouts or tubes into the necks of the bottles as aforesaid and the provision of
packing rings thereon, the material is enabled to rise in the bottles as far as, but no
further than, the ends of the said tubes, which are rotatable as aforesaid, and which,
when rotated, cut off the supply of material within the said necks, thus ensuring the
filling of the bottles to uniform height without the spilling of any material upon the
outsides of the bottles and without the escape of any material between the necks of
the bottles and the spouts, for the said rotatable portions or valves are not opened
until the bottle is properly placed upon the spout or tube and are closed before the
bottles are withdrawn therefrom.
When necessary, suitable stirrers and scrapers are arranged to enter the hopper to
agitate the material therein, and to scrape the walls and bottom thereof during its
rotation, so that the material therein does not cake or stick to the hopper.
My said invention is equally applicable to many other operations of bottling and
measuring. For example I may substitute for the hopper a closed reservoir for
äërated water or for other liquid under pressure, whence the liquid may be delivered

page_text: by delivery tubes to bottles carried by a frame as aforesaid. In such a case ball-
stoppered bottles may be used, and delivered to the frame in an inverted position,
that is to say, with their necks downward, so that the balls would operate auto-
matically to prevent the escape of the liquid from the bottles on their withdrawal
from the apparatus.
By providing bottles or other receptacles of uniform size, and suitable automatic
means for indicating the number of bottles or receptacles filled by the apparatus it may
be employed as an automatic measuring apparatus.
Where the material dealt with is dusty, I preferably provide the hopper with an
intake tube which extends sufficiently far into the said hopper to deliver fresh material
always below the normal level of the surface layer of material in the hopper,
so that the said surface layer kept comparatively undisturbed; thus the rise
of dust is to a great extent prevented. Where the resilient or flexible portions
of the aforesaid hopper are made of dermatine, india-rubber or the like,
each outlet tube is preferably provided with a shoulder, and passed through the
rubber, dermatine, or the like, so that the said shoulder rests thereon. Each tube is
provided with a screwed portion below the said shoulder, and a nut is screwed thereon
in such a manner as to force the dermatine, rubber or the like up around the shoulder
and flush with the upper end of the tube so that no obstruction is offered to the
passage of material there into.
When the lower portion of each outlet tube is arranged to slide endwise as
aforesaid. I find it convenient in certain cases to provide hooks or projections
thereon, and to provide similar hooks or projections upon the upper portion of each
outlet tube; the said hooks or projections serve to receive rubber bands, by which
tension is maintained when the said lower portions are moved endwise by the bottles
as aforesaid, so that the tightness of the joint between the tubes or spouts and the
bottles is preserved. Or the bands may be stretched between swivel hooks underneath
the flexible bottom, and hooks fixed on the tube guides.
To prevent the outlet tubes from twisting in the dermatine or india-rubber portions
of the hopper, the said tubes are provided with suitable arms, for example, which
engage with guides or retaining devices in such a manner that the said arms and
guides, while offering no resistance to the endwise movement of the tube, will prevent
rotative movement thereof in the dermatine or india-rubber.
Instead of applying rotatable valves to open and close the outlet tubes as aforesaid
I emply in certain cases a plate arranged upon a stationary portion of the machine
so that it is operated by the necks of the bottles or by the lower ends of the tubes
in such a manner that it moves under the outlet orifice of each outlet tube as the
bottle is withdrawn therefrom, and simultaneously opens the outlet orifice of another
qutlet tube under which an empty bottle is placed; the outlet tubes pass over the
said plate in their movement with the hopper during the time which elapses between
the removal of the filled bottles therefrom and the replacement of empty bottles
thereunder.
I do not limit my said invention to the particular details and modes of operation
herein before described, which are set forth by way of example.
Improvements in Machines for Filling Bottles or other Receptacles.
I, JOHN SNEATH, of 15, Acland Street, Limehouse, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in hud by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in machines for filling bottles, jars, or other
feceptacles, and is particularly adapted for dealing rapidly, cheaply, and efficiently,
with powdered or finely-divided substances, the escape of which, during the operation
of filling, would cause inconvenience and expense.
One of the objects of my invention is to provide means whereby the bottle or jar
may, if necessary, be shaken or bumped while the material is being fed thereinto,
in order that the said material may pack itself compactly in the said bottle
or jar.
Other objects of my said invention are to enable the material to be filled to uniform
height in the said bottles or jars, and to prevent the inconvenience and waste of
material which results in the ordinary methods of filling owing to material being
spilt upon the outsides of the bottles or jars or otherwise allowed to escape above the
'necks or orifices of the same.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an improved machine, constructed according to this
invention for filling bottles with granular material; certain parts are omitted from
this view for the sake of clearness, but such parts are clearly illustrated in other
¡views.
Figure 2 is a plan of the inachine illustrated in Figure 1,
Figure 3 is an end elevation of the machine, illustrated in Figure 1, partly in
vertical section,
Figure 4 is a plan view, in section in four planes, of a part of Figure 2.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are views, to an enlarged scale, of
details of the machine illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and will be hereinafter
particularly described.
Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are views, hereinafter particularly referred to, of
devices for enabling bottles of different sizes to be filled, in one machine.
Like reference-letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
: "
A is the framing of the machine. B is the main spindle thereof, rotatable in the
footstep bearing and in the bearing C₁ upon the frame A. is a worn wheel,
keyed upon the shaft B.
E is a worin which gears into the worm wheel D. The
said worin is fixed upon the shaft E which is driven by any suitable means to effect
rotation of the main spindle B by the worm E and worm wheel D.
F is a hopper to receive the granular material, which is ultimately delivered to
bottles in the manner hereinafter set forth; the said hopper is connected to the
spindle B and turns therewith. The construction of the hopper, which is one of the
important features of my invention, will be hereinafter explained.
Gis a traveller or endless conveyor, constructed, in the present instance, of metal,
and arranged to travel over sprocket wheels G¹. One of the sprocket wheels is driven
by any suitable means, the other being adjustable in the bearings H by the screws
11, to keep the conveyor taut. The sprocket wheels G¹ are arranged below a table I,
upon the top of which one side of the conveyor G travels between guides P. A
portion of one wall of the guide is hinged thereto at 13 so as to be capable
of moving outward. It is maintained in its normal position by means of a
spring I
JJ are circular frames fixed to the spindle B below the hopper F so as to rotate
therewith. A number of recesses J¹ are provided in the said frames into which
recesses the conveyor G delivers bottles K placed thereon. The said guides I and
frame J are clearly shewn in the large scale views Figures 5 and 6; the former is a
vertical section through the frame, with the guides in elevation, the latter figure is a
corresponding plan. Preferably the said conveyor is run at a speed greater than that
at which the bottles pass therefrom, in order that the bottles at the delivery end-of
the guides I may be kept close up to each other, although when introduced between
the said guides they may not be in contact.

page_text: •
L is another circular frame fixed to the spindle B to rotate therewith.
L' L' are
pistons or plungers placed below each said recess J¹. L2 L2 are the stems of the
said pistons or plungers, which are adapted to slide vertically in holes in
the frame L.
Below the frame L are segmental cam-plates M. M¹; the cam-plate M is fixed to
the framing A of the machine; rods M² are attached at their upper ends to the said
cam plate M¹, and, at intermediate points of their length, bear upon a lever M³ fixed
upon the shaft M.
iN is a can fixed to the shaft E¹. M5 is an arın fixed to the said shaft M+ so that
its free end may be sharply raised and lowered by the cam N. M is an arm which
also is secured to the shaft M and connected to the framing A by a spring O and
screw 01; the tension of the said spring is capable of ready adjustment by the said
screw O¹ and the nut 02 to regulate the load on the cams N.
:
The stems L of the pistons or plungers L¹ bear upon the cam-plates M M¹ as the
said pistons or plungers are carried round with the rotatable frame L.
With reference now to the construction of the hopper and its appurtenances a
central disc F1 (see Figures 3 and 4) forming part of the bottom of the body F of the
hopper is bolted to long bosses F2 secured upon arms P which radiate from a boss P¹
fixed to the spindle B. P2 is a ring carried upon the ends of the arms P and
having a number of holes or vertical bearings P³ therein, and hooks P thereon
adjacent to the said holes.
F3 are brackets (see Figures 2 and 3) attached to the underside of the hopper; the
said brackets support a rigid annulus F upon which the circumferential wall F* of
the hopper is supported.
Between the rigid annulus F and the disc F5 an annulus Q of dermatine or other
suitable flexible material, such as corrugated metal, for instance, is secured. In the
present instance the said flexible annulus is of dermatine; it is held in place by
rings QQ Suitable bolts are passed through the ring Q¹ and through the dermatine
annulus to secure the said ring to the disc F¹. The other ring Q is bolted to the
annulus F In the dermatine annulus, outlet tubes or spouts for the delivery of the
granular material are provided in the manner hereinafter specified. The said outlet
tubes or spouts rise and fall with the bottles as is hereinafter explained; the derinatine
annulus is provided in order that the said rise and fall may be readily effected.
F is a cone placed in the hopper F, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, to direct the
inaterial therein towards the upper ends of the outlet tubes or spouts in the
annulus Q.
R is a frame which supports a ring R¹ from which a number of stirrers R2 depend,
which act upon the granular material and stir it when the hopper is rotated.
R³ is a guide by which the filled bottles are diverted from the frame J on to the
table I.
S S° are rollers which turn upon studs S¹, attached to the said frame R; the said
rollers act upon valves whereby the delivery of material through the outlet tubes or
spouts is controlled, as hereinafter explained. The portion of the frame carrying
the said rollers is shown in the half plan Figure 7, and in the corresponding elevation
Figure 8.
Figure 9 is an elevation of a part of the apparatus herein before described, and
shows to a large scale an outlet tube or pipe and its appurtenances, in place, and in
readiness to deliver material into the bottle K.
Figure 10 is a vertical central section of a view similar to Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a vertical central section of an alternative construction of the lower
end of an outlet tube or pipe.
Figure 12 is a transverse section therethrough, on the line A B of Figure 11, and
Figure 13 is a plan of the whole of the said outlet pipe and its fittings.
Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 11 of a further alternative modification of
the lower end of an outlet tube or pipe.
With reference to the said Figures 10 to 14, T is a tube or spout, divided
lengthwise, into two chambers T T by a midfeather Ts. The chamber Î¹ constitutes

page_text: a channel for the passage of the granular material from the hopper to the bottles.
The chamber T has a tube T inserted therein; the upper end of the said tube
extends above the normal level of the material in the hopper. The lower end of the
said tube is in communication with the interior of the chamber T2 (as in Figure 10),
(or as in Figures 11 and 14) with a channel Ts formed in metal which closes the
lower end of the said chamber T2.
U is a collar rotatable about the lower end of the. tube T, and adapted to have
Irovement endwise in the holes P³ of the ring carried by the aforesaid arms P. U
is a flange to limit the downward movement of the collar U. U¹ U¹are.arms forined
upon the said collar; the said arms effect its rotation and are rendered operative by
coming into contact with the rollers S So in the movement of the tubes T with the
hopper during the rotation of the latter. The lower end of the collar is closed by a
semi-circular portion U2 slotted or cut away at U³. In the position in which the
collar is indicated in Figures 10, 11 and 14 the lower end of the chamber T¹ is open,
and the slot U3 affords communication with the channel T5 and tube T. But if the
collar be turned from that position. through an arc of 180° about the tube T, the
portion U will completely close the chamber T', and, in the modification illustrated
in Figure 11, the slot U³ will come under the lowermost edge of the mid feather T'
so as no longer to afford a communication with the channel T and tube T4. In the
modification illustrated in Figure 14 the portion U2 is arranged to close the chamber T¹
only.
Vis a screw-threaded collar secured to the upper end of the tube T and provided
with a flange V₁. The tube T is passed through a hole in the aforesaid dermatine
ring Q so that the flange V1 bears upon the upper side of the said ring. V2 is a nut
screwed upon the collar V to retain a ring V³ in place and to force a cupped
washer V up towards the flange V₁ so that the dermatine is tightly gripped between
the said washer and the flange to make a tight joint between the tube T and the said
dermatine ring. V5 are hooks upon the ring V³. Rubber bands V or springs are extended
between the said hooks and the hooks P* (see Figure 9) so that their tension may
tend always to keep the tube T at the lower limit of its vertical travel in the
ring Pº.
To prevent the tubes T from twisting in the dermatine I secure arms W thereto
which are forked to engage with pins W₁ on the hopper F in such a manner as to be
capable of sliding thereon so as to offer no obstacle to the vertical movement of the
tubes, whilst effectually preventing their rotation. U is a rubber ring placed upon
the lower end of the collar U for the purpose hereinafter set forth. For the rubber
ring UI may substitute a cone, or I may make the lower end of the collar U
of any suitable shape, to fit the orifice of the receptacle which it is desired to
fill.
Figures 15, 17, and 19 are cross sections, and Figures 16, 18 and 20 are
corresponding plans of devices for enabling bottles of different sizes and shapes to
be filled by the said improved machine without necessitating any alteration in the
machine.
In the said Figures a is a cylinder closed at one end by a plate a¹ which is perforated
at b; ccare filling pieces of different shapes, so arranged within the said cylinders a
as to have a suitable space between them of sufficient dimensions to receive the bottle.
The bottle when thus received between the filling pieces c c is held central in the
cylinder and is kept from rattling about. The said pieces e c may be connected
together or secured to the bottom plate a¹ by any suitable means and varied in size
and shape to fit any bottle which the cylinder a is desired to receive.
In the operation of the said improved apparatus the main spindle B with the
hopper F and circular frames J, P, and L thereon, is rotated by the action of the
shaft E¹, which by the worm E operates upon the worn-wheel D keyed upon the said
spindle.
The bottles K are placed between the guides I'by hand and are carried by the conveyor
G to the circular fraine J and into the recesses J¹, thereof as the said recesses present
themselves opposite to the delivery end of the conveyor. Should any bottle, failing to

page_text: enter the proper recess, be caught between the side of any recess and the portion I² of
the guide, the said portion will yield, in the manner indicated in Figure 6, to prevent
damage to the bottle, which will enter the recess which is next in order. The spring
I causes the portion 12 of the guide to resume its normal position after deflection as
aforesaid. As the bottles enter the said recesses they are received upon the pistons L'
as shewn, which latter are raised by the cam surface M so that the neck of the bottle
is caused to receive the lower end of the collar U and to make a tight joint with the
ring U, upon the outlet tube over each piston. The bottles, after being thus
connected with the tubes T are carried round upon the pistons or plungers L¹. As
the several tubes T pass the rollers. S the latter act upon the arins U¹ and cause them
to effect the rotation of the collars U so that the said collars are turned through an
angle of 180° about the tubes T into the position in which they are indicated in
Figures 10, 11 and 14 whereupon the material in the hopper F flows there from
through the chambers Tinto the bottles, while the air displaced from the said bottles
passes up out of them through the tubes T4.
1.
The bottles while being filled are bumped or jerked with sufficient violence to
cause the material, to settle closely in the bottles. The bumping or jerking is
effected by the vertical reciprocation of the cam-plate M¹ by means of the cam N,
arm M5 shaft M', and rods M2; the said cam-plate M¹ in turn reciprocates the
stens L of the pistons or plungers upon which the bottles are supported. The
elasticity of the part Q of the hopper bottom to which the outlet tubes or parts are
attached enables the said tubes or spouts to have the necessary freedom of movement
during the operation of bumping the bottles as aforesaid, in which operation the
close connection of the bottles with the tubes T is preserved, the tension of the
rubber bands or springs V6 maintaining contact between the bottle-necks and
the rings U. By the entry of the delivery spouts or tubes into the necks of the
bottles as aforesaid and the provision of packing-rings thereon the material is
permitted to rise in the bottles as far as the ends of the collars U. The said collars, as
they pass the rollers So after the bottles are filled, are again rotated through an arc of
1800 by the action of the said rollers on the arms U¹, and cut off the supply of the
material within the bottle necks by the se:ni-circular plate or closure U2 thus
ensuring the filling of the bottles to uniform height without the spilling of any material
upon the outsides of the bottles and without the escape of any inaterial between the
necks of the bottles and the spouts; for the channels controlled by the said rotatable
plates or closures are not opened until the bottle is properly placed upon the spout
or tube and are closed before the bottles are withdrawn therefrom. To effect the
said withdrawal the stem L2 of the pistons or plungers are lowered, as they slide
over a suitably-formned portion of the cain-surface M, and the filled bottles are
diverted by the guide R³ on to the table I, whence they are removed by hand."
By providing bottles or other receptacles of uniformn size and suitable automatic
means for indicating the number of bottles or receptacles filled by the apparatus it
inay be employed as an automatic measuring apparatus.
Where the material dealt with is dusty, I preferably provide the hopper with an
intake tube which extends sufficiently far into the said hopper to deliver fresh
material always below the normal level of the surface layer of material in the hopper,
so that the said surface layer is kept comparatively undisturbed; thus the rise of
dust is to a great extent prevented.
I do not limit my said invention to the particular details and modes of operation
herein before described, which are set forth by way of example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. For filling bottles or other receptacles, a machine provided with a rotary hopper
having delivery-tubes which are adapted to nove endwise, and apparatus, rotating
with the hopper, adapted to receive and to raise and lower the bottles or cases so as to
put each bottle or case into and out of communication with one of the aforesaid

page_text: delivery tubes and to bump or shake the said bottle or case while it is in connection
with the said tube, for the purposes specified.
2. The combination with a rotary hopper, of tubes adapted to receive endwise
movement, secured in or upon a flexible portion of the bottom thereof and provided
at their lower ends with valves adapted to be operated automatically by contact with
stationary devices during the movement of the tubes with the hopper, for the purposes
specified.
3. The combination, with the flexible portion of the hopper, of delivery
tubes, secured thereto substantially as hereinbefore described for the purpose
specified.
4. Combined delivery and air tubes and their appurtenances substantially as
herein before described with reference to Figures 9 to 14 of the accompanying
drawings, for the purpose specified.
5. The combination with filling-apparatus, of a conveyor, guides I, and
safety device I2, substantially as herein before described, for the purpose
specified.
6. A machine for filling bottles or other receptacles constructed substantially as
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and operating as
specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.