Improvements in Apparatus for Closing Bottles and Jars for the Preservation of Alimentary and other Substances.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Nov., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Closing Bottles and Jars for the
Preservation of Alimentary and other Substances.
1, GEORGE BATHGATE, of No. 7 Bolton Studios, Redcliffe Road, London in
the County of Middlesex, Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for corking or stoppering
bottles or jars, combined with apparatus for exhausting the air from such bottles
or jars when filled and immediately before corking or stoppering the same.
Such apparatus when constructed for exhausting the air from bottles or jars
filled with alimentary or other substances and then immediately corking the same,
consists of a vacuum pump, or a vacuum pump and vacuum chamber, having a pipe
or other suitable channel connecting the cylinder of the vacuum pump, or the
interior of the vacuum chamber, with the corking tube of a corking machine, at a
point below the cork compressor; the construction and arrangement of the parts
being such that the lever or handle which operates the cork-compressor and the
corking rod to force the cork into the bottle, also operates the piston of the vacuum
pump which exhausts the vacuum chamber or exhausts the air directly from
the filled bottle or jar at the moment before the cork is driven into its place
in the neck of the bottle or jar under treatment.
When a vacuum chamber is interposed between the vacuum pump and the
corking apparatus the said chamber may be exhausted by means of the air
pump preparatory to corking and the required vacuum be thereafter maintained
by the operation of the vacuum pump concurrently with the subsequent corking
operations and by additional strokes of the pump piston at intervals as may be
required.
Both ends of the corking tube are made air-tight-above, by the insertion
of the compressed cork and below by the pressure of the mouth of the bottle
or jar on a suitable elastic cushion.
The communication between the vacuum chamber or the cylinder of the vacuum
pump and the corking tube is then opened by means of apparatus hereinafter
described, in such a manner that the air within the filled bottle or jar to be
exhausted is brought under the influence of the vacuum chamber or the vacuum
pump immediately preceding the final operation of driving the cork through the
corking tube into the neck of the bottle or jar.
The apparatus for exhausting or rarefying the air from bottles and jars remains
the same for all forms of corked or otherwise stoppered bottles or jars but the
apparatus for closing such vessels after they have been subjected to the influence
of the vacuum chamber or vacuum pump is necessarily modified and adapted to
the varying requirements according to the various kinds of stoppered bottles or
jars employed.
For exhausting and stoppering bottles otherwise than with corks I provide a
stopper chamber conveniently secured to the cylinder of a vacuum pump. The
aperture communicating with the interior of the pump barrel is connected
with the interior of the stopper chamber. The piston rod of the vacuum
pump and the stoppering rod are toothed at their upper extremities and
between 'these rods is placed an irregularly toothed wheel. The 'toothed wheel
is enclosed within a frame by a guide plate serving as guides for the piston rod
of the pump and the stoppering rod. The axle of the irregularly toothed wheel
is provided with a lever and handle by which the combined exhausting and
stoppering apparatus is operated. The stoppering rod passes through a stuffing-

page_text: box and at its base is connected an ordinary stopper gripping device or stopper
holder which is free to move upwards and downwards in the stoppering tube.
The lower end of the stoppering chamber may be made air-tight in several
ways. When the diameter of the head of the stopper is greater than that of
the bottle neck a rubber or other elastic cushion is provided at the lower end
of the stopper chamber and the bottle to be stoppered is provided with a
removable rubber cap of conical shape so that the neck of the bottle so furnished
is pressed against the said cushion and the joint is thereby made air-tight. A
similar result may be attained by means of an elastic cushion divided into two or
more parts (preferably four parts) and hinged at the sides of the stopper chamber
so that the parts hang normally closed. Thus when a bottle is pressed against the
divided cushion the parts are compressed together and make the joint air-tight and
when the operation has been completed the several parts of the cushion open
outwards to allow the stopper to pass without resistance when the bottle is being
withdrawn from the machine.
The stoppering tube thus made air-tight at both ends, the operation of the
machine is as follows:-By pulling forward the lever handle the irregularly toothed
wheel is actuated and the piston immediately begins to ascend in the pump barrel
causing a vacuum therein which exhausts the air from the bottle through the
aperture connected with the stopper chamber. This movement continues until
the toothed portion of the irregularly toothed wheel comes round to the stoppering
rod causing the stopper to descend and close the bottle. The bottle is then removed
and another stopper is inserted in the stopper holder when the return motion of the
lever handle brings the stopper into position at the top of the stopper chamber
ready for the next operation.
The machine may be always brought back to its normal position by a spring
coiled round the projecting portion of the frame one end of the spring being secured
to the frame and the other end to the lever handle.
The last tooth on the piston rod and stoppering rod is preferably provided with
a roller so that when not in gear with the toothed portion of the irregularly toothed
wheel these rods respectively are supported by these rollers bearing upon the blank
portion of the irregularly toothed wheel the radius of which exceeds that of the
base of the teeth of the wheel and is about equal to that of the pitch line. From
this construction of the irregular tooth wheel no motion is possible in the piston
rod and stoppering rod until operated by the toothed portion of the wheel; that
is to say that when lifted by the gearing, these rods remain supported by the blank
portion of the wheel in opposition to any influence of gravity or atmospheric
pressure tending to cause them to descend, and can only descend when the toothed
wheel gears with them and turns in the required direction to cause their descent.
To adapt the combined exhausting and stoppering apparatus for stoppering bottles
with corks I provide in place of the stopper chamber herein before described a cork
compressor and instead of the stoppering rod, a cork plunger arranged in the manner
ordinarily adopted for compressing corks and driving them through a corking tube
into the mouths of the bottles. In this case the irregularly toothed wheel is
specially formed to operate the cork compressor and drive down the cork plunger
sufficiently to hermetically close the upper part of the corking tube and then allow
the cork plunger to rest while the exhausting operation is accomplished. This
movement is produced by two teeth of the irregularly toothed wheel. A three-way
cock is provided to control communication between the interior of the corking tube
and the cylinder of the vacuum pump and the piston rises in the pump cylinder
until the teeth which operate the piston rod gear with the cork plunger to produce
the further descent of the latter as required for forcing the cork through the corking
tube into the neck of the bottle. The corking plunger may in the usual way be
adjustable in the arm by which it is carried.
When the articles contained in the bottle or vessel under operation are such that
they may not be advantageously kept under the influence of a vacuum I place a
filtering tube on the passage of the three-way cock leading to the atmosphere, the

page_text: size and construction of such filter necessarily depending upon the filtering medium
employed. By this means, after exhausting the unfiltered air from the bottle
filtered air, or air impregnated by passage through any desired medium with which
the filter case may be charged will be admitted to the bottle when the three way
cock is turned to the required position for that purpose.
Or carbonic acid gas may
be admitted instead of filtered or impregnated air by connecting the passage of the
three-way cock with some reservoir or other source of supply of carbonic acid gas
instead of leaving it open to the atmosphere.
Instead of the stoppering rod hereinbefore described or the cork compressing and
driving mechanism a stoppering rod capable of rotating during its descent may be
provided to adapt the combined exhausting and stoppering apparatus to screw
stoppered bottles. And the plug of the three-way cock may be operated
automatically by the irregularly toothed wheel.
In this case the irregularly toothed wheel engages with the teeth formed at one
side of a rod carrying teeth at its other side to engage with a spur wheel carrying
upon its axle a crown wheel to engage with an extended pinion formed upon the
stoppering rod to cause the latter to rotate during its descent. The stoppering rod
carried in an arm extending from the said doubly toothed rod, is threaded so that
the revolution causes the stoppering rod to work upwards through the said arm
during the act of stoppering a bottle, thereby lessening the descent of the screw
stopper on the neck of the bottle so that the extent of turning required for properly
fixing the screw stopper may be attained during the travel of the screw stopper
into the threads formed in the bottle neck.
For operating the three-way cock automatically I provide upon an extended part
of the plug of the cock, a cam path in which a screw or other projection secured in
a bearing carried by a rod engages. This latter rod is operated by the irregularly
toothed wheel the teeth employed for this purpose being independent of the teeth
which produce the movements of the stoppering rod and the piston rod. A spring
applied to the plug of the three-way cock serves to carry it to its normal position
and retain it there when not removed by the said automatic operating device and
the said spring serves also to direct the course of the screw or other projection in
the cam path.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1892.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Closing Bottles and Jars for the
Preservation of Alimentary and other Substances.
I, GEORGE BATHGATE of No. 7 Bolton Studios, Redcliffe Road, London in the
County of Middlesex, Artist, 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 improvements in apparatus for corking or stoppering
bottles or jars combined with apparatus for exhausting the air from such bottles or
jars when filled and immediately before corking or stoppering the same.
Such apparatus consists of a vacuum pump or a vacuum pump and vacuum
chamber having a pipe or other suitable channel connecting the cylinder of the
vacuum pump, or the interior of the vacuum chamber, with the corking tube of a
corking machine, at a point below the cork compressor; the construction and
arrangement of the parts being such that the lever or handle which operates the
cork compressor and the corking rod to force the cork into the bottle, also
operates the piston of the vacuum pump which exhausts the vacuum chamber, or
exhausts the air directly from the filled bottle or jar at the moment before the cork
is driven into its place in the neck of the bottle or jar under treatment,

page_text: When a vacuum chamber is interposed between the vacuum pump and the
corking apparatus the said chamber may be exhausted by means of the air pump
preparatory to corking and the required vacuum be thereafter maintained by the
operation of the vacuum pump concurrently with the subsequent corking operations
and by additional strokes of the pump piston at intervals as may be required.
Both ends of the corking tube are made air-tight:-above, by the insertion of
the compressed cork and below by the pressure of the mouth of the bottle or jar
on a suitable elastic cushion.
The communication between the vacuum chamber or the cylinder of the vacuum
pump and the corking tube is then opened by means of apparatus hereinafter
described, in such a manner that the air within the filled bottle or jar to be
exhausted is brought under the influence of the vacuum chamber or the vacuum
pump immediately preceding the final operation of driving the cork through the
corking tube into the neck of the bottle or jar.
The apparatus for exhausting or rarefying the air from bottles or jars remains
the same for all forms of corked or otherwise stoppered bottles or jars, but the
apparatus for closing such vessels after they have been subjected to the influence
of the vacuum chamber or vacuum pump is necessarily modified and adapted to
the varying requirements according to the various kinds of stoppered bottles or
jars employed.
In the accompanying drawing in all the figures of which the same or like parts
are indicated by the same reference letter.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the combined exhausting and stoppering
apparatus.
Figure 2 is a section of Figure taken at the line a¹ .
Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section showing the combined exhausting
and stoppering apparatus as applied for stoppering bottles with corks.
Figure 4 is a plan in section taken at the line d¹ in Figure 3.
Figure 5 shows in detail the arrangement of the gearing adapted to depress the
corking plunger 62 by two stages, first for compressing the cork and closing
hermetically the upper end of the cork tube d¹ and secondly for further driving
the cork into the bottle neck.
Figure 6 is a front elevation partly in section of the combined exhausting and
stoppering apparatus adapted for stoppering screw stoppered bottles mounted
upon a vacuum chamber and provided with a three way cock N.
Figure 7 shows a detail view of the three way cock N.
Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings the stopper chamber C is conveniently
secured to the cylinder A of a vacuum pump. The aperture 9 brings the interior
of the stopper chamber C into communication with the interior of the cylinder A.
The piston rod a of the vacuum pump and the stoppering rod bare toothed at
their upper extremities and between these rods a and b is placed the irregularly
toothed wheel D. In the frame E suitable guides are formed for the piston rod a
and stoppering rod b. The axle of the wheel D is fitted through a projecting part
of the frame E as clearly shown at Figure 2 and at the end a suitable handle and
lever Fare provided by which the combined exhausting and stoppering apparatus
is operated. The stoppering rod passes through a stuffing box fand at its base is
connected an ordinary stopper gripping device or stopper holder G which is free to
move upwards and downwards in the stoppering tube ().
When the diameter of the head of the stopper is greater than that of the bottle
neck the lower end of the stoppering chamber C may be made air-tight by means
of an elastic cushion L divided into two or more parts and hinged to the sides of
the stopper chamber C so that the parts hang normally closed. Thus when a
bottle is pressed against the divided cushion L the parts are compressed together
and make the joint air-tight and when the operation has been completed the several
parts of the cushion L open outwards to allow the stopper to pass without
resistance when the bottle is being withdrawn from the machine.
The stoppering tube thus made air-tight at both ends the operation of the

page_text: machine is as follows:-By pulling forward the lever F the toothed wheel D is
actuated and the piston immediately begins to ascend in the cylinder A causing a
vacuum therein which exhausts the air from the bottle through the aperture g.
This goes on until the toothed portion of the wheel D comes round to the stoppering
rod causing the stopper to descend and close the bottle, the bottle is then removed
and another stopper inserted in the stopper holder G when the return motion of
the lever F brings the stopper into position at the top of the stopper chamber C
ready for the next operation.
The machine may be always brought back to its normal position by a spring H
coiled round the projecting portion of the frame E one end of the spring being
secured to the frane E and the other end to the lever F, or in any other convenient
manner.
When the piston rod a and stoppering rod 6 are not in gear with the toothed
portion of the wheel D they are supported by the last tooth of said rods bearing
upon the blank portion of the wheel D, the radius of which exceeds that of the
base of the teeth of the wheel and is about equal to that of the pitch line. From
this construction of the irregular toothed wheel D as shown in Figures 1 and 5 it
will be evident that no motion is possible in the piston rod a and stoppering rod & until
operated by the toothed portion of the wheel D, that is to say that when lifted by
the gearing these rods a and b remain supported by the blank portion of the wheel Ď
in opposition to any influence of gravity or atmospheric pressure tending to cause
them to descend, and can only descend when the toothed wheel D gears with them
and turns in the required direction to cause their descent.
Figures 3. 4 and 5 show similarly combined exhausting and stoppering apparatus
with modifications necessary to adapt it for stoppering bottles with corks. The rod b
carries the cork plunger in the arm and terminates in a slot 63 in which works
the bowl e' mounted upon the pin e secured to the sliding cork compressor d by
which the cork is compressed prior to being carried into the upper part of the
cork tube d'.
The cork compressing mechanism may be secured to the side of the cylinder A
by the frame E and the cork tube d' may be secured to the frame E' and to the
side of the cylinder A as shown in Figure or in any other convenient manner.
The working of the machine is as follows:-
b
The bottle is pressed against the elastic cushion L' and by pulling forward the
lever F the toothed wheel D as already explained causes the piston to ascend in
the cylinder, and also causes the rod 6 carrying the cork plunger 62 to descend and
at the same time forces forward the cork compressor d by which the cork is com-
pressed in readiness to be carried by the further descent of the cork plunger 62 into
the upper part of the cork tube d'. The necessary travel of the rod to accomplish
this is produced by the two teeth of the wheel D as shown at h in Figure 5 which
carry the corking plunger b² down far enough to force the cork sufficiently into the
upper end of the cork tube d to make the joint air-tight but not far enough to
cover the aperture g communicating with the cylinder A. The aperture g is con-
nected to the cylinder A at a point considerably higher than that shown in
Figure 1 in order that both ends of the corking tube may be made air-tight before
the bottle or jar to be exhausted is brought under the influence of the vacuum in
the cylinder, that is to say that before the ascending piston shall have reached the
point of connection g with the cylinder A the cork will be sufficiently compressed
into the upper end of the corking tube to make the joint tight. The piston con-
tinues to rise in the cylinder until the teeth of the wheel D again gear with the
rod to produce the further descent of the corking plunger 62 necessary for forcing
the cork through the cork tube d' into the bottle neck.
In this arrangement a discharge valve is fitted in the piston through which the
air at the bottom of the cylinder may be freely discharged on the return motion
of the machine.
I sometimes fit a suction valve in the pipe g and when the air space within the
vessel to be exhausted is considerable the lever F may be actuated to pump the

page_text: air from the vessel before the cork or stopper is finally driven down. The corking
plunger may in the usual way be adjustable in the arm b¹.
When it is desired to use the combined exhausting and corking apparatus as a
simple corking machine, that is to say corking in ordinary air without actuating
the piston rod, the piston rod after it has been raised by the gearing may be slightly
further raised by the hand and kept in this position by a screw or other gripping
device so as to throw it out of gearing with the return motion of the wheel in
which case the irregularly toothed wheel would only actuate the corking plunger
as will be readily understood from the drawings.
Figure 6 shows the combined exhausting and stoppering apparatus adapted for
stoppering screw stoppered bottles mounted upon a vacuum chamber B and pro-
vided with a three way cock N. In this arrangement the three way cock N
intercepts a pipe P leading from the stopper chamber C to the vacuum chamber B,
the vaccum chamber B being constantly in free communication with the cylinder A
of the vacuum pump. Before commencing stoppering operations the lever F is
pulled forward several times so as to actuate the piston of the vacuum pump and
thereby obtain a suitable vacuum in the chamber B which may be indicated by a
vacuum gauge and this vacuum may thenceforward be maintained approximately
by the operation of stoppering, and by separately working the vacuum pump at
intervals during the operation of stoppering.
The rod or piece b is toothed on its outer surface as shown at 7 and as it descends
gears with the wheel m carried in the frame E. A crown wheel m¹ fitted upon the
same axle as the wheel m engages the extended pinion 64 formed upon the
stoppering rod 62 and causes it to revolve during its descent. The stoppering rod 62
passing through the arm is threaded so that the revolution causes the stoppering
rod to work upwards through the said arm during the act of stoppering a bottle
thereby lessening the descent of the screw stopper on the neck of the bottle so that
the extent of turning required for properly fixing the screw stopper may be
attained during the travel of the screw stopper into the threads formed in the bottle
neck.
The passage N¹ of the three way cock N (as shown in Figure 7) communicates
with the stopper chamber C, the passage N2 with the vacuum chamber B, and the
passage N³ communicating with the atmosphere serves to admit air to the stopper
chamber C after stoppering the bottle, when the bottle may be easily removed
from its air-tight connection therewith.
I sometimes connect the passage N³ of the three way cock to a reservoir or
other source of supply of carbonic acid gas and after creating a vacuum in the
bottle as before explained but before the descent of the stoppering rod or corking
rod as the case may be, the three way cock is operated so as to close the vacuum
connections and open communication between the stopper chamber or the cork tube
as the case may be, allowing the entry of carbonic acid gas to fill up the vacuum in
the bottle or jar. Instead of carbonic acid gas bottles may be closed in filtered or
antiseptic air in the same manner by connecting a filtering tube or chamber to the
passage N³ of the three way cock.
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. Apparatus for corking or stoppering bottles or jars combined with air
exhausting apparatus arranged so that the movements of the stoppering rod of the
stoppering apparatus and the piston rod of the vacuum pump are interdependent
and so that the vacuum piston does not pass the port of the passage communicating
between the vacuum cylinder and the bottle until the cork has entered the cork
tube and made the same airtight substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. In combined air exhausting and bottle or jar stoppering apparatus the
dependent movement of the piston-rod of the vacuum pump and the stoppering rod
of the stoppering device controlled and regulated by the irregularly toothed-wheel D

page_text: the irregularity of which is modified to suit the various requirements substantially
as described.
3. In apparatus for stoppering bottles or jars the combination of a toothed rod b,
a toothed wheel m, a crown wheel m', an extended pinion 64 and the screw nut in b¹
detracting from the downward movement of the stoppering rod relatively to that of
the toothed rod b to rotate the screw stopper during its passage through the stopper
chamber into the neck of the bottle substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for stoppering bottles or jars the divided flexible cushion L
formed of separately counterpoised parts to make a hermetical joint at the neck of
the bottle to be stoppered and to allow for the passage through the flexible cushion
of a stopper the head of which may be larger in diameter than the neck of the
bottle substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of November 1899
GEORGE BATHGATE.