Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Filling Bottles, Jars, and the like, with Beer and other Liquids.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Filling Bottles,
Jars, and the like, with Beer and other Liquids.
I GEORGE HOPKINS of 152 Saint John Street Clerkenwell in the County of
London Engineer and Coppersmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to remove the air contained in empty bottles and
the like receptacles before filling them with aerated liquids so that the liquid may
be run into the bottles or the like under pressure without frothing which frothing
or "fobbing" in the case of aerated beer is a source of great annoyance, waste of
time and liquor to the bottlers.
Now according to this invention I provide a cylinder of copper or other suitable
material in which works airtight a piston attached to a piston rod.
The piston is preferably packed with a cup leather as the pressure is only on
one side thereof. The piston rod works through a tube having an external screw
thereon which screw works in a nut attached to the top, of the cylinder. The
piston rod has a collar thereon and weights are placed on the rod above the collar
to depress the piston the stroke of the piston downwards being regulated by
screwing the tube into or out of the cylinder it being understood that the descent
of the piston is arrested by the collar coming in contact with the top of the
screwed tube.
At the bottom of the cylinder is an air valve (to allow the air to escape from
under the piston) and also an inlet for the liquid to be bottled. Beneath the said
valve and inlet is an apparatus for admitting the liquid to the bottle and for
allowing the air in the bottle to escape into the cylinder and also a valve to admit
gas from the gasholder or bottle to the receptacle being filled. I provide a
telescopic tube down which the liquid being bottled flows the lower portion of the
tube being provided with a mushroom head and a slot. The telescopic tube is in
communication with the liquid supply and a space between the outer tube and the
filling nozzle or a series of holes in the nozzle allows the air in the bottle to pass
into the cylinder, I propose as an alternative to arrange the gas valve, air valve
and liquid valve side by side so that all the valves may be actuated by one
handle.
The action of the apparatus is as follows.
On first moving the bandle the gas valve is opened and gas admitted down the
telescopic tube to the bottom of the bottle, jar or the like, the air contained in
which is driven out and escapes between the tube and the nozzle or cup or through
the said holes into the cylinder raising the piston. The further movement of the
handle admits the aerated liquid which flows down the inner tube and fills the
bottle or other receptacle without "fobbing."
On moving the handle back to its original position the air valve is opened and
the air is allowed to escape from the cylinder and the piston falls.
A spring is placed inside the cylinder above the piston which spring is
compressed when the piston has reached a certian height.
The telescopic tube prevents any loss of liquor while removing a filled
receptacle from the apparatus and replacing it with an empty one.
The apparatus

page_text: is provided with a charging nozzle and bottle holder of any suitable size and
shape.
Dated this 30th day of May 1895.
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, Holborn, E.C., Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Filling Bottles,
Jars, and the like, with Beer and other Liquids.
I GEORGE HOPKINS of 152 St. John Street Clerkenwell in the County of
London Engineer and Coppersmith, 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 this invention is to remove the air contained in empty bottles and
the like receptacles before filling them with aërated liquids so that the said liquids
may be run into the bottles or the like under pressure without frothing which
frothing or fobbing in the case of aerated beer is a source of great annoyance
waste of time and liquor to the bottlers thereof.
Now according to this invention I provide a cylinder of copper or other
suitable material in which works airtight a piston attached to a piston rod.
The piston is preferably packed with a cup leather as the pressure is only on one
side thereof.
The piston rod works through a tube having an external screw thread thereon
which screw works in a nut attached to the top of the cylinder.
The piston rod has a collar thereon and a weight or weights is or are placed on
the rod above the collar to depress the piston the stroke of the piston downwards
being regulated by screwing the tube into or out of the cylinder it being under-
stood that the descent of the piston is arrested by the collar coming in contact with
the top of the screwed tube a spring is placed inside the cylinder above the piston
which spring is compressed when the piston has reached a certain height.
At the bottom of the cylinder is an air valve and also an inlet for the liquor to
te bottled and beneath the said inlet and valve is an apparatus for admitting the
liquid to the bottle and for allowing the air in the bottle to escape into the
cylinder and also a valve to admit gas from the gas holler to the receptacle being
filled.
I provide also a telescopic tube down which the liquid being bottled flows the
lower portion of the tube being provided with a mushroom head and a slut. The
telescopic tube is in communication with the liquid supply and a space between
the outer tube and the filling nozzle or a series of holes in the nozzle allows the
air in the bottle to pass into the cylinder.
] propose as an alternative to arrange the gas valve air valve and liquid valve
side by side or in such other suitable position as to enable all the valves to be
actuated by one handle and to render the apparatus more compact the cylinder
may be placed on a level with or below the valves instead of above them.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will proceed to
explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Fig. 1 represents front view of an apparatus for filling bottles constructed
according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is side view of same.
Fig. 3 is enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shewing means for
operating flap guard attached to or forming part of bottle holder.
Fig. 4 is detail of portion of handle shewing method of opening the gas valve.

page_text: Fig. 5 is detail of portion of handle shewing method of opening the air valve.
The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs.
a is a stool upon which the apparatus is mounted 6 a pillar or frame attached to
the stool to which frame different parts of the apparatus are secured.
c is the cylinder of copper or other suitable material having a piston working
air tight therein the piston being preferably packed with a cup leather as the
pressure is on the underside of the piston only.
The piston is attached to a rod d having a collar e thereon on which rests a
weight or weights to force the piston downwards the stroke of the piston being
regulated by a tube g having an external screw thread thereon which engages with
a nut in the top of the cylinder c.
To the bottom of the cylinder c is attached a pipe connected at its opposite
end to the cock or valve which admits air from the bottle to the cylinder.
I prefer to use a two-way cock to admit the liquid to the bottle and allow the air
to escape therefrom one aperture in the plug forming a means of communication
between the bottom of the carbonator or other storage receptacle for the liquid to
be bottled and the telescopic tube of the filling nozzle and the other aperture in
the plug forming a communication between the air passages in the nozzle and the
pipe is a second pipe connected to the cylinder c at one end and to the air
escape valvej at the other end.
k is the gas valve opened by depressing the long end of the lever (which is
pivotted at m) by means of the handle n the gas valve being normally closed by a
spring. is a shuttle shaped projection on a piece of curved metal n¹¹ attached
to the handle n which projection when the handle is pulled to the right comes in
contact with a similar projection on the lever depressing the said lever aud
opening the gas valve which latter is closed by a spring as soon as the projecting
pieces are ont of contact with each other.
On the return movement of the handle the piece n¹ passes under the piece l
lifting the lever / and leaving the valve k closed.
The piece when the handle is in the position shewn at Fig. 1 opens the air
valve by pressing against the valve rod j₁ as shewn at Fig. 5 and allows the air in
the cylinder to escape down the pipe o but as soon as the handle n is moved the
air valve is released and closed by means of a spring before the gas valve is opened.
is a valve closed by a spring the tension or compression of which may be varied
by means of a regulating screw q. This valve regulates the flow of the air from
the bottle to the cylinder. The liquid enters the apparatus by the pipe r. s is the
gas supply pipe connecting the gas valve to a gas holder gas bottle or preferably
to the top of the carbonator.
On the plug of the two way cock is a cam t actuating a bell crank u the long
arm of which actuates a cam vattached to a spindle w to which spindle is also
attached a flap guard a the said flap being depressed on the first movement of the
handle n.
A spring y normally keeps the flap raised as shewn at Fig. 2.
The telescopic tube is shewn in detail at Fig. 6 and consists of a tube A
attached to the filling nozzle in this slides a tube B having a mushroom or other
suitably shaped head Cat the bottom thereof and a slot D just above the head or
in the head itself. This telescopic tube is long enough to reach the bottom of the
largest bottle to be filled and the head rests on the bottom of the bottle thus
allowing the gas and liquid to enter the bottle at the bottom thereof.
A suitable platform which is depressed by a treadle and raised by a spring or
weight is provided on which the bottom of the bottle rests the spring or weight
forcing the neck of the bottle into gas tight contact with the rubber lining of the
filling nozzle.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
On the first movement of the handle from the position shewn at Fig. 1 the air
escape valve is closed and the gas valve opened and gas admitted down the
telescopic tube to the bottom of the bottle driving out the air contained therein
which escapes between the outside of the tube and the nozzle or through the holes.

page_text: in the nozzle into the cylinder raising the piston. The further movement of the
handle allows the gas valve to close and admits the aerated liquid which flows
down the telescopic tube and fills the bottle against the pressure of the air and
gas in the cylinder and bottle without frothing of the liquid. On restoring the
handle to its original position the air valve is opened the air is allowed to escape
from the cylinder and the piston falls.
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 an apparatus for filling bottles jars and the like with liquids the
combination of a valve to admit gas to the interior of the bottle or other receptacle
to be filled with a cylinder fitted with a piston to receive the air displaced by the
entering gas and a valve to allow the air in the cylinder to escape when the said
receptacle is filled substantially as and for the purpose stated.
2. In an apparatus for filling bottles, jars and other receptacles with liquids the
combination of a two way cock to allow the liquid to enter and the air to escape
from the receptacle to be filled with a cylinder provided with a weighted piston
moving freely therein to receive the air expelled from the receptacle by the gas
and entering liquid and a handle or other means. of opening and closing the said
cock and valves substantially as herein before specified.
3. In an apparatus for filling bottles jars and the like receptacles with liquids
the means for arresting the downward motion of the piston substantially as
herein before specified.
4. In an apparatus for filling bottles jars and the like receptacles with liquids
the combination of a cylinder fitted with a movable piston to receive the air
displaced from the receptacle with a valve p opening against the force exerted by
a spring the tension or compression of which may be varied by means of a screw q
substantially as hereinbefore specified and for the purpose stated.
5. In an apparatus for filling bottles jars and the like receptacles with liquids
the tube A attached to the filling nozzle having a tube B sliding therein the
tube B having a mushroom or other suitably shaped head C and a slot D
substantially as hereinbefore specified and for the purposes stated.
6. In an apparatus for filling bottles, jars and the like receptacles with liquids
the combination of a two way cock to allow the liquid to enter the receptacle and
air to escape therefrom a valve to admit gas to the receptacle a valve to regulate
the escape of air and gas from the receptacle a cylinder having a weighted piston
working air tight therein to receive the air expelled from the receptacle and a
valve to allow the air to escape from the cylinder when the bottle is filled the said
cock and valves being operated by a handle or other suitable means of opening and
closing the same substantially as herein before specified.
7. Apparatus for filling bottles jars and other like receptacles with liquids
constructed as hereinbefore specified and shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of February 1896.
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, Holborn, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.