IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILLING AERATED LIQUIDS INTO BOTTLES WHICH HAVE INTERNAL STOPPERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hiram Codd, of Grove Lane, Camberwell, in the County
of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILLING
AERATED LIQUIDS INTO BOTTLES WHICH HAVE INTERNAL STOPPERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hiram Codd at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1877.
HIRAM CODD, of Grove Lane, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILLING AERATED LIQUIDS INTO BOTTLES WHICH
HAVE INTERNAL STOPPERS."
Heretofore apparatus for filling bottles which have globular or other internal
stoppers with aerated liquids has been so constructed that the bottles when being
filled or charged have had to be held up to a nozzle, through which the liquid is
supplied, and before being removed from the nozzle have had to be inverted, the
nozzle turning on a joint to allow of this being done; the ball or stopper then drops
to the mouth of the bottle and at once closes it, when the bottle is drawn back
from the nozzle. The disadvantages of this arrangement are that the apparatus is
costly, and that by reason of each bottle having to be inverted after it is filled, more
time than necessary is taken up in the filling and closing of the bottles. By my
Invention I am enabled to fill and close bottles such as are described in the Specifi-
cation of a former Patent granted to me, without the necessity of inverting them as
heretofore. These [bottles are fitted with an internal globular stopper, and the
stopper is retained in the neck of the bottle by a contraction at the lower part of
the neck, so that the stopper cannot drop away very far from the mouth. To fill
such bottles I now cause them, whilst being filled or charged, to be held in a holder
in an inclined position, and when filled move the holder quickly back away from
the filling tube, whereby the ball not being moved back with the bottle at once
comes up to and closes the mouth.
I also arrange the filling apparatus in such manner that the act of pressing the
bottle towards the filling tube opens a valve and allows the aerated liquid under
pressure to enter the bottle, and that the drawing away of the bottle allows the

page_text: valve to close. To effect this the holder in which the bottle to be filled is laid may
be free to slide to and fro on inclined guides, or be carried by a rocking lever arm,
so that the bottle whilst held in an inclined position may by a lever, or treadle, or
otherwise, be moved towards and away from a filling nozzle.
The filling nozzle I arrange to be carried by a block, which is also free to slide to
and fro a short distance in the same direction as the bottle, and so that it shall be
pressed forwards towards the bottle by springs. At the front of the block and surround-
ing the nozzle I place an elastic ring. When the bottle is moved forwards it comes
against this ring and presses the block back, at the same time that a tight joint is
mnade by the elastic ring around the head of the bottle. I also arrange that after
the block has been moved back a distance it shall come against the hollow stem of
a valve which closes the end of a pipe leading from the vessel containing aërated
liquid under pressure, and shall press this valve away from its seat, so that the liquid
shall then be free to pass out through the hollow stem. The hollow stem of the
valve I make to project forward into a recess in the sliding block, whilst the back
of the block coines against an elastic ring and forms a tight joint. I also provide a
small passage through the block, so that as the bottle fills, the air previously in the
bottle is free to escape by this passage, and the freedom with which the air is
allowed to escape can be controlled by a valve.
When the bottle has been filled the pressure by which it was held up to the
filling nozzle is relieved, and the bottle is then quickly forced back by the pressure
of the gas and by the springs which act upon the sliding block before mentioned,
and also, it may be, by a spring or springs acting upon the bottle holder. The
bottle is thus quickly moved back, and the stopper not being carried back with it
comes to the mouth of the bottle and closes it.
When the bottle holder is to be moved to and fro upon inclined guides it may
have on its under side a toothed rack, into which gears a toothed quadrant, upon
the axis of which is a lever handle by which it can be turned to move the holder to
and fro. The axis of the quadrant may also have descending from it a lever arm
coupled by a link to another lever used for moving to and fro a wire shield or guard
for covering the bottlo whilst being filled, so that at the same time that a bottle is
moved forward to be filled the guard is moved over it, and as the bottle when filled
is drawn back the guard is also moved back in an opposite direction to the bottle.
The arm descending from the quadrant may also be connected by a spring to a
prolongation of the lever used for moving the shield so as always to tend to draw the
bottle holder and shield. away from one another.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hiram Codd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th September
1877.
HIRAM CODD, of Grove Lane, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILLING AERATED LIQUIDS INTO BOTTLES WHICH
HAVE INTERNAL STOPPERS."
Heretofore apparatus for filling bottles which have globular or other internal
stoppers with aerated liquids has been so constructed that the bottles when being
filled or charged have had to be held up to a nozzle, through which the liquid is
supplied, and before being removed from the nozzle have had to be inverted, the
nozzle turning on a joint to allow of this being done; the ball or stopper then drops
to the mouth of the bottle and at once closes it, when the bottle is drawn back from
the nozzle. The disadvantages of this arrangement are that the apparatus is costly,
and that by reason of each bottle having to be inverted after it is filled, more time
than necessary is taken up in the filling and closing of the bottles. By my
Invention I am enabled to fill and close bottles such as are described in the Specifi-

page_text: cation of a former Patent granted to me without the necessity of inverting them as
heretofore. These bottles are fitted with an internal globular stopper, and the
stopper is retained in the neck of the bottle by a contraction at the lower part of
the neck, so that the stopper cannot drop away very far from the mouth. To fill
such bottles I now cause them whilst being filled or charged to be held in a holder
in an inclined position, and when filled move the holder quickly back away from
the filling tube, whereby the ball not being moved back with the bottle at once
comes up to and closes the mouth.
I also arrange the filling apparatus in such manner that the act of pressing the
bottle towards the filling tube opens a valve and allows the aerated liquid under
pressure to enter the bottle, and that the drawing away of the bottle allows the
valve to close. To effect this the holder in which the bottle to be filled is laid may
be free to slide to and fro on inclined guides, or be carried by a rocking lever arin,
so that the bottle whilst held in any inclined position may, by a lever, or treadle,
or otherwise, be moved towards and away from a filling nozzle.
The filling nozzle I arrange to be carried by a block, which is also free to slide to
and fro a short distance in the same direction as the bottle, and so that it shall be
pressed forwards towards the bottle by springs. At the front of the block, and
surrounding the nozzle, I place an elastic ring. When the bottle is moved forwards
it comes against this ring and presses the block back at the same time that a tight
joint is made by the elastic ring around the head of the bottle. I also arrange that
after the block has been moved back a distance it shall come against the hollow
stem of a valve, which closes the end of a pipe leading from the vessel containing
nerated liquid under pressure, and shall press this valve away from its scat, so that
the liquid shall then be free to pass out through the hollow stem. The hollow stem
of the valve I make to project forward into a recess in the sliding block and prevent
the escape of liquid from the back of the recess by an elastic ring. I also provide
small passage through the block, so that as the bottle fills, the air previously in the
bottle is free to escape by this passage, and the freedom with which the air is
allowed to escape can be controlled by a valve.
a
When the bottle has been filled the pressure by which it was held up to the
filling nozzle is relieved, and the bottle is then quickly forced back by the pressure
of the gas and by the springs which act upon the sliding block before mentioned,
and also, it may be, by a spring or springs acting upon the bottle holder. The
bottle is thus quickly moved back, and the stopper, not being carried back with it,
comes to the mouth of the bottle and closes it.
When the bottle holder is to be moved to and fro upon inclined guides it may
have on its under side a toothed rack, into which gears a toothed quadrant, which
can be turned to move the holder to and fro. A wire shield or guard may also be
used for covering the bottle whilst being filled, and be so mounted as to be moved
forward to cover the bottle as the bottle is moved forward to be filled, and be moved
back as the bottle after being filled is withdrawn from the filling nozzle.
Figure 1 shews a side view of apparatus constructed as above described; Figure 2
is a plan view of the same with the wire shield or guard removed; Figure 3 is a
section taken through the valve and sliding block in front of it; Figure 4 is a
side view of the same, partly in section; Figure 5 is a front view of the sliding
block.
A is the bottle holder, in the upper face of which is a semicircular cavity
into which the bottle to be filled is placed. The cavity shown is shaped so
that bottles of three different forms and lengths may be placed into it; the
shape of the cavity will however depend upon the form of the bottle to be
filled. The bottle holder can slide to and fro upon two parallel inclined rods B,
which are carried by the upper inclined bed of the fixed framing C. Along
the centre of the under side of the sliding block is a toothed rack D, into which
gears a toothed arc E. This toothed arc is fast on an axis F, upon the end of
which is a toothed pinion which gears with a similar pinion G mounted on a
stud H. Fixed to the toothed pinion G is a hand lever I, by turning which

page_text: the toothed arc can be caused to move the sliding block A backwards or
forwards. Other arrangements for moving the sliding block backwards and
forwards may however be adopted. J is the nozzle through which the aerated
liquid is to be supplied; it is carried at the front of a block K, which can
slide to and fro upon rods L parallel with the rods B before mentioned; M is
an elastic ring, also carried at the front of the block K. concentric with the
nozzle J; M is a nut by which this elastic ring is held in place; the elastic ring
serves to make a tight joint around the head of a bottle when the bottle is
pressed up towards it. The passage through the nozzle J opens into a recess
N in the sliding block.
In rear of the sliding block is the end of the tube O, from which liquid under
pressure is supplied to the bottles. The tube O has a short standard O' descending
from it by which it is secured to the bed of the machine. The forward end of the
tube O is closed by a valve P; the stom of this valve is hollow, and projects forward
from the end of the tube. The end of the stem is coned to fit against a
corresponding coned valve seat at the end of the recess N in the block K. When
the block K is forced backwards the coned scat in the recess N comes against the
end of the valve stem and forces back the valve liquid under pressure, then enters
the hollow stem of the valve through a side opening P¹, and passes through the
nozzle J into the bottle. At the sume time the end of the tube Ô comes against an
clastic ring which is within the recess in the sliding block and prevents the escape
of liquid from around the exterior of the valve stem. R is a small air passago
leading from the forward part of the block K, just above the filling nozzle, and in
rear of the elastic ring M, up to which the head of the bottle is held; this passage
leads to a small tap or valve S.
As the bottle fills with liquid the air previously in the bottle is free to escape
through this passage, as the bottle inclines upwards. The freedom with which it is
allowed to escape is controlled by the tap S, and by allowing it to escape more or
less freely, the extent to which the bottle can be filled with liquid can be more or
less controlled. Thus to fill a bottle it is only necessary to place it into the holder A,
and then by means of the hand lever I force the head of the bottle against the
elastic ring at the front of the sliding block, so forcing back the sliding block and
opening the valve. When the bottle has been thus filled the hand lever is moved
in the opposite direction, and the bottle being no longer pressed forward moves
quickly backwards by reason of the pressure of the aerated liquid; the quick back-
ward movement of the bottle is also aided by the compression of the clastic rings,
and also by spiral springs T, which are placed around the guide rods L, to force
forward the block K. The quick backward movement of the bottle causes the
stopper to close the mouth of the bottle as before explained; V is a wire shield by
which the bottles are covered over whilst being filled; it is carried at each side of
the machine by links X, one of which is connected by a link Y to a short arm on
the hand lever I, so that when the hand lever is turned to force a bottle up to the
sliding block K, the shield comes down and covers the bottle, and when the bottle
is moved away from the sliding block the shield moves back out of the way. Other
arrangements than the one shown may however be employed for bringing a shield
over the bottle at the time it is being filled.
In place also of the frame of the machine being formed to be bolted down rigidly
to the table or bench it may be carried on an axis across its bottom, so that the
angle at which the machine is set may readily be adjusted, or the machine may bo
allowed to rock somewhat on this axis as the bottle is pressed up to and taken
away from the filling nozzle, so as by increasing the angle to give a more free
escape to the air at the time of filling, and then by decreasing the angle make it
more easy for the ball to move up to its seat.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The combined arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein described,
for filling bottles which have internal stoppers.

page_text: Second. The combined arrangement of the supply valve P and sliding block K,
with its passage and control valve or tap for escape of air, all acting together, sub-
stantially in the manner herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hiram Codd, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.