IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLING AND CORKING AERATED, GASEOUS, AND OTHER LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Cockcroft, of Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Mineral Water Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BOTTLING AND CORKING AERATED, GASEOUS, AND OTHER LIQUIDS, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.'
"
Sealed the 6th October 1877, and dated the 24th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Cockcroft at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th April 1877.
THOMAS COCKCROFT, of Birkenhead, in the County of Chester, Mineral Water
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLING AND CORKING AËRATED, GASEOUS,
AND OTHER LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
My Invention has for its object the construction of a combined syruping, filling,
and corking machine for bottling aërated, gaseous and other liquids, and consists of
effecting such bottling, namely, syruping, filling, corking, and afterwards discharging
the filled bottles by the operation of a single lever, which puts the machine into
gear and starts the same, the several actions, namely, syruping, filling, corking, and
discharging, or any of them, or any combustion of them being then automatically
performed, and the machine automatically stopping after each bottle has been filled,
so that to fill each bottle the machine has to be restarted by the action of the
lever.
The machine is driven by the action of a toothed or friction pinion, which is
continuously running by being driven by any motor, such as a steam engine, the
pinion being thrown into gear and driving the machine for each operation of
bottling, and automatically disengaging after such operation.
A machine constructed according to my Invention may be thus described :-A
suitable vertical framework is provided, which carries a syrup pump, a filling or
liquor valve, an outlet or air valve, and a gas escape valve. The syrup pump and
valves communicate with a stuffing box which is made to receive the bottle neck in
the usual manner. The stuffing box is provided with a corking pipe, over which is
mounted a spring retained plunger. The frame is provided with a cup or rest (to
receive the bottle) which is worked by a lever operated by a treadle, or from the
driving shaft; the cup or rest is provided with a tooth or notch, which operates a
Dis 1

page_text: kicking lever arranged to slide clear as the bottle is raised into position, and by
having a weighted end, tap or kick the bottle out of the rest when the rest is
lowered, after the bottle has been filled and corked, the bottles being discharged
down a shoot for wireing and tieing.
The automatic operating mechanism consists of a horizontal shaft on which is
mounted a toothed or friction wheel; the shaft carries a series of cams and tappets,
and a disc with a portion of its circumference cut away, leaving a flat surface on
its upper edge, upon which bears a lever, which is connected by a suspension rod
and bush to the driving shaft below, herein-after referred to. The cams and
tappets referred to are arranged to work the syrup pump, the liquor valve, the air
escape valve, the waste gas valve, and the corking piston, once in every revolution
of the horizontal shaft. The driving shaft consists of a horizontal shaft mounted
in vertically sliding bearings; this shaft carries a toothed or friction pinion and a
driving pulley or other suitable driving arragement.
The toothed or friction pinion may be placed immediately below the toothed or
friction wheel on the operating shaft. The driving shaft is raised or lowered so that
the pinion comes into gear with the wheel by means of a lever, and when the
machine is once started the wheels remain in gear for an entire revolution by means
of the suspending link before referred to in connection with the disc (with a portion
of its circumference cut away), as being on the operating shaft; the wheels are kept
in gear after starting during an entire revolution until such cut-away portion of the
disc allows the lever and link and driving shaft to fall, and thereby disengages the
wheel and pinion.
The operation of my Invention as applied to a machine for bottling lemonade or
such like aërated beverage may be thus described :-The bottle to be filled is placed
in the rest, and the machine is started by actuating the lever and thus throwing
the pinion into gear with the driving wheel; the rest is then raised by the machine
until the bottle neck enters the stuffing box (or the same may be effected by a
treadle); a cork is simultaneously inserted into the corking pipe.
The subsequent action of the machine is (by means of the cams and tappets on
the horizontal shaft, actuating levers in connection with the syrup pump, the filling
valve, the air escape valve, and the gas escape valve, and a horn or projection on the
corking plunger) to hold the cork in position, to charge the bottle with syrup, to fill
the bottle with liquor, to allow the escape of air, to allow the escape of waste gas
(which is returned to a gasometer), to cork the bottle, and to discharge the bottle
after corking down a shoot, the machine effecting this automatically during one
revolution, after which it stops and is ready to receive another bottle and be again
started by actuating the starting lever.
Although I have described the operation of my Invention as applied to a machine
for bottling and corking beverages, such as lemonade, it will be understood that the
machine can be modified for bottling other beverages, such as soda water, beer,
porter, wines, without departing from my Invention, which may be defined to
consist in a continuous bottling machine which automatically performs the various
functions upon being started, or by having an intermittent motion imparted to it,
the machine being driven by a steam engine or other like motor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Cockcroft in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
October 1877.
THOMAS COCKCROFT, of Birkenhead, in the County of Chester, Mineral Water
Manufacturer. IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLING AND CORKING AERATED, GASEOUS,
AND OTHER LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
My Invention has for its object the construction of a combined syruping, filling,
and corking machine for bottling aërated, gaseous, and other liquids, and consists

page_text: of effecting such bottling, namely, syruping, filling, corking, and afterwards
discharging the filled bottles by the operation of a single lever, which puts the
machine into gear and starts the same, the several actions, namely, syruping, filling,
corking, and discharging, or any of them, or any combination of them, being then
automatically performed, and the machine automatically stopping after each bottle
has been filled, so that to fill each bottle the machine has to be restarted by the
action of the lever.
The machine is driven by the action of a toothed or friction pinion, which is
continuously running by being driven by any motor, such as a steam engine, the
pinion being thrown into gear and driving the machine for each operation of bottling
and automatically disengaging after such operation.
A machine constructed according to my Invention may be thus described :—A
suitable vertical framework is provided which carries a syrup pump, a filling or
liquor valve, an outlet or air valve, and a gas escape valve. The syrup pump and
valves communicate with a stuffing box, which is made to receive the bottle neck in
the usual manner. The stuffing box is provided with a corking pipe, over which
is mounted a spring retained plunger or a weight balanced plunger. The frame is
provided with a cup or rest (to receive the bottle), which is worked by a lever
operated by a treadle, or from the driving shaft; the cup or rest is provided with a
tooth or notch, which operates a kicking lever arranged to slide clear as the bottle
is raised into position, and by having a weighted end, tap or kick the bottle out of
the rest when the rest is lowered, after the bottle has been filled and corked, the
bottles being discharged down a shoot for wireing and tieing.
The automatic operating mechanism consists of a horizontal shaft on which is
mounted a toothed or friction wheel; the shaft carries a series of cams and tappets,
and a disc with a portion of its circumference cut away, leaving a flat surface on its
upper edge, upon which bears a lever which is connected by a suspension rod and
bush to the driving shaft herein-after referred to. The cams and tappets referred to
work the syrup pump, the liquor valve, the air escape valve, the waste gas valve,
and the corking piston, once in every revolution of the horizontal shaft. The
driving shaft consists of a horizontal shaft mounted in vertically sliding bearings.
This shaft carries a toothed or friction pinion and a driving pulley, or other suitable
driving arrangement.
The toothed or friction pinion may be placed immediately below the toothed or
friction wheel on the operating shaft. The driving shaft is raised or lowered so
that the pinion comes into gear with the wheel by means of lever, and when the
machine is once started the wheels remain in gear for an entire revolution by means
of the suspending link before referred to in connection with the disc (with a portion
of its circumference cut away), as being on the operating shaft; the wheels are kept
in gear after starting during an entire revolution until such cut away portion of the
disc allows the lever and link and driving shaft to fall, and thereby disengages the
wheel and pinion.
The operation of my Invention as applied to a machine for bottling lemonade, or
such like aërated beverage may be thus described:-The bottle to be filled is placed
in the rest, and the machine is started by actuating the lever, and thus throwing the
pinion into gear with the driving wheel. The rest is then raised by the machine
until the bottle neck enters the stuffing box (or the same may be effected by a treadle);
a cork is simultaneously inserted into the corking pipe.
The subsequent action of the machine is (by means of the cams and tappets on
the horizontal shaft actuating levers in connection with the syrup pump, the filling
valve, the air escape valve, and the gas escape valve, and a horn or projection on
the corking plunger) to hold the cork in position; to charge the bottle with syrup,
to fill the bottle with liquor, to allow the escape of air, to allow the escape of waste
gas (which is returned to a gasometer), to cork the bottle, and to discharge the
bottle after corking down a shoot, the machine effecting this automatically during
one revolution, after which it stops, and is ready to receive another bottle and be
again started by actuating the starting lever.

page_text: Although I have described the operation of my Invention as applied to a machine
for bottling and corking beverages, such as lemonade, it will be understood that the
machine can be modified for bottling other beverages, such as soda-water, beer,
porter, wines, without departing from my Invention, which may be defined to
consist of a continuous bottling machine which automatically performs the various
functions upon being started, or by having an intermittent motion imparted to it,
the machine being driven by a steam engine or other like motor.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood I will now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, and for that purpose I
have hereunto attached two Sheets of Drawings illustrative of my Invention,
marked with letters and Figures of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation. In all the Figures the same letters of reference indicate the
same or corresponding parts.
Upon reference to the Drawings,-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed according to my Invention ;
Figure 2 is a right-hand side view; and Figure 3, a left-hand side view of
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan of syrup pump, liquor supply valve, air and gas escape
valves, and corking tube; Figure 5 is a section through A, B, Figure 4; Figure 6
is a section through C, D, Figure 4; Figure 7 is a section through E, F, Figure 4.
Upon reference to the Drawings it will be seen that a machine constructed
according to my Invention consists of a framework A, which carries a syrup pump B,
a filling or liquor valve C, an outlet or air valve D, and a gas escape valve E. The
syrup pump B, and the liquor, air, and gas valves C, D, E, communicate with a
stuffing box F provided with a corking tube F. Over the corking tube F¹ there is
mounted a weight balanced plunger G; H is a cup or rest to receive the bottle, the
cup being worked by the rod I, which receives its motion from the weighted lever J.
The cup H is provided with a tooth K, which operates a kicking lever L arranged
to slide clear as the bottle is raised into position, and by being superweighted at K¹
to kick the bottle out of the rest H, when the rest is lowered with the filled and
corked bottle, such bottle being thus discharged down the shoot M for wireing and
tieing.
The operating mechanism consists of a horizontal shaft a, on which is mounted
the toothed wheel b. The shaft a carries a series of cams or tappets, the tappets c, c¹,
being for working the lever of the liquor supply valve, the tappet d for working the
syrup pump, the tappet e for working the air escape valve, the tappet f for working
the gas escape valve. The cam h works the corking mechanism, and the lever and
roller i works the bottle raising mechanism, being the lever J and the rod I. The
driving shaft carries a toothed pinion m and a cone driving pulley n.
The pulley n
receives motion by the strap n¹ from the reverse cone pulley n¹¹, which is mounted
on the shaft and worked by the fast and loose pulleys p, p¹. The driving strap of
the pulleys p, p¹³, is thrown over by a fork on the lever arrangement 7, which also
serves for closing the guard door 8 when the bottle is being filled. The lever r
receives its motion from the rod t which is in connection with and worked by the
hand lever u. The rod t also actuates the stop arrangement v. The stop v rides on
the disc w during the revolution of the machine, and by falling or running into the
notch stops the machine, so that to operate the machine it is necessary to lift
the catch out of the notch vll, which operation closes the door 8 and starts
the machine by throwing the driving strap on to the driving pulley p; the machine
then automatically performs the operation of filling, corking, and discharging a
bottle, and then stops by reason of the catch v¹ falling into the notch ¹¹ on the
disc w.
The operation of my Invention as applied to a machine for bottling lemonade, or
such like aerated beverage, may be thus described :-The bottle to be filled is placed
in the cup rest H, and the machine it started by actuating the hand lever u, as
before described. The guard door 8 is closed, and the rest H is raised by the lever

page_text: B
and roller i, releasing the weighted lever J. The bottle neck enters the stuffing
box F, the cork is simultaneously inserted into the corking pipe F¹. The subsequent
action of the machine causes the shaft a to partially drive the cork by the plunger G,
to partially fill the bottle with liquor by the tappet c striking the lever of the liquor
valve c, to allow of the escape of air by the tappet e striking the lever of the air
valve D, to charge the bottle with syrup by the lever d actuating the syrup pump
to complete the filling of the bottle with liquor by the tappet c¹ striking the lever
of the liquor valve c, to allow of the escape of surplus gas by the tappet f striking
the lever of the gas escape valve E, the surplus gas being led away to a gasometer.
The amount of waste gas is regulated by the screw valve E". The amount of liquor
is regulated by the liquor supply valve c¹. The operation is completed by the
cam h driving the plunger G home and corking the bottle. The machine then
stops, the door S opens, and the cup rest H lowers and causes the weighted kicker L
to discharge the bottle down the shoot M. The number of bottles filled is registered
by the dial R.
To facilitate the feeding or placing of the bottles a rotating disc may be sub-
stituted for the rest H. The disc may hold five or more bottles, as shown at
Figure 8. When this arrangement is used the door S is dispensed with, and an open
shield used instead. The disc is rotated by the action of the machine, which
causes at each stroke a bottle to be inserted in the stuffing box, and as the bottles
are filled and the disc comes round they discharge down the shoot F.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and shown a method or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, and shown how the same may be varied
without departing from my Invention, I would observe in conclusion that I do not
confine myself to the exact dimensions, or proportions, or positions of the various
parts forming the machine constructed according to my Invention, as shown in the
Drawings, as it will be casily understood that the same is capable of various
modifications, but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
Firstly. The construction and arrangement of a machine for bottling aërated,
gascous, and other liquids in which the various functions of syruping, filling,
corking, and discharging, or any of them, or any combination of them, are automa-
tically performed by the machine after being once started, or whilst continuously
running, substantially as herein described or set forth or shown in the Drawings
hereto annexed, or any modification thereof.
Secondly. Applying a liquor supply valve, a syrup pump, an air escape valve,
and a gas escape valve, or any of them, or any combination of them, to a bottling
machine, substantially as herein described or set forth and shown in the Drawings
hereto annexed, or any modification thereof.
Thirdly. The method of discharging filled bottles from a bottling machine, sub-
stantially as herein described and set forth and shown in the Drawings hereto
annexed, or any modification thereof.
Fourthly. The method of saving gas in bottling aërated waters by leading the
waste or escape gas from the gas escape valve to a gasometer for re-use, substantially
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cockcroft, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
THOMAS (L.S.) COCKCROFT.