IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CORKING BOTTLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Oliver and James Cameron Arrol, both of
Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CORKING
BOTTLES."
Sealed the 27th April 1880, and dated the 31st. October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Williamı Oliver and James
Cameron Arrol at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st
October 1879.
WILLIAM OLIVER and JAMES CAMERON ARROL, both of Edinburgh, in the
County of Midlothian, North Britain, Engineers.. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CORKING BOTTLES."
This Invention, which relates to machinery or apparatus for corking bottles, consists
in mounting the table on which the bottle is carried during the corking operation.
on a vertical screw, by which its adjustment is effected. This screw is carried
in a wedge piece, under or against the lower part of which the end of a counter-
balanced lever bears so as to bring the bottle tight between the table and the upper
part of the machine whereat the cork is forced into the bottle. Another wedge
piece is used for tightening or loosening the wedge piece herein before referred to,
this being operated by the main lever which actuates the upper or driving parts of
the machine.
'
The upper part of the improved machines, viz., that for compressing and forcing
the cork into the bottles is similar to what is already in use, and therefore forms
no part of the present Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Oliver and James Cameron Arrol in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th April 1880.
:
WILLIAM OLIVER and JAMES CAMERON ARROL, both of Edinburgh, in the
County of Midlothian North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CORKING BOTTLES."
Our said Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for corking bottles, and
consists in mounting the table on which the bottle is carried during the corking
operation on a vertical screw, by which its adjustment is effected, the said screw
working in a female screw in a wedge piece, under or against which a counter-
balance lever bears to hold the bottles being corked tightly between the table and
the upper part of the machine whereat the cork is forced into the bottle. Another
wedge piece is operated by the action of the machine itself so as to hold tightly
in position the first named wedge piece whilst the corking is being effected, and
to release it for the removal of the corked bottles.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood we 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, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say :-
Figure 1 represents in side elevation partly in section, and Figure 2 in horizontal
section taken on the line x of Figure 1, a corking machine to which our Invention
is applied. The framing of the machine is marked A, and the main lever by which
the machine is operated is marked B. The framing A is formed with a wedge
shaped receptacle a for receiving the wedge pieces C and D. The wedge piece C
has in its upper side a screw nut c in which works a screw E, upon the squared
upper part of which is carried the table F whereon the bottles to be corked are
placed. A counterbalance lever G bears at one end upon a lip c³ on the under side
of the wedge piece C forcing it upwards; the said wedge piece may be provided
with wing pieces or guides engaging in slots a² in the receptacle a.
CS
The wedge
piece D is formed with a lip or projection d, which, when the machine is in its
normal position, rests upon a projection h on the bar H, which is the bar operated
by the main lever to actuate the upper part of the machine for compressing the
corks and forcing them into the bottles. The table F is adjusted according to the
height of bottles to be corked by turning the screw E in one or other direction, so
that when a bottle is placed on the said table it will be forced up by the counter-
balance lever G and held tightly between the said table and the upper part of the
machine, as shewn in the Drawing. When the machine is operated by the
depression of the lever B, the bar H being lowered the projection h no longer
supports the wedge piece D, which consequently falls and wedges itself tightly
between the wedge piece C and the side of the casing a, and consequently holds the
wedge piece C firmly in position between itself and the other side of the casing a
whilst the corking is being effected. This position of the wedge pieces whilst the
corking is being effected is shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1. On the lever B
being released when the corking of a bottle is completed the projection h comes
into contact with the projection d on the wedge piece D and raises the said wedge
piece again into the position shewn in full lines, so that the table F and its wedge
piece C may be depressed against the counterbalance lever G for the removal of
the corked bottle and its replacement by the next bottle to be corked.
The upper part of the machine, namely, that for compressing the corks and
forcing them into the bottles, is similar to that which is already in use, and there-
fore being well known and forming no part of our Invention requires no special
description.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may
be used or practically carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that we wish
it to be understood that we do not claim the upper part of the machine consisting of
the apparatus for compressing and inserting the cork, nor the means which we have
shewn and described for operating the said upper part of the machine, but what we
do consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to us by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,
That part of the said machines or apparatus for adjusting and holding the bottles
in position for being corked, and for releasing the same when corked by the action
of the machine itself, consisting of the wedges C and D, screw E, and the counter-
balance lever G, acting either in combination with the other parts constituting the
machine herein described and illustrated, or in combination with machines having
different arrangements for compressing and inserting the corks into the bottles, all
essentially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cameron Arrol have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
A
J. CAMERON ARROL
DAT
(L.S.)