Improvements in Machines for Corking Bottles.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Corking Bottles.
We, JOHN HENRY BRINJES, and PAUL THOMAS GOODWIN, both of The Whitechapel
Engine Works, Fieldgate Street, Engineers and Iron Founders, and FRANK BURN-
MAN BELL, of 18, Soho Square, Gentleman, all in the County of London, 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:-
Our invention relates to machines for corking bottles, and it comprises the
improvements hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to our invention;
and,
Figures 2 and 3 are front and rear elevations respectively :
Figure 4 is a plan:
Figure 5 is a vertical section:
Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line a
Figure 1; and,
Figure 7 a similar section on the line y y Figure 1:
Figures 8, 9 and 10 are a horizontal and vertical section and a front view
respectively of details hereinafter described; and,
Figures 11, 12 and 13 are similar views illustrating modifications of these details.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
In carrying out our invention we provide a suitable frame or standard a to which
is bolted a bracket b, carrying at its outer ond a shaft c upon which the table d for
supporting the bottles is fixed. This table is circular, as shewn in Figure 7, and can
be raised or lowered, in order to adapt it to the different heights of bottles to be
corked, by means of a hand-wheel c¹ which is internally screw-threaded and works
upon the correspondingly screw-threaded portion of the shaft c, the wheel itself
being held against vertical movement in a well known manner.
A series of cups or dishes d' are placed around the table d to receive the lower ends
of the bottles to be corked and to ensure the same being placed in their proper
positions upon the table, the said cups or dishes being preferably constructed, as
shown in Figure 5, so that they can be readily removed and replaced by others of a
different size. In order to steady and prevent the bottles from falling over, while
being corked, we mount a plate e upon the shaft c, which plate is provided with a
series of openings el corresponding to the dishes d¹.
a,
The corks are fed into a bush carried upon an arm or bracket f1 projecting from
the standard which bush for a portion of its length is made of a conical shape so
that the cork, when forced through such portion, will be compressed to the size of
the bottle's month. The corks are forced from the bush into the bottles by means of
plunger g sliding in a guide gl, and adapted to be reciprocated by means of a crank h
on a shaft through the medium of a connecting rod ³, which connecting rod is
rendered capable of adjustment as to its length by means of a nut ³, thereby per-
mitting of regulating the extent of the downward movement of the plunger. Motion
may be imparted to the shaft in any suitable manner such as, for instance, through
he medium of a belt adapted to run upon fast and loose pulleys. As shewn, however,
motion is imparted through the medium of a wheel i which normally runs loosely
pon the shaft h', but which is adapted to drive the shaft by means of a clutch i
plined thereon, the said clutch, for this purpose, being caused to engage with the
wheel by depressing a spring-treadle j.
The corks are fed to the bush from a magazine k by means of a slide 7 working
n guides m, m, the said slide being operated by means of a cam-groove n formed on
he back of a disc n', secured to the shaft h', through the medium of the lever
od o', the lever o³, the shaft o³, the lever of and the link o'. The levers o, o' are
the

page_text: slotted to permit of adjusting, in a well known manner, the movement of the slide
according to the size of the corks. It will be noticed that the bush is provided with
an opening on one side, as shewn most clearly in Figures 8 and 9, to allow the corks
to enter the said bush.
In order that the mouth of the bottle to be corked shall coincide with the aperture
of the bush, the latter is mounted upon springs p, p, Figures 9 and 10, and the under-
side of the bush is coned, as shewn in Figure 9 so that, when the plunger g presses
upon a cork in the bush, it causes the bush to descend until it bears upon the top of
the bottle-neck and so centres the bottle in a well known manner.
After a bottle has been corked, the table is rotated to bring the next bottle in
position. This is effected by means of a ratchet-wheel secured on the shaft c, and a
pawl r secured to a rod s sliding in a suitable guide, to and fro motion being imparted
to the rods from a pin s¹ on the disc n' through the medium of a rod t, bell-crank
lever and links 0, บ. In order to prevent the table from moving too far, owing to
the momentum which it may acquire when moved by the said ratchet-wheel q, we
provide a brake w which is in the form of a band encircling a drum secured to the
lower part of the shaft c, the said brake being attached to the bracket b at 20'.
When the corks are to be surrounded or covered by skin or parchment, the bushf
instead of being arranged in connection with springs as hereinbefore described, is
made rigid, as shewn in Figures 11, 12 and 13, so that the edges of the skin discs
will not be nipped between the top of the bottle and the bush. In this case, however,
the openings in the steadying-plate e are made of just the size of the bottle-neck so
as to prevent any movement of the bottle relatively to the said bush and, in order to
adapt the said plate to work in connection with bottles of different sizes, the openings
in the said plate e are provided with removable rings e, e², as shewn in Figures IL
and 12.
In order to support the table against the pressure which is necessarily applied
thereto when forcing a cork into a bottle, we advantageously arrange a roller upon
which the bottom of the table can bear, as shown in Figure 12, the said roller being
carried upon a pin or stud projecting from the standard a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
The improved machine for corking bottles consisting of the parts constructed and
combined, substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.