Improvements in Bottle Washing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Washing Machines.
I, MELVIN DONALLY, of No. 511 Bainbridge Street, in the City of Brooklyn,
County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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:-
This invention relates to bottle washing machines of the general character of that
shown in Specification of Letters Patent of Great Britain, granted to me, No. 4,786
of 1896, in which the bottles to be cleaned are suitably supported upon a travelling
carrier, and, being cleaned externally by suitable means, are also cleansed internally
during their travel by the introduction of a brush and a subsequent rinsing. In
the machine shown and described in said specification, the brushes were moved
into and out of the bottles without any other movement calculated to remove
substances adhering to the sides of the bottle, and the streams of rinsing water
were directed into the bottle through nozzles fixed in the walls of the annular
seats upon which the mouths of the bottles rested and through which the brushes
were introduced into the bottles, thereby causing the rapid wearing out of the
brushes and rendering it impossible to employ always brushes of the kind desired.
By my present invention I have sought to cause each brush to rotate rapidly as
it is introduced into the bottle, thereby more effectually cleaning the inside of
the bottle; I have also provided for each bottle holder a nozzle which is wholly
out of the way while the brush is being introduced into or removed from the
bottle and is movable toward the bottle mouth to direct the stream of water
into the same when the brush has been removed therefrom. It will be under-
stood, however, that I do not intend to limit my invention to the application of
the novel features to a machine of the exact type of that shown in said
specification, nor to their use together in a single machine, inasmuch as they are
capable of use independently of each other and in other machines than that
shown in said specification. With this understanding 1 shall proceed herein to
describe and explain the novel features referred to in connection with the machine
shown and described in said specification and I shall show and describe herein
only so much of the general structure of that machine as will enable my present
improvements to be understood, and for convenience I shall herein identify like
parts by the same letters or other characters of reference.
In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated convenient and
practical embodiments of my improvements as applied to the machine referred
to,
Figure 1 is a vertical, central section of the complete machine, with some parts
shown in elevation;
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the plane indicated by the line - of
Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the plane indicated by the line y-y of
Figure 1;
Figure 4 is
front elevation of the lower part of the machine with parts
omitted for the sake of clearness and showing but one of the inside brushes
and its adjuncts; -
Figure 5 is a detail view of one of the nozzles hereinafter referred to and its
adjuncts.
In the machine in connection with which I have illustrated my present

page_text: improvements, the supporting frame work comprises a suitable base A, posts or
standards A', A2, an annular plate or table A and an interior standard or
bracket A, the said base A and the head a¹ of the standard or bracket A'
affording bearing for a vertical shaft B. A drum C is secured to the shaft B to
carry brushes for cleauing the outsides of the bottles, and a carrier D, which
rotates upon the head of the bracket A', supports the bottles which are to be
cleaned and carries them between the inner brushes K K and the outer
brushes K K', suitable means, as fully described in said specification being
provided to hold the bottles in position, preferably with their mouths downward,
during the process of cleaning. As represented, the mouth of each bottle rests
upon an annular socket E, which permits a brush and also a stream of water to be
introduced into the bottle through it, all of said sockets E being supported by the
carrier D. The clamping or holding devices are so arranged as to permit the
introduction of a bottle to be cleaned as the holder is presented at the front of
the machine and to permit it to be removed when the holder has completed or
nearly completed its revolution with the carrier. For effecting the travel of the
carrier D, it is represented as provided with a beveled rack D', engaged by a bevel
pinion 62, which is carried by a counter-shaft 132 and is driven by gears and
from the main driving shaft B. Bevel gears & and 6, secured respectively to the
vertical shaft B and the driving shaft B, provide for the rotation of the said
shaft B and the brush carrier C. All of the parts thus far referred to are
arranged and operate in the same manner as the parts designated by like letters of
reference in the above mentioned specification and need not be described more in
detail herein, particularly as they are shown herein merely for the purpose of
illustrating the application of my present improvements. As the description of
the nature of said improvements proceeds it will be obvious that the said
improvements are capable of application, either separately or together to machines
having other means for holding or carrying the bottles, and especially that the
said improvements are wholly independent of the means for cleaning the outsides
of the bottles and may or may not be embodied in the same machine therewith.
Referring now to the means for rotating the internal brushes N N at the same
time that they are introduced into the bottles and while they are travelling with
the bottle carrier, without interrupting the movement of said carrier, it will be
seen that each brush N is preferably, carried by a stein or spindle which is
mounted in a slide n', the latter being guided by and sliding upon rods n fixed to
a ring O supported from the carrier. Springs n draw each slide upward to canse
the brush to enter the bottle in line with it and each slide has a roller n³ Fig. 4
which is adapted to travel in contact with a fixed can track n which permits the
introduction of the brushes into the bottles and effects the withdrawal of the same
at the proper time. In order that each brush may be rotated while it is within the
bottle and while it travels with the bottle carrier, and also that it may cease to
rotate when it is withdrawn from the bottle, I have provided the following devices.
The lower end of the stem n which carries the brush N is mounted in the slide n¹
so that it will rotate freely therein and is held to move therewith. At the upper
end, the said spindle a passes through a sleeve a supported in a bearing a secured
to the fixed rods n. The aperture through the eleeve n is preferably polygonal
in cross section and the spindle a is correspondingly shaped in cross section for the
greater portion of its length, so that the spindle and sleeve shall be engaged to
rotate together, but that portion of the spindle which is within the sleeve when
the brush is fully withdrawn from the bottle, is preferably cylindrical so that the
sleeve may then rotate independently of the spindle and the brush may therefore
cease to rotate when it is withdrawn from the bottle. The sleeves no obviously
may be caused to rotate by a variety of devices, such as a band or a friction gear,
and as a convenient means of rotating them I have represented each sleeve as
provided with a pinion n' which is engaged by a toothed rack a. The latter may
be driven independently of the bottle carrier by any suitable means. I have
represented it as fixed to a shell a which is mounted upon a suitable bearing

page_text: and is provided with a rack a" which is engaged by a gear on the driving
shaft B. The gears are so proportioned that the brush spindles are rotated at
high speed while the brushes are within the bottles, this action taking place without
interrupting the continuous travel of the bottle carrier, whereby cach bottle is
thoroughly brushed and scrubbed in the course of its travel from the point where
it is inserted in the bottle carrier to the point where it is removed therefrom.
Furthermore, each brush ceases to rotate as soon as it is completely withdrawn from
the bottle.
It is of course desirable that each bottle shall be rinsed thoroughly after the
withdrawal of the brush therefrom. In the machine shown in the aforesaid
specification this action was provided for by forming in each annular socket E a
nozzle through which a stream of water might be directed into the bottle, but this
nozzle caused the brushes to wear out rapidly and make it practically impossible to
employ brushes of the kind which in other respects would give the best results.
In the present case I have sought to overcome this difficulty and will proceed to
describe the means which I have devised for the purpose, the main feature of such
means being a nozzle which is arranged to be moved toward the bottle mouth to
introduce a stream of water into the same and to be moved away therefrom so as
to permit the brush to be introduced without interference. In part I have shown
herein the same means for supplying water as those shown and described in the
aforesaid specification. That is to say, the bearing block or head a¹ of the
bracket A is represented as having an annular channel a formed therein, while
the hub d' of the carrier D has suitable packing glands above and below the
annular channel. A water supply pipe M is connected to the bearing block or
bead a and is adapted to furnish thereto a continuous supply of water. From
the hub d¹ and in line with the annular channel a³, radiate a series of pipes m m,
one for each pair of bottle holders. In the improved machine, each pipe m
has at its outer end a transverse pipe or head m², upon each end of which is
mounted a hub m which carries the corresponding nozzle, m, so that the
nozzles are free to swing. The ends of the pipes m² are closed by suitable
caps and in each pipe near the end thereof is formed a port m' which is adapted to
register with the bore of the nozzle m' when the latter is swung into position to
direct a stream of water into the bottle, and at all other times to be closed by the
bub m³, this arrangement constituting a valve to control the delivery of the water.
The nozzles are held normally away from the bottle mouths by springs m which
are connected to arms m' projecting from the nozzles m. As a convenient means
for presenting the nozzles to the bottle mouths and for simultaneously opening the
valve already referred to, each nozzle, preferably having a roller m³, rests against
and rides upon a cam track m which may be supported by a flange Fig. 4, secured
to the standard or bracket A', the said cam track being so shaped as to swing the
nozzle toward and against the socket E as soon as the brush N is drawn out of the
way, and to release the nozzle as soon as the bottle has been thoroughly rinsed.
It will be obvious that various other devices might be arranged for effecting
the movement of the nozzles, the arrangement which I have referred to herein
for purposes of explanation being merely a convenient and practical arrangement.
It will of course be understood that I do not intend to limit my invention to the
precise construction and arrangement of parts which I have shown berein, nor to
the use of the two features of improvement in connection with the other mechanism
which I have referred to herein nor in connection with each other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination with a bottle carrier and means to drive the same continu-
ously, of a brush supported to move with the carrier, devices to move said brush
into the bottle and to withdraw the same while the carrier continues its movement,
and means to rotate said brush while it is in the bottle.

page_text: 2. The combination with a bottle carrier and means to drive the same continu
ously, of a brush supported to move with the carrier, devices to move said brush
into the bottle and to withdraw the same while the carrier continues its movement.
a pinion mounted to rotate with said brush, and a gear mounted to revolve
independently of said carrier and to engage said pinion.
3. The combination with a bottle carrier and means to drive the same continu-
ously, of a brush supported to move with said carrier and having a shaft, devices
to move said brush into the bottle and to withdraw the same while the carrie
continues its movement, a pinion having said shaft passed axially through it and
held from axial displacement, said shaft and pinion being adapted to rotate
together and to permit longitudinal movement of the shaft, and a gear mounted
to revolve independently of said carrier and to engage said pinion.
4. The combination with a bottle holder, a brush and means to move the same
into and out of the bottle, of a movable nozzle connected to a water supply and
means to move said nozzle toward the bottle to direct a stream of water into the
same when the brush is withdrawn therefrom.
5. The combination with a bottle holder, a brush and means to move the same
into and out of the bottle, of a movable nozzle connected to a water supply, a
valve to control said water supply, and means to move said nozzle toward the
bottle to direct a stream of water into the same when the brush is withdrawn and
simultaneously to open said valve.
6. The combination of a travelling bottle carrier, a water supply pipe moving
with said carrier, a nozzle mounted to swing on said pipe, and means to swing said
nozzle to direct a stream of water into the said bottle.
7. The combination of a travelling bottle carrier, a water supply pipe moving
with said carrier, said pipe having a lateral port, a nozzle mounted to swing on
said pipe and having a port to register with the port in said pipe, and means to
swing said nozzle to cause said ports to register and to direct a stream of water
into the bottle.'
8. The combination of a travelling bottle carrier, a water supply pipe moving
with said carrier, a nozzle mounted to swing on said pipe, and a cam track upon
which said nozzle travels and by which it is swung to direct a stream of water
into the bottle.
Dated 29th October 1896.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 Chancery Lane, Chartered Patent Agent.