Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 4th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 18th Nov., 1887
RESERVE
I, THOMAS COCKCROFT, of Nos. 3 to 13 Egerton Street, Birkenhead, in the County
of Chester, Mineral Water Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
:-
My Invention relates to apparatus for cleaning the interior surfaces of hollow
cylindrical and other shaped articles, such as bottles and like receptacles, lamp glasses
and other hollow articles, the apparatus being of that type in which extending arms
having elastic flexible ties and rubber coverings are used.
According to my Invention, I joint, or connect the arms by a hinge to the end of a
hollow shaft, the jointed ends of the arms being so made as to bear upon a sliding
block within the hollow shaft which is pressed outwards by a spring within the hollow
shaft and so extends, or spreads out the arms.
Outside of the hollow shaft, when used
for bottle cleaning, there is a sleeve, having a mouth shaped to receive the mouth of
the bottle and so that as the hollow shaft and arms are drawn into the sleeve, the
arms are pressed together to allow of their entering the bottle and on withdrawal of
the sleeve the arms expand and adapt themselves to the interior of the bottle. The
arms are covered and connected by an elastic and flexible rubber preferably soft india
rubber provided with sockets to ship onto the ends of the arms and the surface being
corrugated. The arms are of length to correspond with the interior diameter of the
bottle, or article and shaped so that they will as nearly as possible adapt themselves
to the interior contour of the bottle, or article. The hinged arms may be two, or
more in number, for example two hinged arms may be used connected by a rubber

page_text: having two socket pieces to ship over the arms and a connecting tie, or where the
apparatus is particularly required to be used as a side rubber there may be three
hinged arms, the rubber in this case having three socket pieces and two connecting
links, two arms being formed to take and extend the rubber say in a horizontal line
for side rubbing and one of these arms with the third arm extending the rubber
across the end of the apparatus say in a vertical line for end rubbing, or the apparatus
may have four hinged arms. In this case the arms are hinged in pairs one pair in
front of the other either on separate parallel bars in connection with the sliding block,
or on the side of the hollow shaft. The arms on each side being connected by a
rubber having sockets which ship onto the said arms. This form of apparatus is also
applicable as a side rubber, and an end rubber.
The apparatus is particularly applicable for use on ordinary bottle washing machines
by substituting it for the ordinary revolving brushes, or it can be used as a simple
hand apparatus for cleaning the interior surfaces of articles such as decanters, lamp
glasses and like articles. The hollow shaft may be provided with an external screw
thread and with a corresponding threaded sleeve by the movement of which the appa-
ratus can be rotated by hand. To prevent damage to the articles being cleaned the
hollow shaft may be covered with rubber.
The
In application the apparatus above described is preferably used with water.
water may be supplied through the central shaft, or the articles may be dipped in
water, or otherwise wetted. The arms are first brought together within the sleeve
mouth so that they can be inserted into the article and after insertion the arms expand
by the pressure of the spring so that their rubbers bear against the interior surface
of the article to be cleaned; by reason of the arms being hinged to the shaft they are
able to adapt themselves and the rubbers to the contour of the surface to be cleaned.
Dated this 9th day of December 1886.

page_text: Hollow Cylindrical and other Shaped Articles.
I, THOMAS COCKCROFT, of Nos. 3 to 13 Egerton Street, Birkenhead in the County
of Chester, Mineral Water Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement
My Invention relates to apparatus for cleaning the interior surfaces of hollow
cylindrical and other shaped articles, such as bottles and like receptacles, lamp glasses
and other hollow articles, the apparatus being of that type in which extending arms
having elastic flexible ties and rubber coverings are used.
According to my Invention I connect the arms by a joint, or hinge to the end of a
hollow shaft, the jointed ends of the arms being so made as to bear upon a sliding
block within the hollow shaft which is pressed outwards by a spring within the hollow
shaft and so extends, or spreads out the arms. Outside of the hollow shaft, when used
for bottle cleaning, there is a sleeve, having a mouth shaped to receive the mouth of
the bottle and so that as the hollow shaft and arms are drawn into the sleeve, the
arms are pressed together to allow of their entering the bottle and on withdrawal of
the sleeve the arms expand and adapt themselves to the interior of the bottle. The
arms are covered and connected by an elastic and flexible rubber, preferably soft
india rubber, provided with sockets to ship onto the ends of the arms.
The arms are
of length to correspond with the interior diameter of the bottle, or article, and shaped
so that they will as nearly as possible adapt themselves to the interior contour of the
bottle or article. The hinged arms may be two, or more in number, for example two
hinged arms may be used connected by a rubber having two socket pieces to ship
over the arms and a connecting tie, or where the apparatus is particularly required to
be used as a side rubber there may be three hinged arms, the rubber in this case
having three socket pieces and two connecting links, two arms being formed to take
and extend the rubber say in a horizontal line for side rubbing and one of these arms
with the third arm extending the rubber across the end of the apparatus say in a
vertical line for end rubbing, or the apparatus may have four hinged arms. In this
case the arms are hinged in pairs one pair in front of the other either on separate
parallel bars in connection with the sliding block, or on the side of the hollow shaft.
The arms on each side being connected by a rubber having sockets which ship onto
the said arms.
This form of apparatus is also applicable as a side rubber, and an
end rubber.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood, I will describe the same in

page_text: "Sp
corresponding parts throughout the several figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an apparatus according to my Invention, in its
simple form.
Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the apparatus shown at Figure 1 as
mounted for use.
Figure 3 illustrates the apparatus shown at Figure 1 provided with three arms.
Figure 4 illustrates the apparatus shown at Figure 1 provided with four arms.
The apparatus is of that type in which extending arms, having flexible ties and
rubber coverings on a revolving spindle are used, and my Invention consists in
connecting the arms a to the spindle b, which I form hollow, by a joint, or hinge at c,
the hinged portion a¹ of the arms a being so made as to bear upon a block d which
slides within the hollow spindle b and is pressed outwards by a spring e which is also
placed within the hollow spindle b. This spring by pressing upon the block d extends,
or spreads out the arms a as shown in the Drawings. Outside of the hollow spindle b,
when used for bottle cleaning, there is a sliding sleeve / having a mouth i shaped to
receive the mouth of the bottle k in manner as shown at Figures 1 and 2 of the
Drawings. To insert the arms a into the bottle k the sleeve h is drawn over the
arms a by the weight and the arms a are thereby pressed together (as shown
in dotted lines, see Figure 1) pressing back the block d and spring e. When the
bottle is pressed against the sleeve h the sleeve slides back as shown at Figure 2 and
the arms a and spindle b enter the bottle; the arms a extending (as shown) by the
pressure of the spring e. The arms a are provided with coverings m of india rubber,
or other suitable material connected by flexible ties m¹. In the example shown at
Figure 2 the sleeve his carried by the standard from the slide hand works on the
bed g, the weight 1 after each bottle is withdrawn causing the sleeve h to compress the
arms a so as to be in a position to enter another bottle. The spindle 6 is carried by
the shaft n which runs in the bearings o and is worked by the pulleys p.
The coverings m of the arms a are preferably of soft india rubber, having sockets
to ship onto the arms a as shown. The arms a are of length to adapt themselves to
the interior of the bottle. In some cases the spindle 6 may be provided with three,
or four arms a as shown in Figures 3 and 4. In these cases the rubbers m have
sockets to ship over the additional arms. These forms of apparatus are used for side
and end rubbing more particularly.
The apparatus according to my Invention, namely the spindle b and the arms a is
particularly applicable for use on ordinary bottle washing machines by substituting
it for the ordinary revolving brushes, or it can be used as a simple hand apparatus
for cleaning the interior surfaces of articles, such as decanters, lamp glasses and like
articles. The hollow shaft may be provided with an external screw thread and with
a corresponding threaded sleeve by the movement of which the apparatus can be
rotated by hand. To prevent damage to the articles being cleaned the hollow shaft
may be covered with rubber.
In application the apparatus above described is preferably used with water. The
water may be supplied through the central shaft, or the articles may be dipped in
water, or otherwise wetted. The arms are first brought together within the sleeve
mouth so that they can be inserted into the article and after insertion the arms
expand by the pressure of the spring so that their rubbers bear against the interior
surface of the article to be cleaned; by reason of the arms being hinged to the
shaft, they are able to adapt themselves and the rubbers to the contour of the surface
to be cleaned.

page_text: 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 :
First. In apparatus of the type herein set forth for cleaning the interior surfaces of
hollow cylindrical and other shaped articles, arms (such as a) connected to a spindle
by a hinge or hinges the said arms being expanded by a spring as, or substantially as
set forth.
Second. In a washing apparatus of the type herein set forth connecting the
expanding arms thereof to their carrying spindle by a hinge and expanding the arms
by a spring and sliding block as, or substantially as set forth.
Third. A washing apparatus having a hollow spindle hinged arms a, a sliding
block & spring e and a sliding sleeve has herein described and shown in Figures 1, 3
and 4 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Fourth. The washing apparatus claimed in Claim 3 in combination with the bed
weight shaft n bearings o and pulleys p as herein described and shown in Figure 2
of the Drawings hereto annexed.