IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLE- WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and W.
Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLE-
WASHING MACHINES communicated to him from abroad by William Cowles
of the City County and State of New York, United States of America
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th October 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLE WASHING MACHINES." [communicated to him from
abroad by William Cowles of the City County and State of New York, United
States of America]
This Invention relates to a new and improved machine for rapidly and thoroughly
cleaning and washing bottles and rinsing them out, before they are removed from
the machine.
The brush is of very peculiar construction and consists of a metal tube slit at
the end so as to form outwardly curved strips of various lengths like the branches
of a palm tree. The brush is formed of a strip of metal, preferably steel cut
obliquely at one end which is slit to form tongues the remainder of the strip being
coiled up to form a tube in which form it is retained by a stud which projects from
the brush and serves for fixing it in its socket as hereafter mentioned. The slits
or cuts forming the tongues may either be longitudinal or they can be made
obliquely. When the strip has been rolled up to form the tube, the tongues will
project outward from the end of the said brush on curved lines. The tubular part
of this brush is removably fixed in a socket carried on the end of a tubular spindle
or water feed tube and contained within another tube which is free to slide
telescopically over the water feed tube or brush spindle but is prevented from
rotating said telescopically sliding tube being provided at its outer end with
hooked spring prongs adapted to engage with the rim of the bottle mouth, and so
[Price 6di

page_text: arranged that the latter may be introduced laterally between them.
A nozzle tube
of small diameter projects from the end of the tubular brush spindle a sufficient
distance through the brush to convey the water into the bottle.
The tubular brush spindle is mounted in a sleeve which is journaled in bearings
and is provided with a band pulley and with a clutch adapted to be engaged with
a corresponding clutch on the tubular brush spindle by the act of sliding the spindle
endwise in the sleeve. The sleeve is also free to slide end wise in its bearings for a
purpose hereafter mentioned and is held forward by a spring. A boss fast on the
tubular brush spindle turns in a stationary collar connected to a valve spindle
hereafter mentioned. The end of the tubular brush spindle passes through a stuffing
box into a valve box. The valve is carried on a spindle passing through the opposite
side of the valve box and attached to a U shaped frame whose ends are attached to
the collar above mentioned and a spring confined between the said collar and the
valve box draws the valve to its seat, whilst allowing of the opening of the valve
by pushing the collar towards the valve box. This is effected by pushing the
tubular brush spindle towards the valve box, and latches are provided to engage
with the boss on the tubular brush spindle which turns within the said collar said
latches serving to retain the valve in the open position. Two of the above described
brush spindles and their appurtenances are mounted horizontally and parallel with
each other on the same base, and a belt passes over the pulley of each and round a
driving pulley operated by a treadle or other motor. The belt also passes under a
tension pulley loose on an eccentric boss on a shaft having pivoted to one end a cam
or eccentric operated by a handle and provided at the other end with a rubber
cushion interposed between the head of the shaft and its bearing whereby the
shaft may be locked with the eccentric boss upwards or downwards according as it
is desired to tighten or slacken the belt to run or stop the machine.
The operation is as follows. The butt or base end of the brush is fixed in the
socket on its spindle by means of a pin or stud which is sprung into a hole in the
socket. The head of bottle is then passed between the holding prougs and by
pushing upon the end of the bottle the holding tube is pushed back whereby the
spring tongues of the brush which are held together by the said tube, will pass
into the neck and body of the bottle at the same time with the nozzle tube which
is contained within the brush. The rear end of the holding tube strikes against
the clutch on the tubular brush spindle and pushes both clutch and spindle back-
wards until the clutch engages with the corresponding clutch on the sleeve which
carries the belt pulley and is continually rotated by the belt. As soon as the
clutches are engaged the tubular brush spindle will also be rotated and the brush
will be whirled about in the bottle and the centrifugal force throws the spring
tongues against the inner surface of the bottle. When the tubular brush spindle is
thus moved back the U shaped frame attached to the valve stem will also be moved
in the same direction and will open the valve permitting the water to flow through
the brush spindle and the nozzle pipe into the bottle which is thus thoroughly
rinsed and washed. The water can also pass through apertures in the brush. The
tubular brush spindle is locked in this position by the latches.
When the supply of water is to be shut off and the machine stopped the tubular
brush spindle is suddenly pushed a short distance further back whereby the latches
will be thrown outward by the end of the sleeve striking against them, and before
the latches can be re-engaged the boss is moved by the spring in the inverse
direction thereby holding the latches open and the valve is at same time closed.
When the tubular spindle is thus suddenly moved back for the purpose of stopping
the supply of water, the valve will first be opened further for a moment, and will
thus supply a larger quantity of water to flush the bottle before it is removed.
Two bottles can be washed at the same time by means of this machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Patent Office on the 9th April
1884.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLE WASHING MACHINES" A communication to me from
abroad by William Cowles, of the city, county and state of New York, United
States of America,
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved machine for
rapidly and throughly cleaning and washing bottles and rinsing them out, before
they are removed from the machine.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying sheet of drawings forming part of
this specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improved bottle cleaning
machine. Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the same and its support. Figure 3
is a cross sectional elevation of the belt tension pulley. Figure 4, is a front end
elevation of the sliding tube for receiving the head of the bottle. Figure 5, is a
cross section of the same on the line xx Figure 1. Figure 6 is a plan view of the
rear end of the machine, showing the arrangement of the pulleys and valves.
Figure 7, is a plan view of the front end of the sliding tube for receiving the
bottle head. Figure 8, is the blank from which the brush is made. Figure 9 is a
plan view of a modification of the same. Figure 10, is an end elevation of the
base end of the brush. Figure 11, is a perspective view of the brush on a smaller
scale.
I use a brush of a very peculiar construction which consists of a tube provided
at one end with a series of curved strips of various lengths which project from the
end of the tube radially and outwardly on curved lines in the manner of the
branches of a palm tree as shown in Figure 11. The brush A is formed of a
longitudinal strip B of metal, preferably of steel, which has one end bevelled off
and at the bevelled end is provided with longitudinal slits which form a series of
longitudinal tongues a. The other end of the strip is provided with a series of
apertures b, b, and at one edge with a fixed pin c and with one or two apertures c¹
which are on a straight transverse line with the pin c as shown. The strip B is
rolled up to form a tube in such a manner that the pin c passes into the apertures o¹
which coincide, whereby the base end of the tube will be held together. The two
rows of apertures b, b, coincide or cover each other, and a small rivet e is driven
through rivet apertures el in the strip B. If desired the slits or cuts forming the
tongues a need not be made parallel with the longitudinal edges of the strip B but
can be made diagonal to the same, as shown in Figure 9. When the strip B has
been rolled up to form the tube, the tongues a will project outward from the end of
the said brush on curved lines, and as the end of the strip B is bevelled the said
tongues will be of different lengths. A tube C, which is adapted to slide parallel
to its longitudinal axis, in a bearing block C¹ resting on a suitable support, is
provided at its outer end, which is slightly tapered or contracted with three spring
prongs D which are provided at their ends with hooks d inclined inwardly and
toward the end of the tube C, as shown in Figures 4 and 7. The lower prong D
is on the longitudinal central line of the tube C, and the two upper prongs D are
at the sides of the same, so that a bottle head, can be inserted between the said
prongs from above by simply placing it between the two upper prongs so that it
will rest upon the middle lower prong. The hooks d. catch behind the lower edge

page_text: of the head of the bottle, and hold the same between the prongs D. A rotating
tube E projects into the rear end of the tube C, and is provided within the said
rear end of the tube C with a sleeve E¹ which is securely fastened to the tube E
and rests loosely but closely against the inner surface of the tube C. The said
sleeve is provided in its outer edge with a bevelled groove f and a short distance
back of the said outer edge it is provided with an aperture g which is adapted to
receive the pin c of the brush A. A vertical aperture h is formed in the bearing C₁
directly above the aperture g in the sleeve E¹. A male clutch F is rigidly
mounted or keyed on the tube E near the end opposite the one passing into the
tube C and adjoining to the said male clutch F a sleeve G is loosely mounted on
the tube E the said sleeve being journalled in the journal blocks G¹ G¹ on the
platform of the machine. The said sleeve G is provided with a belt pulley G³ and
at the end adjoining the male clutch F with a female clutch F. A rod H passes
from the bearing block C, to the bearing block G¹ and also passes through a
loop H' formed by a transverse wire H2, which is attached to the rear end of the
tube C whereby the said tube will be prevented from turning on its longitudinal
axis but can be moved longitudinally. A curved spring I resting against the
pulley G presses the sleeve G in the direction toward the male clutch F. A
cylindrical boss J fast on the tube E is surrounded by a ring K which rests against
a shoulder of the said boss J. A spiral spring L is confined between the shoulder
of the said ring K and the shoulder of a rabbet in a ring M, which is screwed on
the threaded tubular projection M' of a valve box N, which is fixed on the
platform of the machine. The end of the tube E passes into the end of the tubular
projection M and a close joint is formed by a stuffing box on the end of the said
tubular projection. A valve O fitting in the inner end of the tubular projection M¹
of the valve box N is attached to the inner end of a valve rod O', the outer end of
which is attached to a U shaped frame P, the ends of the shanks of which are
attached to the ring K surrounding the boss J by means of screws J₁ projecting
into a groove in the said boss J the said valve rod 0¹ being suitably packed to
form a close joint. The water is conducted into the valve box N through a pipe Q.
A cam latch R is pivoted on the top of the bearing block G₁ adjoining the
cylindrical boss J, on the tube E and a cam latch R¹ is pivoted to the bottom of the
said bearing block. A weighted arm of the said cam latch R¹ presses the end of
the said cam latch upward for a purpose that will be fully set forth hereinafter.
Both latches R and R are provided with tongues r projecting toward the tube E.
Two of the above described devices are mounted parallel with each other on the
same. base or table, as shown in Figure 6, and a belt S passes over the two.
pulleys G' and around a driving pulley S¹ which can be operated by a treadle or
by any other suitable motor. The said belt S also passes under a tension pulley T
which is loosely mounted on an eccentric part T₁ of a shaft T which shaft is
provided at one end with a pivoted handle U having eccentric discs U₁ at its
pivoted end. A rubber cushion V is interposed between a head on the end of the
shaft T and the bearing of the shaft T' for purposes which will also be described
hereinafter. A tube W which is of less diameter than the tube E projects from the
end of the same into the tube C, as shown in Figure 1.
The operation is as follows: As the operation of each half of the machine is the
same, the operation of only one of the above described devices will be shown. The
butt or base end of the brush A is passed into the tube C, until the pin c which
passes through the bevelled groove f catches in the aperture g of the sleeve E' and'
is thus held in the same in such a manner that it will rotate therewith. The head
of a bottle is then passed between the prongs D and by pushing upon the end of
the bottle the tube C is pushed in the direction of the arrow a¹ wherby the
spring tongues of the brush which are held together by the tube C will pass into
the neck and body of the bottle at the same time with the tube W which is
contained within the brush. The rear end of the tube C strikes against the male
clutch F and pushes the same and the tube E, on which it is mounted in the
direction of the arrow al so that the male clutch engages with the female clutch at

page_text: the end of the sleeve G which sleeve is continually rotated by the belt S and the
result is that as soon as the clutches are engaged the tube E will also be rotated
and the brush will be whirled about in the bottle and the centrifugal force throws
the spring tongues against the inner surface of the bottle. If the tube E is moved
in the direction of the arrow a¹ the U shaped frame. P will be moved in the same
direction and will draw the valve rod O₁ and the valve O in the direction of the
arrow a¹; whereby the inner end of the tubular projection M in the valve box N
will be opened, permitting the water to flow through the pipe E and the pipe W.
into the bottle which is thus thoroughly rinsed and washed. The water can pass
through the apertures b b of the brush A. For the purpose of locking the tube E
in the above described position I have provided the cam latches R and R¹, for by
the movement of the tube E the cylindrical block J on the same will also be moved
in the direction of the arrow a¹ thus permitting the free ends of the cam latches R
and R' to be moved by gravity toward the central axis of the tube E and thus
causing the free ends of the cam latches to catch on the edge of the cam ring K.
As soon as the cam latches are in this position the valve O will be held opened. If
the supply of water is to be shut off and the machine stopped the tube E is
suddenly and quickly pushed a short distance further in the direction of the
arrow a whereby the spring I will be compressed and the end of the sleeve G will
strike against the tongues of the cam latches R and R¹ and will suddenly throw
the said latches outward. Before the same can be moved by gravity toward the
tube E again the spring L, moves the boss J and the tube E in the inverse
direction of the arrow a' and thereby holds the cam latches R and R¹ outward,
and at the same time the frame P is moved in the inverse direction of the arrow a¹,
whereby the valve O will be closed and the supply of water will be shut off. When
the tube E is suddenly moved in the direction of the arrow a¹ for the purpose of
stopping the supply of water, the valve O will be opened further than it has been
during the regular supply for a moment, and will thus allow a larger quantity of
water to pass through the tube E, which greater quantity of water flushes the
bottle before it is removed. The bottle is removed from the end of the tube C by
pulling the bottle in the inverse direction of the arrow a¹, whereby the tube C will
be moved into the position shown in Figure 1, and then the spring prongs will be
separated to release the head of the bottle. If the brush is to be removed from the
tube C a wire or rod must be passed through the apertures h and g in the bearing C¹
and sleeve E to press down the pin c and permit of drawing the brush out of the
tube. By means of the handle U the shaft T' can be so adjusted that the eccentric
part T can be projected upward or downward as desired. If it projects upward
the belt S runs loosely over the pulleys Q and the machine will not operate; but
if the eccentric part T¹ is turned downward, the wheel T will be pressed on the
belt S and will produce sufficient friction on the belt to rotate the pulleys G².
After the shaft T has been adjusted in the desired position in regard to its
eccentric part, the shaft is locked in the desired position by turning the lever U away.
from the bearing of the shaft for thereby the eccentric part U¹ of the lever U will
be pressed against the bearing and will slightly draw the shaft in the direction of
its length and will compress the cushion V, the tension of which holds the shaft
in the desired position. Two bottles can be washed at the same time by means of
this machine.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is:
1 The combination with a rotary water feed tube of a brush made of a slitted
sheet of metal and attached to one end of the feed tube whereby the prongs of the
brush will be thrown outward by the centrifugal force when the water feed tube.
is rotated, substantially as set forth.
2nd The combination with a rotary water feed tube of a brush having a series
of prongs and a tubular handle said prongs and handle being made from the same
sheet of metal; substantially as herein shown and described.

page_text: 3rd In a bottle washing machine the telescopic pipes adapted to have the head of
a bottle applied thereto and to act upon the other pipe in combination with a
valve said valve being connected to a spring actuated collar or sleeve and cam
latches adapted to act upon the latter and by the action of which the valve is held
open substantially as set forth.
4th In a bottle washing machine the telescopic pipes, one adapted to act upon
the other in combination with a valve said valve being connected to a spring
actuated collar or ring, a cam latch, or cam latches, a sleeve and a spring, by the
compression of which, the sleeve is caused to disengage the cam latch or cam
latches from the said collar or ring whereby upon imparting a sudden movement
to the pipes one valve will be closed and a temporary increased flow of water
will be admitted to the bottle to flush it substantially as herein shown and
described.
5th The combination with a rotary feed tube of a tube adapted to slide over the
latter and to receive the head of the bottle, of spring arms on the end of the
sliding tube, for holding the head of the bottle and devices for rotating the water
feed tube, substantially as herein shown and described.
6th In a bottle cleaning machine the combination with a rotary water feed pipe,
of a sliding tube adapted to receive and hold the head of the bottle to be cleaned,
and of a rotary brush within the said sliding tube and held on the rotating
water feed tube, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
set forth.
7th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the rotating water feed
tube E of the sliding tube C the spring prongs D attached to the outer end of the
same and provided with inwardly projecting hooks d and devices for rotating
the tube E, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set
forth.
8th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the rotary water feed
tube E of the sliding tube C, the spring prongs D of which the upper ones are at
at the sides of the outer end of the tube C, and the bottom one is on the central
longitudinal plane of the tube C at the outer end and bottom of the same,
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose of permitting the
placing of the bottle between the said prongs from above.
9th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with a rotary water feed
tube E of the sliding tube C, the sleeve E¹, attached to the tube E, and
provided with a bevelled groove f and an aperture g and of devices for rotating
the tube E, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set
forth.
10th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the tube E and the
tube C of the wire loop frames H'H' and the wire rod H, substantially as berein
shown and described, and for the purpose of preventing the tube C from being
rotated and at the same time permitting longitudinal movement of the same.
11th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the tube E of the
sleeve G, provided with a female clutch F¹, the male clutch F, on the tube E, the
block J rigidly mounted on the tube E, the ring K on the block J the U shaped
frame P, the valve O, and the valve rod O' substantially as herein shown and
described, and for the purpose set forth.
12th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the tube E of the
clutches F F the boss J, the ring K, the frame P, the valve rod O¹, the valve O,
and the cam latches R and R¹, substantially as herein shown and described and for
the purpose set forth.
13th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the tube E, the male
clutch F, the sleeve G provided with the pulley G', and the female clutch F¹ of
the boss J the ring K, the frame P, the valve O the valve rod O¹ and the cam
latches R and R¹ provided with the tongues r, r, projecting toward the tube E,
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 14th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the tube E, of the
clutches F F the boss J, the ring K, the frame P, the valve rod 0¹ the valve O
and the spring L, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
set forth.
15th In a bottle cleaning machine the combination with the tube E of the
clutch F, the sleeve G provided with the clutch F¹ the spring I, the cam latches R
and R¹ provided with tongues r, the block J, the ring K, the spring L, the frame P,
the rod O¹ and the valve Ŏ substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose set forth.
16th In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination with the rotating water feed
tube E of the sliding tube C, and a tube W projecting from the end of the tube E
into the tube C, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose
set forth.
17th The brush for cleaning bottles made substantially as herein shown and
described of a strip of metal having slits at one end, which strip is rolled up on its
longitudinal axis to form a tube, substantially as herein shown and described, and
for the purpose set forth.
18th A brush for cleaning bottles made of a strip B having one end provided
with slits forming tongues a and the other end provided with a pin c which enters
apertures to hold the strip when rolled to form a tube, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
19th A brush for cleaning bottles made of a strip B having one end provided
with slits forming tongues a and the other end provided with a pin c which
enters apertures c¹ to hold the strip when rolled to form a tube and with
apertures b, b, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set
forth.
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set my
hand and seal this 4th day of April A.D. 1884