IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SCREW THREADING BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND THE CAPS OR COVERS OF Same
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SCREW THREADING BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND
THE CAPS OR COVERS OF Same" A communication from abroad by Pierre
Cyprien Krebs. of Paris, France.
Sealed the 6th March 1877, and dated the 29th September 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION loft by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1876.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SCREW THREADING BOTTLES,
JARS, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND THE CAPS OR COVERS OF SAME."
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of bottles, jars, and
other vessels of glass or ceramic ware, and also to caps or covers for closing the
same.
It has been proposed to screw the caps or stoppers upon the necks of bottles or
other vessels in order to secure the same without tying or wiring or the use of
metallic capsules, the cap in this case being screw threaded internally, and screwing on
a corresponding screw formed on the neck of the bottle or jar, but this method of
screwing the cap by screws, as produced by the means hitherto in use, has failed to
answer satisfactorily or come into general use.
The object of the present Invention is to produce a tool which may be applied to
an ordinary glass worker's or other press or mould; this tool comprises a mandrel
screw threaded on the interior or exterior, according as it is to be used for forming
a screw upon the bottle neck or in the cap or cover. This mandrel is introduced
into the glass or ceramic material while it is in a soft condition, and pressure then
applied, so as to mould or imprint the screw thread on the said material. The
mandrel is then withdrawn by a combined rotary and rectilinear motion while the
glass or material is still soft. This combined motion may be obtained in many
ways, but for the sake of example I have in the accompanying Drawings shown one
arrangement of tool for the purpose, and a stopper produced thereby.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a stopper having an internal screw thread; Figure 2,
077

page_text: an under side plan; and Figure 3, a longitudinal section of same taken on line 1, 2,
Figure 2.
Figure 4 shows a front elevation of the tool for forming the screw threads in the
stoppers.
This tool may be applied in connection with a press or mould of any kind for
moulding the bottle or cover.
The same letters of reference serve for all the Figures.
a, cap or cover having an internal screw thread b formed therein in the operation
of moulding the cover while the glass is soft.
The tool for making the hollow of the cap or cover and forming the screw thread
therein is composed principally of a mandrel c, by which the glass is moulded while
in a plastic condition. The mandrel c is screw threaded externally on its periphery
in order to form the thread inside the glass cover in the operation of pressing or
moulding. The mandrel c is mounted on a spindle d, screw threaded at its upper
part, where it passes through a nut e fixed on the frame f, the pitch of the said screw
thread being exactly the same as that of the screw on mandrel c. The mandrel
may be rotated by crank handle i, operating through bevel gear g, h, the wheel g
being fitted on spindle d by a key way j, to allow spindle d to be raised through
wheel g by the effect of the screw working in nut e; k, pinion mounted loose on
frame to prevent wheel g rising during its rotation.
The parts being arranged as described_in_order_to_make, for example, a_glass_cap_
or cover with an internal screw thread, the required quantity of glass or other
material is placed in the mould in a plastic state, and pressure is then applied by
the mandrel c so as to leave an impression of the thread, which it carries in the
glass or other material forming the cover. This done the spindle d is rotated by
turning handle i, and screwing through nut e it is raised, and with it the mandrel c,
which by this combined rectilinear and rotary motion thus screws itself out of the
glass cover, or is withdrawn, leaving a perfect screw thread in its interior.
Instead of a handle and gear wheels, as shown, the same result may be obtained
by applying a hand wheel on the upper end of the spindle d.
In order to form a screw thread on the exterior of the neck of a bottle or jar or
other vessel I use a hollow mandrel having an internal screw thread, the operation
being performed precisely as before.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th March 1877.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SCREW THREADING BOTTLES,
JARS, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND THE CAPS OR COVERS OF SAME." A communi-
cation from abroad by Pierre Cyprien Krebs, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of bottles, jars, and
other vessels of glass or ceramic ware, and also to caps or covers for closing the
same,
It has been proposed to screw the caps or stoppers upon the necks of bottles and
other vessels in order to secure them without tying or wiring or the use of metallic
capsules, the cap in this case being screw threaded internally, and screwing on a
corresponding screw thread formed on the neck of the bottle or jar, but this method
of securing the cap, notwithstanding its evident advantages, has not come into
general use in consequence of the screws as produced by the means hitherto in use
having failed to answer satisfactorily.
The object of the present Invention is to provide a tool which may be applied to
an ordinary glass worker's press or mould or other analogous apparatus. This tool
consists mainly of a solid or hollow mandrel, as the case may be, screw threaded on

page_text: the interior or exterior, according as it is to be used for forming a screw upon the
bottle neck or in the cap or cover. This mandrel is introduced into the glass or
ceramic material while it is in a plastic condition, and pressure is then applied so
as to mould or imprint the screw thread on the said material. The mandrel is
then withdrawn by a combined rotary and rectilinear motion while the glass or
material is still soft. This combined motion may be obtained in many ways, but
for the sake of example I have in the accompanying Drawings shown one arrange-
ment of tool for the purpose, and a stopper produced thereby.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a stopper having an internal screw thread; Figure 2,
an under side plan; and Figure 3, a longitudinal section of same taken on line 1-2,
Figure 2.
Figure 4 shows a front elevation of the tool for forming the screw thread in the
stopper.
This tool may be applied in connection with a press or mould of any kind for
moulding the bottle or cover.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all these Figuros.
a, cap or cover having an internal screw thread 6 formed therein in the operation
of moulding the cover while the glass is soft.
The tool for making the hollow of the cap or cover and forming the screw thread
therein is composed principally of a mandrel c. by which the glass is moulded while
in a plastic condition. The mandrel is screw threaded externally on its periphery
in order to form the thread inside the glass cap in the operation of pressing or
moulding. The mandrel c is mounted on a spindle d, screw threaded at its upper
part, where it passes through a nut c fixed on the frame f, the pitch of the said
screw thread on the spindle corresponding exactly to that of the screw on mandrel c.
The mandrel may be rotated by a crank handle i, operating through mitre gear g, h,
the wheel g being fitted on spindle d by a key way j to allow spindle & to be raised
through wheel g by the effect of the screw working in nut e; k, loose mitre wheel
mounted on frame f to prevent wheel g rising during its rotation.
The parts being arranged as described in order to make a cap or cover with
an internal screw thread, for example, the required quantity of glass or other
material is placed in the mould in a plastic state, and pressure is then applied by
the mandrel, so as to leave an impression of the thread which it carries in the
material forming the cap. This done the spindle d is rotated by turning handle i,
and by screwing through nut e it is raised, and with it the mandrel c, which by
this combined rectilinear and rotary motion thus screws itself out of the glass or
other cap, and is withdrawn, leaving a perfect screw thread in the interior of the cap.
Instead of employing a handle and gear wheels, as shown, the same result may be
obtained by placing a hand wheel on the upper end of the spindle d.
In order to form a screw thread on the exterior of the neck of a bottle or jar or
other vessel I use a hollow mandrel having an internal screw thread, the mandrel
being mounted and the operation being performed precisely as before.
The screw threading tool above described, either solid or hollow, may also be
applied to the manufacture of glass or earthenware caps or covers of bottles and jars
which are secured by a kind of bayonet fastening. This kind of cap or cover has
always been made of metal hitherto, which is expensive, and forms a special branch
of manufacture.
Figure 5 is an exterior view of a cap or cover of glass or ceramic ware, having a
few turns of an internal screw thread formed in it, as seen in the under side plan,
Figure 6, and in vertical section in Figure 7.
Figure 8 shows an elevation and plan of a jar whose neck is provided with
inclined lugs or segments of a screw thread which engage in the spiral grooves
formed in the cap or cover.
Figure 9 shows a front view of the tool for moulding the cap.
The letters of reference indicate the same parts in these five Figures.
a, cap or cover of glass or earthenware; b, helical grooves or threads made in the
interior surface of the cap; c, wide mouthed bottle or jar or other vessel; d, neck

page_text: provided with two or more inclined lugs e or segments of screw thread; f, washer
of india-rubber or other elastic material, which forms a seat for the cap or cover a
when screwed down; h, Figure 9, frame in which is mounted a vertical spindle j
carrying the mandrel i; k, screw thread on the upper part of spindle j of the same
pitch as the screw threads n formed on the mandrel i; l, nut in which the screw k
of spindle j works; m, hand wheel, by which the mandrel is operated.
The following is the action of the apparatus, which is supposed to be placed in a
press-The mandrel i is first lowered into the mould which contains the glass in a
plastic condition, the glass being thereby compressed and caused to fill the grooves n
of the mandrel, which done the mandrel is then unscrewed and raised from the
mould by rotating the spindle j in nut by means of hand wheel m, leaving a
perfect screw thread in the interior of the glass cap or cover a.
By employing a hollow mandrel bottle stoppers may be threaded externally, the
lugs with which they engage being in this case formed in the interior of the mouth
of the bottle or jar. The helical threads may be either right or left handed, as
desired.
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 herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, a tool consisting mainly of a solid or hollow
mandrel, with a continuous or segmental screw thread upon or in it for screw
threading internally or externally the_caps_or_covers and the necks or mouths of
bottles, jars, and other vessels of glass or ceramic ware, the mandrel receiving a
combined rotary and rectilinear motion, all as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the. said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)