Improvements in Machinery for Filling Internally Stoppered Bottles with Aërated Liquids.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Filling Internally Stoppered Bottles
with Aërated Liquids.
I FREDERICK FOSTER of Niagara Works Eagle Wharf Road Hoxton in the
County of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide power driven machinery to receive from
an inclined trough internally stoppered bottles to convey them through the various
operations of syruping filling, snifting and stoppering and to deliver them into an
inclined trough which will convey them to the operator who thus commands the
inlet to the trough for feeding the machine and the outlet from the trough which
delivers the filled bottles.
For this purpose I provide a horizontal shaft to be driven by suitable gearing.
Upon the horizontal shaft I secure the desired number of filling heads provided with
rubber pads to receive the bottle mouths in the usual way. These filling heads
communicate each with a separate tubular channel formed in the horizontal shaft,
controlled as to opening or closing by contact with a pad preferably of leather
perforated in a position to open communication with each of the tubular channels in
the horizontal shaft successively so as to feed the aërated liquid through each
tubular channel at the proper time and for the required length of time to fill each
bottle in turn.
The snifting may be accomplished by tubular channels formed in the horizontal
shaft and carried to the end opposite that at which the supply of aërated water
enters. The snifting channels may be constantly open, being regulated as to amount
of vent to be given by a set screw or they may be periodically opened and closed
by means of a perforated washer in contact with the snifting end of the horizontal
shaft, similar to that adopted to regulate the filling at the supply end.
For syruping the bottles successively I employ a single syrup pump performing
as many strokes during a complete revolution of the horizontal shaft as there are
filling heads thereon. The syrup supply enters by a saddle piece connected with
the horizontal shaft, ports being formed in the horizontal shaft to meet the supply
passage while the stroke of the syrup pump is performed thus receiving the dose of
syrup through the tubular channel in the horizontal shaft leading to a filling head
while such channel is closed to the aërated liquid supply which follows the injection
of the syrup.
The motion for the syrup pump is derived from cams placed upon the horizontal
shaft.
..
The bottle holders are either fitted upon radial arms extending from the horizontal
shaft or upon a disc rigidly connected thereto so as to rotate therewith. They
guide the bottles into position and press them by means of springs sufficiently in
contact with the flexible mouth pieces of the filling heads to make a water tight
joint while filling. The bottle holders are withdrawn at the proper time by means
of cams suitably placed to make contact with levers projecting from the bottle
holders. The bottles contained in the bottle holders released from contact with the
filling heads are by contact with suitably curved projections driven therefrom and
directed into an inclined trough which conveys them to the operator stationed at a
point where he can command also the inlet to the feeding trough in which empty
bottles are to be placed.
The inclined feeding trough is provided with a rotary trap the motion of which

page_text: is dependent upon that of the horizontal shaft in such a manner that the rotary trap
receives one bottle and holding back all the others in the inclined trough it delivers
the one bottle to the approaching bottle holder and proceeds to receive another and
deliver it to the next succeeding bottle holder. That is to say that the rotary trap
is timed to make as many revolutions during one revolution of the horizontal shaft
as there are filling heads attached thereto.
By this means the entire apparatus is under the control of one attendant who
feeds empty bottles into one trough and receives the filled bottles from another
trough the outlet of which is close to the inlet to the feeding trough.
Dated this 13th day of September 1890.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Filling Internally Stoppered Bottles
with Aerated Liquids.
I FREDERICK FOSTER of Niagara Works, Eagle Wharf Road, Hoxton in the
County of Middlesex Engineer 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide power driven machinery to receive from
an inclined trough internally stoppered bottles; to convey them through the
various operations of syruping, filling, snifting and stoppering and to deliver
them into a second trough by way of which they are brought back to the operator
who thus commands the inlet to the trough for feeding bottles to the machine and
the outlet from the trough which delivers the filled bottles.
The machine I employ is shown in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete machine.
Figure 2 is the same as Figure 1 the feeding and discharging trough at the front
being removed.
Figure 24 is an end view of the rotary trap Q.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the complete machine.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the horizontal shaft perforated with channels for
providing the supply of syrup, supply of aërated water and the snifting operation
for three filling heads.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a front view and a back view of the cap which
controls the snifting operations.
Figure 7 is a cross section on the line -x in Figure 4.
Figure 8 is a cross section on the line y-y in Figure 4.
Figure 9 is a back view of the cap which controls the passage of aërated water to
the filling heads.
The horizontal shaft A is driven by means of a shaft B which is provided with a
fly wheel C and fast and loose pulleys D E the said shaft being fitted with a pinion
(not shown) engaging with a spur wheel F.
Upon the horizontal shaft A I provide the desired number of filling heads:G
having yielding pads a to receive the bottle mouths in the usual way.
The filling heads G communicate each with a separate tubular channel b formed
in the horizontal shaft A controlled as to opening or closing by contact with a disc c
fixed in a cap and preferably made of leather perforated in a position to open
communication with each of the tubular channels b in the horizontal shaft A
successively so as to feed the aërated liquid through each of the tubular channels
at the proper time and for the required length of time to fill each bottle in
turn.
The snifting is accomplished by means of tubular channels d formed in the

page_text: horizontal shaft A and carried to the end covered by a perforated disc e fixed
in a cap 9; set screws h¹ are employed to close more or less the snift
passages in the cap g. The set screw h controls the elongated snift passage j
by which the pressure is relieved at a certain stage of the filling operation to
allow a further supply of aërated liquid to enter and fill the bottle, and the set
screw h¹ controls the snift passage k which serves the purpose of relieving back
pressure when the bottle has been filled and stoppered. The caps ƒ and g are held
in contact one with each end of the horizontal shaft A by a tie bolt l.
For syruping the bottles successively I employ a single syrup pump performing
as many strokes during a complete revolution of the horizontal shaft A as there are
filling heads thereon. The syrup passes through the pipe m from the syrup pump H
to a saddle piece J provided with two gland nuts n n' by which packing material is
compressed to make a syrup tight joint between the saddle piece J and the
horizontal shaft A. Lateral openings p convey the syrup into the aërated liquid
passage b as shown in Figure 4 the communicating passage through the saddle
piece J being provided with a stop valve q as shown in Figure 8. While the
aerated liquid passage to the bottle is employed for carrying a dose of syrup
thereto it is closed to the passage of aerated liquid and when the supply of aerated
liquid enters, the stop valve q prevents it from passing through the saddle piece J
to the syrup pump.
The motion for the syrup pump is derived from cams K K¹ K" carried by the
spur wheel Frotating with the horizontal shaft A. These cams K K K" which
may be permanently fixed or removably attached to the spur wheel F raise and
lower an arm r by which the plunger of the syrup pump is raised and allowed to
descend as required for injecting the syrup into the bottles before proceeding with
the filling operation.
The syrup pump which I prefer to employ and which I have shown in the
accompanying drawings is that described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me No. 4966 bearing date October 18 1883 but any kind of syrup pump
which can be operated by the movement of the arm may be employed. The syrup
pump may be put out of use, when not required, by raising the plunger and
preventing its descent by means of the support 6.
The bottle holders consist of curved arms s adjustably fitted on radial rods t
which carry the spring bottle blocks u which press the bottles sufficiently in contact
with the yielding pads a in the filling heads G to make a water tight joint while
filling. The spring bottle blocks u are movable upon the radial rods t, the position
they take up being determined by the friction roller v carried thereon engaging in
the cam-path L which is a concentric path throughout that portion of the rotation of
the horizontal shaft A during which the syruping filling and snifting operations are
performed but deviates from the concentric path at the required period so as to
withdraw the spring bottle blocks u when empty bottles are delivered from the
trough M to the bottle holder arms s.
The filled bottles contained in the bottle holders released from contact with the
filling heads are by contact with a suitably curved spring projection N driven
therefrom and directed into a trough P the bottom of which consists of an endless
band w put in motion in any convenient way from some rotating part of the
apparatus. Thus the filled bottles falling into the trough P are delivered to the
operator whose duty it is to remove them and to keep the trough M supplied with
empty bottles.
The inclined trough is provided with a rotary trap Q consisting of two discs x y
from each of which a portion is removed corresponding with the varying size of
bottles near the neck and near the bottom. The trap Q derives its motion from
that of the horizontal shaft A by means of mitre wheels 2 proportioned as to
their diameters to give as many revolutions of the trap Q to one of the horizontal
shaft A as there are filling heads carried thereon. Thus the trap Q takes a bottle
from the trough M and delivers it into the bottle holders s while retaining all

page_text: others in the said trough. The spur wheels 1, 2 give motion to the shaft which
carries the endless band w of the trough P.
In order that the operator may without stopping the machine arrest the supply
of empty bottles thereto I provide the lever 3 which being depressed causes two
pins 4 to rise in the forward end of the trough M and so prevent the removal of
bottles in the rotary trap Q. An opening at W is made in the outer wall of the
cam-path L to allow the spring bottle blocks u to be readily removed from the
radial rods t when required.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The trough M being filled with empty bottles and the supply cock R being
opened to the required extent more or less according to the speed at which the
machine runs and according also to the size of the bottles to be filled, the machine
is put in motion.
The rotary trap Q takes a bottle from the trough M and delivers it into the
bottle-holder-arms s of the approaching radial rod t. The friction roller passing
into the concentric portion of the cam path L the bottle mouth is driven in close
contact with the flexible pad a and then the syrup pump comes into action
discharging one dose into the bottle by way of the pipe m, the saddle piece J
and the aërated liquid channel 6 in the horizontal shaft A.
At a little later period the horizontal shaft A. by its rotation brings the
aërated water channel b into communication with the aërated 'iquid supply pipe S
leading from a suitable liquid aërating machine and having a dial pressure
indicator T fitted at some convenient place in its course so as to be in sight of
the attendant at the filling machine. Before the supply of aërated liquid is shut
off the snift passage j is opened thus allowing the filling operation to be completed
shortly afterwards and then the snift passage k is opened performing the function
of what are well known as back pressure valves or vents in other filling machines
for internally stoppered bottles. The filling and stoppering being completed the
bottle continues its course still being held firmly in position and comes in contact
with a projection N capable of yielding upon its spring 5 so as to come into
operation directly the bottle is released by withdrawal therefrom of the spring
bottle block u and direct the filled bottle into the trough P.
The foregoing description of the operation of syruping filling and delivering one
bottle applies to the successive operations similarly performed in respect of three
bottles at every revolution of the horizontal shaft A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for syruping filling and stoppering internally stoppered bottles;
the horizontal shaft A. provided with a series of passages for the admission of syrup
and aërated liquid to, and for the exit of confined air or excess pressure of gas from
a series of bottles connected therewith in combination with perforated discs applied
at each extremity of the said horizontal shaft and a saddle piece J embracing
the same at an intermediate point between the two extremities to regulate the
admission of syrup and aërated liquid for filling purposes and the exit of confined
air or excess pressure of gas for "snifting" purposes substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for syruping, filling and stoppering internally stoppered bottles;
a feeding trough provided with a rotary trap Q for conveying bottles from the
forward end of the trough one by one, and delivering them successively to the bottle
holder arms s in which they are carried through the operations of syruping, filling
and stoppering substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for syruping, filling and stoppering internally stoppered bottles,
the spring yielding projection N by which the bottles are directed into a delivery
trough immediately upon their release by withdrawal of the spring bottle blocks u
substantially as described.

page_text: 4. The general construction arrangement and combination of parts constituting
an improved machine for syruping filling, snifting, stoppering and delivering the
filled bottles into a trough in which they are conveyed to the operator who
controls the working of the machine, feeding empty bottles thereto by means of
a trough the entry of which is adjacent to the outlet of the delivery trough
substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of June 1901