Improvements in Machines for Securing Corks or Stoppers in Bottles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left 26th July 1889 Accented 12th Oct. 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Securing Corks or Stoppers
in Bottles.
I JAMES POLLARD LEA of 5 Villa Grove, Villa Road, Handsworth in the county of
Stafford, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct or arrange a machine capable of securing
a cork or stopper in a bottle with part of a single wire. The middle of such piece of
wire encircles the bottle neck and the two ends pass over the cork. The wire is secured
on one side of the bottle neck by a twist and on the other side by the ends of the wire
being turned up round the encircling loop.
The wiring apparatus may also be applied to automatic machines so that a bottle
may be filled corked and wired by the operation of one machine.
A device, on which the wire is arranged previously to being transferred to the
bottle, consisting of a movable piece for guiding the wire on to the bottle neck, clip
pieces for carrying the wire into position, means for giving the required twist to the
wire, and a suitable supporting frame for these parts, is mounted on an arm or lever
capable of movement round its fulcrum.
The wire from a coil passes through a suitable guide to a holding and cutting gear.
A pair of shears has one jaw, the upper one for instance, fixed. To it is attached a
plate baving a slot formed in it some distance below the cutting edge. When the
wire is fod forward it enters this slot and the lower jaw in moving to cut it first turns
it up against the slot plate until the top knife is reached when the wire is cut; the
turned up end is firmly held between the knife and plate.
The collecting device moving round its fulcrum passes between the wire guide and
the holder meeting and carrying forward the wire so as to be partly encompassed by
it-A turn of the twist apparatus secures the formed wire loop and the return of the
collector draws the wire from the coil into the holder.
The piece of wire cut off is on the collector its middle part in a loop and the ends
lying parallel with the diameter across the loop.
The transference of the wire is effected by the bottle being raised into the collector.
The cork first meets the cross wires, then the loop passes on to the bottle neck, then
the ends of the wire are turned up round the loop.
A particular arrangement of the axis of rotation of the twist gear facilitates the
collection of the wire and provides for its final correct disposition.
The necessary motion of the collecting device, twist gear, and cutting jaw, can be
derived from the same source as that which lifts the bottle to receive the wire.
The bottle may be held in a centreing device.
Dated this 27th day of October 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Securing Corks or Stoppers
.
in Bottles.
I, JAMES POLLARD LEA of Silvermere' Kingswood Road Moseley in the County
of Worcester, 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 this Invention is to construct or arrange a machine capable of securing
a cork or stopper in a bottle with part of a single wire. The middle of such piece of
wire encircles the bottle neck and the two ends pass over the cork. The wire is secured
on one side of the bottle by a twist and on the other side by the ends of the wire being
turned up round the encircling loop.

page_text: The Wiring Apparatus may also be easily applied to Automatic Machines so that a
bottle may be filled corked and wired by the operations of one Machine.
To aid in describing my Invention I refer to the accompanying sheet of drawings
but without confining, myself to the actual constructions therein shewn. Fig. 1. is a
front view Fig. 2 a plan of a machine. The other views will be referred to in the
course of this description. A is a tube on the outside of which that part of the wire
which ultimately encircles the bottle neck is received and held. This tube is supported
by a holder D which allows it a vertical motion but the tube A is returned and held
in a liabitual position defined by the stop against the holder D by a spring. The
holder D is attached to a lever E. Clip pieces B arranged vertically and side clip
pieces B arranged horizontally are pressed by springs against the tube A. These
clip pieces are conveniently carried by the lever E.
The wire from a coil or spool passes through a guide L and thence to a holding.and
cutting gear M the end of the wire being there securely held.
The lever E, carrying the tube. A and pin C with their adjuncts, is moved by the
handle round its fulcrum F. The tube A is thus carried from its position at Y to
that at Z on its way meeting the wire between guide L and holder M. The bent
lever O actuated by the connecting link y from the lug is arranged to move behind
the tube A carrying the wire with it so as to enable the pin C in the course of its
revolution on its axis to take the wire from it. A plan of this position of the
parts concerned is shewn at Fig. 10. The Tube A has still a short distance to
move during which the pin C is constrained to revolve by pin b against stop c
finally attaining position shewn in Fig. 6. Now referring also to Fig. 3.
The pin C is connected to a pinion K and a circular rack J also supported on
lever Egears with it. The pin b attached to the rack J in the course of the
movement of tube A from Y to Z meets the stop cand causes the rotation of the
pin C in a direction suited to take, the wire. The rack J is held on the completion
of its movement in either direction by the collar dimpelled by a spring engaging
with flats suitably. formed on the boss of the rack. It should be noted that the rack J
is shewn in position at the close of the above operation.
-
.
The pin C is now in position depicted at Fig. 6 where also the relative position
of the guide L with the wire passing from it round the tube A and thence to the
holder M is shewn dotted in. The.pin C presses the wire against the keep plate Q
and thus holds the loop on the tube A independently (to a very great extent) of the
other portion of the wire. A section of the pin C is shewn at, X. An arrow indicates
the direction in which pin C has just turned to secure the wire on the tube.
The movement of the lever E is fixed by the lug a meeting the stop, w.
During the return of tube A from Z to Y the pin C does not revolve but continues
to hold the loop on the tube. The wire is drawn from the coil or spool through
the guide L. Upon the tube A reaching its position at Y the wire is arranged a
part round the tube A one end of the wire in the holding and cutting gear M, and
the wire from the guide L passing through the said gear ready to be cut and the
end from the coil held for the next series of operations.
Both ends of wire cross below the tube diametrially or nearly so, as shewn by dotted
lines. The middle of the wire passing round the tube A and the ends round pin C
and passing diametrially below the tube is shewn at Fig. 6. to the full lines.
The bottle having been placed in a holding and centering gear shewn in plan at
Fig. 4 and in elevation at Fig. 1 is now caused to rise, its cork and a portion of its
fillet enterring the tube A-meeting the cross wires and causing them to pass over the
cork and down either side of the bottle neck as it rises. When the bottle fillet has
enterred tube A sufficiently to enable the loop on the outside of it to be over any
obstruction (as for instance the ledge at u) the stop r meets the spring and lifts the
tube A. But before this the wire from guide L has been severed in the holding and
cutting gear which consists of a fixed shear blade M having a plate connected with i
in which a vertical groove is formed into which the end of the wire from the guide I
is turned up by the movable blade G after it has cut the wire.
The fixed blade M and the movable blade G are formed with a horizontal groove t

page_text: allow the wire being brought between the cutting edges as the tube A draws it from
the coil through the guide L on its return to its position at Y from Z.
The top part of blade G acts as a retaining plate for the turned up wire when the
said blade is in its ordinary position. The wire being turned up with comparative,
sharpness against the front plate, and being prevented from moving downwards and
kept up to the vertical position by the top of blade G resists a very considerable pull.
in the direction of the arrow. Figs. 7, 8 & 9. Should the end of the wire pass out
of the gear in the opposite direction, as it does when the tube A is at Y after collection,
the rounded edge of the top of blade G and the downward motion the wire could then
make would allow it to be withdrawn with ease. The vertical slot should be wide
enough to contain two ends side by side if necessary. The blade G is attached to the
slide R which also supports the bottle holding gear as is stop, r. When the blade G
rises with the bottle it severs the wire passing between the blades at its front side but
not before it has sufficiently gripped the wire at its back to prevent it from slipping
out of the device. Its further upward motion turns the end of the wire up into the
vertical groove and the blade G keeps it there in whatever position it may be in.
The wire is withdrawn as before indicated.
The tube A being lifted with the bottle by the stop r causes the wire loop on it to
pass off on to the fillet of the bottle because the clip pieces B, B¹ prevent the wire loop
from also moving upward with the tube A. Grooves are formed through the tube at
its lower part to allow the clip pieces B B₁ actuated by the springs to pass through
and clip the bottle fillet before the wire loop passes quite off the tube- Thus the loop
being carried on to the bottle as far as required is ensured. At a convenient point
in the upward path of the bottle the piece, i meets the ends of the wire which now
pass across the top of the cork and down either side of the bottle and turns them up
around the loop encircling the bottle neck.
:
Upon the bottle reaching its top position the wire is in place without undue slack-
ness and only requires the rotation of the pin C to complete the operation and secure
the wire upon the bottle.
Referring to Fig. 5 H is a disc moving. on pivot T and carrying two pins at about
the relative positions shown. The connecting rod I is attached to bottle slide R and
the rod N to the slide P. When the disc is moved in direction of arrow say by foot
treadle the bottle slide R is caused to rise immediately whilst the slide P is practically
motionless. Afterwards however the bottle slide R becomes nearly. motionless whilst
the slide P travels through a considerable distance meeting the stop a and rotating
pin C thus completing the securing of the wire on the bottle. Slides R and P in
descending have no effect other than the removal of the formed wire loop off the
pin C, and allowing tube A and clips B B₁ to regain their ordinary position. The
position of disc H and connecting rods N, I with regard to slides P and R is shewn
at Fig. 11.
In the centering gear the bottle is supported under the fillet by a point d' and
two other points e on lever S are pushed by the spring against the neck of the
bottle centering and holding the bottle on the supporting point d'.
The motion of lever E is obtained by hand and that of the bottle by the foot but
these motions might be derived from the same source.
In applying my invention to automatic filling and corking Machines the lever E
would receive its motion from the revolving shaft carrying the cams and tappets for
carrying out the ordinary operations of filling and corking. The motion of the lever
would be intermittent.
-
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. The combination of the piece A, holder D and clip pieces substantially as and
for the purposes herein set forth.
Second. The piece A, Holder D, (lip pieces in combination with a bottle holding

page_text: mechanisin moving relatively thereto and a device i all substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
Three. The piece A, Holder D, pin C. suitably actuated substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
Fourth. The shear blade with slot piece M and blade G movable relatively thereto
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Fifth. The arrangement and combination of the piece A, Holder D, pin C
suitably actuated, lever E Guide L and the holding and cutting gear all substantially
as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated this 25th day of July 1889
JAMES POLLARD LEA.