IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING BOTTLES AND SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Allan Macdonnell, of Newry, Ireland, for tho
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING BOTTLES AND
SIMILAR VESSELS.”
Sealed the 2nd July 1875, and dated the 21st April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Allan Macdonnell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
21st April 1875.
I, ALLAN MACDONNELL, of Newry, Ireland, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
WASHING BOTTLES AND SIMILAR VESSELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so constructing and arranging apparatus and
machinery as to thoroughly brush and rinse the insides of bottles and
other vessels at a rapid rate on a continuously revolving machine
without any attention except to put on dirty bottles and take off clean
ones.
The machine consists of two circular horizontal tables carried by an
inverted hollow cone. On the lower table are twelve or other number

page_text: of supports fixed radially with the centre to carry the bottles requiring
to be brushed. Above each support and at a height corresponding to
the centre of the bottle is a brush fixed to the end of a radial spindle.
Keyed to the spindle is a bevil pinion or friction roller, receiving motion
which is communicated to the brush from a horizontal bevil wheel or
friction wheel. This wheel is keyed to a vertical shaft supported in a
footstep and driven by bevil gearing from a countershaft above.
The upper table is pierced at intervals with twelve or other number of
vertical funnel-shaped holes to receive the bottles requiring to be rinsed.
These holes are placed intermediately with the supports on the lower
table. Passing through these holes and into the bottles are the nozzles
of water pipes to convey water for rinsing. These pipes pass through
the hollow cone and down to a chamber below, from whence they receive
their supply, the chamber being kept constantly filled by a force pump
worked by a crank and connecting rod from the countershaft.
The whole of the pipes are not in communication with the chamber at
the same time, some of them being over the open part of the chamber,
while the others are over the blank top, so as to allow of the finished
bottles being taken off without spilling the water. Below the vertical
bottles are funnels depending into a circular trough to receive the waste
water, part of which may if desired be returned to the force pump tank.
•
At the lower part of the vertical shaft is keyed a spur pinion which
gives a slow rotatory motion through intermediate gearing to the hollow
cone carrying the tables.
When the machine is in motion an attendant at one side of the table
puts a bottle on each support as it passes him. The bottle is then
operated upon by a revolving brush until it arrives at the opposite side
of the machine, when it is taken off by another attendant, who at the
same time places it over a vertical pipe through the upper table, where
it remains to be rinsed until it returns to the attendant again, when it
is taken off finished.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Allan Macdonnell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th October 1875.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALLAN
MACDONNELL, of Newry, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Allan Macdonnell, Her
special license that I, the said Allan Macdonnell, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Allan Macdonnell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thercafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING BOTTLES AND SIMILAR VESSELS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Allan Macdonnell,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Allan Macdonnell, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists in so constructing and arranging apparatus
and machinery as to thoroughly brush and rinse the insides of bottles
and other vessels at a rapid rate on a continuously [revolving machinc
without any
attention except to put on dirty bottles and take off clean
ones, the bottles being previously washed on the outsides by passing
through a water trough on revolving rollers before arriving at the

page_text: place where they are fed on to the machine for cleansing the
insides.
The machine consists of two circular horizontal tables carried by an
inverted hollow cone. On the lower table are twelve or other convenient
number of supports fixed radially with the centre to carry the bottles
requiring to be brushed. Above each support and at a height correspond-
ing to the centre of the bottle is a brush fixed to the end of a radial
spindle. Keyed to the spindle is a bevil pinion or friction roller
receiving motion [(which is communicated to the brush) from a hori
zontal bevil or friction wheel. This wheel is keyed to a vertical shaft
supported in a footstep and driven by bevil gearing from a counter-
shaft above.
The upper table is pierced at intervals with twelve or other con-
venient number of vertical funnel-shaped holes to receive the bottles
requiring to be rinsed. These holes are placed intermediately with the
supports on the lower table. Passing through these holes and into the
bottles are the nozzles of water pipes to convey water for rinsing.
These pipes pass through the hollow cone and down to a chamber below
from whence they receive their supply. The chambers are kept con-
stantly filled with water at a high pressure by a force pump worked by
a crank and connecting rod from the countershaft. One of those
chambers is filled with hot water or water which has been already used
once. The next chamber contains perfectly clean water, and the third
chamber is empty. In the revolutions of the table the bottles come
first over the jets of hot water, then over the perfectly clean water, and
last over the empty chamber, whence they are removed.
The whole of the pipes are not in communication with the chamber
at the same time, some of them being over the open part of the chamber
while the others are over the blank top, so as to allow the finished
bottles being taken off without spilling the water. Below the vertical;
bottles are funnels depending into a circular trough to receive the
waste water, part of which may if desired be returned to the force pump
tank.
At the lower end of the vertical shaft is keyed a spur pinion which
gives a slow rotatory motion through intermediate gearing to the hollow
cone carrying the tables.
D.
J
11
1

page_text: placed under the vertical bottles to receive the waste rinsing water,
delivering it into a circular trough T and thence to the feed tank;
U, U, spur wheels for giving motion to the revolving cone; V, V, rollers
revolving in the water trough W for cleansing the outsides of bottles;
X, X, pulleys for driving the rollers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and how the same may be carried into operation, I would
have it understood that what I claim and desire to secure by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
5
Firstly. The arrangement of rollers and water trough for washing the 1
outsides of bottles as hercin-before described and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement of revolving table wheels and brushes for
cleaning the insides of bottles as herein-before described and illustrated
by the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The arrangement of hollow cone, revolving table, water
chambers, jet pipes, force pumps, and machinery in connection therewith
for rinsing the insides of bottles, as herein-before described and illus-
trated by the accompanying Drawing.
1
And, Fourthly. The general arrangement of a bottle washing machine, 2
substantially in the manner as herein-before described and illustrated by
the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Allan Macdonnell, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy- 2
fivc.