Improvements in Wiring Bottles and in Machines for Effecting said Wiring.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wiring Bottles and in Machines for Effecting
said Wiring.
1, GEORGE GATTON MELBUISH HARDINGHAM, of 191, Fleet Street, in the
City of London, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (communicated to me from abroad by Charles Lee Curtis,
of 113, Centre Street, in the City of New York, United States of America,
Mechanician) to be as follows:-
This invention relates, first, to the application to the stoppered end of a bottle or
the like of a wire stopper-retainer, and, secondly, to a machine adapted for use in
applying such a retainer.
The method of wiring a bottle or the like according to this invention consists in
laying three or more wires (or lengths of wire, if a single wire be used) about the
neck of the bottle, and in twisting each two adjacent wires or lengths of wire
together in a manner to close the wires upon the bottle-neck and to form there-
about a band, whence project branches preferably disposed equidistantly about the
band. These branches are then brought up over the top of the cork and twisted
together. The twist thus formed may then be bent down sidewise and compressed
into the soft material of the cork; but, as this last operation may be carried out
afterwards or may be entirely omitted, it is not an essential step in the process, the
subject of the present invention.
The machine employed to apply the wire-retainer according to the above method
operates automatically, and is preferably arranged to wire a bottle at cach
operation, the machine then stopping of itself.
:-
The machine comprises the following mechanical features, namely
Within a suitable frame is mounted a clamp which holds the bottle while it is
being wired. This clamp grasps the bottle by spring pressure, and a spring
centring clamp, connected with the body-clamp, grasps the neck of the bottle below
the fillet thereon. This combined bottle-clamp, which may be adapted to be opened
by the attendant, is mounted rotatively, so that the bottle may be rotated axially.
There are three or more similar wire-placers, preferably three. These placers
each comprise a feeding device for feeding the wire from a spool or reel, a cutter
for severing the wire from the reel, and a twister. The wire-placers are so situated
with respect to each other about the axis of the bottle-holder or clamp, that each
wire-feeder feeds the wire through one twister to that next adjacent, either to the
right or left, as the case may be; so that when the wires are placed for twisting,
they form substantially straight sides of a plane figure-say a triangle, for
example and each two wires intersect in the jaws of one of the several twisters.
The wires having been placed in this position and a bottle placed in the holder or
clamp, the neck of the latter stands within the enclosure formed by the wires.
The twister-jaws close simultaneously upon the wires and the cutters sever the
latter. The twisters now rotate axially and twist the wires together in pairs; thus
drawing the wire band tight upon the bottle-neck. They then open and release the
twisted branches and retire.
Another feature of the construction is a lifting mechanism, which bends the out-
wardiv-projecting branches of wire up alongside of the stopper or cork, and into
radial guide-slots formed in a gripper-head arranged over the cork of the bottle.
This gripper-head has an up-and-down movement, and carries hinged grippers
which enter the respective slots in the head and clamp the respective branches of
wire against a central abutment in the head. The wire branches having thus been
gripped fast, the mechanism which rotates the bottle-holder is set in motion, and

page_text: the rotation of the bottle twists the wires of the branches together upon the top of
the cork.
The bottle may now be removed and the wiring of another bottle proceeded
with; but the machine is provided, by preference, with a cutter, carried by the
gripper-head, which serves to trim off the top twist and to bend it down upon
the cork.
The feeder, cutter and twister of each wire-placing mechanism are actuated by
cams mounted on a rotating shaft in the machine, and these shafts are all driven
from one source of power. The mechanism for rotating the bottle-clamp may also
be a cam and may be mounted on one of these shafts. Any simple cam-mechanism,
properly timed, may be employed for the purpose.
but
The construction and operation of the gripper-head is such that when it descends
and meets serious resistance, as for example the top of the cork, it stops
between it and its actuating arm or lever a cushion-spring is introduced, and the
further movenient of the arm serves to close the gripper-jaws on the wire branches.
While the machine is finishing its work on one bottle, the wires for the next
may be placed ready against the time when the attendant has fixed the next bottle
in the clamp or holder.
The centring guide for the neck is set by a pin and oblique slot and is non-
yielding but the clamp on the body of the bottle is yielding. Thus the holder is
adapted to grasp and hold bottles varying considerably in their dimensions.
Dated this 24th day of January 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wiring Bottles and in Machines for Effecting
said Wiring.
I, GEORGE GATTON MELHUISH HARDINGHAM, of 191, Fleet Street, in the
City of London, Civil Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (communicated to me from abroad by Charles Lee
Curtis, of 143, Centre Street, in the City of New York, United States of America,
Mechanician,) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates, first, to the application to the stoppered end of a bottle or
the like of a wire stopper-retainer, and, secondly, to a machine adapted for use in
applying such a retainer.
The method of wiring a bottle or the like according to this invention consists in
laying three or more wires (or lengths of wire, if a single wire be used) about the
neck of the bottle, and in twisting each two adjacent wires or lengths of wire
together in a manner to close the wires upon the bottle-neck and to form there-
about a band, whence project branches preferably disposed equidistantly about the
band. These branches are then brought up over the top of the stopper or cork
and twisted together. The twist thus formed may then be bent down sidewise and
compressed into the soft material of the cork but, as this last operation may be
carried out afterwards or may be entirely omitted, it is not an essential part of this
invention.
:
The machine is preferably arranged to stop automatically after wiring each
bottle. The bottle-holder is mounted to rotate in the vertical axis of the machine
and is adapted to hold. bottles which vary slightly in size. When placed in
the machine by the attendant, the bottle stands erect in the axis of the machine
with its corked end uppermost. Guide-fingers on the holder serve to guide the
operator in placing the bottle. Arranged about the bottle-holder and equally
spaced are set three uprights, which constitute parts of the machine-frame. On
each of these uprights is mounted a feeder for feeding wire from a wire-holder or
reel to and along-side the bottle-neck, a cutter to sever the wire, a twister to form

page_text: one of the three twists where the branches join the band, and a lifter to lift the
wire forming the branch into a vertical position. The three mechanisms on the
uprights are preferably alike. Each feeder draws the wire from the reel or holder
and projects it inwardly at a tangent to the bottle-neck, the wire passing onward
until its end enters between the jaws of the twister on the next upright. Thus,
when each device has fed its wire forward, the bottle-neck is embraced by three
straight wires, which form a triangle, meeting and crossing each other at three
points. These points are in the jaws of the respective twisters. The twister-jaws
having closed on the wires at the crossing points, each wire is simultaneously cut
off and the twisters move radially toward the bottle-neck. The twisters then rotate,
making by preference two complete revolutions. The effect of the twisting is to
close the wires on the bottle-neck and form the band; the three branches being
left in the twisters. The jaws of the twisters then open and withdraw, where-
upon the lifters take under the three branches and lift them into a vertical position.
Directly over the cork in the bottle is mounted a gripper-head, which has three
vertical radial slots so set as to receive the three branches of wire when they are
lifted. There are three gripping jaws pivoted above, which swing downward and
grip the branch-wires; gathering them into the respective slots, bending them over
the cork and pressing them against a central abutment in the gripper-head. As
soon as the branches are gathered and clamped fast, the head rises a little and the
holder in which the bottle is mounted is rotated. The rotation of the bottle
twists the six wires forming the three branches together on the top of the cork.
The head then ascends further, and a cutter mounted on the face of the gripper-
head sweeps round; nipping off the frayed end of the final twist and bending the
twist over to one side and down into the cork. The bottle is then released by the
holder, and the machine stops automatically for the reception of another bottle.
While the twist on the
Thus one bottle is wired at each operation of the machine.
top of the cork is being trimmed, and after the branches have been lifted out of
the twisters, the wire-feeders place a new set of wires ready for the next bottle put
into the holder. The cams and other devices which actuate the various mechanisms
are placed in the base of the machine.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig, is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, looking in the
direction indicated by the arrow y in Fig. 2, of a machine for wiring bottles
embodying the present improvements.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the extreme upper part of the machine.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line A, A in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow Z in
Fig. 2, of the mechanism in the base of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a plan of one of the wire feeding, cutting and twisting mechanisms
drawn to a larger scale; the relative positions of the other two similar mechanisms
being indicated by dotted lines.
Figs. 44, 4" and 4° are views of details comprised in the mechanism illustrated
in Fig. 4.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the gears, which operate the radial twisters, drawn to
the same scale as Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the wire-feeder, also drawn to
the same scale as Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a view of one of the feed-rollers and of its gears.
Fig. 7 is a plan of the bottle-holder, showing the centring clamp.
Figs. 8 and 8 are respectively side views of the base and of the upper part of
the bottle-holder.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the gripper-head and grippers; this view being drawn
to a larger scale than Fig. 1.
Fig. 10 is a view of the under side of the gripper-head, showing the trimmer for
the top twist Fig. 10 being a similar view with the jaws of the trimmer in a
different position from the one shewn in Fig. 10.

page_text: Fig. 11 is a vertical section of the gripper-head and grippers drawn to a larger
scale.
Fig. 12 represents the corked end of a bottle after being wired by this
machine.
Fig. 13 shows how three wires are laid about the neck of the bottle, which is
represented by dotted circles.
In Fig. 14, the wires are twisted together to form a band closely encircling the
bottle-neck, and having three branches, which are afterwards brought up over the
cork and twisted together, as illustrated in Fig. 12.
Fig. 15 represents the stopper-retainer separately.
Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate the mode of wiring when a single length of wire is
employed; four branches being shown in Fig. 16 and three branches in Fig. 17.
I is the frame of the base of the machine; 1ª is the upper bed, and 1 are the
three uprights. The uprights are connected at their higher ends by a frame 1º.
These constitute the fixed frame of the machine, which may, however, have any
form or construction most convenient or desirable. Within the frame and below
the bed 1 are arranged the several cam-shafts, cams and driving mechanisms.
2 is the main shaft, which may be driven by a belt and pulley in the usual way.
An automatic stop mechanism may be employed to stop the machine at the end of
each wiring operation. 3, 3, 3ª are radially-arranged cam-shafts, each provided
with a set of cams for operating the respective feeding and twisting mechanisms
placed above them. The can-shaft 3 is driven from the main shaft 2 through a
bevel-pinion 4 on the latter gearing with a bevel-wheel 5 on the former. As
herein shown, the main shaft makes four revolutions to one of the cam-shaft, and
one revolution of the latter is necessary for effecting a single wiring operation.
The cam-shaft 3 drives the other two cam-shafts 3", 3" through the medium of a
bevel-wheel 6, which rotates loosely on a central shaft 7 in the base-frame.
The shaft 7 carries on its upper end a cross-head (Figs. 1 and 8) to which are
pivoted the two jaws 8, 8 of the bottle clamp and holder. Each of these jaws is
provided at its upper end with a padded fork, so that, when the jaws are brought
together, the bottle is embraced between the forks. The jaws are drawn together
on the bottle by a spring 9 attached at its ends to the respective jaws. The jaws
are provided with toothed sectors, which gear them together. They are opened by
means of a treadle 10, coupled by a link 11 to a lever 12, which has a pin or
projection engaging in a circumferentially-grooved collar 13, which slides up and
down the shaft 7, and is coupled to the respective jaws by links 14. Springs 15
are used to retract the collar 13; one end of each spring being secured to the
collar and the other end to the shaft 7. The spring 9 tends to retract the said
collar; but it is important that the collar should have some movement independent
of that of the jaws for reasons to be explained, and hence the links 14 are slotted.
The jaws 8 clamp on the body of the bottle, and there is a centring device and
guide, which embraces the bottle-neck just below the fillet. This device comprises
the following mechanical features:-Carried by a head 16x on the shaft 7 is a
frame comprising a curved plate 16, mounted on uprights 16". This plate 16 is
placed at about the level of the fillet of the bottle." An upright shaft 17 is
mounted in the plate 16 and head 16x and carries on its upper end a curved
finger 18. Two other curved fingers 18 are pivoted on the plate 16 (Figs. 7
and 84). Arms on these fingers are coupled by links 19 to the respective ends of
a bell-crank lever 20, fixed on the upper end of the shaft 17. When this shaft
is turned in the proper direction, the several fingers 18, 18", 18" are brought in
toward the axis of the bottle-holder, and their tips press on the neck of the bottle
just behind the fillet, and thus serve to centre the bottle and steady it during the
wiring operation.
The shaft 17 is turned by means of the device comprising an oblique groove 13
(Fig. 8) in a block in the side of the splined sliding collar 13; a stud 13" on a
boss 17 (Fig. 1) on the lower end of the said shaft 17 engaging with the said
groove. Thus, when the collar is drawn down by the operator, the shaft 17 is

page_text: turned and the fingers of the centring clamp are opened. When the operator
removes the pressure from the treadle 10, the springs 15 move the collar 13 up the
shaft 7 and the stud 13" turns the shaft 17 in the other direction and closes the
centring fingers on the bottle-neck. The slotted connection of the links 14 to
the jaws 8 of the bottle-clamp allows of some variation in proportion between
the bodies and necks of the bottles and provides a holder adapted to clamp
bottles having bodies of uniforın size and necks varying in diameter, and also
those having necks of uniform diameter and bodies varying in size. The centring
clamp is made variable by reason of the springs 15; but, when the fingers of
the clamp have been set on the bottle-neck, they can not be spread apart by any
ordinary force by reason of the stud and oblique slot device employed for con-
verting the rectilineal motion of the collar 13 into rotary motion of the shaft 17.
This device of an inclined plane or wedge between the fingers and the collar is
important, as it prevents any strain on the upper part of the bottle from pressing
back the fingers. This holder thus combines a yielding and variable clamp for
the body of the bottle and a non-yielding but variable clamp for the neck thereof; .
both clamps setting themselves automatically.
The mechanism for feeding the wires and twisting them together upon the
bottle-neck will now be described. There are three like sets of mechanism arranged
to be actuated simultaneously. A minute description of one set will suffice for all.
The wire is led from a spool or reel 21 (Fig. 1), through a wire-guide and
straightener 22 (Figs. 4 and 6) formed, by preference, of a series of horizontally
and vertically arranged rollers, to and between a pair of feed-rollers 23. These
feed-rollers are driven from a cam 24 (Fig. 1) acting through a cam-rod 25" and
a pawl and ratchet 25 to impart intermittent rotation to a spur-wheel 26, which.
gears with a
pinion 27 (Fig. 6A) on one of the feed-rollers 23. The rod 25" is
coupled at its lower end to a lever which rests on the cam.
When the cam passes,
it descends owing to its own weight, drawing back the pawl. After passing the
feed-rollers 23, the wire goes through a cutter 29 (seen in dotted lines in Fig. 4),
which severs it at the right moment. This cutter may be of any kind. As
illustrated, it consists of a plug which extends transversely across the path of the
wire and has a transverse bore aligned with that along which the wire travels.
By merely rocking the plug axially, the wire is severed. This plug-cutter is
rocked by means of a cam 30 and a rod 30". After passing the cutter, the wire
moves through the jaws of the radial twister, and thence across and into the jaws
of the twister next adjacent, the jaws being retracted and open. As represented
in Fig. 4, the wire passes to that twister next adjacent on the right-hand side.
31 and 31 are the two jaws of the twister 31. These jaws are pivoted on one
end of a shaft 32 mounted rotatively in brackets 33 and 33" (Fig. 4) and capable
of endwise movement in its bearings. On the other end of the shaft is a long
pinion 34, which gears with a spur-wheel 35, mounted on a stud on the frame.
One-fourth of a rotation of the wheel 35 imparts two complete rotations to the
pinion 34. The wheel 35 is intermittingly rotated by a cam 36 (Fig. 1) through a
pawl-rod 37, a pawl 38 and a four-toothed ratchet-wheel 39 (Fig. 5) on the
wheel 35. Thus each time the cam 36 rotates, it imparts two complete revolutions
to the,pinion 34 and the twister-shaft 32. The axis of the bottle-holder coincides
with the axis of the bottle-neck when the bottle is in the holder. The wires
from the three like feeders are fed so as to form the sides of an equilateral triangle;
the axis of the bottle-holder being in the centre. The wires cross at the angles
of the triangle, which are situated in the respective twisters; each crossing being
in the axis of the respective twister and between the jaws thereof. Within each
angle formed by the wires, which are indicated by broken lines in Fig. 4, is a
stud 40 on the twister 31. These studs, keep the wires apart during the twisting
of their ends: Where the wires form an equilateral triangle, as herein shown, the
axis of cach wire-feeder is at an angle of thirty degrees with the axis of the
twister adjacent thereto. When the twister is moved toward the centre of the wire
triangle, its jaws close on the wire. When it is retracted, its jaws open. The

page_text: longitudinal movement of the twister-shaft 32 is effected by a cam 41 (Fig. 1) and
a rod 42, the upper extremity whereof is coupled to a lever 42, which has a forked
end; the branches of the fork engaging with a circumferential groove 43 in a collar
fixed on the said shaft. In a longitudinal slot in the shaft is mounted a flat bar 44,
on the end of which, within the hollow of the twister, is a double rack 44". This
rack is clearly seen in Fig. 4B, which is a view showing the interior mechanism of
the twister. The teeth on the double rack gear with teeth on sectors 45, which
are secured to or form part of the respective twister-jaws 31 and 31. Fig. 4 is
an edge view of the jaw 31, with one of the pinions 45 attached. The rack is
carried round with the shaft 32, but does not move longitudinally with it. Hence,
owing to the engagement of the teeth of the rack with the sectors 45, the jaws are
caused to open and close by the endwise movement of the shaft 32 which carries
them. The rack-bar 44, to prevent it from moving endwise, is secured to a
circumferentially-grooved collar 45", mounted loosely on the shaft 32, adjacent to
the bearing-bracket 33; a pendent portion of the said bracket engaging with the
groove in the collar 45".
The end of the wire as it enters the twister from the rear passes under an over-
hanging portion on the back part of the jaw 31, and then crosses over along the
face of the jaw 31". To form a keeper for the wire, this jaw has an overhanging
lip 31 (seen in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 4, which is an end view of the twister on a
larger scale than Fig. 4). There is also a pivoted keeper 32", mounted in the
twister 31 under the jaw 31, the inner end of which is lipped and is thrown up
outside the wire, so as to keep it in place next the jaw. When the jaws stands
open, as shewn, the jaw 31" stands over and depresses the outer end of the
keeper 32, thus elevating its inner end; but, as the jaw moves inward in closing,
it, frees the outer end of the pivoted keeper, whereupon the inner end, which is the
heavier, falls by gravity until the lip thereon is below the wire; the wire being
then free. This use of this or some similar keeper is desirable as a precautionary
device to insure against the free end of the wire getting out of or away from the
jaw and out of line with the adjacent twister. In order that the wire coming from
one twister may properly enter the jaws of the next, it is preferred to cut away or
flare such twister, as seen at 31x, so as to facilitate its entrance. As the jaws of
the twister come together on the wires, they clamp the latter just outside or beyond
the stud 40; the two wires being engaged in a fork 31° (Fig. 44) formed in a beak
on the jaw 31, which laps over on the jaw 31°. This beak is broken away in
Fig. 4. At the moment the radial twisters move in and the jaws close on the
wires, the cutters 29 operate and sever the wires.
Fig. 4 represents the position of the feeders and radial twisters at the beginning
of the wiring operation; the wires being already in place about the axis of the
bottle-holder. When the bottle has been placed and clamped, the machine is set
in motion, the twisters advance and close, the cutters sever the wires, and the
twisters rotate. This twists down the six ends of the three wires in three pairs,
forming a band with three branches on the bottle-neck; the three branches projecting
from the band into the twisters. The latter thereupon retract and open, where-
upon three lifters 46 are instantly brought into play. Each lifter is similar to the
one shewn in Fig. 4, which is an L-shaped lever pivoted at 47; its operative
arm 46" being arranged to play up and down in front of the twister and adjacent
to the bottle-neck. The arm 46 takes under the twisted branch of the wire
released by the twister, and by its upward movement bends the branch into a
position parallel or substantially so with the bottle-axis. The lifter is held in its
normal or depressed position by a cam 48 (Fig. 1) and rod 49. When the cam
passes, a spring 49ª throws up the operative arm of the lifter. Both movements of
the lifter may, however, be effected by a cam or cams. When the branches of the
wire band or retainer are lifted into an upright position by the lifters, they enter
radially-arranged vertical slits 50 (Figs. 9 to 11) in a head 51 situated in the
prolongation of the bottle-axis above the bottle. The head 51 is fixed to a tubular
stem 52, mounted to slide longitudinally in a bearing in the frame 1º. In it is

page_text: arranged a slide-rod 53, which is coupled at its lower end to a collar 54, mounted
to slide on the stem 52. The coupling of the rod with the collar is effected by a
stud 54, which plays in a slot of limited length in the tubular stem 52. A
spring 55 between the collar 54 and the head 51 forces the two apart, and keeps
the collar pressed upward as far as the slot will permit. On the head 51 are
pivoted three gripper-jaws 56, arranged to enter the respective slots and gather
the three branches in against the central abutment 51" in the head. These grippers
are actuated by the collar 54, to which they are respectively coupled by links 57.
The spring 55 retracts the gripper-jaws by pushing the collar upward. The
resistance to compression of the spring 55 is such that, when the slide-rod 53 is
pushed down, carries the head 51 and its stem 52 down with it until the bead
meets the cork in the bottle, when the further downward movement of the rod and
collar compresses the spring 55 and the jaws 56 of the gripper are made to clamp
the branches of the retainer. The rod 53 is pushed or driven down by a cam 58
(Fig. 1) on the shaft 3, a rod 59 and a lever 60 mounted on the top of the machine-
frame. The lever 60 is couple: to the cam-rod 59 at one end and to the rod 53 at
the other end. As the head 51 is apt to meet with the resistance of the cork at
different levels, owing to the different sizes of the bottles and the different heights
of their corks, provision is made for lost motion (the throw of the operating cam
being constant) by connecting the lever 60 to the rod 53 by a pair of strong
springs 61. The retraction of the rod 53 is effected by a spring-pawl 62 on the
lever, which engages with the teeth of a rack on the rod. As the pawl may, owing.
to the distention of the springs 61, engage with the rack at different points, a device
is provided for disengaging the pawl at a given point in its upward movement, no
matter at what point it may be engaged at the time with the rack on the bar. The
pawl is provided with two lugs 63, which, as the lever 60 carries the pawl upward,
engage with inclines 64 on a fixed upright 65 mounted on the top of the machine
frame. As the lever descends, the head 51 strikes the cork, and its further down-
ward movement is arrested. Then the gripper-jaws clamp on the branches of the
retainer as described. At this moment, the lever 60 in its descent strikes against
and presses down a lever 66, mounted on the top of the machine-frame. To the
short arm of this lever is coupled a lifting pawl 67 (Fig. 1), which is thus caused
to protrude in an upward direction and made to engage with a rack on the stem 52, .
whereby such stem and its attached head, together with the gripper-jaws, are lifted
enough to take the pressure off the cork. Thereupon, the bottle-holder, and, of
course, the bottle clamped therein, are rotated, and the three branches of the
retainer twisted together on the top of the cork. The mechanism for effecting
this rotation of the bottle-holder is best seen in Figs. 1 and 2. On the shaft 7 is
a toothed wheel 68, which gears, through an intermediate wheel 69, with a
wheel 70. On the shaft of the wheel 70 is a bevel-pinion 71, which gears with a
bevel-wheel 72 on a horizontal shaft, on which is mounted a crank 73; the latter
being coupled by a link to the free end of a lever 74 (Fig. 3). As the shaft 3
rotates, a stud 75, projecting from the back of the wheel 5 (or it may be from a
disc on the shaft 3) takes under the lever 74 and raises it, thus turning the crank 73
partly round and through it causing the shaft 7 and the bottle-holder to rotate for
the proper number of complete revolutions. In order to keep the bottle-holder
steady during the wiring operation, a suitable automatic lock may be provided.
The twist having been formed on the top of the cork, the cam 58 passes, and a
spring 59" (Fig. 1) throws up the lever 60 and lifts the gripper-head 51 high
enough to permit the twist to be trimmed. The trimmer is illustrated in Figs. 9, 10
and 104. A cam 76 on the shaft 3 acts through a cam-rod 77 to rock an elbow-
lever 78, to one arm of which is coupled a link 79. This link is coupled at its
other end to a crank-arm 80 on a vertically-arranged rocking shaft 81 mounted, at
its lower end, in a flange-bearing on the gripper-head 51 and, at its upper end, in
a sliding bearing in the machine-frame. On the lower end of the shaft 81 is fixed
an arm 82, which carries the fixed jaw 82" of the trimmer. The movable jaw 82b
of the trimmer is pivoted to the arm 82, and its tail is coupled to one end of a.

page_text: The further
link 83, the other end of which is pivoted to the face of the head 51 (Fig. 10).
When the arm swings over the lower face of the head, the movable jaw 82b
encounters the twist of the wire-retainer, and, actuated by the link 83, presses the
said twist up to the stationary jaw 82; the jaws then trimming it off. Fig. 104
shows the position of the jaws after they have closed on the twist.
swing of the trimmer serves to bend over and flatten down the trimmed twist,
whereupon the cam 58 depresses the gripper-head and with it the trimmer; the
pressure from the head serving to force the twist down on or into the soft material
of the cork, as seen in Fig. 12. 84 is the bottle-neck, 85 is the fillet thereon; 86 is
the cork, 87 is the band about the bottle-neck behind the fillet, 88 are the branches
of the retainer, and 89 is the twist flattened down on the top of the cork.
It will be obvious that, by simply adding the necessary duplicates of the parts
shown, a retainer having four or more branches may be made and applied. It will
also be obvious that the means described for trimming the last twist and flattening
it down may be omitted from the machine and these offices performed by hand, or
by another machine after the wired bottle is removed.
In Fig. 11, there is shown a gripper-head 51 provided with four equally-spaced
grippers 56, as this number of grippers is better adapted for illustration than three
in a vertical section. It will be seen that the branches 88 of the retainer are
engaged by the grippers in the several slots 50 in the head at the moment the
twisting operation begins. The lower face of the head stands quite close to the
cork 86. As the bottle rotates, the walls of the slots hold the wires, and, when
the slack is taken up by the twist, the wires of the branches slip under the grippers
until at the finish they grasp only the extreme tips of the wires. The head 51 has,
by preference, a face-plate 90, as seen in Fig. 11, not integral with the head.
Figs. 9 and 11 show only one spring 55 arranged within the hollow stem-52
under the end of the slide-bar 53; but two or more springs on the exterior
of the stem may be employed in any convenient manner to effect the same
result.
As herein shown, the machine is so constructed that the bottle stands erect, and
some of the reciprocating parts of the machine are represented as moved in one
direction by cams and in the other direction by their own weight; but, it is not
essential that the machine be constructed in this way, the bottle need not stand
erect and the parts referred to may be moved in both directions by cams.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. The herein-described method of applying a wire retainer to the stoppered
end of a bottle or the like, which consists in laying three or more wires or lengths
of wire about the neck of the bottle and then twisting each two adjacent ends
together so as to close the wires upon the neck and form a band 87 having branches 88
projecting therefrom, substantially as set forth.
2. The herein-described method of applying a wire retainer to the stoppered end
of a bottle or the like, which consists in placing three or more substantially straight
wires or lengths of wire against the bottle-neck and tangential thereto in such a
manner that they cross one another, then simultaneously twisting together
each two adjacent ends at the point where they intersect, thus forming a band 87
with branches 88, thereupon bending the branches up over the cork or stopper
until they meet on the crown thereof, and finally uniting all the ends of all the
branches in a single twist, substantially as set forth.
3. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with a holder
for the bottle, of feeding mechanism for placing wires or lengths of wire to form
the sides of an angular plane figure about the axis of the bottle-holder, twisters
radially arranged about the said axis, one at each angle of the figure, the twisters
being adapted to twist the adjacent wires or lengths of wire at the angles together
in couples, thus forming the band and branches of the retainer, and cutters for
severing the wire, situated between the respective twisters. and. the wire-feeding

page_text: mechanisms and operating after the rotation of the twisters, substantially as
described.
4. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with a centring
holder for the bottle-neck and three or more wire-feeders arranged about the
holder and adapted to feed the wires from one twister to that next adjacent,
whereby the bottle-neck is embraced by substantially straight wires forming the
sides of a plane figure, of the twisters, one adjacent to each feeder, the said twisters
being adapted to twist together adjacent wires at the angles in pairs to form the
band and branches of the wire-retainer, and cutters for severing the wires, situated
between the twisters and the wire-feeding mechanisms and operating after the
rotation of the twisters, substantially as described.
5. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with a centring
holder for the neck of the bottle and twisters radially arranged about the holder,
of the wire-feeders, one for each twister, adapted to feed the wire from cach of
the respective twisters into the twister next adjacent, whereby the several
wires are crossed in pairs within the twisters, and the cutters for the wires
placed adjacent to and operating in connection with the feeders, substantially as
described.
6. A bottle-wiring machine comprising devices for bending the branches of the
retainer into position about the stoppered end of the bottle, a gripper-head having
radial slots to receive the said branches and also a central abutment at the point
of convergence of the slots, grippers adapted to play in the slots in the head and
clamp the respective branches firmly against the central abutment, and means for
actuating the grippers, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
7. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with a shaft 7,
pivoted jaws 8 mounted thereon, and a spring which pulls the jaws together, of a
sliding collar 13 on the shaft 7, a spring for causing the collar to slide upward on
the shaft, links connecting the collar with the jaws, a shaft 17 provided with a stud
engaging in an oblique groove in the collar 13, the stud above mentioned, a
finger 18 on the shaft 17, fingers 18" mounted on the frame of the holder, a cross-
bar 20 on the shaft 17, and links which couple the respective ends of the cross-bar
to the fingers 18", substantially as set forth.
8. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with a shaft 32,
capable of end wise movement in its bearings, jaws pivoted on the shaft, each being
provided, with a toothed sector 45, and a rack-bar 44 mounted in a longitudinal
slot in the said shaft, of means for rotating that shaft, for moving the same
longitudinally, and for preventing the longitudinal movement of the rack-bar,
substantially as set forth.
9. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with three
radially-arranged twisters, of three wire-feeders, one adjacent to each twister, the
axis of each feeder being at an angle to that of the twister to which it pertains,
the angle being such that the wire through the twister intersects the axis of the
twister between the jaws of the twister, substantially as set forth.
10. In a machine for wiring bottles and the like, the combination, with three
radially-arranged twisters placed at uniform distances apart about the axis of the
bottle-holder, of the bottle-holder and the three wire-feeders, one arranged
adjacent to each twister, the axis of each wire-feeder being at an angle of thirty
degrees with that of the adjacent twister, substantially as set forth.
11. For imparting intermittent rotation to the bottle-holder, the combination,
with a shaft 7, which carries the holder, and a toothed wheel 68 on the shaft, of a
toothed wheel 72 and its shaft, a train of wheels between the wheels 68 and 72,
whereby the latter drives the former, a crank 73 mounted on the shaft of the
wheel 72 and connected therewith by a ratchet device, whereby cach vibration of
the crank imparts a rotary forward impulse to the aforesaid wheel, a lever 74
pivoted to the frame at one end and coupled to the said crank at the other end, and
B

page_text: means for imparting a vibrating movement to the lever at each wiring operation,
substantially as set forth.
12 In a bottle-wiring machine, the combination, with
rotating bottle-holder and mechanism for placing and twisting the wires of the
an intermittingly-
retainer about the neck of the bottle, of a slotted gripper-head placed over the cork
of the bottle and provided with a central abutment 51, gripper-jaws pivoted to the
head and adapted to enter the respective slots therein, and means for operating the
jaws, substantially as set forth.
13. The combination, with a slotted gripper-head 51 and its stem 52, of a slide-
bar 53, a spring 55 between the bar and the head, whereby the bar can continue to
descend after the head has met with the resistance due to the cork, gripper-jaws 56
carried by the head aforesaid, and means whereby the jaws are closed by the
independent downward movement of the slide-bar, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
14. The combination, with a slotted gripper-head and its stem, a slide-bar 53
provided with a rack, and a spring between the slide-bar and the head, of an
operating lever 60, springs 61 connecting the lever with the slide-bar, a pawl 63
carried by the lever and engaging with the rack on the slide-bar, and means for
disengaging the pawl when the lever rises, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
15. The combination, with a gripper-head and its stem, a rack on the stem, a
slide-bar, and a. spring between the head and the slide-bar, of a lifting lever 66,
a pawl 67 carried thereby, a lever 60 which actuates the slide-bar, the lever 66
being in the path of the lever 60, so that, when the latter descends, it strikes the
lever 66 and causes the pawl 67 to engage with the stem of the gripper-head and
lift the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
16. The combination, with a gripper-head, of a trimmer for the top twist
mounted thereon, the trimmer comprising a vibrating arm 82 having a fixed
jaw 82, a movable jaw 82" pivoted on the arm 82, and a link 83 coupled to the
tail of the movable jaw and pivoted to the head, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 26th day of Oatchen 1001
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM.