Improvements in Bottle Cleaning Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Cleaning Machines.
I, MELVIN DONALLY, of No. 511 Bainbridge Street, in the City of Brooklyn,
County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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:-
It is well known in the art to which this invention relates that it is extremely
difficult to remove from bottles the tinfoil which is applied to the necks thereof, as
in the case of cider bottles and the like, the tinfoil not only being made to adhere
very closely to the glass, but being sufficiently waterproof to resist the penetration
of moisture through it in such a degree as to soften the gum by which it is made to
adhere to the bottle. Various devices have been proposed hitherto for the purpose
of removing such tinfoil rapidly, but so far as I am aware, such devices are not so
successful in operation as to warrant their general use, and resort is commonly had
to the scraping of each bottle by hand, which is a slow and comparatively expensive
operation. I have therefore sought to produce a machine which shall not only
be simple in construction but shall be capable of rapidly and thoroughly removing
the tinfoil from the necks of bottles. The machine in which my invention is
embodied is fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of such a machine; and
Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof.
The machine represented in the drawing comprises a suitable supporting frame
or table A in the lower portion of which is journalled a counter-shaft B, the latter
having a main driving pulley or gear C and a second and preferably larger pulley
or gear D. A belt E, passing over the pulley D and a small pulley F on the
shaft G, which is mounted in suitable bearings on the table or frame A, affords a
convenient means of driving said shaft G rapidly, so that the brush H, which is
carried by said shaft G shall have a high peripheral speed. The brush His
represented as having a disc-like body to the periphery of which is secured the
brush . The latter may be made of any suitable materials, but I have found
that the best results are obtained with wire card-clothing, the wires being very
hard and having a shoulder or bend by reason of which the attrition of the ends
of the wires against the bottle necks keeps such ends constantly sharp and in
condition to attack the tinfoil quickly. Adjacent to the brush H is supported a
movable holder I which is adapted to receive each bottle and to present it to the
brush. I prefer to employ for this purpose a spindle which is pivoted as at i in
one of the standards a, which support the shaft G, and passes freely through a
slot a' in the other of said standards, being held in place by a pin and washer as
represented at . A weight or spring J is connected to the spindle I in such a
manner as to cause the latter to move normally toward the brush, the upper
end of said slot a serving as a stop to limit the movement of the spindle toward
the brush, so that the bottle which has been slipped upon the spindle shall be
presented properly to the brush and shall be held at the right distance from the
body of the brush to give the wires of the brush the most effective action.
A receptacle K may be supported in a suitable position to receive the tinfoil as it
falls from the brush.

page_text: The mode of operation of my machine will be readily understood without further
explanation. It will also be obvious that the form and disposition of the brush
and the gearing for driving the same may be varied without departing from the
spirit of my invention.
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 a machine for cleaning bottles, the combination of a brush, means for
driving the same with a high peripheral speed, a bottle holder, and means to move
said holder normally toward said brush to present a bottle thereto, substantially as
shown and described.
2. In a machine for cleaning bottles, the combination of a brush, means to rotate
the same with a high peripheral speed, a spindle parallel with the axis of the brush
and adapted to receive a bottle, and a spring holding said spindle normally toward
said brush, substantially as shown and described.
3. In a machine for cleaning bottles, the combination of a brush clothed with
wire card-clothing, means to drive the same with a high peripheral speed, a bottle
holder and means to move said holder normally toward said brush to present the
bottle thereto, substantially as shown and described.
Dated the 26th day of November 1896.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London,
For the Applicant.