Improvements in Machines for Filling and Corking Bottles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1898-Accepted, 23rd July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Filling and Corking Bottles.
I, EDWARD CLARKSON SEWARD, of No. 195, Walnut Street, in the Town of Mont-
clair, in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America,
Patent Attorney, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improvement in machines for filling and corking
bottles, in which the contents of the bottle are prevented from access to the air
intermediate of the filling and corking operations, and in which provision is made
for fastening the cork in its position in the neck of the bottle, as one step of the
operation of filling and corking.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 represents the machine in side elevation;
Fig. 2 represents the machine in front elevation;
Fig. 3 represents a vertical section, taken from front to rear in the plane of
line 3--3 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, showing partly in front elevation, and partly in
section, several of the filling and corking tubes, and the parts in proximity thereto;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view, in detail, of several of the series of turntables or
disks for transferring the cork fasteners from the supply reservoir to the corking
tubes;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view, in detail, showing the position of the parts in proximity
to the mouth of the bottle, at the first step of the operation;
Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the same, the operating lever and its connecting link
being omitted;
Fig. 8 is a sectional view, in detail, taken from the reverse side from that in
which Fig. 6 is taken, and showing the position which the parts assume when the
cork is compressed and the filler in position to fill ;
Figs. 9 and 10 represent two positions of the turntable in the position which they
assume in transferring a fastener into alignment with the corking tube;
Fig. 11 represents the position of the parts when the cork is driven into the cap
plate, ready for the insertion into the bottle;
Figs. 12, 13 and 14 represent different stages in the operation of inserting the
cork and fastener; and
Fig. 15 is an enlarged view, in detail, showing the position of the cork fastener
and plunger at the moment of coupling the fastener.
The machine comprises means for raising a bank of bottles into air-tight contact
with a series of corresponding seats; means for compressing the corks which are to
be inserted into the mouths of the bottles, and at the same time moving fillers into
alignment with the bottles; means for transferring fasteners from their reservoirs
to the corking plungers above the corks which are to be inserted into the bottles,
and for causing the corking plungers to pick up the said fasteners; means for
forcing the corks, with the fasteners thereon, into sockets in the base plate, ready
for insertion through the sealing plate into the mouths of the bottles'; means for

page_text: inserting the fillers into the bottles, opening the valves and forcing the liquid into
the bottles, to fill them; means for closing the valves, removing the fillers from the
bottles, and shifting the corks in the cap plate into alignment with the bottles ;
means for forcing and fastening the corks in the mouths of the bottles; and
means for lowering the bottles from their sealing plate, feeding them to the rear,
and bringing a new bank of bottles into position to be lifted towards their sealing
plate; the above brief summary of the several parts of the machine being recited
in the order in which the several steps of operation occur, and which order will be,
for the sake of clearness, observed as far as is practicable, in hereafter explaining
more particularly the structure of the several parts.
The main frame of the machine consists of a pair of side frames A, A', made as
light as is consistent with the necessary strength, and connected, at the top of the
base portion, by a table or head plate A2, and, intermediate of the table or head
plate and the foot, by girders a, a¹. The girders a, a, are connected, at their
middle portions, by a tie beam a². The side frames A, A' extend upwardly from
the table or head plate, forming pedestals A3, A4, for the reception of the
standards A5, A6, for supporting the fillers and their supply reservoir, the corking
mechanism, and the parts which immediately co-operate therewith.
A reservoir B (see Fig. 3) is located transversely of the machine, just below
the table or head plate A2, and has communicating with its upper side a series
of plungers b, one for each of a bank of bottles which may be presented above
them. The reservoir B is made liquid-tight, and the liquid therein is displaced
to force the plungers b upwardly by means of a piston 61, which works in a
cylinder 62 in communication with the reservoir B, and which is forced into the
cylinder by means of a lever arm connected with the piston by a rod b¹.
lever arm is fulcrummed at 65, and operated by a lever B¹, connected to rock
therewith, and within convenient reach of the operator, at the front of the
machine.
The
The bottles C are conveyed in banks of six, more or less, in the present instance
in banks of six, to positions over the plungers b, by means of an endless belt or
chain c, which is driven step by step by the action of a spring-actuated pawl c',
carried by a swinging arm c², mounted concentric with a sprocket wheel C¹ on
which the endless chain or belt is mounted, the said pawl being adapted to
engage the teeth on a ratchet wheel C2, mounted to rotate with the sprocket
wheel.
The arm c² is swang into position to carry the pawl c¹ into engagement with
an advance tooth, simultaneously with the operation of the piston 6', to lift the
plungers b. This is accomplished by connecting the arm c² by a rod c with a
lever arm be fixed to rock with the lever arm 63, and set, in the present instance,
at an angle thereto.
The bottles are conveniently set in a box C³, having sub-divisions c4, for holding
the bottles in position, and having its bottom provided with openings beneath the
bottoms of the bottles, to permit the plungers b to pass up through, to lift the
bottles.
At the top of the pedestals A³, A*, there is fixed what I am pleased to term
a sealing plate D, provided on its under side with cushioned pockets d, for the
reception of the nozzles of the bottles, at points opposite openings d' through the
sealing plate.
The position of the parts at the end of the step which brings the bottles up
into contact with the sealing plate, and the feed pawl into position to feed, is
shown in Fig. 3, so far as the bottle-lifting and feeding mechanism is concerned,
and in the detail drawing (Fig. 6), so far as the parts above the sealing plate, and
in immediate proximity thereto, are concerned.
The next step includes compressing the corks which are to be inserted' into
the mouths of the bottles after they are filled, and simultaneously therewith
swinging the fillers into alignment with the bottles. The mechanism for
accomplishing these results is constructed and arranged as follows:-
4

page_text: The supporting standards A5, Aº, hereinabove referred to, are fixed to move
bodily forward and backward a limited distance together with a base plate D¹,
which rests liquid-tight on the top of the sealing plate D, and is guided in its
forward and backward movement by means of screw studs d2, which pass through
slotted guides d³, extending rearwardly from the base plate D¹ into the sealing
plate D (see Fig. 7). The base plate D¹ is provided with a series of sockets d
for the reception of the compressed corks, said sockets d terminating, at their
upper ends, in a broader chambered portion 5, for the reception of the uncom-
pressed cork from the cork supply device E, supported in fixed position from the
sealing plate D by bracket arms e. The base plate D¹ also is provided with a
series of sockets d, through which the fillers f, which depend from the supply
reservoir F, pass, in entering the mouths of the bottles. In the present instance,
the fillers, themselves are held in position in alignment with the sockets d' by
tubular guides d', screwed into the tops of the walls of the sockets (see Fig. 6).
A series of cork-driving plungers, each comprising a central driving rod g, fixed
to a cross head G, mounted in vertically reciprocating adjustment in the
standards A³, A' and a sleeve g¹ surrounding the lower portions of the driving
rods g, and attached thereto, with a limited, vertical movement, in the present
instance, by means of studs g², extending from the driving rod y, through
elongated slots g³ in the sleeve, are arranged to pass downwardly through the
sockets d, to force the cork and the fastener on the cork into the mouth of the
bottle, when the latter has been filled. The particular means for operating
the plungers for driving the cork will be hereinafter described.
The forwardly and backwardly reciprocating base plate, with the fillers and
plungers fixed to move therewith, is operated to bring either the cork-receiving
sockets or the filler-receiving sockets de, in alignment with the mouth of
the bottle, at pleasure, by means of a hand lever H, fulcrummed at h at points
preferably equi-distant from the opposite ends of the sealing plate D, as shown
in Fig. 2, and having a connection intermediate of its handle and its fulcrum, with
the sliding base plate D¹, by means of a link h'.
When the parts are in the position shown in detail in Fig. 6, a cork e¹ has been
fed from the cork reservoir E, down into the enlarged chamber at the top of the
socket d', the front wall of said chamber, denoted by e², being fixed relative to the
movement of the sliding base plate D¹, over into the position shown in Figs. 8
and 11, to bring the filler f and the sockets d" for receiving them, into alignment
with the mouth of the bottle; the rear wall of the chamber will have engaged
the cork e¹ and pressed it between it and the stationary frout wall e², into a
compass sufficiently restricted to enable it to be inserted in the socket ', ready for
insertion into the mouth of the bottle. This completes the second step of the
operation, viz., simultaneously compressing the corks and moving the fillers into
alignment with the bottles.
The third step consists in transferring the fasteners from their reservoirs to
positions beneath the ends of the corking plungers above the corks which are to be
inserted into the bottles, and causing the sleeves of said corking plungers to pick
up the said fasteners. The mechanism for accomplishing this step is constructed
and arranged as follows:-
A series of tubular reservoirs I, one for each filler, are supported at the side of
the cork reservoirs E by the same supports e which support the cork reservoirs
and the fasteners i, each consisting of a U-shaped bo ly with outwardly turned
projections at the ends of their branches, are supplied to the reservoirs I in vertical
series, as shown in Fig. 4. At the bottom of each reservoir I, there are spring
jaws 1, 2, which, when spread apart, permit the lowermost of the fasteners i to be
removed from the bottom of the reservoir I, while, by the closing of the jaws, after
the lowermost fastener has been removed, the remaining fasteners will be held
against escape."
Intermediate of the lower ends of the cork and fastener reservoirs and the top
of the movable base plate D¹, there are mounted a series of turn-tables K, one for

page_text: each reservoir. These turn tables K have their axes of rotation in vertical alignment
with the axes of the cork reservoirs, and are each provided with a pocket k for the
reception of one of the fasteners, and an opening for permitting the cork driving
plunger to pass down through into the socket in the reciprocating plate D¹, to drive
the cork. Each of these turntables K is further provided with a curved wedge-shaped
tongue (see Figs. 4, 9 and 10), rising a short distance above its surface, which,
.as the turn-table is rotated, to carry a fastener i, which has been received from the
reservoir I in the pocket k, around into position over the top of the compressed cork,
as represented in Fig. 8, gradually separated the spring jaws ¹, 12, and permits
the next following fastener i, to drop and rest on the smooth upper surface of the
tongue 2, as shown in Fig. 4. As the turn-table K is returned from the position
shown in Fig. 10, back to the position shown in Fig. 9, the fastener so resting upon
the upper surface of the tongue k² will drop into the pocket k, and be ready to be
carried by the turn-table from the position shown in Fig. 9, to that shown in
Fig. 10, at the next operation of the turn-table.
The fastener which has been carried by the turn table into the position shown in
Fig. 10 in alignment with the compressed cork, is picked up by the cork-driving
plunger before the return table K is returned to its normal position, in the
following manner :-
The cork driving plungers, as herein before stated, have their central driving rods
fixed to a cross head G. The cross head G is connected, at its opposite ends, by
rods g, with a foot treadle g³, fulcrumed to the supporting frame at 96. Intermediate
of the cross head. G, to which the central driving rods g of the plungers
are fixed, and the upper ends of the sleeves g¹ mounted on the lower portions of the
driving rods g, there is a laterally movable plate G¹ (see Fig. 4), provided with
laterally elongated slots g', through which the driving rods g pass. The plate G'
is normally held shifted laterally, as shown in Fig. 4, in position to form an
abutment for the upper ends of the sleeves g', and cause them to move together with
the driving rods g. As the cross-head G descends, carrying with it the intermediate
plate G', a bevelled bearing 98, at one end of the plate, permits the plate to slide
laterally a sufficient distance to bring the slot g' in the plate G in alignment with
the top of the sleeve g¹, thereby permitting the latter to slide upwardly on the
rod g, as the rods g, with their cross-head G, complete their downward stroke. The
plate G is forced laterally by a spring g' set at the opposite end of the plate from
the bevelled bearing g³ (see Fig. 4), the action of the said spring in sliding the
plate Glaterally, being permitted by momentarily releasing the pressure from the
foot treadle 95, after the fasteners and corks have been driven into the bottle to
the point where it is desired to expand the fasteners, to cause their edges to catch
in grooves or sockets on the interior surface of the mouth of the bottles. The
downward movement of the cork driving plungers required to take up the fasteners
which have been carried into the position shown in Fig. 10, is, however, only slight,
and to accomplish this, the plate G' is not carried downwardly far enough to be
shifted end wise, so that the rod g and its sleeve gl work as one fixed piece. The
sleeve g¹ projects sufficiently far below the end of the driving rod g, to permit a
fastener to seat in the lower end of the sleeve without obstruction from the lower
end of the rod g, and the fastener is picked up from the turntable K by simply
pressing the plungers downwardly onto the fasteners, crowding the U-shaped
portion of the fasteners into the interiors of the lower ends of the sleeves g', where
they are retained by their frictional contact with the said sleeves. The foot is
then raised from the treadle g', and the plungers, with the fasteners in their lower
ends, are shifted from the turn-tables by the action of the retracting springs g.
This having been accomplished, the turn-tables K, connected to move in unison by
the connecting bar ³, are returned to their normal positions (shown in Fig. 9) by
means of the operating handle k, located within easy reach of the operator, and
the third step in the operation is completed.
The next step consists in forcing the compressed corks, with the fasteners

page_text: thereon, into sockets in the base plate, ready for insertion through the sealing
plate into the mouths of the bottles. This is accomplished as follows:-
When the turn-tables K were returned to their normal positions, after carrying
the fasteners to points beneath the corking plungers, the openings in said tables
were brought into alignment with the sockets d,, in the base plate D. The cork,
at this moment, rests in a compressed state in the socket d5, and the fastener is
held in the lower end of the sleeve of the corking plunger.
In the position
shown in Fig. 8, the treadle g5, which was before operated to cause the corking
plunger to take up the fastener, is again depressed, causing the corking plunger,
with the fastener therein, to pass downwardly through the openings in the
turn-table, into engagement with the top of the compressed cork, and the latter,
together with the fastener, are forced downwardly into the socket d', into the
position shown in Fig. 11, the lower end of the cork resting upon the upper face of
the sealing plate D.
While the corks, with the fasteners thereon, are held in this position, the filling
operation takes place as follows:-
The filling reservoir F, with the fillers, f depending therefrom, is lowered, causing
the fillers to pass downwardly through the sockets d', and through the opening d
in the sealing plate, into the mouths of the bottles, as shown in Fig. 8, until the
valve-operating rods f, extending downwardly through the filling tubes f, engage
the abutments of the bottles, and lift the valves f² from their seats in the filling
reservoir F, to permit liquid to flow from the reservoir into the bottles. This
downward movement of the filling reservoir, with the fillers carried thereby, is
effected by means of an operating lever L, pivoted to the supporting frame at 1,
and provided with laterally extending arms, the free ends of which are connected
with the opposite ends of the reservoir F by rods 12. The manner of connecting
the rods with the reservoir, consists in providing a socket piece 13 (see Fig. 4)
connected at one side with the end of the reservoir (in the present instance by
means of a screw (+), the said socket piece (3 having a bar of sufficient size to
permit a screw-threaded portion of the connecting rod 2 to slide through it, an
adjusting nut serving as a bearing for the socket piece 13 at the bottom,
and a spring (see Figs. 1 and 2) being inserted between the top of the socket
piece and a second adjusting nut (s, screwed on the rod 12. This arrangement gives
the fillers a yielding bearing when in their lowermost position, the tension being
varied at pleasure by means of the adjusting nuts on the connecting rods.
The operating lever L, during its movement from the position shown in Fig. 1
to its position shown in Fig. 3, with the arms swung into position to lower the
fillers into the bottles, performs, in addition to the lowering of the fillers, and the
opening of the valves for filling the bottles, the function of pumping the liquid
from the cask into the bottle. The cask is represented, in the present instance,
by M, and has a pipe m, which may be a flexible hosepipe, leading from a stop
cock m¹ in the end of the cask, to a pump N, from which a delivery pipe n connects
with a hose n¹ leading up to the reservoir F. An outlet passage o (see Fig. 6)
leads from the socket d in the base plate to a hose O connected with the top of the
cask M by a cock o¹. The lower end of the operating lever L is provided with a hook lº,
which, after the lever L has moved a portion of its stroke sufficient to lower the
fillers into the bottles and open the valves f², engages the piston rod n² of
the pump N, and operates the piston in the direction to lift the liquid into
the reservoir F.
The particular form of connection between the end of the lever L and the piston
rod, is such, that the return movement of the lever will force the piston rod n²
downwardly during the first part of the movement of the levers L, and as the
lever L is further swung, the latter will be automatically released from the piston
rod. This is accomplished in the following manner :-
To the upper end of the piston rod n², there is attached a loop n³, sufficient to
receive, within it, the hook end of the operating lever L, the latter being of such

page_text: depth relatively to the loop n³, that it will bear upon the lower end of the loop n³
during the first part of the return movement of the lever, and when the piston
rod n² has been forced downwardly, the curved path of the hook end of the lever L
will cause it to disengage the lower end of the loop n³.
As the liquid enters the bottles through the fillers, such foam and gases as may
be formed, together with the escaping air from within the bottle, pass upwardly
through the month of the bottle around outside of the filling tube f', and through
the opening of the sealing plate, into the socket in the base plate, from which it
escapes through the passage o and hose O, back into the cask M, to replace
the liquid which has been drawn from the cask, and to keep a pressure upon
the liquid in the cask constant.
The bottles having been filled, and the fillers having been withdrawn by the
return movement of the operating lever L, the base plate Di, together with the
parts supported thereon, are shifted rearwardly by throwing the operating lever H
up into the position shown in Fig. 6, to bring the cork containing socket d'into
alignment with the mouth of the bottle. This movement having taken place, the
treadle g is further depressed, to drive the cork and cork fastener thereon; from
within the socket d down into the mouth of the bottle, from the position shown
in Fig. 12 into the position shown in Fig. 14. After reaching the position
shown in Fig. 14, the pressure upon the treadle g is momentarily released,
permitting the plate Gi to shift, so as to relieve the sleeves of the corking
plungers, and permit them to slide upwardly through the openings in the
plate Gi.
The treadle g is then depressed, again bringing the central
rod g of the corking plunger into contact with the top of the fasteners,
as shown in Figs. 5 and 13, thereby forcing the crown of the U-shaped portion
of the fastener downwardly onto the cork, and spreading the edges of the
fastener outwardly into the grooves p in the mouths of the bottles C, as clearly
shown in said Figs. 5 and 13.
This completes the operation of corking and fastening the cork, and the treadle
g' is permitted to lift, under the tension of its actuating spring 910, lifting the cork-
ing plunger above the base plate D¹. As the corking plungers lift, the bevel
bearing g forces the plate G¹ laterally into position to lock the sleeves g¹, ready for
the next operation.
The series of corked bottles is then lowered by the rearward movement of the
hand lever B', which withdraws the several pistons b¹, permitting the bottle sus-
taining plungers 6 to drop. The same rearward throw of the lever B¹, after lower-
ing the bank of bottles, operates the endless belt or chain c through the spring
actuated pawl c¹, ratchet wheel C2, spring arm c², and the spocket wheel C³, to
carry the bank of corked bottles rearwardly from beneath the sealing plate, and at
the same time present a succeeding bank of bottles in position beneath the sealing
plate, and free the lifting plungers b, ready for a repetition of the operation of
filling, corking, and fastening, as hereinabove described.
By the above described mechanism, the liquid may be transferred from the cask
or other reservoir to the bottles, and the froth and gas, together with the air in the
bottles, may be transferred from the bottles to the cask or reservoir, without per-
mitting the liquid to come in contact with the outside air, the filling, corking, and
fastening of the corks being accomplished without rehandling the bottles.
By applying pressure to the inflowing column of liquid, foam may be.expelled
from the bottle until it is completely filled with the liquid; the displacement which
the filler makes within the bottle being sufficient to lower the liquid therein to
receive the cork when the filler is withdrawn.
It is obvious that the machine may be utilized without the pump, where the
liquid in the reservoir or cask is under sufficient head or pressure to cause it to
enter the bottles, and that the return escape for froth, air, and gas, may be led
into the open air, or to any other receptacle, instead of the reservoir or cask from
which the liquid is being drawn off, for any purpose it is found expedient.

page_text: The apparatus is not limited in its use to a single kind of liquid, but may be used
for bottling any liquids, whether under head of pressure or not, such, for example,
as the carbonated mineral waters, the various beverages commonly known as
"soft" drinks, the various wines and liquors, beer and ale.
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
1. The combination with means for feeding banks of bottles step by step into
position to be filled, of a filling mechanism, a corking mechanism and a cork
fastening mechanism, and means for bringing the said filling, corking, and cork
fastening mechanisms into and out of alignment with the bank of bottles, while
held in position, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with the bottle filling mechanism, and a corking mechanism
arranged to coperate with the filling mechanism, of a reservoir for cork fasteners,
and means for conveying the fasteners from their reservoir into position to be
operated upon by the corking mechanism, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with means for feeding bottles step by step into position to
be filled, and a sealing plate for receiving the mouths of the bottles, of plungers for
forcing the bottles towards the sealing plate, a hydraulic press for operating the
plungers, and means for filling and corking the bottles while held in contact with
the sealing plate, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with the corking plunger, and means for operating it, of a
reservoir for cork fasteners, and a turntable mounted in position to convey the
fasteners successively from the fastener reservoir to a position beneath the plunger,
substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with the filling reservoir mounted to reciprocate, the fillers
connected therewith, and means for holding the bottles in position to be filled, of a
supply reservoir, a connection between the supply reservoir and filling reservoir, a
pump interposed in said connection, and an operating lever common to said pump
and to the reciprocating filling reservoir, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with a corking plunger, comprising a central driving rod and
a sleeve loosely surrounding said rod, of means for reciprocating the plunger, and
means for automatically locking the sleeve to the plunger throughout a portion of
its movement, and leaving it free to slide on the plunger throughout a portion of its
movement, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with the filling mechanism and the supply reservoir, of
means for forcing the liquid to the filler, comprising a cylinder, a reciprocating
piston within the cylinder, and an operating lever arranged to engage the piston
during a portion of its stroke only in each of two opposite directions, substantially
as set forth.