Improvements in Machines for Washing Bottles and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1897-Accepted, 31st July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Washing Bottles and the like.
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:—
This invention relates in general to machines for cleaning bottles and other like
articles, and more especially to machines in which the bottles or other articles to be
cleaned are reciprocated or shaken to and fro, usually with water or with water and
shot in them. The object. which I have had particularly in view has been the
production of an improved machine of this class which should be capable of receiving
at once a considerable number of bottles or jars or other articles held in a case or
frame which can be filled outside of the machine and set into it bodily, but while I
have described hereinafter the various features of.my invention as applied to such a
machine, it will nevertheless be obvious that some of such features are capable of
application to other machines and in other constructions than that represented, and
particularly that the application of the invention is in no wise dependent upon the
number of bottles or other articles upon which the mechanism is designed to operate.
In the machine shown in the drawings which embodies in a practical and desirable
form the various features of my invention, the holder which is adapted to receive and
support during operation a number of bottles, is mounted in a frame which is
reciprocated by suitable means. A case is provided which can be filled with a number
of bottles outside of the machine and set into the holder bodily and removed therefrom
bodily with the bottles when the latter are clean. The holder is adapted to rotate in
the frame during the reciprocation of the latter, so that the positions of the bottles
held thereby are constantly changed, and means are provided to effect the rotation of
the holder which shall not interfere with the movements of the frame. The said
frame is mounted upon its reciprocating carriers so that it can be turned to shift the
bottles from the horizontal to a vertical position when the cleaning has been completed
and it is desired to empty the water and the shot from the bottles, preparatory to
removing them from the machine, and when in this position the bottles are rinsed
without requiring them to be removed from the machine, which is an important
advantage in the use of my machine. Provision is made whereby the turning or
tilting of the frame and holder is effected automatically at a predetermined time..
Devices are also provided whereby the bottles are automatically released from the.
holder when the latter is tilted, so that the bottles can be easily and quickly removed.
Other features of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter..
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine which I have chosen for illustration of
my invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;
Figure 3 is a detail view in vertical, central section through the holder and
associated parts;
Figures 4 and 5 are detail face views of the two heads hereinafter referred to;
Figure 6 is a detail view of the locking device and its actuating means;
Figure 7 is a detail view of the means for controlling the mater

page_text: Figure 8 is a detail view of a portion of the stopping mechanism;
Figure 9 is an end view of the removable case, showing the shaft in section.
The various working parts of the machine are supported upon a suitable frame A,
the side members of which constitute ways for the reciprocating blocks or carriers
hereinafter referred to. A shaft B, having fast and loose pulleys b and b', is mounted
in suitable bearings on the frame A and is provided with cams or eccentrics B' by
which the desired reciprocations of the bottle holder can be effected. I have
represented said shaft as provided with eccentrics for this purpose, the straps B² being
connected by rod 62 with the reciprocating blocks CC which constitute a carrier.
For convenience in construction and in operation, I prefer to employ two independent
blocks or carriers with corresponding actuating devices in place of a rigid frame and a
single actuating device, although the precise construction and arrangement of these
parts is not material to my invention. I prefer to mount upon the frame spring
buffers D D in the paths of the blocks or carriers C C to diminish the shock at each
reciprocation.
The blocks CC furnish bearings for the trunnions E¹ E' of a frame E which in
turn supports the bottle-holder. The said frame E is preferably maintained in a
substantially horizontal position during reciprocation and is allowed to tilt or swing
into a substantially vertical position when the bottles supported by the holder have
been cleaned and are to be replaced by others. To lock the frame to its reciprocating
carrier in a substantially horizontal position I may employ a bolt F which is passed
through one of the blocks Cand engages the corresponding side of the frame E. I
prefer also to provide means whereby the said bolt may be withdrawn automatically
after a certain number of reciprocations, to permit the frame to swing into a vertical
position, the frame itself, with the parts carried by it, being preferably overweighted
at one end so that it shall of itself swing into a vertical position with the mouths of
the bottles downward, as soon as it is released from the carrier. As a convenient
means for effecting the withdrawal of the bolt I have provided a slide F¹ which has
fixed thereon a cam fadapted to engage the roller fl on the bolt F and to withdraw
the latter when said slide has been moved a predetermined distance. One side of
said slide is formed with a rack f to be engaged by a pawl f which is pivoted on the
adjacent block C. A guard plate f' overlies the rack f so that said pawl shall engage
the rack only as it nears the forward limit of its movement and shall therefore
advance the rack the space of one or more teeth as the case may be. A spring fis
applied to the slide to return it to its initial position when released and a detent
pawl is provided to engage a rack f which may be formed on the other side or edge
of the slide. The said detent f is held normally in engagement with the rack f" by
a spring and is also provided with a finger f which stands in such a position as to
be struck by the frame E when the latter swings to a vertical position, thereby
releasing the detent and permitting the slide with its cam to be drawn back again by
the spring to initial position in readiness for operation upon another set of bottles.
The bottle holder is preferably arranged to rotate within the frame E and for this
purpose the holder is mounted upon a shaft G which is supported in bearings e e on
the frame E. As a convenient means of effecting the desired rotation of the shaft G
and the holder, a wheel G¹ is affixed to one end of said shaft G, outside of the frame
and has upon its periphery a series of pins or studs g g. Pivotally mounted upon one
side of the frame A and in position to be struck by the pins or studs g g, are two
arms g¹ and g² which are disposed one above the other and are inclined in opposite
directions. The arm g¹ rests upon a pin g³, and the arm g² is supported by a finger g'
which rests upon the frame. Assuming that the frame E is in its extreme position
toward the left, in Figures 1 and 2, one of the pins or studs g upon the wheel G¹,
during the next movement to the right of the frame E, will pass under and beyond
the arm g. During the next movement of the frame toward the left the same pin or
stud will ride up on the arm g¹, causing a partial rotation of the wheel and shaft, and
during the next movement to the right will ride up on the arm g². In this manner,
and by the engagement of successive pins or studs with the arm g¹ and g², the rotation
of the shaft and holder will be effected as the frame reciprocates and the positions of
4

page_text: the bottles will be changed so that the cleaning of them will be thorough and
complete.
I
The holder comprises, in addition to the shaft G, a relatively fixed plate H, which
is secured to the shaft G and has holes to register with the mouths of the bottles, and
a relatively movable plate H¹ which is adapted to support the other ends of the bottles
and rotates with the shaft although it is free to nove longitudinally thereon to a
limited extent. To accommodate the holder to bottles of varying height, the plate H,
has, to correspond with each hole of the plate H, an independent, spring-seated cup
or plunger h¹ to receive the foot of the bottle. As represented in the drawings, the
plate His secured to the shaft G to rotate therewith, with freedom for longitudinal
movement, by a pin 2 which is fixed in the shaft and enters an elongated slot /³ in
the hub h of the plate H¹. An arm or yoke I is connected to the plate Hthrough
its hub in such a manner as to permit the free rotation of said plate, and is also
pivotally connected to the block or carrier C at a point eccentric to the axis upon
which the frame E swings. I have represented it as having its ends pivoted upon
pins which project inward from the blocks C in such positions as not to interfere
with the desired swinging or tilting of the frame E. It will now be evident that
when the frame is swung or tilted from the horizontal to a vertical position, the
plate H¹ will be pushed backward upon the shaft G by reason of the eccentric
connection of the arm or yoke I, and will therefore release the bottles so that they
can be removed readily and quickly and others put in their places.
I prefer to provide light cases or crates J, independent of the holder H, H', to
support the bottles when, released by the movement of the plate H' and to facilitate
the removal and replacing of the bottles, one case or crate being filled with bottles
by the attendant while another lot is being washed, and then set bodily into the
machine when the crate full of washed bottles is removed. Each case or crate J
preferably comprises a plate J¹ provided with holes of a sufficient size to permit the
passage through them of the heads of the bottles, and a plate J', provided with
holes of sufficient size to receive the bodies of the bottles. The two plates are
connected at intervals by rods or posts j³. In order that each case may be set bodily
into the machine, the plates are slotted from one side inward to the center as at
3 and j, to straddle the shaft G, and for the purpose of retaining the case in place
except when it is to be removed by the operator, the width of the slot jt in the
plate is somewhat less than the diameter of the shaft G, although the extreme
inner portion of said slot is enlarged to the full diameter of the shaft G and is circular
to fit said shaft. Somewhat above or to the right of the position which the plate J2
occupies during the operation of the machine, the shaft G is flattened as at g*, so that
its thickness shall be the same as the width of the slot jt. In placing the case in the
machine, the plate J is made to register with the flattened portion g of the shaft G
and is slipped laterally into place, the shaft G then being vertical, and is then allowed
to drop until the plate J¹ rests upon the plate H of the holder, which movement will
bring the plate J2 below the flattened portion g*, preventing any further lateral
movement of the case. Inasmuch as each case is made to suit the bottles to be
washed, it will be held against shifting to and fro upon the shaft G when the machine
is in operation by contact of the shoulders of the bottles with the plate J¹ about the
holes j.
Water is preferably introduced into the bottles during the shaking of the same and
after the shaking and while the bottles are in the machine they are thoroughly rinsed.
have therefore provided the connections which will presently describe. Mounted
upon the shaft G and preferably secured to the frame E is a head K which has in its
face an annular channel and which also is connected to a suitable water supply
through a pipe k¹. A corresponding head K¹ is also mounted upon the shaft G to
rotate with the holder and has in its face an annular channel which corresponds to
and registers with the channel k of the head K. By a system of headers and
distributing pipes water is conducted to the nozzles by which it is directed into
the bottles through the holes h. A perforated jacket or shot pockets surrounds the
nozzles to form a receptacle for the shot from the corresponding bottle when

page_text: the holder is swung or tilted into a vertical position, and another jacket k may,
desired, surround the perforated jacket k, holes k' being left in the head k³ through
which the water may escape. Suitable packing devices are interposed between the
two heads K and K¹ to prevent the escape of water at that point. The pipe is
preferably a flexible hose and is connected to a stop-cock or valve L which is secured
to the frame of the machine. The stem of the stop-cock or valve is provided with an
arm which projects into the path of the frame E, or of a projection therefrom, when
the valve is closed. When the bottles have been placed in the machine, and the
holder is swung from the vertical to the horizontal position the arm is struck and
the valve opened to permit a small quantity of water to enter the bottles. Then the
valve is closed by the operator, by turning the arm to a horizontal position, in which
it remains till the bottles have been shaken sufficiently. When the holder swings
again to the vertical position the valve is again opened and the bottles are thoroughly
rinsed by streams of water thrown directly into the bottles through the nozzles while
the bottles remain in the machine, thus saving a second handling of the bottles,
which is an important feature of the machine. It will be understood, of course,
the shot pass into the perforated jackets or shot pockets when the holder is swung
to the vertical position.
that
As it is my desire to make the machine as completely automatic as possible in its
action, I have provided means for stopping the shaking automatically at a
predetermined time. For this purpose I take advantage of the tilting or swinging of
the holder which, as already described, is tilted or swung from the horizontal to the
vertical position at a predetermined time. On one of the trunnions E¹ of the frame E
is secured a wing cam or projection m which is arranged to strike the shipper lever M
when the frame and holder swing to the vertical position and to operate the same.
bell-crank M' may connect the lever operatively with a shipper rod M² to shift the
belt from a fast to a loose pulley in the usual manner, or any other equivalent
stopping mechanism may be employed in place of the belt shifter and fast and loose
pulleys.
A
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. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
holder for the bottles or other like articles, a frame in which said holder is rotatably
mounted, means for reciprocating said frame, a wheel secured to said holder to rotate
therewith and having projecting pins or studs, a pivoted arm inclined in one direction
in the path of said studs, and a second pivoted arm above the first and inclined in the
opposite direction, both of said arms being in operative relation with said studs
whereby said holder is rotated during the reciprocations of the frame, substantially as
shown and described.
2. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
holder for the bottles or other like articles, a frame in which said holder is mounted,
a carrier in which said frame is pivoted, means for reciprocating said carrier, a bolt
engaging said frame and said carrier, a cam to withdraw said bolt, and means
actuated by the successive reciprocations of the frame to shift said cam into operative
relation with the bolt, substantially as shown and described.
3. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, a holder for the bottles
or other like articles, comprising a relatively fixed plate, a shaft and a longitudinally
movable plate having spring-seated cups or plungers to receive the ends of the bottles,
and means to withdraw said movable plate to release the bottles, substantially as
shown and described.
4. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
holder for the bottles or other like articles, comprising a relatively fixed plate and,
a relatively movable plate adapted to receive the bottles between them, a frame
in which said holder is mounted, supports in which said frame is pivoted to
swing, and an arm or yoke engaging said movable plate and pivoted to the

page_text: supports for said frame but eccentrically with respect to said frame, substantially
as shown and described.
5. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of
a swinging frame and a holder fo: the bottles or other like articles, mounted in
said frame, said holder comprising a relatively fixed plate and a longitudinally
movable plate adapted to receive the bottles between thein, and means to shift
said movable plate to release the bottles, substantially as shown and described.
6. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
frame, a holder for the bottles or other like articles, mounted to rotate in said frame,
a head secured to said frame and having an annular channel in its face and connected
to a water supply, and a second head having an annular channel in its face and secured
to said holder to rotate therewith in contact with the first named head, and pipes
connected to the second named head to deliver water to the bottles in the holder,
substantially as shown and described.
7. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
reciprocating frame, a bodily removable case independent of the frame to receive a
number of bottles and means to secure said case and bottles in said frame, substantially
as shown and described.
8. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
reciprocating frame, a holder supported by said frame and comprising a relatively fixed
plate and a relatively movable plate, a removable case to receive a number of
bottles, and means to move said inovable plate to secure or release the bottles and
case, substantially as shown and described.
9. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
holder having a central shaft and a case to receive a number of bottles, said case being
slotted from one side to the center to be slipped laterally upon said shaft, substantially
as shown and described.
10. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
reciprocating frame, a bottle holder mounted to swing in said frame, means to
reciprocate said frame, a stopping mechanisin and devices actuated by the bottle
holder to operate said stopping mechanism, substantially as shown and described.
11. In a machine for washing bottles and other like articles, the combination of a
reciprocating carrier, a frame mounted to swing in said carrier, a bottle holder
mounted to rotate in said holder, nozzles supported by said holder to rotate therewith
and to direct a stream of water into each bottle, a perforated jacket around each
nozzle to receive shot from the bottles, and means to deliver water to said nozzles,
substantially as shown and descrbed.