Improvements in and connected with Bottle Washing Machines...
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 29th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1899
Improvements in and connected with Bottle Washing Machines...
I, JOHN THOMAS TRAVIS, of Cheapside, Hyde, in the County of Chester, Botanic
Beer Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My said invention relates to improvements in and connected with bottle washing
machines and has reference principally to improved means for carrying the bottles to
be washed and presenting them to the action of the cleansing brushes.
In an application for Letters Patent No. 29436 of 1897, which I have made, I
describe a bottle washing machine in which two or more rows of bottle cleansing
brushes have a rotary motion imparted to them by gearing, but no particular means
of carrying and presenting the bottles to the brushes are disclosed. The means I
have devised for this purpose form the subject matter of the present application.
On either side of the rows of brushes and within a suitable vat or tank I mount a
revolvable shaft carrying discs or end frames the discs being keyed or secured to the
shafts so as to revolve therewith. Gaps or recesses are cut at suitable intervals
around these dises and the boxes, baskets or cages carrying the bottles to be washed,
sit in these gaps or recesses, so that I have a revolvable drum the periphery of which
consists of bottle receptacles. I at present prefer to carry the bottles in rectangular
wooden boxes having perforated false bottoms and having a readily attachable and
detachable perforated rack lid through which the bottle necks project. The boxes
are held in the gaps, during revolution of the discs, by catches pivotted to the end
discs and which hook over trunnions carried on the ends of the bottle boxes. I may
employ any other suitable locking device for this purpose. These hooks or catches
are disengaged or "knocked off" at the required times by encountering fixed stops
so as to allow of the bottle boxes being raised and presented to the revolving
brushes.
The boxes containing the bottles are pushed towards the brushes along short
tables and preferably guided between end brackets.
I employ mechanical means to raise the bottle boxes to the level of the tables
whereby unnecessary bodily fatigue to the operators is prevented.
Under one arrangement I utilise chain wheels carried on brackets secured to the
frame of the tank to effect the lifting of the bottle boxes.
The inner faces of the chain wheels are formed with or have secured thereto
projecting short levers or bars and to the outer ends of these bars are pivotted
lifting hooks or links. The chain wheels night however be formed with or have
secured thereto flat discs which carry the lifting hooks.
The chain wheels are driven by chains from the central horizontal shaft which.
actuates the brushes. To obtain the same inward revolution of each set of chain
wheels at each end of the tank I cross the chain driving one set or I might drive one
set of chain wheels through auxiliary pinions carried on short fixed shafts secured
to the brush frame casting for instance.
j
The chain wheels during their revolution bring the pivotted lifting hooks, carried
from the projecting bars under or into engagement with the trunnions on the ends

page_text: of the bottle boxes, the holding hooks having been meanwhile knocked off, so that
by the further revolution of the chain wheels the hooks and bars raise the bottle
boxes to the level of the short tables whereupon the bottles may be advanced to the
brushes.
To enable the reader to obtain a more clear outline of my invention I will follow
the cycle of operations during a revolution of the disc carriers. I will presume the
discs support eight bottle boxes and that each box has been filled with bottles. Box
No. 1 has just risen from the water (a suitable level of which is maintained in the
tank) and assumed a vertical position, the locking catches engaging the trunnions
having been previously knocked off, the revolution of the chain wheels bring the
lifting hooks under the trunnions and on their further revolution the box is raised to
the level of the table. The operator now handles the box turning it through an arc
of about 900 and pushes the box to the revolving brushes which at once make their
way into the bottle mouths. The brushes are then allowed to act on the interior of
the bottles for a convenient length of time. This done the box is retracted until the
bottles are clear of the brushes when the box and bottles are turned through a further
are of 90° and the mouths held over a series of rinsing nozzles, supplied with water
from a suitable service pipe, so that the issuing water shall thoroughly rinse and
swill out the bottles. The box is next detached from the perforated rack lid, the
cleansed bottles removed on the lid from the rinsing nozzles, the box again filled with
dirty bottles seated in the gaps in the discs and locked. This done a further partial
revolution of the disc carriers take place box No. 1 moves down towards the water
whilst box No. 2 assumes a vertical position and comes under the action of the lifting
'hooks, and so on during a complete revolution of the bottle box carriers.
I do not confine myself to the method of operating the lifting hooks by means of
chain gear as I might carry the projecting bars and lifting hooks on rotating discs the
rotary motion being imparted to these discs by bevel or worm gear actuated in the
first instance from the brush shaft.
Under another arrangement the projecting bars and lifting hooks might be carried
from revolving dises the discs being driven from a source of power separate from the
'central brush shaft.
I might drive the lifting hook dises from countershafts the countershafts them-
selves being driven from the central brush shaft by suitable gearing or belts.
I consider the use of pivotted lifting hooks carried on revolving parts operated by
gearing from the central brush driving shaft to be an important feature of my inven-
tion and am well aware that the details herein disclosed may be varied.
I, JOHN THOMAS TRAVIS, of Cheapside, Hyde, in the County of Chester, Botanic
Beer 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 and accompanying drawings:-
My said invention relates to improvements in and connected with bottle washing
machines and has reference principally to improved means for carrying the bottles
to be washed and presenting them to the action of the cleansing brushes.

page_text: In an application for Letters Patent No. 29,436 of 1897, which I have made, I
describe a bottle washing machine in which two rows of bottle cleansing brushes have
a rotary motion imparted to them by gearing but no particular means of carrying
and presenting the bottles to the brushes are disclosed. The means I have devised
for this purpose form the subject matter of the present application.
And in order that my said invention may be more fully understood I will now
describe the same with reference to the accompanying four sheets of drawings.
In the said drawings.
Fig. 5 shows how the bottles are fed to the revolving scrubbing brushes.
Fig. 6 indicates the method of rinsing the bottles.
Fig. 7 shows the row of bottles after the rinsing and removal of the cage.
Fig. 8 is an end view of one of the cages broken in length and
Fig. 9 is a plan thereof.
In constructing a bottle washing apparatus in accordance with my invention I
provide a tank A of suitable size and capacity, of wood or other material or metal.
To suitable brackets carried on the sides of the tank A a metallic framing B
is bolted as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Revolving in suitable bearings in the
frame B is a driving shaft a provided with a fast pulley b by means of which the
shaft is revolved by belting from a suitable driving source. A loose pulley b¹ is
also provided so that the apparatus may be readily stopped when required. Upon
the driving shaft a are mounted a number of bevel pinions c shown in the
drawings as twelve in number although less or more than twelve may be employed.
Gearing with each side of the bevel pinions c are bevel pinions d d which are
secured upon studs drevolving in bearings e e carried by the framing Bas
clearly shown in section in Fig. 2. The studs d' are formed with collars d² to
which are secured metallic tubes e. The stems of scrubbing brushes f are placed
within the tubes e and secured in position by means of pinching screws f¹.
The apparatus is therefore provided with twenty four revolving scrubbing brushes
driven at any suitable speed from the shaft a, as described in the Specification of my
said former application for Letters Patent No. 29436 of 1897. Below the scrubbing
brushes are arranged tables g 9. The bottles to be washed are carried in skeleton
rectangular cages C the construction of the cages being more clearly indicated in
Figs. 3, 4, 8 and 9. The cages may be constructed of wood or metal or partly wood
and partly metal. The bottles having been placed within the cages a perforated
cover h is placed over the necks of the bottles to confine them within the cage and
the cover is maintained in position by means of pivotted catches h¹.
A shaft is mounted to revolve in bearings 2¹ secured to the inner sides of the
tank A and to this shaft are secured by screwsj three discs / so as to form a skeleton
The two end dises k
drum D as is plainly indicated in the sectional end view Fig. 3.
are circular but the central disc is octagonal as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The discs are formed with cut out spaces or gaps for the reception of the cages C. The
cages (eight in number being shown in the drawings,) having been placed within
the gaps formed in the drum D, pivotted catches secured upon the central
octagonal discs are turned over the cages C so as to retain them in position.
Enclosed within the frame B are bevel wheels & mounted upon counter-shafts (111 11 (1
the other ends of the shafts ¹ being provided with worms m m m m housed with
bearing brackets n secured to the sides of the tank A. The shafts are provided
with bearings by the frame B and brackets n. The bevel wheels gear with bevel

page_text: pinions o secured upon the driving shaft a of the apparatus so that the motion
of the shaft a is communicated by the gearing to the shafts and by means of the
worms m to worm wheels o¹ o o¹ o secured to studs pppp carried in bearings in
the brackets n. The studs p are provided with discs p¹ p¹ p¹p¹ each of which
carries a pivotted hook p² the discs p¹ being revolved in the direction of the arrows
Fig. 1 at a greatly reduced speed from the shaft a through the interposed gearing.
I will now describe the operation of my improved apparatus.
The tank A is filled to a suitable level with water, and the cages C, filled with
the bottles to be washed, are secured within the two drums as described. To main-
tain the apparatus in full work two operators, one at each end of the machine, are
requisite. For descriptive purposes however it will be sufficient to describe the
operation of washing bottles at one end of the machine alone, the work at the other
end being exactly the same.
The bottles having been soaked in the water the machine is started and the
drum D revolved by hand until one of the cages is in a vertical position as shown in
Fig. 3.
The bottles are then full of water.
The operator knocks off the pivotted catch ².
As the discs k revolve the pivotted hooks 22 in their lowest position engage with
trunnions secured to the ends of each cage C as shown in Fig. 3.
The further revolution of the discs & lifts the cage C out of the drums 1 by means
of the hooks 2 as shown in Fig. 4 and brings the cage upon the table g. The
operator then turns the cage C over through an angle of 90° upon the table g and
the hooks are disengaged from the trunnions q of the cages. The cages are then
pushed forward along the table g by the operator until the revolving brushes f
gradually enter the bottles. Guides indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 may be
secured to the table g to ensure the entry of the brushes into the bottles. When the
scrubbing brushes have been allowed to act a sufficient length of time upon the
bottles the cages C are retracted to withdraw the brushes. The cages are then turned
through a further are of 90° so as to permit the entry of the bottle necks within
the apertures g¹ formed within the tables g. Below the apertures g¹ are water
pipes supplied with water from the main or any other suitable source of supply and
nozzles secured to the piper enter the necks of the bottles. By opening a suitable
valve a strong jet of water is injected into each bottle and thus the bottles are
thoroughly rinsed as shown in Figure 6. By releasing the pivotted catches the
ages C may be withdrawn as indicated in Fig. 7. The bottles in their inverted
position can then be removed by means of the rack cover h. The cage can then be
refilled with dirty bottles or a spare cage ready filled can be placed in position in the
drum D. The drum is then again partially revolved to bring the next cage of
bottles in position and the operations of washing and rinsing are repeated. Brackets s
are secured to the tank upon which the cages may be placed whilst being filled, or
held in readiness to replace a cage of washed bottles.
Although I have shown my improved bottle washing apparatus with a duplicate
set of scrubbing brushes it will be evident that if desired one set of brushes and
corresponding parts only may be used.
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) A bottle washing apparatus consisting of a row or rows of revolving scrubbing
brushes driven by bevel gearing and arranged above a watertank, a revolvable drum
or drums mounted within the tank and carrying a plurality of cages containing the
bottles to be washed, discs rotated at a reduced speed from the main driving shaft
and carrying pivotted hooks which are arranged at times to raise the cages from the
drums, and rinsing nozzles all arranged and acting in the manner and substantially
as described and shown.
F
2). In apparatus of the indicated nature a revolvable drum or drums adapted to
carry a number of cages containing bottles to be washed the cages being maintained

page_text: in position within the drums by means of pivotted catches substantially as described
and shown.
3) In bottle washing apparatus the employment of discs rotated at a reduced speed,
and provided with pivotted hooks to engage with trunnions mounted on the bottle
cages so as to raise the cages from the carrying drums and lift them upon a table
in the manner and substantially as described and illustrated.
4) The general arrangement construction and combination of parts comprising
the improved bottle washing apparatus substantially as described and illustrated.
1000
Dated viis on day of December
1630.
For the Applicant,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.