An Improved Machine for Unstoppering, Filling, and Re-stoppering Bottles having Screw Stoppers.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1898-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Unstoppering, Filling, and Re-stoppering
Bottles having Screw Stoppers.
I, JAMES EAGLES, of 99, Brierley Street, Bury, in the County of Lancaster,
Science Teacher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved machine for unstoppering, filling and
restoppering bottles having screw stoppers, the parts of the machine being so
arranged that when an empty bottle with its stopper screwed in, is placed in the
machine, it is gripped, the stopper unscrewed and removed, the bottle filled with
the desired liquid or liquids, the stopper being then replaced and screwed tightly
into the bottle which is next released ready to be replaced by another empty bottle,
all these operations being performed automatically by the machine, provision being
also made to prevent loss or waste of the liquids used when no bottle is placed in
the machine whilst it is working.
According to this invention I attach a filling head provided with suitable snift
and supply valves to an upright frame which also carries the other necessary
gearing for actuating the machine in the desired manner.
The said filling head is formed into a suitably shaped filling chamber provided
at its lower end with an open mouthpiece of elastic material, against which the
bottle mouth is pressed by the upward pressure of the bottle seat, thus securing a
tight joint, the stopper head passing into the said chamber through the opening in
the mouthpiece.
The upper end of the filling chamber is formed into an ordinary stuffing box
through which passes the clutch spindle to be hereafter described.
Suitable passages are provided from the filling chamber to the snift and supply
valves, and also to the syrup pump when such is used.
The supply valve is attached to the filling head in such a manner as to permit
its being opened from inside the filling chamber, but may be arranged in any
other wellknown convenient manner.
When the said supply valve is opened from inside the filling chamber it is by
means of a cam on the clutch spindle beforementioned.
The syrup pump, when such is used, and the snift valve, both of any well
known form, are actuated by levers which receive their motion from cams carried
by a vertical cam shaft forming part of the machine.
Inside the filling chamber is a stopper clutch attached to the lower end of the
clutch spindle before mentioned, the said clutch being in the form of a boss pro-
vided with suitable claws secured by one or more washers or rings of rubber, or
the like, the said claws being held in place by slots in the boss of the said clutch
and so arranged as to yeild outwards slightly to allow the stopper and clutch to
be forced together or withdrawn from each other without damaging the stopper.
Attached to the lower end of the said clutch and inside the claws is a friction
washer or ring of rubber, or the like, which by its friction with the stopper head
serves to screw the stopper in and out of the bottle, the said claws holding the
stopper when it is out of the bottle and assisting to screw it in and out as required,
D
077

page_text: the said friction washer also serving to secure the said claws if desired which may
be further secured by a similar ring outside them if required, or this latter ring
may be used alone for securing the said claws.
On the clutch spindle, just above the clutch, is placed the cam beforementioned
for opening the supply valve from inside, when so required.
The clutch spindle passes through the stuffing box provided for it, to another
spindle to which it is attached, the latter spindle being screwed on the outside
with a thread having the same or a slightly less pitch than the screw thread on
the stoppers.
The said screwed spindle passes through a nut which may be carried by a lever
or in a suitable bearing attached to the frame of the machine, the said nut being
prevented from turning round and arranged to yeild to an upward thrust, a
spring being arranged to press it downwards.
When a lever is used the other end of the lever rests against a cam carried on
the vertical cam shaft beforementioned, the screwing of the said screwed spindle
through its nut, together with the action of the said cam, or either of them
separately, serving to raise the clutch spindle and with it the stopper as it is
unscrewed out of the bottle and then to open the supply valve; the motions all
being reversed at the proper instant to secure the due closing of the supply valve
and the restoppering of the bottle.
Attached to the upper end of the said screwed spindle is a pinion wheel which
rises and falls with the said spindle, always gearing however with a spur wheel
riding loose on the vertical cam shaft beforementioned.
Fixed to the said vertical cam shaft is a suitably shaped lever which drives the
loose spur wheel by means of a tripping lever carried by the said loose wheel, the
said tripping lever having two pins fixed to it in addition to the one attaching
it to the said loose wheel, one of the said two pins being thrown in and out of
gear with the lever on the vertical cam shaft by the action on one or other of the
said two pins, of suitable stops attached to the frame of the machine aided by the
action of an elastic band, or spring, or the like, attached to the loose spur wheel
and the said tripping lever.
The said lever on the vertical cam shaft is caused to continually oscillate to
and fro, and when in gear with the said tripping lever, it turns the loose spur wheel
and the pinion connected with the clutch spindle, first in one direction and then
in the reverse direction with a period of rest when the tripping lever is out of gear,
the oscillating lever moving on.
During this period when the pinion and spur wheels are at rest, the filled bottle
is released by another part of the machine, ready for replacing by an empty bottle,
which is placed in the machine with its stopper in position, the oscillating lever
returning comes into gear again with the loose spur wheel and therefore with the
pinion, the stopper is unscrewed, the clutch spindle raised, and the supply valve
opened, then the motion of the oscillating lever is reversed the supply valve is
closed, the clutch spindle lowered and the stopper screwed into the bottle, the
tripping lever is then tripped, the bottle released and so the action goes on.
The vertical cam shaft to which the oscillating lever is fixed also carries suitable
cams for operating the snift valve, syrup pump, and clutch spindle levers before-
mentioned.
At the lower end of the said vertical cam shaft is fixed a bevel pinion which is
driven by a quadrant bevel wheel which is in turn oscillated by a bell crank lever
carried by a crank pin attached to a disc wheel which is driven always in one
direction at the proper speed, being connected with the driving gear of the
machine in any convenient manner.
The said bell crank lever is of special construction, the end of its driving arm
having a notch formed in it, which gears with a pin on the quadrant bevel wheel
beforementioned when the machine is working normally, the other and lower
arm of the said lever being arranged to throw the said notch in the driving arm
out of gear with the said pin, when there is no bottle in the machine. The

page_text: driving arm of the said lever may be slotted to prevent it moving too far away
from the pin it gears with and a spring or weight is arranged to keep the said
notch and pin in gear when there is a bottle in the machine.
The bottle seat is attached to a vertical rod passing through guides and pressed
upwards by a spring strong enough to keep the bottle tight against the mouth of
the filling chamber before described. Fastened at the lower end of the said vertical
rod is a block or crosshead working in guides formed on the frame of the machine
and arranged to be depressed by a roller carried by a crank pin on the disc wheel
beforementioned.
When the said crosshead is depressed the vertical rod and bottle seat to
which it is attached are depressed also, the said spring being compressed, and the
bottle thus released ready to be replaced.
As the motion goes on the said crank roller allows the crosshead, rod, and
bottle seat to be raised by the spring referred to, until the bottle placed in the
machine stops the upward motion.
If no bottle has been placed in the machine the upward motion continues and
a projection on the rising crosshead catches the lower arm of the bell crank lever
before described and throws the notch in the driving arm out of gear with the pin
on the quadrant bevel wheel as aforesaid, after which further upward motion is
prevented by a stop on the said vertical rod.
When the said bell crank lever is thus thrown out of gear with the said quadrant
bevel wheel the whole of the machine actuated by it comes to rest, the opening of
the supply valve and the working of the pump, when such is used, being thus
prevented.
As the disc wheel aforesaid moves on it again depresses the said crosshead
vertical rod and bottle seat and a bottle may be placed in the machine which then
goes through the required operations for filling the bottle as described.
The said disc wheel is driven by hand or power, any convenient gearing being
used, but when the machine is to be hand driven it is preferable to connect the
driving gear to the quadrant bevel wheel directly, thus dispensing with the disc
wheel and the parts carried by it. A slotted link is then connected with the
quadrant bevel wheel and the vertical rod attached to the bottle seat, in order to
depress the latter as required, or a foot lever may be used for the same purpose.
A suitable guard of convenient form is provided on the machine.
Dated this Nineteenth day of March 1898.
An Improved Machine for Unstoppering, Filling, and Re-stoppering
Bottles having Screw Stoppers.
I, JAMES EAGLES, of 99, Brierley Street, Bury, in the County of Lancaster,
Science Teacher, 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 improved machine for unstoppering, filling and
restoppering bottles having screw stoppers, the parts of the machine being so
arranged that when an empty bottle with its stopper screwed in, is placed in the
machine, it is gripped, the stopper removed, the bottle filled with the
desired liquid or liquids, the stopper being then replaced and screwed tightly
into the bottle which is next released ready to be replaced by another empty bottle,
all these operations being performed automatically by the machine, provision being

page_text: also made to prevent loss or waste of the liquids used, when no bottle is placed in
the machine whilst it is still working.
The machine is used chiefly for bottling aerated waters with or without syrup
but may be used for bottling other liquids under pressure.
Such being the nature and object of my said invention, the following is a
complete description of same, reference being had to the annexed drawings in
which: :―
Figure (1) is a front elevation of the machine with part of the frame shewn
broken away in order to reveal some of the parts behind. Figure (2) is a sectional
elevation of same.
Figure (3) is a sectional elevation of the tripping gear for actuating the clutch
spindle hereafter described.
Figure (4) is a plan of same.
Figure (5) is a sectional elevation of the filling head shewing the clutch spindle
and clutch.
Figure (6) is an outside elevation of the clutch.
Figure (7) is a plan of same, looking upwards.
According to this invention I employ an ordinary upright frame to carry all
the parts of the machine, and to this frame I attach a filling head 1 which is pro-
vided with an ordinary suift valve (2), and syrup pump connection, and also with
an ordinary aerated water valve (3). The filling head 1 is formed into a filling
chamber having at its lower end an open mouthpiece (4) of indiarubber or the like,
the same being secured by a screwed collar bush (5) to the filling head (1), a
washer (6) preventing the mouthpiece (4) from being forced into the filling
chamber. Passages are formed from inside the filling chamber to the pump
connection, to the snift valve, and to the aerated water valve 3, and at the upper
end of the filling head 1 there is a stuffing box, through which passes the clutch
spindle 7. Fixed to the lower end of clutch spindle 7 and inside the filling head 1
is a helical cam 8 (for operating the valve 3,) and also a clutch 9 for unscrewing
and replacing the bottle stoppers.
The stopper clutch 9 (Figs. 5, 6, & 7) consists of a ring or collar of india-
rubber 10, which is placed inside a thin ring of metal 11, screws 12 with large
heads being used to secure four claws 13, the heads of the screws 12, being inside
the rubber ring 10, the claws 13 being screwed somewhat tightly on to the ring 11.
The ring 11 is conveniently secured by a pin 14, inside a boss formed on the lower
end of the clutch spindle 7, slots being provided in the said boss to prevent the
claws 13 being displaced. The upper end of the clutch spindle 7 is fastened to
another spindle 15, on which is a screw thread whose pitch is the same or slightly
less than that on the stoppers; the spindle 15 passes through a nut 16 which
is carried by a forked lever 17 which is actuated at the proper time by a cam 18.
The nut 16 and hence the spindles 15 & 7 also, are pressed downwards by a
spring 19 in order to cause the clutch 9 to grip the bottle stoppers, the friction
thus caused between the rubber ring 10 and the stoppers, aided by the claws 13,
serving to unscrew and replace the stoppers, and the claws 13 also supporting
the stoppers inside the filling chamber whilst the bottle is being filled.
The screwing of the spindle 15 through the nut 16 together with the action of
the cam 18 serving to raise and lower the clutch 9 in the required manner.
The spindle 15 is provided with a pinion wheel 20 which is driven by another
wheel 21 which rides loose on the cam shaft 22.
The wheel 21 is driven by an oscillating lever 23 fixed to the upper end of the
cam shaft 22 the lever 23 actuating a tripping lever 24 (Figs. 3 & 4) which is
secured to the wheel 21 by means of the pin 25.
The tripping lever 24 carries two studs 26 & 27 the stud 26 forming the driving
connection in one direction between the two levers 23 & 24 and the stud 27
serving to throw or trip the stud 26 out of gear with the lever 23 by coming in
contact with the top of the frame of the machine at 28 the said stud being made
to project downward for such purpose. A catch piece 29 is provided on the frame,

page_text: to prevent the wheel 21 rotating when the stud 26 is out of gear with the lever 23,
the stud 26 extending on both sides of the lever 24 and when out of gear with the
lever 23 it comes within the catch piece 29 and remains there until the return of
the lever 23 permits it to again come into gear with the said lever.
The plate of the wheel 21 is cut away to allow the studs 26 & 27 to project
through it. The wheel 21 also carries a stud 30 which enables the lever 23 to
actuate it in the opposite direction.
A strong rubber band 31 is attached to the studs 20 & 30 in order to bring the
stud 26 into gear with the lever 23 at the required instant.
Instead of the rubber band a spring may be employed in the same manner for
the same purpose.
In addition to the cam 18 the cam shaft 22 carries a cam 32 for operating the
pump lever 33, and also two cams 34 & 35 for operating the snift valve in the
ordinary manner.
At the lower end of the shaft 22 is fixed a bevel pinion 36 which is driven by
a quadrant bevel wheel 37 carried by the frame of the machine and having fixed
to it a pin 52, which is caused to oscillate by a bell crank lever 38
of special construction which is in turn actuated by a crank pin 39
carried by a disc wheel 40, which is turned at the proper speed
always in one direction, by the driving gear of the machine which is
of ordinary construction. The lever 38 is formed with a suitably shaped slot 41
in its driving arm, at the upper end of which is formed a notch which gears with
the pin 52 fixed to the quadrant wheel 37, when the machine is working ordinarily,
a spring 43 being provided to keep the said notch and pin 52 in gear with each
other.
A straight spring fixed to the driving arm of lever 38 and pressing on the pin 52
or a weight fixed on the arm 44 may be used for the same purpose as the spring 43
but the method shewn in the drawing (Fig. 1) is preferable.
The bottle to be filled is placed on the bottle seat 45 which is carried on a
spindle 46 which also carries a stop 47 and a sliding crosshead 48 which is suit-
ably guided by the frame of the machine, the spindle 46 and its attachments being
all pressed upwards by a spring 49 which thus presses the bottle tightly against
the mouthpiece 4 of the filling head 1.
In addition to the lever 38 the crank pin 39 carries a roller or runner 50 which
serves to depress the crosshead 48 and with it a spindle 46 and the bottle seat 45
the spring 49 being compressed thereby and the bottle released.
When the machine is working and no bottle is placed in position the spindle 46
and with it the crosshead 48 are lifted higher than usual, and a projection 51
formed on the said crosshead comes in contact with the arm 44 of the lever 38
and forces it upwards thereby throwing the notch in the driving arm of the said
lever out of gear with the pin 52, the quadrant wheel 37 and all that part of the
machine driven by it then coming to rest, such action being arranged to occur
before the syrup pump 53 has been operated, or the aerated water valve 3 opened,
loss of syrup or aerated water being thus prevented.
The stop 47 is to prevent the spindle 46 being lifted too high when no bottle is
placed in the machine.
The slot 41 in the driving arm of the lever 38 is to keep the said lever 38 from
moving away from the pin 52 altogether.
The action of the machine is as follows: As the disc wheel 40 moves round,
the roller 50 depresses the crosshead 48, and therefore the bottle seat 45, on which
the empty bottle with its stopper screwed tightly in is now placed, the notch in
the driving arm of the lever 38 at the same time coming into gear with the pin 52.
As the motion of the wheel 40 goes on the spring 49 raises the bottle seat 45 and
presses the bottle tightly against the mouthpiece 4, the quadrant wheel 37 is moved
over to the left, actuating the pinion wheel 36, and the cam shaft 22, the cam 18
coming into operation and permitting the spring 19 to force the clutch 9 on to the
stopper; the quadrant lever 23 now comes against the stud 30 and actuates the

page_text: wheels 21 & 20 thereby unscrewing and raising the stopper by means of the
screwed spindle 15. When the stopper has been unscrewed slightly the pump
cam 32 operates the ordinary syrup pump 53 forcing syrup into the filling
chamber and thence into the bottle.
The cam 18 now lifts the nut 16 so as to bring the helical cam 8 on the clutch
spindle 7 against the aerated water valve 3, opening the said valve and filling the
bottle in the ordinary manner, the snift valve being actuated by the cams 34
& 35.
The crank pin 39 on the disc wheel 40 after attaining its highest position begins
to descend and move the quadrant wheel 37 over to the right the motion of the
cam shaft 22 and its attachments being thus reversed.
The lever 23 is now in gear with the stud 26 and turns the wheels 21 & 20 in
the opposite direction to formerly, the cam 18 also operating to lower the nut 16
the stopper is lowered and screwed into the bottle, the tripping stud 27 comes
against the frame at 28 and throws the stud 26 out of gear with the lever 23
the wheels 21 & 20 now coming to rest but the quadrant lever 23 still moving on
by reason of being fixed to the cam shaft 22 and the cam 18 now lifts the clutch
from the stopper.
The seat is again depressed and the filled bottle can now be replaced by an empty
The cams on the cam shaft are made adjustable in position and the cross-
head 48 and stop 47 are adjustable on the spindle 46.
one.
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) The general construction arrangement and combination of parts constituting
the improved machine for unstoppering filling and restoppering bottles having
screwed stoppers as herein fully described and substantially as illustrated by the
annexed drawings.
(2) In machines of the class herein described the combination therewith of the
disc wheel 40 the crank pin 39 the roller 50 the lever 38 the pin 52 on the
quadrant wheel 37 and the cross head 48 carried on the spindle 46 all in combina-
tion for the purpose stated as herein described and as illustrated by Figs. 1 & 2
of the annexed drawings.
(3) In machines of the class herein described the combination therewith of the
clutch 9 as herein fully described and as illustrated by Figs. 5, 6, & 7 of the
annexed drawings.
(4) In machines of the class herein described the combination therewith of the
quadrant lever 23, the tripping lever 24, and the studs 26 & 27 fixed to the
lever 24, the loose wheel 21, with the pin 25 connecting it with the lever 24,
the stud 30, the spring or elastic band 31 and the catch piece 29 all in combination
for the purpose stated as herein described and as illustrated by Figs. 3 & 4 of the
annexed drawings.
0041
Jamshor 1808