NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING BOTTLES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Phillips, of 13, Liverpool Street, Walworth, in the
county of Surrey for an Invention of NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
FILLING AND CLOSING BOTTLES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Phillips at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th November 1882.
JOHN PHILLIPS, of 13 Liverpool Street, Walworth in the County of Surrey,
NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING BOTTLES.
My invention has for its object the easy and rapid filling and closing of
externally stoppered bottles, or bottles to which the stoppers are permanently
attached. These are generally made of a metallic lid hinged on one side to a link,
while the other or free side of the lid may be locked by means of a moveable
catch, likewise secured to the bottle, an elastic stopper which enters the mouth of
the bottle being attached to the underside of the lid.
For filling and closing such bottles, I place a bottle on a vertically moveable
platform or pedestal which can be raised by means of a spring and treadle, and
under a metallic disc capable of oscillating in a fixed horizontal bearing, by means
of a hollow pivot which communicates with the interior of the disc and thereby
with an aperture which can be turned immediately over the top of the bottle, so as
to allow liquid to pass through the hollow pivot and disc into the bottle, as soon
as a valve provided in the disc is opened.
The lower side of the disc is also provided with a recess to give room for the lid
with a lid opener, and with a roller or depressor which can be turned over the lid,
so as to close the bottle after having been filled, the free end of the lid being
subsequently locked by means of a slide moved by a handle.
The side of the recess opposite the roller is preferably made to form an acute
angle or beak with the circumference of the disc, so as to seize the lid and lift it
by turning the disc at the beginning of the operation.
To prevent the link which holds the lid from falling backwards during the
operation, a block or plate and a spring are applied to the frame on the side
opposite the moveable slide, which press the link against the bottle.

page_text: The mouth of the disc through which the liquid enters the bottle is packed with
india-rubber or other compressible material to form a tight joint while the bottle
is being filled. Various forms of valves may be used for opening or closing the
passage in the disc, but I prefer to use a vertically moveable valve which can be
closed upon its seat or raised by means of a screw spindle turned by a handle which
moves with and also serves for turning the whole disc. A safety valve may also
be used, which allows gas or liquid to escape from the interior of the disc if the
pressure exceeds the allowable limit, and the disc is provided with two stops for
limiting its oscillation on both sides.
Several modifications may be adapted without departing from the principle of
my invention, for instance, instead of turning the disc, with the roller and liquid
passage attached to it, the roller and passage may be fixed, while the platform or
support of the bottle is adapted to turn, or to slide with the bottle horizontally, or
the piece containing the roller, liquid passage and valve may be moved in a straight
line or parallel with itself instead of turning on a pivot. The roller may also be
replaced by a wedge or a block, or a simple facing.
Instead of the ordinary hinged bottle stopper, I prefer to use one with a lid
curved upwards from the free end towards the centre so as to form a horizontal
ridge or abutment for the roller near the centre of the lid, and instead of attaching
the catch to a wire which encloses the neck of the bottle as usual, I binge it to the
free end of the lid, so that for locking the lid, the said catch must be pressed
downwards to catch a stationary rim or projection attached to the wire enclosing
the bottle neck.
Instead of using a disc mounted in a horizontal bearing, the liquid passage, valve
and roller or depressor may be carried by a horizontally oscillating casting pivoted
on a vertical axle.
Several bottles may be filled and closed successively by mounting the vertically
oscillating disc in a frame or bearing which can be turned horizontally, so that the
beak, liquid passage and depressor come successively over the mouth, of all the
bottles which are arranged concentrically with the vertical pivot of the said frame
or bearing.
This modification may also be arranged as a horizontally moveable disc, turning
over a number of concentrically arranged bottles, and provided with two hooks or
beaks, two liquid passages, and two inclined planes, adapted to operate simulta-
neously on two bottles situated under the same diameter of the disc, so that each of
the two bottles is successively opened by one of the hooks or beaks, filled with
liquid from one of the passages and closed by one of the inclined planes which
caused the roller to pass over and press on the lid. I may also invert the position
of the apparatus so as to turn the bottle upside down and place it at the top of
the liquid passage, instead of at the bottom, or the bottles may be placed at any
desired angle, and the position of the organs of the machine made to correspond.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Phillips in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th May
1883.
JOHN PHILLIPS of 13 Liverpool Street Walworth in the County of Surrey
"NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING BOTTLES
"
My invention has for its object the easy and rapid filling and closing of externally
stoppered bottles to which the stoppers are permanently attached.
These stoppers are generally attached to the underside of a metallic lid hinged
at one end to a link secured to the neck of the Bottle while the other or free end
of the lid is locked by means of a movable catch likewise secured to the neck of
the bottle.
In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying
drawings Figures 1 to 20 of which Figure 1 shows the neck of a bottle with
stopper and lid, Figure 2 represents a side view, Figure 3 a front view and Figure 4
a plan of a machine embodying my invention, while Figure represents a front
view of the principal parts of the same machine in a different position. Figures 6
to 9 are detail views and sections of the principal parts of the same machine on a
larger Scale. Figures 10 to 20 illustrate modifications.
As shewn in Figure 1 the stopper consists of a hemispherical body a generally
made of glass or other suitable hard material. The body a is attached to a metallic
lid a hinged at one end to a link a³ and bent upwards at the other or free end with
a view to being locked by a catch a*
I wish it to be understood however that Figure 1 represents only an example of
a class of stoppers and that my invention is also applicable to stoppers pivoted and
locked in other ways.
The apparatus hereinafter described is constructed to perform the following
functions, namely, raising the lid, filling the bottle, closing the lid and locking it.
In the machino represented by Figures 2 to 9 the Bottle A to be filled is placed
upon a pedestal B to which is secured a sleeve b guided by a bearing d attached to
the frame or stand D of the machine.
As seen in Figure 2ª the sleeve b contains a helical spring b¹ resting with its
base on a shoulder of the spindle C which forms at the top a core for the said
spring, extends downward through a guide d' and is connected at the bottom with
a treadle F by means of a link E.
To the top of the stand or frame D is secured a horizontal bearing H for the
hollow pivot i of the oscillating carrier or feeder J shown in detail by Figures 6
and 8.
The feeder or carrier J is made hollow for the reception of liquid, it is curved
cylindrically at the bottom, communicates at the top through a passage with the
inside of the pivot and has at the bottom a round aperture through which liquid
may enter the mouth of the bottle when the hollow valve spindle K is lifted from
its seat k. The spindle K extend upwards through the gland L of a stuffing box.
Outside the stuffing box the spindle is provided with a screw thread k which
passes through a nut M secured to the top of the carrier as shown by Figure 6.
Above the nut M the spindle carries a lever and handle N attached so that the
spindle is turned by turning the lever. The lever or handle N serves both for
turning the whole carrier on its pivot i and for screwing the spindle K up or down
in its nut M.
The spindle K is provided with an axial channel through which and the lateral
opening air may escape from the Bottle A while the latter is being filled.

page_text: The upper end of this air passage is otherwise closed by a valve O under the
pressure of a spring P which abuts against an adjustable cap Q.
The feeder J has also a deep recess R (as shewn in figure 6) and on one side of
the latter a beak S, serving as a lid opener while on the other side the feeder carries
a roller T serving to close the lid and stopper after the Bottle has been filled. The
roller is preferably covered with India rubber.
In order to protect the edge of the lid opener or beak S, its inside is armed with
a curved pieces of sheet metal hinged to the body of the carrier at s'.
For limiting the oscillating motion of the feeder J, I attach to its back a sector 2³,
(Figure 7) the flange of which limits the motion to the right by coming in
contact with the flange h of the bearing H, while the flange i stops the oscillating
motion to the left by coming in contact with the flange h¹ of the bearing.
The function of locking the lid after the bottle has been filled and closed is
performed by the device illustrated in plan by Figure 9 and in elevation by
figure 6. A bracket U attached to the front of the stand D carries a horizontally
movable slide V provided at one end with an arm and at the other with a
slotted head into which projects the tongue w, of the bell crank lever W.
(Figure 6).
Another arm is pressed against the vertical link a³ of the bottle by a movable
pin pushed by a spring contained in the guide and casing vs which is fastened
to the horizontal flange v of the bracket U.
The neck of the bottle being placed between the arms v', and v³ the arm v³ is
pressed against the catch a of the bottle and the said catch locked with the lid a²
by lifting the lever W into the position indicated by dotted lines.
In the case of bottles where the end of the lid a² is bent down and is locked by
a spring catch (a) from the inside, instead of from the outside, as shown in the
drawing, the locking is effected by an opposite motion of the lever W.
The fork X attached to the stand D and lined with india rubber serves as
a lateral bearing to the neck of the bottle after the latter has been placed on the
pedestal B.
The operation of the Machine is as follows:
The screwed end of the pivot i having been coupled by a nut Z to a pipe Y
leading to the liquid reservoir and an empty bottle having been placed on the
pedestal B, the carrier J and lever N occupy respectively the positions represented
by Figure 5, while the treadle occupies the position of Figure 2 and the Bell Crank
Lever W the position of Figure 3 and the valve spindle K, is closed on its seat.
The lever N is then lifted into the position shown in Figs 3 and 6 whereupon
the beak S engages under the free end of the lid a' and lifts the latter together
with the stopper into the recess R of the carrier J.
At the same time the bottle A is pressed upward against the carrier J. by
pushing down the treadle F, and the lever N is then vibrated round the required
distance, thereby lifting the valve spindle from its seat and allowing liquid to
enter the bottle through the aperture i².
When the bottle is full the lever N is vibrated in the opposite direction and the
valve K thereby closed. The carrier J is then by means of the lever rotated into
its original position as shown in Fig: 5 during which motion the roller T acts
on the back of the lid a* of the stopper turning the same on its joint and pressing
it into the orifice in the neck of the bottle. Finally the lid a' is locked with
the catch a by raising the handle W, the foot is removed from the treadle
allowing the pedestal to fall and the bottle is taken away to make room for an
empty one.
During the return motion of the carrier care must be taken that little or no
pressure is applied to the treadle until the roller T has arrived nearly over the
centre of the bottle and the lid is in its proper place, otherwise the lid may be
caused to assume a wrong position. To enable unskilled persous to overcome this
difficulty I have devised a regulator which is controlled by the motion of the

page_text: carrier. This apparatus is illustrated by Figures 19 and 20. The pedestal B* of
the bottle is rigidly connected with a plate O' capable of sliding up and down
on the face of the machine frame D and having a vertical slot through which
passes an arm P4
The plate O' is preferably sunk into and made flush with the face of the machine
frame.
The arm P has at one end a friction plate p* which can be pressed against
the said sliding plate 04 by means of a cam Q mounted on a shaft q* passing
through the frame of the machine and provided at the opposite end with a hand
lever R.
During the operation of filling, the attendant presses with one hand on the
lever R, which (tangential) pressure is transmitted to the cam Q' and brake arm P¹
so as to press the friction plate p' against the sliding plate O* and prevent any
motion of the latter until the arm P' has been disengaged from the cam by means
of the adjustable lever S* which turns with the axle of the carrier and is placed
so as to come in contact with the brake arm P when the roller T has nearly
arrived over the centre of the stopper. By the downward motion of the arm P
occasioned by its contact with the lever S the catch p³ is disengaged from the
stop g of the cam Q and allows the latter to turn loose; consequently the
pressure on the friction plate p₁ ceases and the sliding plate 0 is allowed to move
upward under the pressure of the treadle which had previously been counteracted
by the friction plate pt. A spring T* serves to replace the arm P in its former
position, after contact with the lever S has ceased, Figures 19 and 20 show also
a cage for holding the Bottle A* while it is being filled (instead of the fork already
described) This cage is secured to the pedestal so as to move up and down with
the same; it is made of two curved halves U*U* which enclose the bottle laterally,
and it is closed in front by a cover V' which turns on a pivot W' and is operated
by a lever X or other suitable mechanism.
This cover is preferably made of a sheet of wire gauze attached to an iron
frame
According to a modified construction of apparatus for opening the stopper after
the bottle is placed in position I mount on the face of the carrier J a lever S³ as
shewn in Figures 10, 11 and 12. The lever is mounted on a pivot S3 and is
provided with a toe piece St. On the face of the framing there is a curved
projection against which the toe piece S* of the lever strikes when the carrier
passes a certain point in its rotative motion. Immediately before this the end S¹
of the lever S is engaged beneath the lid of the stopper, the action of the toe S*
in conjunction with the stop S being to throw the end S¹ of the lever upward as
shewn in Fig: 10 and to open the stopper, the latter entering the space R in the
carrier J.
In the modification represented by Figure 13 the carrier or feeder J' is attached
to a frame D', and oscillates about the pivot D². In Figures 14 and 15 the oscillating
motion of the carrier J' is replaced by a rectilinear motion produced by a bell crank
lever P¹.
The carrier J slides in a dove-tailed groove of the bracket Q' and the lid
opener S is lifted at the required moment by the contact of the cam S5 with the
stationary detent S°. T' is the depressing roller concentrically with which the lid
opening lever is in this instance mounted. Liquid is admitted into the carrier
through the opening Z¹, and the valve spindle K' is turned by the lever N as
previously described.
Figure 16 shews an elevation, Figure 17 a plan and Figure 18 a partial side
view of a machine for operating upon four bottles at the same time. In this
arrangement the bottles A' are placed upon pedestals B¹ supported by sleeves b*
and springs 6 and the four carriers or feeders J³ are supported by a ring L'
mounted on a vertical shaft M which receives intermittent motions from the bevel
wheels M, M. Liquid is introduced into the feeders J³ through the pipes Z³ from

page_text: the chamber Z³ mounted on the shaft M. The liquid enters the bottle through an
aperture 7. A bridge piece O¹ is mounted on a turntable P2 and keyed to the
shaft M, the turn table P¹ being thereby operated. The springs q² attached to the
turntable press the inclined planes p' and thereby the rollers o² and the spindle b*
upward with sufficient strength to hold the bottle tight against the carrier. The
spindle b¹ has only a vertical motion, while the inclined planes p* share the motion
of the turn table P2. The necessary periodical motions of the shaft M' with its
attached parts are produced by means of a sector N¹ keyed to the horizontal
shaft m³, a lever P³ mounted loose on the said shaft and a connecting rod Q³
driven from a crank shaft R³. A spring catch p³ is guided in a slot of the lever P³
and carries at the lower end a roller which comes in contact with a cam 7ª
formed on the bearing of the shaft m³. The sector N¹ has at one end a notch n
and at the other end a projection or rim m³. When the lever P³ or its spring
catch is engaged with the notch n³ of the sector N¹ the motion of the connecting
rod in the direction of the arrow causes the sector to turn until the roller
arrived at the cam whereby the spring catch is lifted out of the notch n of the
sector and the lever P3 is free to move forward until it reaches the rim n³ of the
sector. During this period, that the sector remains at rest, the attendant removes
the filled bottle and substitutes an empty one. The continued motion of the
connecting rod causes the sector to turn until the connecting rod has reached the
end of its travel, whereupon the sector occupies the position indicated by dotted
lines. During the return motion of the connecting rod and lever P³ the spring
catch slides over the sector until it falls into the notch, after which the sector
shares the motion of the lever until the connecting rod has reached the other end
of its travel. This oscillating motion periodically places the aperture i over the
mouth of the bottle, and shifts the inclined planes p' under the roller o³. It also
produces the motions required of the lid opener and closer.
has
Instead of turning the carrier containing the lid opener, liquid passage and lid
closer, the carrier may be fixed and the pedestal carrying the bottle arranged to
travel. Instead of a roller the depressor or lid closer may consist of a cam eccentric
or inclined plane. Instead of being placed upright the bottles may be inverted, or
placed at any desired angle, and the position of the mechanism altered accordingly.
Having thus fully described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details of construction represented in the drawings hereunto annexed
as many of these may be varied without departing from the principle of my
invention, but I claim:
In apparatus for charging externally stoppered bottles with fluids:
1. The use of a rocking feeder formed or provided with a horn or lever for
raising the stopper and an arm or roller surface for depressing and the holding the
same closed; the said feeder being provided internally with a passage and valve
for respectively conveying and regulating the supply of the fluid and permitting the
escape of the original contents.
2. The arrangement of apparatus for opening charging and closing bottles of the
character alluded to in such a manner that successive motions of an operating lever
in two planes at right angles to one another effect the several objects desired
substantially as described.
3. The use in apparatus of the character alluded to of a device constructed and
arranged substantially as described for closing the hasp of the stopper, the said
device being worked simultaneously with the main lever and by the same band of
the operator, or otherwise.
4. The use, in combination with the rocking feeder referred to in claim 1, of a
self adjusting pedestal carrying the bottle and maintaining contact between the
mouth thereof and the working face of feeder.
5. The general combination, substantially as described, of mechanism arranged to
ruise or displace the stopper, to charge the bottle with the fluid under pressure, to

page_text: replace the said stopper in position, to hold it whilst the hasp is applied, and finally
to secure the stopper.
6. The general combination substantially as described of automatic mechanism
for operating on four or more bottles simultaneously.
In witness whereof I, the said John Phillips, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this twenty-sixth day of May A.D. 1883
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