Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd July, 1898-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1898

page_text: The supporting spindles 6 together with the capsules to be cleaned are moved
continuously or intermittently with the disc e in front of the cleaning spindles.
The continuous rotation can be effected in a known manner by cord or belt
transmission, but I prefer an intermittent transmission, such that the spindles and
capsules are left stationary some time in front of the cleaning disc.
This intermittent driving device comprises a ratchet wheel A (Figure 3) on the
disc shaft, moved by pawls f³ f4 in one direction. With the ratchet wheel A
engages a spring pawl f upon an arm v mounted loosely upon the shaft w; the
oscillating arm is jointed to one end of a rod w¹³, the other end of which carries a
guiding-piece q oscillating about t. This guiding-piece has at two places q¹ and q²
(Figures 8 and 9) openings in the guide, in which slides a crank pin p on a toothed
wheel Z on the shaft ¹, the rotating motion being thus converted into an oscillating
motion.
When the pin p rises it lifts the guide piece q which through the rod w¹ and
pawl gives oscillation to the disc e through an arc depending on the number of
spindles, that is to say one fifth of a revolution for 5 spindles as shewn. When the
pin p has attained its highest point and begins to descend, it slides first along the
path in the guide piece q, till it reaches the opening q¹ which it passes through and
then slides along the lower edge of the guide-piece over the sector-like projection q³,
it then rises and again enters at q² the interior of the guide-piece q.
During this movement of the pin p the guide-piece q descends again owing to its
weight, moving back the pawl f¹ to engage the next tooth of A so as to move the
disc onwards when the guide-piece q is lifted again. In order to prevent the arm v
from descending too far, I provide an arresting-device, consisting of a two-armed
lever x, urged by a spring x so that its end a² is in the path of the arm v, which
as it descends, is stopped by x¹. The other end of x is connected by a link x³ to
an angle lever a, the free end of which is in the path of a pin y upon the toothed
wheel Z.
As the pin p ascends the angle lever at is lifted by the pin y and the lever x is
moved so that the arm v with the guide piece q can further descend.
The capsules to be cleaned (f" Fig. 4) are put on by hand, but I prefer to
discharge them automatically.
For this purpose I employ one cleaning spindle less than the number of supporting
spindles, substituting for the cleaning spindle removed a discharge device. It
consists of an adjustable fork g¹ with which may engage the groove of the pulley g
which can move longitudinally behind the capsule, so that a movement of the fork g¹
advances the pulley g, which throws off the cleaned capsule.
The fork g (Figure 4) is on the end of a sliding rod g,. carrying a loose collar g¹
between two tappet collars g³. The collar g' on a rod g³ is connected to one arm
of an oscillating lever ge the other arm of which has a pin g7 engaged in a
cam path u¹ of a cam B, on the axis the lever 96 being thus caused to oscillate
and the fork g¹ to reciprocate.
The discharge of a capsule takes place while the disc e is stationary, that is to
say when the pin p is descending.
When the cleaned capsule is thrown off and the pulley g moves back a new
capsule is put upon the spindle, and, as the ratchet wheel A is farther turned, the
disc is also turned.
As the rod g² and its collar g* can turn, the fork g¹ can move aside out of
engagement with the groove of 9 when the disc turns as shewn in Figures 5
and 6 so that as soon as the pulley 9 has left the fork g', the latter can be
moved back to its original position.
For this purpose one of the tappets g³ is connected to an arm 98 (Figure 11)
attached to a spring 99 which is strained when the fork g' is turned down as in
Figure 6, and when g¹ is disengaged from 9 the spring turns the rod g² and
fork g¹ to the original position, so that a succeeding pulley g may engage in the
fork.

page_text: Opposite to the arm g³ there may be provided a hammer-like head g10 to limit
the turning motion, by meeting a stop, but this is not absolutely necessary, as the
path of the pulley g determines the extent of the oscillation of the fork g¹.
By adjusting one of the tappets g³ I can increase or diminish the stroke of the
fork g¹ to suit a greater or less length of capsule.
The apparatus operates as follows:-Upon the mandrels f of the spindles d,
mounted upon the disc e, are put the capsules to be cleaned and by the rotation of
the disc as described they are brought in contact with the drums c of the
spindles b, whereby the capsules are cleaned from all dirt. Each capsule after
passing the last cleaning drum is thrown off as described and received in a
suitable receptacle.
Thus the apparatus is quite automatic requiring only one attendant to put the
capsules on the mandrels.
Obviously the number of mandrels may be varied so that the apparatus can be
worked by hand or by power.
Also the cleaning drums may be varied in length to suit different lengths of
capsules.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for cleaning bottle-capsules, characterized by a number of rotating
mandrels f upon which the capsules to be cleaned are placed, these being moved by
the disc e into contact with cleaning drums c which rotate either in the same
direction with the mandrels but with different velocities or in opposite directions to
the mandrels, substantially as described.
'
2. In the apparatus above referred to, a device for intermittently turning the disce,
characterized by a pawl and ratchet mechanism on the drum-shafts, consisting of
a ratchet wheel A and of an oscillating pawl f¹ actuated by a rod w¹ of a guide-
piece q moved up and down intermittently by a crank pin p, substantially as
described.
3. The device for throwing off the cleaned capsules, characterized by a grooved
pulley g, longitudinally movable upon the spindle d, and a fork g¹ moved parallel
to the spindle by a cam u¹ and lever go, the said fork g¹ engaging in the groove of
the pulley g, substantially as described.
4. The driving mechanism for the capsule and cleaning spindles characterized by
a cord, belt, or the like, running from a pulley S on the main shaft i over all the
pulleys h of the mandrel-spindles b, then over a guide-roller m, and thence either
in the same direction (Figure 2) or in opposite directions (Figure 12) over the
rollers k of the cleaning spindles and back to the driving-pulley S, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 01st dow of October 1900
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.