Improvements in Machines for Syruping, Filling, and Stoppering Screwmouth Bottles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 17th Sept., 1900-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Syruping, Filling, and Stoppering
Screwmouth Bottles.
I, THOMAS NEIL CRETNEY, of 28, Western Street, Barnsley, in the County
of York, Aerated Water Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in machines for syruping, filling, and
stoppering screwmouth bottles, and comprises parts hereinafter described.
An upright frame is fixed to or supported by a suitable base, to which is
pivoted a foot lever, the latter operating an upright or vertical rod which
slides in brackets fixed to the aforesaid upright frame. On the upper end of
the rod is disposed a suitable block or stand which presses against the bottom
of the bottle and keeps it in position during the operations of unstoppering,
syruping, filling, snifting, and re-stoppering, and which can be regulated to suit
bottles of different length.
The filling head consists of a cylindrical chamber which is open at the bottom
to receive the collar or nozzle of the bottle, and is provided at the top with a
stuffing box, through which passes the spindle which operates the stopper clutch.
The clutch is fixed to the lower end of the said spindle, and comprises a number
of hinged jaws which hold a rubber cup for receiving the screw stopper. The
cup is fluted inside to prevent its being drawn out of the hinged jaws by suction
on the removal of the stoppered bottle. The lower portion of the filling head
is enlarged to receive a rubber ring for the purpose of making a pressure-tight
joint round the collar or nozzle of the bottle. This lower portion is provided
with a double square female thread, into which a collar having a male thread is
screwed, said collar being provided with a handle on its outer side, with which
to be operated. The rubber ring is disposed on the top of the collar, and when
the handle is drawn forward, sufficient pressure is exerted on the rubber ring
to squeeze it on the nozzle of the bottle and thus effect the aforesaid pressure-
ught joint. In filling bottles, the nozzles of which have perpendicular sides,
some mode of compression round the nozzle is necessary, as the screw stopper
being in the empty bottle when placed in the machine, a joint cannot be made
on the top of the nozzle. It is also necessary that the nozzle of the bottle
should only be allowed to travel a given distance into the filling head, and I effect
this bv placing an adjustable collar on the upright rod supporting the block or
stand, which collar comes in contact with the under side of one of the brackets
in which the rod slides, at a given point, and arrests its further travel.
To one side of the filling head is fixed a valve box having valves and con-
nections for the liquor inlet and for the escape of air respectively. Both valves
are operated by a single lever which is pivoted centrally between the two valves.
Upon the liquor valve being opened, the liquid passes through a shank which
connects the valve box to the filling head. The air is taken away from the
bottle, on the depression of the snift valve, by a small tube which is connected
between the filling head and the valve box.
The spindle operating the stopper clutch has a screwed thread at its upper
end, with a pitch the same as that on a screw stopper. The threaded spindle

page_text: works in a screwed bracket which is fixed to the upright frame. The lower
portion of the spindle passes through a forked bracket, and through a bevel
pinion which is disposed within the bracket, the pinion being feathered to
the spindle. The pinion is actuated by a bevel wheel which is fixed on a shaft
at right angles with the spindle, said shaft having a bell crank lever at its outer
end which has a reciprocal motion. The travel of the spindle is regulated by
adjustable lock nuts which are placed on the upper end of same, and which
come in contact with the top side of the screwed bracket at any desired point.
The syrup pump is fixed to the side of the filling head, diametrically opposite
the filling and snift valves, it is supported by a bracket fixed to the side of the
frame, and is provided with suction and delivery valves of the ordinary type.
The special feature of the syruping apparatus lies in the mechanism for effecting
the delivery of the syrup into the bottle by the same motion which unscrews
the stopper from the bottle before filling, and also the suction of the syrup by
the motion which replaces the stopper in the bottle after it has been filled. I
effect this by placing on the aforesaid shaft immediately over the centre of the
syrup pump a cam having a slot near a portion of its perimeter, in which is
an antifriction roller which works on a pin, the latter being fixed in a fork at
the upper end of the pump rod, said fork working in a guiding bracket fixed to
the frame. The pump rod or plunger is divided into two parts: the bottom part
is fitted with suitable leathers at its lower end, and its upper end is provided
with a male thread on which is screwed a sleeve. A lock nut is placed below
said sleeve to keep it in any given position. The lower portion of the top part
of the pump rod works in this sleeve, and has a collar which comes in contact
with a shoulder at the top of the sleeve to effect the upward stroke of the plunger,
and the downward stroke of the latter is effected by the top part of the pump
rod coming in contact with the bottom part when actuated by the cam aforesaid.
The cam being on the same shaft as the bevel wheel, is actuated simultaneously
with it by the bell crank lever. The slot in the cam is so arranged that the
pump rod is not moved during the first portion of the cam's travel, hence the
syrup is not injected into the bottle until after the stopper has been removed
from the bottle mouth. The cam causes the top part of the pump rod to make
a regular given stroke, but varying quantities of syrup may be injected by raising
or lowering the aforesaid sleeve on the male thread. When the sleeve is in its
uppermost position, the top part of the pump rod works free within the sleeve
without moving the plunger, and when the sleeve is at its lowermost position
the maximum quantity of syrup is received and delivered by the pump during
the reciprocating motion of the cam. When the sleeve is in intermediate posi.
tions the quantity of syrup received and delivered by the pump varies accordingly.
In a modification of the machine, for filling bottles the nozzles of which are
somewhat coned, or of greater diameter at the bottom than the top, I employ
a filling head having a rubber ring coned inside to an angle similar to that on
the nozzle of the bottle, and the pressure-tight joint is made by forcing the
nozzle of the bottle against the coned rubber. In this case it is permissable to
use a spring bottleholder to keep the bottle in position during the various opera-
tions, therefore I fix to the front of the upright frame at a convenient height,
a bracket which supports and forms part of the bottleholder, consisting of
spring-box with a shoulder at the bottom on which rests a spring, through the
latter of which passes a spindle having a shoulder which comes on the top of
the spring.
The lower end of the spindle passes through the spring-box, and is
secured underneath the latter by a screwed knuckle. The upper end of the
spindle is provided with a wood block or stand which presses against the bottom
of the bottle. To the aforesaid knuckle I attach a rod, the lower end of which
is forked and secured to the foot lever. The latter is pivoted to the upright
frame, and works in a guide at the front of the base.
Dated this 18th day of December 1800

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Syruping, Filling, and Stoppering
Screwmouth Bottles.
I, THOMAS NEIL CRETNEY, of 28, Western Street, Barnsley, in the County
of York, Aerated Water Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
My invention relates to improvements in machines for syruping, filling, and
stoppering screw-mouth bottles, and comprises parts hereinafter described.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood, I will describe
same with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed according to my invention.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left side of machine.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the right side of machine and shows a modification of
the filling head and the arrangement for holding the bottle.
The drawings on Sheet 2 show the syruping apparatus on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 4 is a front sectional elevation of syruping apparatus showing the position
of the sleeve 38 on the male thread 37 of pump rod 35 when the plunger is
required to give the full stroke.
Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of Fig. 4 on line A, B.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of part of Fig. 4, and shows the position of the
sleeve 38 on the male thread 37 of pump rod 35 when the plunger is not required
to work.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of syruping apparatus.
Fig. 8 is a sectional plan of Fig. 7 through the line C, D, and
Fig. 9 is a front sectional elevation of the cam 29 showing the roller 31 in
the fork at the top part 33 of the pump rod.
An upright frame 1 is fixed to or supported by a suitable base 2, to which is
pivoted a foot lever 3, the latter operating an upright or vertical rod 4 which
slides in brackets 5 fixed to the aforesaid upright frame. On the upper end of
the rod is disposed a suitable block or stand 6 which presses against the bottom
of the bottle and keeps it in position during the operations of unstoppering,
syruping, filling, snifting and re-stoppering, and which can be regulated to suit
bottles of different length.
The filling head 7 consists of a cylindrical chamber which is open at the bottom
to receive the collar or nozzle of the bottle, and is provided at the top with a
stuffing box 8, through which passes the spindle 9 to which is connected the
stopper clutch. The clutch is fixed to the lower end of the said spindle and
comprises a number of hinged jaws which hold a rubber cup for receiving the
screw stopper. The cup is fluted inside to prevent its being drawn out of the
hinged jaws by suction on the removal of the stoppered bottle. The lower
portion of the filling head is enlarged to receive a rubber ring for the purpose
of making a pressure-tight joint round the collar or nozzle of the bottle. This
lower portion is provided with a double square female thread, into which a
collar 10 having a corresponding male thread is screwed, said collar being provided
with a handle 11 on its outer side, with which to be operated. The rubber ring
is disposed on the top of the collar, and when the handle 11 is drawn forward,
sufficient pressure is exerted on the rubber ring to squeeze it on the nozzle of
the bottle and thus effect the aforesaid pressure-tight joint. In filling bottles,
the nozzles of which have perpendicular sides, some mode of compression round
the nozzle is necessary, as the screw stopper being in the empty bottle when

page_text: placed in the machine, a joint cannot be made on the top of the nozzle. It is
also necessary that the nozzle of the bottle should only be allowed to travel a
given distance into the filling head, and I effect this by placing an adjustable
collar 12 on the upright rod 4, which collar comes in contact with one of
the brackets 5 at a given point, and arrests its further travel.
To one side of the filling head 7 is fixed a valve box 13 having valves and con-
nections for the liquor inlet and for the escape of air respectively. Both valves
are operated by a single lever 14 which is pivoted centrally between the two
valves. Upon the liquor valve being opened the liquor passes through a shank 15
which connects the valve box to the filling head. The air is taken away from
the bottle, on the depression of the snift valve, by a small tube 16 which is
connected between the filling head and the valve box.
The spindle 17 operating the stopper clutch, has a screwed thread at its
upper end, with a pitch the same as that on a screw stopper. The threaded
spindle works in a screwed bracket 18 which is fixed to the upright frame 1.
The lower portion of the spindle passes through a forked bracket 19, and through
a bevel pinion 20 which is disposed within the bracket, the pinion being
feathered to the spindle. The pinion is actuated by a bevel wheel 21 which is
fixed on a shaft 22 placed at right angles with the spindle, said shaft having
a bell crank lever 23 at its outer end, which has a reciprocal motion. The
travel of the spindle is regulated by adjustable lock nuts 24 which are placed
on the upper end of same, and which come in contact with the top side of the
bracket 18 at any desired point.
The syrup pump 25 is fixed to the side of the filling head 7, diametrically
opposite the valve box 13. It is supported by a bracket 26, fixed to the side
of the frame 1, and is provided with suction valve 27 and delivery valve 28. The
special feature of the syruping apparatus lies in the mechanism for effect.ing
the delivery of the syrup into the bottle by the same motion which unscrews
the stopper from the bottle before filling, and also the suction of
the syrup by the motion which replaces the stopper in the bottle after it has been
filled. I effect this by placing on the aforesaid shaft 22 immediately over
the centre of the syrup pump 25, a cam 29 having a slot 30 near a portion of its
perimeter, in which is an anti-friction roller 31 which works on a pin 32, the
latter being fixed in a fork at the upper end of the pump rod 33, said fork
working in a guiding bracket 34 fixed to the frame 1. The rod of the pump
plunger is divided into two parts: the bottom part 35 is fitted with suitable
leathers 36 at its lower end, and its upper end is provided with a male thread 37,
on which is screwed a sleeve 38. A lock nut 39 is placed below said sleeve
to keep it in any given position. The lower portion of the top part 33 of the
pump rod works in this sleeve, and has a collar 40 which comes in contact with
a shoulder at the top of the sleeve to effect the upward stroke of the plunger,
and the downward stroke of the latter is effected by the top part 33 of the
pump rod coming in contact with the bottom part 35 when actuated by the
cam 29. The cam 29 being on the same shaft as the bevel wheel 21, is actuated
simultaneously with it by the bell crank lever 23. The slot 30 in the cam 29
is so arranged that the pump rod is not moved during the first portion of the
cam's travel, hence the syrup is not injected into the bottle until after the
stopper has been removed from the bottle mouth. The cam 29 causes the top
part 333 of the pump rod to make a regular given stroke, but varying quantities
of syrup may be injected by raising or lowering the sleeve 38 on the male
thread 37. When the sleeve is in its uppermost position, the top part 33 of the
pump rod works free within the sleeve without moving the plunger, and when
the sleeve is at its lowermost position the maximum quantity of syrup is received
and delivered by the pump 25 during the reciprocating motion of the cam 29.
When the sleeve is in intermediate positions the quantity of syrup received and
delivered by the pump varies accordingly.
In a modification of the machine, for filling bottles the nozzles of which are

page_text: somewhat coned, or of greater diameter at the bottom than the top, I employ a
filling head 41 having a rubber ring coned inside to an angle similar to that
on the nozzle of the bottle, and the pressure-tight joint is made by forcing
the nozzle of the bottle against the coned rubber. In this case it is permissable
to use a spring bottleholder to keep the bottle in position during the various
operations, therefore I fix to the front of the upright frame at a convenient
height, a bracket 42 which supports and forms part of the bottleholder, con-
sisting of springbox 43 with a shoulder at the bottom on which rests a spring,
through the latter of which passes a spindle 44 having a shoulder which comes
on the top of the spring. The lower end of the spindle passes through the
spring box, and is secured underneath the latter by a screwed knuckle 45. The
upper end of the spindle is provided with a wood block or stand 6 which presses
against the bottom of the bottle. To the knuckle 45 I attach a rod 46, the
lower end of which is forked and secured to the foot lever. The latter is pivoted
to the upright frame, and works in a guide 47 at the foot of the base.
The action of the machine is as follows:-It is first necessary to adjust the
machine to the length of bottle to be filled. The bell crank lever 23 is turned
round to its uppermost position, after which a stoppered empty bottle is placed
on the bottle stand 6, and the foot lever 3 is depressed, the latter motion having
the effect of forcing the stopper into the stopper clutch within the filling head 7.
While the bottle stand 6 and foot lever 3 are in this position, the collar 12 on
the rod 4 is brought close up to the underside of the bracket 5 above it, and
fastened in that position. This collar prevents the bottle moving upwards after
the stopper has been removed, and its position need not be changed until it is
desired to fill a different length of bottle. After a pipe has been connected
between the aerated water cylinder and the water union on the valve box 13, and
a further pipe between the syrup vessel and the union on valve box of syrup
pump, the machine is ready for work. A stoppered empty bottle is placed on
the bottle stand 6 and the foot lever 3 is depressed to force the stopper into the
stopper clutch within the filling head. The handle 11 is drawn forward to com-
press the rubber ring on to the nozzle of the bottle and effect a pressure-tight
joint. The bell crank lever 23 is drawn down to its lowermost position, which
motion removes the stopper from the bottle and injects the syrup. The collar 12
on the rod 4 prevents the bottle rising after the stopper has been removed. The
lever 4 is drawn forward to open the liquor valve, and the liquor passes through
the shank 15 and the filling head 7 into the bottle. On pressing the lever 14
backward, the snift valve is opened and the air is taken away from the bottle
by the small tube 16. The lever 14 is again drawn forward to open the liquor
valve and allow the bottle to fill up, after which the bell crank lever is returned
to its uppermost position, which motion replaces the stopper in the bottle and
causes the pump 25 to receive a fresh dose of syrup for the next bottle. Before
removing the filled bottle, the lever 14 is pressed backward to open the snift valve
in order to relieve the pressure from the chamber within the filling head 7.
In filling bottles with coned nozzles by the machine shown at Figure 3, the
screwed collar 10, handle 11, and adjustable collar 12 are dispensed with, and
the bottle makes a pressure-tight joint against a coned rubber within the lower
part of the filling head 41, as herein before described.
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. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of parts constitut-
ing an improved machine for syruping, filling, and stoppering screw-mouth
bottles, substantially as described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
2. In machines of the class herein described, the means employed in effecting
the delivery of the syrup into the bottle by the same motion which unscrews the
stopper from the bottle before filling, and also effecting the suction of the syrup

page_text: by the reciprocal motion which replaces the stopper in the bottle after it has
been filled, such parts operating in combination as described and substantially
as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. In machines of the class herein described, the means employed in syruping
bottles, consisting of the parts 25 to 40 inclusive, operated and operating in com-
bination substantially as described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of September 1900.
THOS. N. CRETNEY.