Improvements in Machinery for Washing or Cleaning Bottles.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Washing or Cleaning Bottles.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Hippolyte Portevin of Rue de la Belle
Image Reims in the Republic of France Engineer) 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 automatic machinery for washing or cleaning bottles
externally and internally as hereinafter explained. The internal washing is per-
formed by means of water injected into the bottle under considerable pressure
(about 60 atmospheres) whilst the bottle receives a reciprocating vertical or
longitudinal movement combined with a rotary motion.
By means of this machine the interiors of the bottles are cleaned by the action
of water alone without the employment of brushes the said water being supplied
under pressure and injected into the bottles by an automatic arrangement whilst
the bottles are simultaneously rotated and moved in the direction of their axes.
The external washing is performed mechanically by the aid of brushes or rubbers.
either with the water resulting from the internal washing or in a special water
trough the washing water being heated if required to a suitable temperature to
facilitate the removal of the labels adhering to the bottles. The bottles are first
placed in a trough at the lower part of the machine in order to undergo external
washing being afterwards transferred to the upper part in order to be washed
internally.
The time allowed for the washing is regulated according to the condition of the
bottles.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same numerals of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal elevation a
combination of machinery constructed in accordance with this invention and consisting
of two machines worked by the same driving gear. The arrangement illustrated is
one which is found to give good results in practice but the invention is evidently
not limited to this particular combination.
Figure 2 represents the machine in transverse section.
Figure 3 represents the machine in end elevation partly in section.
Figure 4 drawn to a larger scale illustrates in longitudinal section the construction
of the valves employed to control the supply of water under pressure as hereinafter
described and
Figure 5 represents the automatic valve in section on the line A. B. Figure 4.
Figure 6 illustrates in transverse section the arrangements for holding the bottles
and rotating them during the internal washing.
Figure 7 is an elevation partly in section illustrating the mechanism for working
the valves.
Figure 8 represents in longitudinal section the rings for holding and rotating the
bottles.
Figure 9 represents one of these rings in plan and partly in horizontal section.
Figure 10 illustrates in end elevation and partly in vertical section the mechanism
for driving the cam actuating the valves and Figure 11 represents this mechanism in
side elevation.
Figure 12 illustrates the mechanism for washing the outside of the bottles.

page_text: The machine comprises a moveable frame or holder 4 for the reception of the
bottles during the internal washing provided with all necessary parts for holding
or supporting the bottles and imparting to them a rotary movement as well as a
reciprocating movement in a vertical direction for the purpose of cleaning them
internally by means of jets of water. Pipes 14 provided with branches or nozzles
passing into the bottles are employed for injecting the water which is auto-
matically distributed by a valve 15 opened and closed automatically by means of a
cam 19. The bottles are placed in the first instance in a sheet metal trough 33
filled with water and by means of a series of pulleys the bottles are caused to
rotate upon their own axes so as to rub against brushes or rubbers (25) by which
they are cleaned externally. The movements of the several parts of the machine
are transmitted from one driving mechanism and two machines may be advan-
tageously combined together so as to receive motion from one driving mechanism
as represented in Figure 1. Motion is transmitted to the machines by a chain
driving a chain pulley fixed on a shaft 7 (Figures 1 and 3) provided with a worm 1.
This worm transmits motion to a worm wheel 26 on a shaft 2 provided with crank
discs 3. A crank pin on each of these discs transmits a vertically reciprocating
motion through connecting rods 5 to the frames 4 the said motion being regulated
according to the height of the bottles to be washed. The frames or bottle carriers 4
slide vertically in guides formed in the main side frames 6.
The rotary movement of the bottles during the internal washing is derived from
the shaft 7 of the worm 1 by means of a chain pulley driving a corresponding pulley
on a transverse shaft 8 in each machine. This shaft transmits motion through two
bevelled wheels to a vertical shaft 9 provided with a longitudinal groove or keyway
in which slides a key in the boss of a pinion 10 which transmits the rotary motion
to the bottles. This pinion gears with a toothed wheel 11 (Figure 8) fixed upon a
shaft 12 which drives a series of toothed rings 13 (Figures 6 and 8) in which the
bottles are secured or supported by pads or segments lined with rubber (Figure 9).
These segments are pressed against the bottles by blade springs as represented
in Figure 9. Injecting tubes or nozzles 27 (Figure 1) of aluminium or other
suitable metal supplied with water under a pressure of about 60 atmospheres from
a main pipe 14 are introduced into each bottle. The extremity of each nozzle is
perforated with two orifices one of which is so arranged as to deliver the water in
the direction of the axis of the nozzle whilst the other orifice delivers the water at
an angle of about 90 degrees with the jet from the first nozzle.
The two movements simultaneously imparted to the bottle cause all the parts of
the internal surface of its sides to be successively presented to the lateral or
horizontal jet whilst the axial or vertical jet plays continually upon the bottom of
the inverted bottle.
The supply of water under pressure is automatically controlled by a valve 15
(Figure 4) which the pressure of the water tends to close. . This valve 15 carries a
small auxiliary valve 21 controlling a passage formed in the valve 15 for the
purpose of allowing the water under pressure to pass to the back of the latter. The
small valve 21 is normally closed by a spring 21' and is opened by a rod 16
passing through a stuffing box and provided with a fork or stirrup piece 18 (Figure 7)
engaging with a three armed lever 17. One arm of this lever is attached to a
spring 17 of sufficient strength to overcome the frictional resistance of the stuffing.
box and maintain the vertical arm of the lever in contact with a cam 19. Rotary
motion is imparted to this cam from the shaft 2 by means of a suitable combination
of chain pulleys and chains as indicated in Figures 10 and 11 for example.
When the cam surface 191 (having the shorter radius) is in contact with the
lever 17 the valves are closed but when the offset or part of the cam having the
longer radius comes in contact with the lever the latter is moved so as to force
downwards the rod 16 and cause it to open the small or auxiliary valve 21: The
water then passes to the back of the valve 15 and establishes an equilibrium of
pressure so that the weight of the said valve causes it to fall from its seat and open
the passage for the water to the bottles. The cam 19 continuing to rotate the

page_text: projecting part passes away from the lever 17 which in returning to its original
position under the influence of the spring 17' draws up the rod 16. The stem of the
auxiliary valve 21 being thus relieved from the pressure of the rod 16 this valve is
closed by the action of the spring 21' and the valve 15 also closes and is pressed to
its seat by the action of the water.
The time allowed for washing out the bottles may correspond with one upward
The
and downward movement produced by one revolution of the crank shaft 2.
relative speeds of the cam 19 and crank shaft 2 may be regulated as required
by the employment of intermediate pulleys as represented in Figures 10 and 11 for
example. Stop valves 30 are provided on each side of the valve 15 in order to
enable the supply of water to be cut off without stopping the machine.
In order to wash the outside of the bottles they are held at an angle to the
vertical axis of the machine between a spring pad or support 24 (Figure 12) and a
cap 23 lined with rubber by which rotary motion is imparted to the bottles. The
caps 23 are attached to short spindles driven by pulleys 31 and working in bearings
in a support 22 attached to the upright frames or standards 6 of the machine
(Figure 1).
Brushes or rubbers 25 of a shape corresponding to the profile of the bottle are
attached to a frame placed in a sheet metal trough 33 containing sufficient water
to cover or nearly cover the bottles. This water may be the same water which
has been previously used for cleaning the interior of the bottles. Rotary motion
is imparted to the pulleys 31 by a cord actuated by means of a chain pulley and
bevel gear 26.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1st. Machinery for washing or cleaning bottles internally and externally in
which the bottles are cleaned internally by the action of water alone the said water
being injected under pressure and at regular intervals into the bottles which are
automatically reciprocated in the direction of their axes and at the same time are
caused to rotate upon their axes so as to expose every part of the inner surfaces
of the bottles to the action of the jet of water substantially as herein before
described.
2nd. The arrangement and construction of the improved machine for washing
or cleaning bottles substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Indahan 1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.