AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR APPLYING METALLIC CAPSULES TO BOTTLES, FLAGONS, AND SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Georges de Sainte Marie, of Paris, Boulevard de Strasbourg,
No. 23, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
APPLYING METALLIC CAPSULES TO BOTTLES, FLAGONS, AND SIMILAR VESSELS,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Georges de Sainte Marie at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th October 1877.
GEORGES DE SAINTE MARIE, of Paris, Boulevard de Strasbourg, No. 23, Manu-
facturer. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR APPLYING METALLIC CAPSULES TO
BOTTLES, FLAGONS, AND SIMILAR VESSELS."
I
My Invention relates to apparatus for applying metallic capsules to bottles,
flagons, and similar vessels, which apparatus I construct in the following manner :-
On the frame, which may be fixed on the edge of a table by a pinching screw,
mount a disc, which can be turned partly round by a hand lever. In this disc are
three or more curved or volute shaped slots, in which work pins projecting from a
corresponding number of sliding dogs. These dogs are guided so as to move
radially and have on their inner faces pieces of caoutchouc or other suitable elastic
material secured in dovetailed recesses."
In the centre of the disc is a sliding stud having a concave head, and pressed
outwards by a spring, which may consist of caoutchouc washers.
The neck of the bottle or vessel to be operated on having its capsule placed upon
its cork or end, is inserted between the dogs and pressed up against the sliding
stud; then by moving the lever so as to turn the disc partly round, the dogs are
caused to converge towards the centre, and their elastic faces press the capsule close
to the neck, whereupon by a reverse movement of the lever the dogs are withdrawn
and the bottle or vessel is released.

page_text: 1
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Georges de Sainte Marie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
March 1878.
GEORGES DE SAINTE MARIE, of Paris, Boulevard de Strasbourg, No. 23, Manu-
facturer. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR APPLYING METALLIC CAPSULES TO
BOTTLES, FLAGONS, AND SIMILAR VESSELS."
My Invention relates to apparatus for applying metallic capsules to bottles,
flagons, and similar vessels, which apparatus I construct in the following manner :-
On a frame which may be fixed on the edge of a table by a pinching screw, I mount
a disc, which can be turned partly round by a hand lever. In this disc are three
or more curved or volute shaped slots, in which work pins projecting from a
corresponding number of sliding dogs. These dogs are guided so as to move
radially, and have on their inner faces pieces of caoutchouc or other suitable elastic
material secured in dovetailed recesses.
In the centre of the disc is a sliding stud having a concave head, and pressed out-
wards by a spring, which may consist of caoutchouc washers.
The neck of the bottle or vessel to be operated on, having its capsule placed upon
its cork or end, is inserted between the dogs and pressed up against the sliding
stud; then, by moving the lever so as to turn the disc partly round, the dogs are
caused to converge towards the centre, and their elastic faces press the capsule close
to the neck, whereupon, by a reverse movement of the lever, the dogs are withdrawn
and the bottle or vessel is released.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shows a front view, and Fig. 2 a sectional side view of one arrangement
of my before-described apparatus.
The plate S, secured to a bench or table by a screw V, has formed on its face four
guides, in which are sliding dogs c, which are caused to move radially to and from
each other by means of the disc J having curved slots r, into which fit pins a on
the dogs c, the disc J being partially rotatable on the boss of S by means of the
lever L pivotted at O and connected to J by the rod B. The inner ends of the dogs
carry pieces or dies of caoutchouc or other elastic material b secured to the dogs by
dovetails, and having, by preference, flat acting faces as shewn, for a reason to be
presently mentioned. Centrally between the dies b is a cup-shaped abutment d,
also by preference of caoutchouc. Against this the neck of the bottle, having the
capsule placed upon it, is pressed by the operator, while at the same time he moves
the lever L so as to cause the dies 6 to press the capsule firmly against the neck of
the bottle.
The die b may either be made with flat faces, as at Fig. 1, or with curved faces
as at Figs. 7 and 10, but they act most advantageously if made flat, because in this
case, on being brought in contact with the capsule and neck of the bottle, they
first touch these along a central line only, and as they are gradually advanced, the
caoutchouc, in yielding to the pressure, comes gradually farther and farther in
contact with the capsule on each side of such first line of contact, the result of
which is that the capsule of the section shewn at Fig. A is first pressed against the
neck of the bottle at four opposite points, and is then brought gradually more and
more in contact therewith, so as eventually to assume the shape shewn at Fig. B,
with four projecting folds formed by the dies between their meeting edges. On
then withdrawing the dies and turning the bottle round so as to bring the folds
under the dies, these on being again moved forward will flatten down the folds, as
shewn in section at Fig. C and side view at Fig. D.
Instead of making the dies of separate pieces, they may all be made of one and
the same piece of caoutchouc, as shewn in cross section and longitudinal section at
Figs. 8 and 9, the four pieces forming the dies being united together at their edges

page_text: by thin portions 1, l. If they are also closed at the one end, so as to form the
abutment, as shewn at Fig. 9, they might be so arranged as to effect their inward
motion by hydraulic pressure instead of by the sliding dogs.
Fig. 11, shews a cross section through the guides and sliding dogs on lines M, N,
Fig. 1; the guides and dogs might also be made of the form shewn in section
at Fig. 12.
Fig. 3 shews a modified arrangement in which the lever L is applied directly to
a socket d' on the disc J.
It will be evident that instead of four dies, any greater or less number might be
used, and that instead of being carried by sliding dogs they might be attached to
pieces working on hinges, so as to approach each other.
Fig. 4 shews a front view, and Fig. 5 shews a sectional plan of such an arrange-
ment, in which there are three dies b, one of which is fixed to the plate or framing,
while the other two are carried by jaws g, g, hinged at i, and caused to approach
or recede from each other by means of the lever L acting on the piece h, having
pins j entering slots r in g, g.
Fig. 6 shews a modification of this arrangement, in which the jaws g, g, are
extended so as to serve as handles to be operated by band, this arrangement being
suitable for fixing capsules on small bottles or phials.
Having thus described the, nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,-
First. The use for securing capsules on bottles or the like, of a series of dies
of caoutchouc or other elastic material made to approach each other, so as to
press the capsule against the bottle with an elastic or yielding pressure, substan-
tially as herein described.
Second. The use for securing capsules on bottles or the like, of apparatus
consisting of elastic dies carried by slides or their equivalents, actuated by a lever
so as to approach each other, and to press the capsule against the bottle placed
between them, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Georges de Sainte Marie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight
Witness,
CHARLES ARMENGAUD,
Civil Engineer,
Bd. de Strasbourg, No. 23,
à Paris.
G. DE STE MARIE. (L.S.)