Improvements in or relating to "Washering" Stoppers and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to "Washering" Stoppers and the like.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY, of The Indiarubber, Gutta-percha and
Telegraph Works Company Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex,
Indiarubber Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This invention relates to the placing of expansible washers and the like usually
rubber, upon stoppers and other devices, but particularly the screw stoppers now
commonly employed for stoppering bottles.
In carrying out the invention I employ a convenient number, say six spring
fingers which may be either springs in themselves or may be pivotted and spring
controlled. A convenient way is to pivot the fingers upon a collar of the chief
framing of the machine and draw them all together at their points by an india-
rubber ring or other spring device. Near the ends the fingers may be provided
with suitable projections or recesses but preferably projections so as to stop the
washer when placed upon them at its proper distance along the fingers.
Inside the fingers which as above described form a cone with their points at the
apex is a rod carrying a recessed plunger head flanged and radially cut so as to
provide recesses in which the fingers play as the plunger reciprocates alternately
separating the fingers and allowing them to close again. When in its extreme
position the plunger head extends beyond the ends of the fingers.
To operate the plunger I may provide it with a plain cross head resting upon a
suitable cam carried upon an axle which may be driven by power or otherwise,
preferably by power. The cam is so arranged that for a portion of its travel it
has no effect upon the plunger, then it quickly raises it to a point at which the
flange or end of the plunger head comes about level with the stops upon the
finger ends. At this point while the cam continues to travel, the plunger remains
stationary and then is quickly moved to its extreme outward position and then
immediately returns to its extreme inward position, the cam travelling all the
time. I prefer that the plunger should reciprocate in a vertical plane but I wish
it understood that it may lie in a horizontal or other plane if des red.
The operation is as follows;-
The plunger being at the inward end of its stroke conveniently its lowest
position, the washer or equivalent is placed upon the ends of the fingers which
now lie close together at the apex of the cone; the cam in its movement now
raises the plunger to its first position where it remains at or near the stops on the
fingers which are now so far separated that the washer is stretched and opened to
a size sufficient to easily pass over the portion of the plunger to which it is to be
applied. While in this position and during the rest afforded by the shape of the
cam the stopper is inserted between the fingers and inside the washer, the stop or
dwell of the plunger giving time for this. The cam continui its course now
raises the plunger head forcing the ring off the fingers and against the head of the
stopper which is in turn forced out of the fingers by the washer and as the
plunger is forced outwards the washer is pushed entirely off the ns of the fingers
and on to the neck of the plunger which is also moved clear of the fingers and

page_text: can be removed by the attendant, the parts resuming their first position as the
cam continues its course.
Dated this 5th day of February 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
66
Improvements in or relating to 'Washering" Stoppers and the like.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY, of The Indiarubber, Gutta-percha and
Telegraph Works Company Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex,
Indiarubber Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 the placing of expansible washers and the like usually
rubber, upon stoppers and other devices, but particularly the screw stoppers now
commonly employed for stoppering bottles.
In carrying out the invention I employ a convenient number, say six spring
fingers which may be either springs in themselves or may be pivotted and spring
controlled. A convenient way is to pivot the fingers upon a collar of the chief
framing of the machine and draw them all together at their points by an
indiarubber ring or other spring device. Near the ends the fingers may be
provided with suitable projections or recesses but preferably projections so as to
stop the washer when placed upon them at its proper distance along the fingers.
Inside the fingers which as above described form a cone with their points at the
apex is a rod carrying a recessed plunger head flanged and radially cut so as to
provide recesses in which the fingers play as the plunger reciprocates alternately
separating the fingers and allowing them to close again. When in its extreme
position the plunger head extends beyond the ends of the fingers.
To operate the plunger I may provide it with a plain cross head resting upon a
suitable cam carried upon an axle which may be driven by power or otherwise,
preferably by power. The cam is so arranged that for a portion of its travel it
has no effect upon the plunger, then it quickly raises it to a point at which the
flange or end of the plunger head comes about level with the stops upon the finger
ends. At this point while the cam continues to travel, the plunger remains
stationary and then is quickly moved to its extreme outward position and then
immediately returns to its extreme inward position, the cam travelling all the
time. I prefer that the plunger should reciprocate in a vertical plane but I
wish it understood that it may lie in a horizontal or other plane if desired.
The operation is as follows:-
The plunger being at the inward end of its stroke conveniently its lowest
position, the washer or equivalent is placed upon the ends of the fingers which
now lie close together at the apex of the cone; the cam in its movement now
raises the plunger to its first position where it remains at or near the stops on the
fingers which are now so far separated that the washer is stretched and opened to
a size sufficient to easily pass over the portion of the stopper to which it is to be
applied. While in this position and during the rest afforded by the shape of the
cam the stopper is inserted between the fingers and inside the washer, the stop or
dwell of the plunger giving time for this. The cam continuing its course now
raises the plunger head forcing the ring off the fingers and against the head of
the stopper which is in turn forced out of the fingers by the washer and as the
plunger is forced outwards the washer is pushed entirely off the ends of the
fingers and on to the neck of the stopper which is also moved clear of the fingers

page_text: ՄԵ
པས v, ཅེསཅ archant, but pates resumug BUGIL BLS position as one
cam continues its course.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete apparatus approximately full size
and
Figure 2 is a similar view of the same apparatus partly in section and showing it
in side elevation.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the apparatus above the
support B.
Figure 4 is a view of the upper portion of Figure 3 with the ring distended
ready to receive the stopper shown in Figure 5.
Figure 6 is a view of the plunger with the stopper and ring after the latter has
been applied.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A represents the frame-work of the machine preferably of metal and B a wooden
or other,standard or support to which the frame-work is secured in any convenient
manner. Care the fingers pivotted at C' to the framework A and by the indiarubber
ring D (carried in recesses C in the fingers C) caused to close up their free ends
into the position shown in Figure 3.
E is the reciprocating spindle or plunger having at its lower end a plain cross
head E with which engages the cam F carried upon the spindle F¹ in the
direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, and rotated in any convenient
manner say by means of the curved pulley G also secured upon the shaft F'.
The shaft is carried in any convenient bearing in the framing A¹. As shown in
the section Figure 2 the lower portion A' of the framing is separated from the
upper portion A and screwed to it at A', this being a convenient way of securing
the mechanism to the support B-however, I may adopt any other convenient and
suitable arrangement for securing the mechanism.
The plunger E carries a plunger head H at the upper end of which is a
flange H¹ divided by the radial grooves H2 Figures 3 and 4; this plunger head
forms part of or is secured to the plunger E in any convenient manner as for
example by the screw E Figure 2, and reciprocates as the cam rotates, its lowest
position being shown in Figure 3 and its highest position being indicated by the
dotted cam in Figure 1 and also in Figure 6 where the flange H' at the end of the
head is shown projected beyond the ends of the spring fingers.
Near their outer ends each of the spring fingers, of which there may
conveniently be six, is provided with a spur or projection C² for the reception of
the rubber ring or washer I as indicated in Figure 3 where the plunger head is
in its lowest position and the spring fingers close together, their outer ends C³
forming approximately a tube as shown in Figure 3. The plunger head H¹ is
preferably of larger diameter than the circle indicated by the spring fingers
when opened out to their fullest extent as shown in Figure 4 so that the flange
can easily push the ring I off the finger ends C³ and on to the stopper which when
the fingers are opened to their extreme limit is placed between then and inside the
ring.
In operation the machine is started with the cross head E' in its lowest position
as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1 and the ring I is placed upon the ends C³ of
the fingers C. Then, as the cam revolves in the direction of the arrow in
Figure 1 the cross head E' is raised to the position indicated in Figure 1 thus
forcing up the plunger head H and opening out the fingers C to the position
shown in Figures 1 and 4, and stretching the ring as shown in the latter figure;
the stopper J Figure 5 is now inserted inside the opened ends of the fingers and
consequently inside the ring I, time for this being allowed by the curved and flat
portions of the cam F from F to F3 Figure 1. As the cam further revolves the
point F3 of the cam rapidly lifts the cross head E' and plunger head H to their
highest limits the flange H¹ during this movement_pushing the ring I off the
finger ends C³ and on to the neck of the stopper J which as the flange in its
travel rises quite clear of the finger ends C2 is in its turn pushed upwards by the

page_text: ring I which as soon as it is clear of the finger ends C³ closes upon the neck of
the stopper and remains firmly in position ready for use. The plunger head H
and flange H as the cam further rotates rapidly withdraw to the first position
ready for another operation this movement taking place as the cam rotates and
the portion from F³ to F is presented to the cross head E'. The portion of the
cam from F to F' being a portion of the arc of a circle concentric with the
spindle F¹ causes a dwell of the cross head E' and consequently no movement of
the fingers C during which time another ring I may be placed in position ready
for the next operation which is carried out in a manner similar to that above
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for washering stoppers and the like the combination with a
series of spring fingers such as C of a reciprocating plunger head such as H H³
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for washering stoppers and the like the combination with a
series of spring fingers such as a reciprocating plunger head such as H
plunger E and cross head E¹ of a cam such as F F2 F3 F4 F' substantially as and
for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus for washering stoppers and the like a series of spring fingers
such as C C C C³ substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. In apparatus for washering stoppers and the like the combination with a
series of spring fingers such as C C C C C of an elastic ring D substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete stopper
washering machine substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1901
C. H. GRAY.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.