US447508A - ferguson - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. FERGUSON.

MACHINE FOR BOTTLING AERATED WATER.

No. 447,508. Patented Mar. 3, 1891. g

I i 4 p M Z I ma Ncnms PETERS co., mam-mum, WASHINGTON, n. c.

2 Sheets$heet 2.

(No Model.)

T. FERGUSON. MACHINE FOR BOTTLING AERATBD WATER.

Patented Mar. 3, 189-1. T

7 IIIIIIIIIIA ing is a specification.

ATENT Prion.

THOMAS FERGUSON, OF ALRERT PAR K, NEAR MELBOURNE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EVAN ROWLANDS, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA.

MACHINE FOR BOTTLI Ne AERATED WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,508, dated March 3, 1891.

Application filed January l l, 1886. $erial No. 188,565. (No model.) Patented in Victoria June 29, 1885, 110.4,112; in Tasmania December 8, 1886, No. 380; in South Australia December 5, 18

85, No. 628; in New Zealand December 10, 1885, No.1,650; in

England January 12, 1886, No. 513; in Cape of Good Hope January 18, 1886,1T0. 885, in France January 20,1886, 110,178,658; in Belgium January 30, 1886, No. 71,713; in New South Wales February 1, 1886,- in India March 13, 1886 in Canada Pebruary 16, 1887, No. 26,019; in Queensland November 5, 1887,

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS FERGUSON, bottler, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Harold Street, Albert Park, near Melbourne, in the British Colony of Victoria, have invented an Improved Machine for Bottling Aerated Liquids, (for which patents have been granted abroad as follows, to wit: in Great Britain, dated January 12, 1886, No. 513; in Canada, dated February 16, 1887, No. 26,019; in France, dated January 20, 1886, No. 173,658; in Belgium, dated January 30, 1886, No. 71,713 5 in Germany, dated November 30, 1887, No. 41,611; in Queensland, dated November 5, 1887, No. 304; in Tasmania, dated December 3, 1885, No. 380; in India Gazette, dated March 13, 1886; in Victoria, dated June 29, 1885, No. 1,112; in South Australia, dated December 5, 1885, No. 628; in New Zealand, dated December 10, 1885, No. 1,650; in Oape'of Good Hope, dated January 18, 1886, No. 335, and in New South Wales, dated February 1, 1886,) of which the follow- This invention consistsof an improved machine for bottling aerated liquids, such as aerated waters and aerated wines; but its principal use is in the bottling of aerated waters. Its main object is to regulate the quantity or liquid admitted into each bottle and to insure as far as possible that the pressure in each shall be the same. It also seeks to accomplish its object without the aid of skilled labor. At the present time it requires an experienced hand to fill bottles to an approximately even and regular degree, and more especially to fill them to approximately the same pressure.- An unskilled hand is very irregular in his filling, very uncertain and uneven in his pressure, wastes gas, bursts bottles, and perhaps injures himself or his fellow workmen; but by my machine he cannot fill them too full or at an irregular pressure, and the danger of losing gas or causing accidents is reduced to a minimum.

The essential feature of my invention is the arranging of the bottles while filling at such 110.304., and in Germany November 30, 1887, No. 41,611.

an angle or incline that when they have received a sufficient quantity the surplus will simply overflow or blow out through a pets sage provided for the purpose.

A secondary feature of my invention is the so constructing, combining, and arranging the parts that by the simple turning of a handle'the whole working of the machine can be effected, save and-except the placing of the bottle and the cork in their respective positions-that is to say, that after the bottle and cork have been placed in the machine the partial rotation of the handle brings the bot- 6o tie up to the filling position. The further par- ,tial rotation pumps the sirup and admits the aerated water into the bottle, and at the same time forces the cork into its first position. Then when the overflow indicates the fulness of the bottle, the further partial rotation of the handle forces the cork into the bottle and allows of the needful sniff, as it is technically called, either through the overflow-passage or through it and another additional passage, as maybe preferred, while a fourth motion, which completes the rotation of the handle, releases the bottle and drops it into a suitable receiver, leaving the machine ready to receive a fresh bottle and cork.

Referring to my drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of my improved machine as used for bottling aerated waters, (but without the cork-feeding device shown in Figs. 11 and 12,) and Fig. 2 a plan of same, the guard 8c which partially surrounds the bottle being broken away in each case. Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section showing the level to which the bottle is filled before it overflows. Figs. 3 and 1 show on a larger scale a part sectional plan and an end sectional elevation of the bottle-charging cone which I prefer to use and which is shown on a smaller scale in Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 5, 6,and 7 show, respectively, plan, longitudinal section,and end sectional elevation of another and alternative form of bottle-charging cone which may be used instead of that shown in Figs. 3 and 1. Fig. 8 shows a side view, on a larger scale, of

the cam for actuating thebottle-holding mechanism. Fig. 9 is a side view, also on a larger scale, of the. cam for actuating the lever of the sirup-pump. Fig. 10 is a side View of an 5 alternative method of arranging the siruppump. Fig. 11 is a side view, and Fig. 12 a front view, of my cork-feeding device, showinghow it maybe attached to the bottle-charging cone.

I0 A is the bottle held in position for being filled between the charging-cone B and the recessed shoe or buffer C. The charging-cone 13 has abell-mouthed front B screwed into its socket,which has also within it an india-rubber 15 washer B against which the head of the bottle is pressed. The back of the charging-cone is furnished with a cork-trough B having a hole through its end for the passage of the ram D, which forces the cork forward at the proper time.

13 is the sirup-supply passage leading to the cone, and B is a check-valve.

B is the aeiated-watcr-supply passage leading to the cone, and B is a check-valve therein, which is kept closed by its spring until it is forced open by a button or stud E, projecting from the ratchet-disk In the charging-cone illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the pipe leading to the passage 0 is furnished with a check-valve similar to that shown in Fig. 3, so as to regulate the supply to said passage, although said check-valve is not shown in said figures.

B is a snifting or air-relief passage pro- 3 5 vided with a regulating thumb-valve B and B is the vent or overflow-passage, also furnished with a similar regulating-valve B.

B is the foot-bracket formed on the charging-cone to enable it to be secured to the bracket F of the machine.

The bufier or shoe 0 consists of a metal socket having within it the recessed piece of wood G, against which the end of the bottle rests. This socket is secured to the screwed stem 0 which is supported in one end of the cross-head C working in the guide-bracket C". The opposite end of this cross-head has secured to it the rod 0 which is supported at its other end in the guide-bracket C. This rod is forked to receive a friction-rollei OZ against which the cam C keyed upon the spindle G, works. C is another friction-roller, also centered upon said cross-head, and the end of the weighted lever G which is centered upon the vertical standard H, abuts against it, as shown in Fig. 1.

A is a wire guard of the form shown, secured to the strap A which is secured, as shown, to the frame of the machine.

A is a guideprong secured to the guard so as to guide the bottle to its position in the shoe or butter.

The ram D works in the guide-bracket D, and its end is secured in the sliding block D which works in the slide-bracket D This sliding block is connected by the rod D with the crank-pin D, affixed to the before-mentioned ratchet-disk E,which is secured on the inner end of the spindle G. This spindle is supported in the bearings F F, and is provided at its outer end with the crank-handle E as shown.

E is a pawl centered at E to the frame F. This pawl engages with the teeth of the ratchet-disk, and thus' prevents the spindle rotating in the wrong direction.

The sirup-pump J is secured to the frame F, and its piston is actuated by the lever J which is centered upon thepin J The other end of this lever is forked, and is furnished So with a f riction-roller J against which the cam J", keyed upon the spindle G, works.

J is a valve-box of ordinary construction attached to the sirup-pump.

In the alternative method of arranging the S5 sirup-pump (shown in Fig. 10) the lever J is arranged under the pump and forces the piston-rod downward, while a coiled spring J compressed between the nut on the spindle and a bracket J attached to the frame, forces the piston up again to its normal position. Th e vertical standard ll and column H, which support the above mechanism, are secured to one another at their top by the tie-rod I1 and their bottom flanges are supported upon and 5 bolted to the bed-plate 11, as shown.

In Figs. 11 and 12 I have shown a corkfeeding attachment which may be affixed to the charging-cone B, above the cork-trough B It consists of an inclined chute K, widened out at its top and having its front partially open to enable the operator to force down the corks K with his finger should they get jammed within the chute.

The manner of using my machine is as follows: In the first place, the handle E is so set that the cam C forces backward the rod with its attached shoe or buffer C. When this is done, the bottle A is placed in the guide-prong A between the wooden piece G in the shoe and the washer B in the cone, and the cork K is then placed (or falls from the chute K) into the trough B". The handle E now receives its first partial rotation, which causes the tail of the buffer-cam C to pass over its friction-roller C and thus allows the weighted leverC (whose top end bears against the roller 0",) to force forward the crosshead C and so hold the bottle securely in position while it is being filled and corked. The handle then receives its second partial rotation by which the cork K is forced by the ram D into the cone B, the sirup pumped into and the aerated water admitted into the bottle until it is su tficiently full. hen the sirup and aerated water enter the bottle, they drive out the air through the snifting-passage B and the overflow-passage 13 \Vhen the bottle is sufficiently full, the overflow-passage begins to spout and the supply must then be immediately cut-01f. This is accomplished by the third partial rotation of the handle, which also forces the cork into the bottle at the same time. A still farther or fourth partial rotation brings the handle to its starting-point, forcing back the shoe or buffer C and allowing the now filled and corked bottle A to drop into a suitable receiver. The machine is then ready to receive a fresh bottle and cork. The passage 13 by its snifting enables the operator to regulate the supply and pressure to a nicety. The guard A is simply to protect the operator from being injured by pieces of glass bottle in case of the bottle bursting.

Although I have shown and described two passages B and B from the cone,I do not think both are absolutely necessary. The overflow-passage B is the one that is absolutely necessary, as it prevents the bottle being filled above the required level, and no matter how long the machine is allowed to remain filling after the overflow begins to spout the bottle will receive no more, so that if by carelessness or ignorance the filling should be continued too long nothing occurs but the loss of the aerated liquid. The bottle does not burst because it is not and cannot be overcharged and the pressure in each bottle is the same under any circumstances.

If the machine were required to be used for bottling aerated wines or other liquids in bottles of a difierent shape to that shown in my drawings, it would be needful so to regulate the angle of the machine that as soon as the bottle was filled to the required level it would begin to spout, otherwise there need be no alteration.

.Having now particularly described and explained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim, is-

1. In a bottling-machine, the combination of a bottle-support comprising a shoe or buffer composed of a metal socket and a recessed wooden block carried thereby to receive the bottom of the bottle, a vertical stem supporting said socket, and a cross-head attached to said stem, a rod attached to said cross-head, cam mechanism connected with and adapted to reciprocate said rod, and the thereto-connected cross-head and bottle-bottom support, a wire bottle-guard, a pronged bottle-guide, and a bottle-charging cone having an overflow-passage therein, and a valve for controlling the supply to the bottle, substantially as set forth.

2. In a bottling-machine, the combination,

'a ratchet-disk having a stud or studs adaptedas said disk revolves to engage with and open the fluid-supply valves, and devices, as described; for actuating said ratchet-disk.

3. The combination, with the shaft G and buffer or shoe 0, of the recessed block 0' to receive the bottle-bottom, a screwed stem secured to the rear of said block or socket O, cross-head 0 supporting said stem, a longitudinally-adj ustable guide-bracket, a rod and cam mechanism, substantially as described, for reciprocating the bottle-bottom support, and a rod connecting said supporting devices and the operating mechanism.

4. The combination, with the spindle or shaft G, a horizontally-adjustable and reciprocating support for the bottle-bottom, a cam keyed upon said spindle to engage with and operate a rod connected to said bottle-support and having a friction-roller, a weighted lever adapted to hold the reciprocating parts rigid, a handle for actuating said spindle and parts connected therewith, a filling-cone having an elastic washer to receive the bottlehead, valve-guarded overflow and air-relief passages, valve guarded fluid supply passages, a rearwardly-extending cork-trough communicating with the rearend of the cone, a ram for forcing the corks to and into the bottle-neck, and means, substantially as described, for actuating said ram.

THOMAS FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD WArERs, VVAL'IER SMYTHE BAYSTON.

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