US20113A - Machine for washing bottles - Google Patents

Description

W. B. WHITE &-J. A. WHITPORD. MACHINE FOR WASHING BOTTLES No. 20,113. Patented Apr. 27, 1858.

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W. B. WHITE AND JOHN A. VVHITFORD, OF SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR WASHING BOTTLES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,113, dated April 2 7, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM B. )VHITE and JOHN A. VVHITEORD, of Saratoga Springs, in the county of Saratoga, in the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Washing Bottles; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of our invent-ion consists in the mechanical devices, and the arrangement thereof, hereinafter described, whereby the bottle to be washed is rotated in one direction, while the brush, chain or other contrivance for cleanisng the inside, inner neck and bottom thereof, shall be rotated the other; there being the at the same time, a jet or jets of water, thrown, during the rotation of the bottle, both on the inside and outside of the same; while external brushes are so arranged as to scrape the neck, sides, and outer bottom of the bottle, as the same revolves.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use our invention, we proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the drawings, for greater clearness.

In the drawings, Figure 1, represents a horizontal section, and Fig. 2, a side elevation of our device, the inclosing boX being removed.

The like letters in all the drawings refer to like parts.

A, A, A, (Fig. 1,) is the box or frame in which the machine is placed, or hung. A main, horizontal hollow spindle, or shaft, B, B, B, traverses the, same lengthwise. On this spindle or shaft, are two pulleys D, D, permanently connected with collars 3, 3, and all, when out of gear, revolving freely on the spindle- The collar 3, does not revolve directly on the spindle; but has between it and the spindle, another tubular collar F, which also rotates freely on the spindle. This tubular collar is seen in the dotted lines (Fig. 1.) and has on it the counterpart of a ratchetclutch, seen in connection at E. The other part of this clutch is on the outer collar 3. A similar ratchet clutch is seen at E, to connect the pulley D and its collar, 3, with the main shaft. The pulleys must always rotate in opposite directions; so that when the clutches are in gear, the main spindle revolves in one direction, while the collar, 3, with all its attachments, revolves in the other.

The tubular collar, F, is firmly connected with the radial arms G, G, and the spring rods H, H, which being hinged at, 6, when the arms G, Gare moved toward the bottle, will grip the neck thereof by the grippers I, I, and cause the bottle to revolve with the tube F, and the pulley D. Through small blocks on the backs of rods H, H, may be inserted set screws, 5, 5, to increase or diminish, the grip on the bottle neck.

Into the bottle end of the main shaft, B, B, B, a further perforated hollow spindle, K, is screwed, or otherwise fastened; this additional spindle being designed to go inside the bottle, and to rotate a chain, brush, or other device for scraping and cleansing the interior thereof. Into the end of this additional spindle, is inserted a small beam, M, kept out by a spiral spring N. To this beam is hinged a small bar, L, as seen in Fig. 1. The hinge joint between them, has on it a slight cam, or other like device, so that the tendency of the bar, L, is either to be a straight extension of M, or to remain nearly at right angles with it. The spiral spring on beam M is to enable it to adjust itself to different depths of bottles. The hinged bar, L, may have a brush on its side to sweep the bottom of the bottle; and may be straighter curvilinear to fit bottoms of diiferent shapes. To the end of it may be attached achain, 0

also connected with the spindle at, P. Thus,

while the brush on the bar, L, sweeps the internal surface of the bottom of the bottle, the chain sweeps its interior side and neck; while water, flowing through the whole length of the main spindle, enters the bottle through small holes in the side of that part of it which goes inside the bottle.

Firmly attached to the collar around the main spindle at, Q, are two vertical arms, R, and R (Fig. 2) the one above, and the other below, the spindle. The lower one, R, is firmly attached to the rod, T, which enters the center of the horizontal cross bar, S, S, (Fig. 1). This cross bar is fastened to two other longitudinal bars, U, U, (Fig. 1) parallel to the rod, T, and having the same motion. These longitudinal bars, U, U, extend beyond the bottom of the bottle, and are there connected, at right angles, with uprights V, V, the upper ends of which pass through holes in the ends of short hori zontal bars, Y, Y. The other ends of the bars Y, Y, are hinged to crooked spring bars W, VV,VV, W, in the manner displayed in the drawings (see Fig. 1). Thus, it will be seen, that when the main spindle is moved toward the bottle, it carries in the same direction, the horizontal bars U, U, which, by their connections at the end, bring the inner extremities of the spring bars W, W, W, N, up against the bottom of the bottle, as seen in Fig. 1. On the inner ends of these bars, W, W, IV, V], may be placed brushes, to scrape the bottom of the bottle, as it revolves.

The -upper vertical arm, R, performs an-- other function. It is connected with a horizontal cross rod, X, (Fig. 1) the end of which is attached to the longitudinal rod, 9, which works a valve or faucet, Z, in the water pipe, at. This water pipe extends longitudinally through the whole machine; and in the side of that portion of it which lays opposite the bottle, are small holes, through which the water is squirted on to the outside of the bottle when revolving. As soon as the machinery is thrown out of gear, the valve or faucet closes. The horizontal cross rod, X, does not clutch the bar, 9, but slides on the same between shoulders, 2', and j; as, in actual use, the motion of the bar, X, is much greater than would be suflicient to turn the faucet.

To the upper end of the bar, R, is also attached a longitudinal sliding tube, 7), (Fig. '2) working on a guide rod, 6, on which is a vertical finger pin, d, (Fig. 2). This pin has on it a' spring catch, 2,, (Fig. 2') to hold the machine in gear, while the bottle is being washed. The machine is thrown in and out of gear by the movement of this pin.

On the lower longitudinal rods U, U, are spiral springs to cast the main spindle out of and away from, the bottle as soon as the catch, t, is released. Auxiliary springs or weights may also be used to carry the main spindle so far back as to take the part, K, entirely out of the bottle.

The operation of the machine may be described as follows: the pulleys, D, D are constantly in motion, and when out of gear, revolve freely, without moving anything but the collars with which they are connected. To throw the machine in gear, the operator, (after having placed the bottle in its proper socket; see Fig. 5) moves the finger pin, d, toward the bottle, until the catch, 2?, is fast. By this movement, the spindle end, K, is passed into the bottle, and the hinge bar, L, striking against the bottom, is turned at right angles, in the position shown in Fig. 1; also, the clutches E and E, come together, so that the main spindle, with all the parts inside the bottle move in one direction, while the bottle moves in the other, also, the bars W, W, W, W, with their brushes are turned up against the bottom of the bottle; also, the water, by the faucet, Z, is

turned upon the bottle, inside and out. On the outside of the bottle, brushes not indicated in the drawings, may press against it, as it revolves. Thus it will occur, that, while the bottle revolves; water will flow into and upon it, and it will be scraped and cleansed inside and out. As soon as the catch, 6, is released by the finger of the operator, the pin, d, the main spindle and all parts connected with it fly away from the bottle, closing the faucet, drawing the spindle out of the bottle and straightening out the bar, L; loosening the clutches E and E so as to stop the revolutions of the spindle and the bottle; and opening the grippers I, I, so that the bottle can be removed. A valve (not indicated) may also be made to regulate the fiow of water through the main spindle. As this spindle moves to the right and left a distanceof six, eight, or ten inches, according to the length of the bottle, it is apparent that the water pipe which feeds it at the end must not be fixed. A flexible rubber or gutta percha tube attached to the end overcomes this diificulty.

In the drawings, Fig. 3 isan end view of the apparatus, with the bottle in its place.

stationary inside or outside brushes, as that 7 device has been used before and is well known. Nor do we claim any particular form or arrangement of brushes: But

What we do claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The series of devices described, including the pulleys D, and D, the clutches E, E, the collar F, the radial arms G, G, the springs H, H, and the grippers I, I, with the parts connected, constructed and operating substantially as set forth, whereby the bottle is rotated in one direction, while the chain or brush or other device for cleansing the inside of the bottle, is rotated in the other, for the purposes set forth.

2. We also claim the use of a cam (like that of a pocket knife blade) on the hinged end of the rod, I, whereby the same tends to remain in a line continuous with the main spindle, or at right angles, or any other given angle, thereto.

3. We also claim the use of the spring, N, on the bar M, so as to adapt the same to different depths of bottles.

W. B. WHITE.

JOHN A. WHITFORD.

Witnesses:

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