US2178664A - Sealing machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1939. E. HOGG 2,178,664

I SEALING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 1 10R. '1 Enmsow 1 #066.

um/w ATTORNEY.

Nov. 7, 1939. E. E. HQGG 7 2,178,664

SEALING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 /05 E WI/#111 o4 I3 INVENTOR.

EMERSON 5 H066 ATTORNEY.

Nov 7, 1939. E. E. HOGG 2,178,664

SEALING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21. 193? e Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

[nmsou #066.

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 7, 1939. E. E. HOGG SEALING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 m6 wm m ma i M n N R O T T A Nov: 7, 1939. E. E. HOGG 2,178,664

SEALING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, I 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENT OR.

fMmso/v E. h 6. BY 22 TTORNEY/ Patented Nov. 7, 1939 SEALING MACHINE Emerson E. Hogg,.New Kensington, Pa., assignor to Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 21, 1937, Serial No. 121,414

16 Claims.

This invention relates to machines of the class generally known as sealing machines, and relates particularly to machines for afdxing to containers.

closures having retaining bands.

Closures comprising a cup-like cap and a looking band forming the lower portion of the skirt or attached thereto are well known. A closure of the latter type, for instance, is disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,908,245, granted to me. Most closures having locking bands are aflixed to containers by means of skirt conformations such as screw threads, so thatthe locking bands serve to protect the sealed packages from undetectable tampering with the contents thereof. In order to affix completely a closure that includes a looking band, whether the skirt conformations be preformed or formed during the sealing operation, it is necessary to force enough of the locking band under an adjacent part of the container finish to accomplish the aflixation thereof. Hitherto the aflixation of such closure in commercial practice at least has been a two-station sealing operation, and this has been a serious disadvantage in sealing practice. It is the primary object of this invention to provide a machine that will completely amx closures including a locking band integral with the cap skirt or secured thereto at a single sealing station.

Among the other objects of this invention is the accomplishment of this purpose by means of a sealing machine having a simple and adjustably timed relationship between the operations of securing the cap and the locking band portions; to provide a sealing head which accommodates variations in container finish without crushng the container; to provide a sealing head in which the locking'band portion of the closure is secured by radial pressure applied about the circumference thereof and the cap portion is secured by progressively rolling the cap into conformity with the container finish, as disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,684,892 granted to John E. Sharp.

These and additional objects and advantages of this invention will be better understood when considered in the light of the detailed description socompanying the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view showing one embodiment of the invention, including operating mechanism therefor;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the sealing head;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the sealing head taken substantially as indicated by the line III--Il1 of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the various sealing head parts in operative positions;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line VV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a. horizontal sectional view taken on the line VI--VI of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 2.

The machine shown in Fig. 1 consists of a frame or housing III that contains driving means suitable to actuate the belt II and the shaft upon which the eccentric cam 12 is mounted, the shaft and cam being driven through a suitable clutch controlled by the foot pedal Hi. The housing ID. has on one side two projecting arms l4 and I5 which support a vertically reciprocable shaft l6 preferably provided at its lower end with an idler roller I I that rides the cam l2. The upper end of the shaft 16 carries a screw I8 to which is secured a cross-arm I9 and a. rest 2ll'to support a container such as the bottle 2|, to which a 010-. sure such as that indicated at 22 isto be applied. The shaft l8 has a portion of reduced diameter 23 which provides a shoulder to carry the spring seat 24 and the spring 25.

Extending upwardly-from the housing I0 is a standard 26 which includes twolaterally extending brackets 21 and 28. Bracket 21 supports a shaft 29, upon both ends of which idler belt pulleys such as that shown at 30 are mounted at a distance suflicient to permit the belt II to clear the standard 26. The bracket 28 supports, by means of a large boss 3|, the sealing head which is generally indicated at 32 and an adjustably retained spring 33 for maintaining sealing pressure upon the top of the closure during the sealing operation.

For convenience in description the details of the rest 20 as shown in Fig. 2 will precede the description of the sealing head 32 shown there in elevation and by the succeeding figures in section. The rest 20 includes a suitable resilient paid 34 and a centrally apertured boss 35 having a shoulder 38. The screw l8 has a smooth upper end 31 of reduced diameter adapted to fit into the boss 35 of the rest. 20 which is secured thereto by the headed screw 38. Below the boss 35 the screw l8 carries a spring seat 39 threaded.

thereon, between which and the bottom of the rest 20 there is located a spring 40 which serves to hold the boss shoulder 36 against the head of the screw 38, and since the distance between the shoulder 36 and the end of the boss is less than the length of the reduced screw portion 31, a spring-loaded rest mounting is provided. The

rest 28 is vertically adjustable to accommodate containers of various sizes by adjustment of the screw I8 in the shaft I8, and when adjusted is locked in position by the lock nuts 4| and 42 which also lock the cross-arm I8 to the screw I8.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, and particuiar'g; the former, the boss 8| has a central aperture within which a sleeve 48 having a lower flanged end 44 and an upper exteriorly threaded end 48 is anchored by the nut 48. The sleeve 48 fits within the hub portion 41 of the housins 48 hich is secured to the boss II by the sleeve Gauge 44 which fits within the hub recess 48. Suitably attached to the housing 48 is a depending annular trackway 88 having an inner cam surface 8I. Within the bore of the sleeve 48 is mounted a shaft 82 which is capable of vertical reciprocation and is prevented from rotating by a key 88 which fits a keyway of corresponding size in the body of the shaft 82 and projects into an elongated keyway 84 in the inner face of the sleeve 48.

The diameter of the shaft 82 is susbtantially the same from the upper end to the shoulder 88, below which it is larger and terminates in a circumferential flange 88. The shaft 82 is pro-, vided with -a'central recess extending approximately half its length from the lower end, which recess adjacent the open end has a threaded wall 81 to receive complementary exterior threads of a centrally apertured sleeve 88 adjustably locked in position by the nut 88. The lower end of the sleeve 88 is enlarged and is provided with a shallow recess 88 which, together with the head 8| of the yielding plunger 82, forms a seat to receive the top of the-closure cap during the sealing operation. The plunger 88 is slidably fitted within the aperture in the sleeve 88 and projects beyond the upper end thereof into the recess of the shaft 82 where it is secured by the nuts 88 which serve as an abutment for one end of the spring 84, the other end thereof being seated against the end of the recess of the shaft 82. Journailed upon the shaft 82 and retained in position by the circumferential flange 88 is a belt pulley 88 which, together with the hereinafter described parts, forms thread-rolling means for attaching the closure cap portions to a container. The central hub 88 of the pulley 88 joined thereto by spokes 81 has interposed the axial bore thereof and the enlarged portion of the shaft 82 a bushing 88, and is spaced from the flange 88 and the pulley-securing nut 88 by rings I8. The hub 88 is provided with a lubrication fitting 'II to supply the lubricant for the contacting surfaces of the bushing 88 and the shaft 82. If desired, ball bearings or the like and suitable races can be substituted for the bushing 88.

with reference now to Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, rock shafts I2 extend through bosses formed in the pulley hub 88, to each of which shafts identical thread-rolling parts are attached. These parts will therefore be described with reference to a single shaft. A two-part lever is carried-by a rock shaft12 above the supporting pulley boss,.

' rock shaft so that itis supported by the boss 88 of the lower part and consists of a boss 84 and an arm 88 extending from the boss, which arm carries a roller 88 and has depending therefrom a lug 81 adapted to contact the lug 82 of the lower lever part. Both of the lugs 82 and 81 are apertured to receive a bolt 88 which extends beyond the depending lug 81 and has a spring 88 interposed the lug 81 and the nut 88 for the Pu pose of forming a yielding connection between the two parts of the lever. Each arm II has an eyelet 8|, the eyelets of the several arms being joined by means of springs 82, as shown in Pig. 5, to keep the rollers 88 in contact with thecam surface 8I.

- Attached to the lower extremity of each rock shaft 12 is an arm 88 having at its free end an apertured boss 84 which supports a rolling tool comprising a stub shaft 88 and a rolling disc 88 attached thereto, the lower portion of the stub shaft 88 being journalled in the aperture of the boss .84 with a bushing 81 interposed, and the upper end being of reduced diameter and carrying a nut 88. Interposed the nut 88 and a seat washer 88 and resting upon the boss 84 is a spring I88. to permit the rolling disc 88 to follow progressively thefinish of the container during the sealing operation. The thread-forming means just described, along with the belt pulley 88, form a rotatable portion of the sealing head 82, which portion as described is supported by the shaft 82 which is suspended from the boss 8I and is secured thereto by the lock nut I8I normally seated upon the washer I82.

The threaded upper end of the shaft 82 extends beyond the lock nut IM and has adjustably secured thereto, between the lock nuts I88 and I84, a cross-arrn I88. The lock nut I88 also serves as a seat for one end of the spring 88 which has as an abutment for the other end a plate I88 suitably secured as by nuts to the tie bolts I81 and I88, the heads of which are retained, respectively, by the small lateral bosses I88'and II8 of the boss 8|.

The cross-arm I88 supports the band-securing or clinching mechanism which will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and '1. This mechanism is carried by a twopiece base III consisting of a centrally apertured upper portion,II-2 secured to a centrally apertured base plate H8. The base III is rigidly connected to the cross-arm I88 by means of two tie rods II4. Since both rods are similarly secured, the description will be limited to the rod II4 as shown in Fig. 7. A reduced upper end III of the tie rod extends through the apertured end of the cross-arm I88 and is secured thereto against the shoulder ill by the nut H8. The lower end H8 is threaded and is preferably of reduced diameter to provide a shoulder I28 which serves as a stop in attaching the rod to the base portion I I2 by means of a threaded recess therein. Between the points of'attachment the tie rod passes through an aperture in the housing 48 which is fitted with a bushing I2I topermit relative movement between the housing 48 and the base I I I. A lubrication fitting I 22 (Fig. 2) is preferably provided to permit lubrication of the contacting surfaces of the tie rod and bushing.

The base III carries a plurality of horizontally reciprocable fingers radially disposed in recesses formed by the base portion H2 and the base plate II8. Although the illustrated embodiment of the invention has eight such fingers (Fig. 8), this number is optional and any number r'nay be used'that will force enough of the locking band beneath an adjacent retaining bead to fasten the bandto a container. Since-the fingers and finger-operating mechanisms are identical, the

scribed with reference to a single finger and its operating mechanism.

The finger m is fitted within a recess in formed by a suitable channel in the base portion H2 and the adjacent surface of the base plate H3. The finger I23 tapers toward an arcuate inner end I25 (Fig. 6), so that when the fingers are simultaneously reciprocated toward the locking band they fit together to encircle the band. Near the outer end each finger is provided with an aperture I25 adapted to receive one end of a small bell crank lever I21 which is pivotally secured to a yoke I28 by a suitable pin I29, the yoke being formed by two upstanding lugs integral with the upper surface of the base portion H2. The other end of the bell crank lever is pivotally secured to a clevis I30 by a clevis pin I3I. The clevis is secured to a bolt I32 the headed end I33 .of which is retained by an apertured lateral boss I34 of the housing 48 through which the shank of the bolt I32 passes, the other end being threaded into a similarly threaded aperture of the clevis I30 and locked in position by the nut I35. Extending through the aperture of the boss I34 and encircling the bolt I32 is a bushing I35 having a lateral flange I31, the barrel of the bushing being greater in length than the thickness of the boss, so that the flange is normally spaced from the boss. The under side of the flange surface provides an abutment for the spring I38 which is seated upon the nut I39 which, with the lock nut I40, can be advanced or retracted on the threaded shank of the bolt I32 to vary the loading of the spring. A washer I is preferably interposed the boss I34 and the headed nut I33 of the bolt I32 to provide a seat therefor.

In order to prevent the container 2I from being subjected to the compressive force of the entire head when elevated during the sealing operation, the brackets I42 and I43 are provided which will be described with reference to bracket I42 (Fig. 7). The preferred bracket shape is that ofa shallow U having apertured bosses I44 and I45 at each end. The bracket is attached to the base III by a bolt I45 extending through the.

apertured boss I44 and threaded into a similarly threaded recess in the base portion I I2 located immediately below the recess by which the tie rod 4' is attached. Extending through the lower boss I45 and secured thereto as by a pin I41 is a depending rod I48 which enters the externally threaded sleeve I49 extending through a similarly threaded aperture in the cross-arm I9, which sleeve is adjustably locked in position by nut I 50. The brackets I42 and I43 are pref- I erably braced by a tie rod I5I secured to each bracket.

The closure 22 to be applied to the externally threaded neck of the receptacle, as shown in Figs. '3 and 4, is of the two-piece type consisting of a skirted closure cap I52 having a sealing gasket I53 and a locking band I54 depending from the closure cap I52. The form of the closure before its application is shown-in Fig. 3. Upon the conclusion of the sealing operation the closure cap I52 has been rolled into conformity with the threaded neck of the container and the lower edge of the locking ban'd I54 has been forced under an adjacent bead of the container finish; as shown in Fig. "4.

The operation of the machine described with reference to the drawings is as follows:

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the various parts of the machine are shown in their relative positions at the beginning of an operative cycle. At this point the eccentric cam I2 has turned uppermost the portion of shorter radii so that the rest 25 is fully retracted to deceive freely a container 2| which has its mouth enveloped by a loosely positioned closure 22.

Upon rotation of the cam I2 the container and the parts supported by the shaft I5 are raised toward the sealing head. The cap portion of the closure contacts the head 5| of the projecting plunger 52 during this upward travel (Fig. 3) and carries the plunger upwardly until the head 5| thereof fits within the apertured sleeve 55 to form, together with the shallow recess 59 thereof. a complete can seat. The rest 20 is ad- Justed so that elevation of the shaft I5 after this seating until the sleeves I49 contact the bracket bosses I45 creates a top pressure against the closure part I52 that compresses the gasket I53 into sealing relationship with the mouth of the container; this pressure if excessive is relieved by the yieldable rest mounting and is maintained throughout the'sealing operation by the spring 33 as it exists at the time the sleeves contact the bosses. Rotation of the cam I2 until its portion of maximum radius is uppermost now causes simultaneous upward movement of the closure-securing mechanisms of the sealing head 32 relative to the housing 48 and the trackway 55 attached thereto, since the container and the cross-arm I9 raise the shaft 52 and the parts attached thereto against the spring 33, which movement actuates both the spinning discs 95 and the fingers I23.

During this upward movement the rotatable parts of the sealing head 32 are moved upwards axially of the shaft, causing the arms to be swung radially inwardly due to the coaction of the rollers 85 with the inclined portion of the cam surface 5|. The inward swinging movement of the arms 85 is transmitted through the yielding connection between the lugs 82 and 81' to the lower.

lever parts rigidly attached to the rock shafts. Oscillation of the rock shafts swings the arms 93 radially inwardly so that the peripheries of the rolling discs 95 are brought into'contact with the skirt portion of the closure cap I52 at a point near the open mouth of the container. The relative positions of the rotatable parts of the sealing head at this point in the sealing operation, with the exception of the rolling discs 95, are shown in Fig. 4, and the rolling discs at this point are forcibly but yieldably maintained against the skirt portion of the closure cap I52. Rotation of the belt pulley 55 carries the several rolling discs 95 around the neck of the container and the peripheries of the discs adjust their positions axially of the shaft 52 so that they follow progressively the thread-like formations in the container neck. In downwardly following these thread-like formations the discs gradually compress the springs I09 until the discs reach the extreme lower region of the thread-like formations, as shown in Fig. 4.

however, the upward travel of the finger-actuating bolts l32 is opposed by the springs I38, and as the upward travel of the base continues the loading of the springs increases and they are compressed, so that the upward movement of the bolts I32 is less than the upward travel of the base.

This relative movement causes the bell crank levers I21 to turn about their fulcrum points to produce radially inward movement of the fingers I23. The inward finger movement, when the initial loading of the springs I3! is adjusted to the preferred pressure, is completed at substantially the completion of the upward movement of the base Hi, so that the various parts of the entire sealing head 32 assume the positions shown in Fig. 4.

Completion of a single revolution of the eccentric cam l2 permits the withdrawal of the sealed container from the sealing head to a position for free removal through the action of the spring 25 and the weight of the shaft [6, together with that of the parts supported thereby. As the sealed container is lowered the thread-rolling means carried by the belt pulley and the base Ill with its associated fingers and the finger-actuating mechanisms are returned to the positionshown in Fig. 3 as the final phase of the operating cycle.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that in the machine disclosed the full inward movement of the fingers I23 to force the locking band under the adjacent container bead occurs while the rolling discs 96 are in contact with the closure: For rapid operation, this timing of the sealing head parts has been found preferable. However. if desired, it is possible to change this relationship by changing the contour of the cam surface 5|. In this connection, it must be remembered that the exact moment of completion of the inward finger movement is dependent upon the loading of the springs I38; therefore, a wide range of adjustability is available with respect to completion of .the two securing operations. It should also be noted that the connection between the independent finger-actuating mechanisms associated with each finger and the fixed abutment provided by the bosses l 34 of the immovable housing 43 is yieldable, permitting each finger to adjust itself to irregularities in container finish, so that the necessary radial pressure is provided without danger of crushing the bottle neck, an

advantage that also attends the yieldable connec-.

tion between the two-part lever carried by each rocker arm.

The embodiment by which the invention has been illustrated is characterized by numerous adjustable relationships of parts. The container rest 20 can be raised or lowered to accommodate containers of varying heights by adjustment of the screw i8 within the shaft l6. To accommo date locking bands of varying widths the operative level of the fingers I23 can be changed as desired by adjustment of the cross-arm I05 upon the shaft 52. Obviously, the shaft 52 can be provided with a longer threaded end, and the spring 33 elevated upon a seat that does not serve for both spring seat and lock nut, as does nut I03, so that this adjustment for bands of greatly vary ing widths can be made without affecting the loading of the spring 33. The radial pressure exerted by the rolling discs 96 can be varied by adjustment of the resilient connection of the two-part levers carried by each rock shaft and by vertical adjustment of the relationship between the rollers 36 and the trackway 50.

Although the invention has been illustrated with relation to a manually-controlled machine adapted to apply a closure portion by a threadforming operation, there is no intent upon my part that the invention should be so limited. It is apparent that the invention may be utilized withvarious types of machines; that is to say, the sealing head embodied in this invention might be duplicated in a machine to provide a plurality of heads with means for automatic conveyance of the containers thereto and therefrom either in a straight or circular'path. Furthermore, it is apparent that a substitution of means for attaching a prethreaded closure for the thread-forming means shown herein comes within the scope of this invention. With the intent, therefore, to include all modifications that come within the spirit of this invention, I claim:

1. A sealing machine comprising a support, a fixed abutment member secured thereto, a vertically reciprocable shaft carried by said support, thread-rolling means carried on said shaft for progressively forming thread-like securing conformations in a closure, horizcntally'reciprocable means supported by said shaft for constricting said closure below said securing conformations, means for moving said shaft relative to said abutment member, whereby said abutment member causes movement of both said thread-rolling means and said constricting means into operative contact with the closure.

2. In a sealing machine, a sealing head including means for peripherally constricting a closure, said means comprising a base adapted for vertical reciprocation, a plurality of horizontally disposed, reciprocable fingers carried by said base, a plurality of levers fulcrumed on said base, each of said levers being independently associated with a single finger, and a plurality of lever rock rods, each being independently connected with a single lever and to a fixed member of said sealing head, each of said rods being yieldably connected 4 to said fixed member, each of said connections including a support carried by a rock rod and a spring interposed said support and said fixed member, whereby relative movement between said base and said fixed member positively but yieldably actuates said fingers. I

3. In a sealing machine, a compound sealing head comprising rotatable meansfor securing to a container a closure retained by thread-like conformations, means fixed against rotation cooperatively associated with said rotatable means for constricting said closure below said retaining conformations, and a supporting shaft common to both said means, said second mentioned means including a plurality of reciprocable pressure elements actuated in radial convergence against said closure.

4. In a sealing machine, a compound sealing head comprising rotatable means for securing to 00 a container a closure retained by thread-like conformations, means fixed against rotation cooperatively associated with said rotatable means, for

constricting said closure below said retaining conformations, and a supporting shaft common to as both said means, said second mentioned means including a plurality of reciprocable pressureelements actuated in radial convergence against said closure during actuation of said rotatable a container a closure retained by thread-like con- 1 formations, means fixed against rotation cooperatively associated with said rotatable means, for constricting said closure below said retaining conformations, and a supporting shaft common to both said means, said second mentioned means including a plurality of reciprocable pressure elements yieldably-actuated in radial convergence against said closure.

6. In a sealing machine, a compound sealing head comprising rotatable means for securing to a container a closure retained by thread-like conformations, means fixed against rotation cooperatively associated with said rotatable means for constricting said closure below said retaining conformations, and a supporting shaft common to both said means, said second mentioned means including a plurality of horizontally disposed, reciprocable pressure elements and a plurality of adjustable yieldable actuating means whereby each of said elements is independently actuated in radial convergence against said closure.

7. In a sealing machine, a compound sealing head comprising rotatable means for securing to a container a closure retained by thread-like conformations, means fixed against rotation cooperatively associated with said rotatable means for constricting said closure below said retaining conformations, said latter means includinga plurality of reciprocable fingers horizontally disposed within a vertically movable base and a plurality of adjustable actuating means for said fingers yieldably secured to said ,base and a fixed member, whereby relative movement between said base and said fixed member independently actuhaving an adjustable, yieldable connection to a fixed member, whereby relative movement between said base and said fixed member independently actuates each of said fingers in radial convergence against said closure.

9. A sealing machine comprising a support, a fixed abutment member secured thereto, a ver-' tically reciprocable member carried by said support, rotatable means carried on said member for securing to a container a closure retained by thread-like conformations, means fixed against rotation suspended from said member independently of said rotatable means for constricting said closure below said retaining conformations, and means for moving said vertically reciprocable member relative to said abutment member,

' whereby said rotatable means and said second mentioned means are forced by said abutment member into operative contact with said closure.

10. A sealing machine comprising a support, a fixed abutment member secured thereto, a vertically reciprocable shaft carried by said support, rotatable means carried on said shaft for securing to a container a closure retained by thread-like conformations, means fixed against rotation suspended from saidshaft independently of said rotatable means for constricting said closure below said retaining'conformations,

said rotatable means and said second mentioned means having means adapted to positively but yieldably contact said abutment member, and means for moving said shaft relative to said abutment member, whereby said rotatable means and said second mentioned means are forced by said abutment member into operative contact with said closure.

11. A sealing machine comprising a support, a fixed abutment member secured thereto, a vertically reciprocable shaft carried by said support, thread-rolling means carried on said shaft for progressively forming thread-like securing conformations in a closure, horizontally reciprocable means supported by said shaft for constricting said closure below said securing conformations, said thread-rolling means and said constricting means having associated therewith means adapted to positively but yieldably contact said abutment member, and means for moving said shaft relative to said abutment member, whereby said thread-rolling means and said constricting means are forced by said abutment member into operative contact with said closure.

12. In a sealing machine a sealing head including means for peripherally constricting a closure, said means comprising an abutment member, a base disposed below said abutment member, a plurality of radially disposed, reciprocable pressure, elementscarried by said base, a plurality of levers fulcrumed on said base, each of said levers being independently associated with a single pressure element, and a plurality of lever rock rods, each being independently connected to a lever and to said abutment member, the latter connection for each rock rod includin a rod portion movable through said abutment member and a resilient member supported upon the rod intermediate said base and said abutment member, whereby relative movement between said base and said abutment member positively but yieldably actuates said pressure elements against the closure. t

13. In a sealing machine a sealing head including means for peripherally constricting a closure, said means comprising an abutment member, a base disposed below said abutment member, a plurality of radially disposed, reciprocable pressure elements carried by said base, a plurality of levers fulcrumed on said base, each of said levers being independently associated with a single pressure element, and a plurality of lever rock rods, each being independently connected to a lever and to said abutment member, the latter connection for each rock rod being yieldable and including a rod portion movable through said abutment member, an adjustable support carried by the rod and a spring disposed intermediate said support and said abutment member, whereby the actuation of said pressure elements may be timed by adjusting the loading of said spring produced by relative movement between said base and said abutment member.

14. A sealing machine including an abutment member, means for applying a thread-retained closure to a container actuated by contact with said abutment member, means for constricting the closure below the threads thereof, a yieldable connection between said constricting means and said abutment member, a supporting shaft common to both said means, and means for causing the relative movement between said shaft and said abutment member to actuate both said closure applying means and said closure constricting means.

15. A sealing machine including an abutment member, means for applyins a thread-retained closure to a container actuated by contact with said abutment member, means for constricting the closure below the threads thereof, a yieldable connection between said constricting means and said abutment member, a supporting shaft common to both said means, and means for causing relative movement between said shaft and said abutment member, said yieldable connection including adjustable means permitting timing of the actuation of said constricting means with respect to said applying means. a

16. A sealing machine including an abutment member, means for applying a thread-retained closure to a container actuated by contact with said abutment member, means for constricting the closure below the threads thereof, a yieldable connection between said constricting means and said abutment member, a reciprocable supporting shaft common to both said means, and means for moving said shaft relative to said abutment member, said applying means being disposed on said shaft for actuating contact with said' abutment member prior to actuation 01 said constricting means, and said yieldable connection including a rod movable through said abutment member and resilient means carried on said rod intermediate said abutment member and an adjustable support to oppose movement thereof, whereby the subsequent actuation of said constricting means may be timed with the actuation of said applying means by adjusting the loading of said resilient means produced by relative movement between said shaft and said abutment mem ber. V

EMERSON E. HOGG.

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