US523015A

US523015A - Bottle-corking machine

Info

Publication number: US523015A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1894-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1911-07-17

Description

' (No Model.)

S. B. SMALLWOOD.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

BOTTLE GORKING' MACHINE.

Patented July 17, 1894.

Inventor.

Att r eyS TNE noams PEYERS c0. PNOTO-LITHD.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets -Sh'eet 2.

S. 'B. SMALLWOOD. BOTTLE 001mm MACHINE.

Witnesses: Inventor.

is -54, Z1:

Attorney THE scams PETERS co PHOTO-LUNG, WASHINGTON. 9. c

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Bheet 3'.

s. B. SMALLWOOD. BOTTLE GORKING MACHINE.

No. 523,015. Patented July 17,1894.

Inventor.

Attorneys To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. SMALLWOOD, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

BOTTLE-CORKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,015, dated July 1'7, 1 894.

l Application filed April 9,1894. Serial No. 506,890. (No model.)

Be itknown that I, SAMUEL B. SMALLWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Asto: ria, Long IslandGity, in the county of Queens and State of New York,,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Corking Machines;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a

This invention relates to machines for corking. bottles designed for use in connection with bottle filling machines which I have shown and described in applications for Letters Patent filed November 21, 1893, February 2, 1894:, and February 8, 1894:, hearing Serial Nos. 491,444, 498,926, and 499,539 respectively,although my corking machine may be used independently of a bottle filling mechanism, so that I reserve the right to use the present invention in aseparate machine from the filling machine.

The object that I have in view is to automatically apply corks to the bottles as they are fed to the machine without liability of breakage or damage to the bottle; to enable the machine to be used to feed and apply straight or tapered corks; and in bottling liquids containing gas under pressure, to antomatically supply the necessary quantity of gas to the bottle as the cork is forced therein whereby the gas is compressed into the bottie as the cork is forced therein, the operation of feeding the bottles and the corks to the corking mechanism, applying the corks to the bottles, and conveying the bottles after they have been corked away from the corking mechanism being carried on continuously and automatically.

With these ends in view, the first part of my invention consists in the combination of a tubular guide through which the corks are to be fed to ab )ttle which is moved by a carrier so that the open end of the bottle fits in the mouthof said tubular cork tube, a plunger reciprocated vertically above the tubular cork-tube and adapted to enter the same on its down stroke,a horizontally movable slide for moving the corks to a position over and in l line with the cork-tube, and cork feeding' mechanism for supplying the corks one at a time to the horizontally movable slide.

1 construct the cork feed devices to supply either straight or tapered corks to the bottle as may be preferred, the corks being placed promiscuously in a hopper and beingsupplied one .at a time in proper position to the transversely movable feed slide. The device for,

feeding straight corks, that is corks which are practically uniform in diameter, consists of a hopper, a feedtube leading from the hopper to a point over the feed-slide, and an agitator-roller adapted to be positively driven by a belt or chain and journaled in bearings at open side of the hopper, said agitator roller being constructed to fit close to the open mouth of the upright feed tube and provided with projections which lift the corks in the hopper so as to agitate thesame and cause them to enter the feed tube properly. In feeding tapered corks, they must be righted or turned to a vertical position with the smaller end downward, and to accomplish this I employ a horizontally reciprocating hopper over the feed-slide and which is provided'with a cork-way or guide into which the corks are dropped, a detent at one end of the hopper and arranged to be lifted into the path of the cork suspended between the cork-guide when the hopper moves in one direction, another detent carried by a weighted rock shaft and operating to force the cork to the discharge opening in the cork way as the hopper moves in the opposite directions, so that the cork is forced by the detentsalong the cork way during the reciprocation of the hopper and caused to drop through the feed opening into the feed slide, the hopper being reciprocated by lever and crank connections with the driving shaft and the two detents being linked together to have simultaneous movement or throw in opposite directions as the hopper reciprocates back and forth.

My invention further consists in meansfor automatically supplying gas under pressure to the bottles containing a fluid charged with gas, such for instance as in bottling beer or carbonated waters, The tubular cork guide is provided with a gas supply tube near its lower end or at the' flared mouth which .receives the neck of the bottle, and from this 1 gas tube leads a flexible pipe to an automatic ply to the liquid in the bottle just prior to forcing the cork therein, the whole being organized for automatic operation to admit the gas under pressure to the cork tube between,

the cork and the bottle and as the plunger forces the cork and the gas into the bottle,

the latch clears the tappet on the automatic valve to permit the latter to close and shut off the supply of gas before or at the time the cork passes the gas supply tube in the corktube, thus preventing waste of the gas, the latch on the plunger or cross head being adapted to yield on the upstroke of the plunger or head to avoid the valve. f

The invention further consists in thecombination of devices, and in the construction and organizationof parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

[To enable others to more readily understand my invention, I have illustrated the same in-the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is afront elevation, partly in section, showing the bottle within the mouth of the cork-tube and in position to receive the cork. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, at right angles to the elevation of Fig.1,certain parts being in section to more clearly show the construction. Fig.3is a detail plan view of the traveling carrier-apron and the rotary bottle-carrier. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view through the platform, the cork tube, a part of the horizontallymovable feed slide, showing apart of the cork feed tube K, and the lower part of the plunger C. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of a part of the feed slide. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are detail views of the cork feed mechanism by which tapered corks are right-ed and fed successively to the opening leading to the feed slide. Fig. 9 is a detail cross sectional view on the line 00-09 of Fig. 8 of the 'taper-cork feedmechanism shown by- Figs. 6, '7 and 8. Fig. 10, is a detail View, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the automatically closing valve by which gas is supplied to carbonated liquids, and Fig. 11 is a detached detail view of the rotary cork agitator adapted for use in the-cork-hopper 0. Fig. l2-is a defurnished with vertically aligned openings or bushings cab, respectively, through which openings or bushings plays the vertically reciprocating plunger 0, the purpose of which is to force the cork through the vertical cork tube D into the bottle resting in the horizontally rotating carrier E.

From the lower side of the lower platform B depends a guide tube d, and in this guide (1 is fitted the cork tube D, which is free to play or move vertically a limited distance therein, said cork tube D. being yieldingly suspended by means of the coiled springs (1 having their ends attached respectively to the flared mouth (1" of the cork tube and to the bottom side of the platform B,- see Fig. 1. The lower end of this ,yieldingly suspended cork tube is enlarged and flared at d-to form a bell shaped mouth, the inner surface of which is lined with rubber or other soft material to afford a cushioned seat for the mouth of the bottle, said flared mouth 01' serving to center the bottle within itself and the cushion and springs affording a yielding connection to secure the necessary. tight fit or joint between the mouth 01 of the cork tube and the mouth of the bottle when the tube D is forced downward by the action of the plunger against the cork in the tube D, the bottle resting on a vertically movable platen G that is arranged in vertical alignment with the cork tube D and the reciprocating plunger.

The bottles to be corked are conveyed by an endless traveling apron H to the carrier E, and this apron travels over and around a horizontally fixed guide-board h which apron and board extend on opposite sides of the bed, I, so that the apronserves to convey the bottle to and from the corking mechanism, the guide board h affording a support to the upper side of the apron to prevent it from sagging under the weight of the bottles. The carrier apron extends directly through the corking machine, at or about its vertical center, and the corking mechanismis situated at one side of the vertical center of the machine and the carrier apron, see Fig. 2. As the carrier apron is not capable of standing the strain and impact of the plunger when the cork is forced into the bottle, and as the vertically movable platen G controlled by the weighted lever affords a yielding resistance to the plunger and bottle, to obviate breaking the mouth of the bottle when the cork is forced therein, I employ the horizontally rotatable carrier E to move the bottles one at a timefrom the carrier apron to the platen G, the carrier E is then stopped'momentarily while the plunger descends to force the cork into the bottle, and the carrier is again turned to shift the corked bottle from the platen G back to the off-bearing side of the carrier apron H, the carrier E being rotated with a step by step feed. This carrier E ispreferably constructed in the form of a disk or disks, and provided with a series of radial seats, 6, see Fig. 3, which illustrates ioc four of the seats and shows two of the seats e in line "with the apronH and another seat e adapted to be brought into line with the cork Dand platen G, thefourth seat being 1 one of the gears, 2, at two points around the periphery of the gear, thus forming a mutilated empty. Thisrotary carrier E is arranged just above,but close to the apron I-I,and it is fixed to and rotates with a vertical shaft E, which shaft is j ournaled in vertically aligned bearings e", e in the upper and lower tables A, B. The upper end of the shaftis driven from a power shaft 1 by the intermeshing gears 2, 3, which are so formed as to impart to the shaftE' and the carrier E an intermittent or step-by-step feed in'order that the car rier may remain stationary for a moment or two while the cork is being forced into the bottle. The drive gears 2, 3, in the instance shown are adapted to turn the shaft E and carrier E a quarter turn, then stop, then anothenquarter turn, and so on, which is offected'by removing certain of the teeth from drive gear inthe vacant spaces of which the teeth on the gear 3 remain idle while the gear 2 continuously rotates.

Although I have shown, and described a drive gear asadapted to rotate thecarrier E with a, rest between each quarter turn, yet it isobvious that the carrier may be stopped at more or less frequent intervals according to the bottle as it is brought by the carrier E to a position beneaththe cork-tube, and as the carrier stops, the plunger 0 descends to force the cork into the tube, the cork being compressed in the tube D so as to force the tube D downward a limited distance with the cork and plunger, whereby the flared mouth (1 of the cork tube is caused to fit over the mouth of the bottle and the necessary tight joint is secured between the cushioned seat in the flared mouth of the tube D and the mouth of the bottle. The bottle mouth is also centered in the cork tube, and the platen G being controlled by the weighted lever aifords sufficient resistance to the depression of the bottle when the cork is forced therein so that the bottle can be properly corked, but in case this cork does not properly enter the bottle, the downward pressure of the plunger acts to depress the bottle and the platen against the action of the weight in order to prevent breaking o the bottle under undue strain.

The upper end of the plunger C is connected with the pitman C by the crosshead and pivot connection 0, and the pitman and plunger are reciprocated by a crank disk 4 which has a wrist pin 5 on which the pitman works, said disk 4 being fixed to a shaft 6, which is journaled in suitable bearings on the machine frame, the shaft 6 being belted" or geared as at7 in Fig. 2,to the power shaft.

On the under side of the lower table B of 'the machine is formed or provided a horizonfeed slide J, the purpose of which is to feed the corks to a position over the tube D in the path of the plunger C. This feed slideJ is provided at one end with elastic or yieldin g jaws j which are formed by spring plates attached to the opposite edges of the slide and having their free projecting ends curved reversely to each other, seeFig. 5, to enable a cork to be fed or dropped into said jaws when the feed slide is reciprocated to bring the jaws in line with a feed spout K. This feed slide J is positively reciprocated in one direction by connections withthe plunger 0, and in Fig. 20f the drawings I have shown these connections as consisting of a bell crank lever L,a pitman Z, and a reciprocating stem M. This stem M is disposed vertically along side of the plunger and guides in a fixed. bridge m and having its upper enlarged end m in the path of the crosshead c of the plunger so that as the plunger and crosshead are lifted the head m and rod M will beraised to actuate the feed slide: The bell crank lever L is fulcrumed in suitable hearings on the table B, and the upper end of this lever isconnected by the link Z to a lug or studl' on the vertically reciprocating stem M. The lower arm of the bell crank lever L plays freely in a slot in the table B, and said arm has a pin and slot connection at with the feed slide, the pin being attached to the slide J and Working in a slot n in the guideway j, see Fig. 2. The feed slide is normally drawn back by a coil retracting spring J which is attached to the slide and toa suitable lug on the bottom of the table B on the guide way, j, so that the jaws j are normallyin position beneath the feed tube K, and as the plunger 0 rises, its crosshead c strikes the head m of the stem M, lifts the latter, and operates the link Z and lever, L, to force the feed slide J forward to convey the cork in the jaws j to a position beneath the plunger and above the tube D, whereby on the return stroke of the plunger 0 the cork is forced into the tube D, the spring J returning the feed slide to its normal position beneath the feed tube K.

The corks are automatically supplied one at a time to the feed tube K, and I have devised mechanism by which either straight or tapered corks may be fed to the feed slide. The straight cork feed mechanism consists of a hopper 0 supported in an elevated position above the table A, and from the bottom of this hopper 0 leads the tube K, which is continuous from the table B to the elevated hopper. This hopper is preferably tapered :asf

tshown, a'nd through the bottom thereof opens? nel or groove in themiddle part of the roller,

said channel'or; groove being semi-circular or approximately V-shape in contour to receivev the cork tube, and on annular ledges of the roller are provided'tangenti'al pins or projec- :tions, 10, which are arranged to lift the corks and cause them to enter the open receiving end of the feed tube. The agitator roller P, Shown .by Figs. 2 and 11, is adapted to be positively rot'aited or driven bya chain arranged to pass around the sprocket wheel p on 'one end oft-he shaft of the roller, as will be readilyiunderstood, said drive chain adapted to be propelled-by a sprocket wheel or pulley on one'of the overhead shafts of the machine. This elevated hopper O'may be supplied with corks in any suitable manner, and as one mechanism for supplying corks to this elevated hopper I provide the endless elevator Q,'the feed chute Q, the primary hopper R, and a mechanism for agitating the corks in the primary hopper. This hopper B may be of large holding capacity so as to contain :a barrelof corks which may be dumped pro- "miscuously therein." The endless *elevator passes around suitable rollers q, q, the upper roller, q, being journaled in suitable bearings on the upper framework of the machine and being geared'to a countershaft Q" belted or geared to the power shaft of the'machine, and the lowerroller q having its shaft jour naled in bearings within the hopper R. The feed chute leads from the discharge end of the elevator to the elevated hopper 0 so asto proper y direct the corks therein. The buckets on the elevator belt are so proportioned and shaped as to each receive and contain one cork, and in the path of these elevator buckets, is arranged the free'endof an agitator lever S, which is'hung near its rear end to a wall of the hopper R. A springs is connected to the'heel of this lever S,and the lever carries a knocker s which is pivoted at its heel to the lever and normally lifted by a coiled spring so as to strike an apron or plate T which is attached to a fixed partition 25 in the hopper R, whereby the corkson the apron or plate T are agitated and supplied to the buckets on the elevator.

The mechanism for righting tapered corks so as to turn them to a vertical position, small end downward, and feed the corks successively in such righted position to'the feed J slide-J, isshown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 and also 2, the-elevated fixedrho'ppr O and the agitatorroller being dispensed with.

:On the upper table A of the machine Igiarrange the reciprocating hopper 10,-which is arranged to move in'a horizontal path lengthwise of the table A. At'opposite endsof the table A are fixed the short upright bearing and rear -.of this hopper, and said crossheads are connected together by means of the longitudinal parallel plates 'or rods 16 fastened to the crossheads and to which the hopper is fastened, and these plates 'or rods 16 are formed into a cork way or guide below the hopper and in front of the same. A disthe hopper, and to this opening leads the inclined front wall 18 of the hopper so as to properly discharge the corks to "the opening 17, through which they pass to the cork way formed by the reversely-inclined plates 16,

charge opening 17 is formed inthe bottom of the plates being so spaced as to permit the v small-end of the corks to pass betweenthem whilethe larger ends of the corks arecaught and held by'the plates, whereby the corks are suspended or hung small end downward in proper position to bedropped or discharged in theopening or short feed tube K leading to the feed slide J. The hopper is reciprocated back and'forth over the table Aby the lever 2O, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This lever is hung or pivotedat its upper end to afixed bracket 21 of themachine, and the'lower end of the lever 21 is slotted, at 22, to receive the stud or pin v23 projecting from the rear crosshead 14 which is movablewith the plates or rods 16 and the hopper 10; and the lever is swung back and forth by a wrist pin on the crank disk 24, said disk being carried bya shaft 25 which is suitably journaled on the machine and the disk is rotated by a belt or chain 26 driven from one of the overhead shafts of the machine, see Figs. 1 and 2. As the corks are suspended small end downward between theccorkway formed by the plates or rods 16, and asthe hopper reciprocates back and forth toward and from the upper endof the feed tube K, devices must be provided for moving the corks one at a time longitudinally along the guide way 16 in order that the corks may be supplied successively to the feed tube K. This adjusting device for feeding the corks along the guide way in one embodiment of my invention consists of a detent 30 and a swinging cork plate 31,'the detent operating on the rearward motion of the hopper to force the suspended cork from a position below the opening 17 toward the front cross head and the swingingcork plate being held in a raised lockedposition during apor- 'tion of such rearward motion of the hopper,

whereby the cork-plate is adapted to hold or detain a cork in front of the same while the 1 plates 16 are moved far enough rearward to.

bring the widened part 27 of said plates 16 opposite tothe cork, whereupon the cork, so detained by the plate 31, passes through the widened part or opening 27 between said plates andflthence to the feed tube K, this dropping ofthecork in front of the cork plate, 31, taking place when the hopper and the plates 16 reachthe limit of their rearward movement.

The detent30 is rigid with a rock shaft 32 which is journaled on the table Aat the rear end of the hopper 10, and this shaft 32 has a crank arm 33 to which is connected one end ofa link 34. The cork plate 3l is rigidly fas- 1 of the hopper, and the ends of the rock shaft 35 are provided with

arms

36, 36, which ex- .tend upward between the fixed guide rods and the rods or plates 16, forming the cork wayalong the bottom of the hopper, the up per free ends of the arms being provided with counterweights 37 which. are of sufficient weight to give the shaft and cork plate the desired quick throw. To one of the arms 36 of the rock shaft is pivoted theforwardend of the link 3tso that the two shafts which carry the detent and cork plate are connect-ed together for simultaneous operation,-aud on this link 34 is pivoted the latch 38 which is controlled by a spring 39 so that its free end is normally in the path of a stud for lug 43 .Which is fixed to one of the guide rods 13 so that the latch is adapted to come into look ing engagement with said fixed stud 13.

On the forward motion of the hopper, the detent 30 and the swinging cork plate3l remain depressed to allow the corks suspended from the hopper and the cork-way plates to pass over said detent and cork-plate, and at the completion of such forward motion of the hopper and way plates, the detent and cork plate are both raised to an inclined vertical position as shown in Fig. 6 by a stud or pin 42 on one of the cork way plates coming against one of the weighted arms of the rock shaft v 35/ The detent and cork plate are locked in this position by the latch 38 coming in looking engagement with the fixed stud 43 on one of the guide rods 13, the link or bar moving with the rock shaft 35 and'cork plate so as to throw the rock shaft and its detent 30 to the raised position and bring the latch into engagement with the stud 43. Asthe hopper is moved rearward by the lever, the cork plate and detent are held in their fixed raised positions by th e tripping locking mechanism, and the detent and cork plate act as follows on such rearward motion of the hopper and its attached cork way plates :-The detent serves to drawa cork from the bottom of the hopper and force it between the inclined plates forming the cork way to a posi of the hopper, the detent has advanced a cork between the inclined guide way plates, and at the completion of the rearwardmotion of the hopper, both the detent and the cork plate are returned to their depressed horizontal positions by a stud 40 which is carried by an arm 41 fixed to the frontcrosshead, so that wheat-he hopper again moves forward, the corks in the bottom thereof and the cork way plates will pass over the detent and cork plate arm and thus be brought to a position in front of the detent and cork plate when they are again raised to their vertically inclined position. The stud 40 on the arm ll of the crosshead is so arranged that it will strike the spring pressed latch, during the latter part of the rearward movement of the connected hopper, plates 16, and

crossheads

14, 15, and while the detent 30 and cork plate 31 are in the raised locked positions; and this stud 40and arm 41 are thusadapted to release the latch 38 from locking engagement with the stud 43 and bear against the spring-pressed latch 38 with sufficient force to move the latch and bar 34 rearward, thereby turning the two

shafts

32, 35, to restore the detent 30 and cork plate 31 to their depressed positions. a

The purpose of the locking mechanism for the cork plate is to hold the latter in-fi ed relation to the cork way and hopper when raised to the vertically inclined position during the completion of the forward motion of the hopper and while it is traveling rearward, so as to prevent a cork from upsetting or turning the cork plate and detent backward to their horizontally depressed positions should the cork bind in between the inclined plates forming the cork way, and this latch is released by the stud 40 on the arm 41 which extends backward from the front crossheada sufiicient distance to release the latch when rearward movement of the hopper isnearly completed.

In corking bottles which are filled with charged liquid, such as beer and carbonated water, it is necessary to supply gas under pressure to thebottle just previous to the operation of forcingthe cork into the mouth of the bottle, in order that the gas will be compressed in thebottle between the cork and the liquid therein, and this object is attained in my invention a by providing a gas inlet port or tube 45 in the flared mouth of the cork tube, from which port 45 leads a flexible tube or hose 46 whichis connected to an automatic closing valve with a turning plugwhich is so controlled by a weight, or its equivalent,that

ICO

the plug normally cuts off the passage of gas through the valve, the latter being supported on the machine frame and havingapipe connection 48 to a gas tank or generator in which the gas is stored under pressure. This valve 47 has its plug provided with an arm 49 which lies in the path of a tappet 50 on the plun-' ger G, and as the plunger descends and forces the cork into the tubeD and the latteris depressed over the mouth of the bottle to form 'a tight joint therewith, the valve 47 is mo mentarily opened by the tappet 5O acting against the arm 49 to admit the gas below the cork and into the tube D and the bottle, and as the cork is forced, by the continued descent of'the plunger, into the bottle and the gas thus compressed therein, the cock is antomatically closed by the tappet 50 clearing the arm 49 of the valve, the tappet on the upstroke of the plunger riding past the arm 49 i so as not to open the valve and thus obviate waste of the gas.

the operationmay be described as follows:-

The cork is fed to the feed chute K and the feed slide J so as to be in the path of the plunger, and the carrier E moves the bottle from the apron around to the platen G,imme- The plunger diately below the cork tube. snow desc'ends to force the cork into the tube pact of' the plunger as to hold the bottle firmly in place. E is atrest, but as the plunger rises and the bottle is released from the cork tube D which is lifted by the springs, the carrier E turns to shift the corked bottle back to the apron and move an uncorked bottle from the apron to the platen, G; and as this operation of replacing the bottle is being performed, the plunger rises, actuates the rod, M, lever L and feed.

slide to place a new cork in position below the plunger by the time the uncorked bottle is brought by the carrier E from the apron t0 the platen, G, when the operations are re peated. 1 The corks are automatically supplied b the cork feed mechanism to the slide J, and

the bottles are prevented from being thrown off the apron H or the carrier E by the guard rails '55, shown in Fig. 3.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and in the details of construction of the several mechanisms herein shown and described as an embodiment-of my invention can be made without departing from thespirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention and I therefore reserve the right to make such modifications and altera- In the meantime the carrier tions as fairly fall within the scope of "my in-* 1. In a bottle corking machine the combination with a bottle-bed, and a plunger reciprocating in line with said bed, of a yielding corkrtube in line withthe plunger and constructed to compress a cork within said cork-tube as it is forced through the same'by the plunger, whereby the cork-tube is adapted to be carried down a limited distance with the plunger and the cork and to fit over the mouth of the bottle, substantially as and for the purposes described. 7

2. In a bottle corking machine, the combination with a bottle-bed, anda plunger, of a movable cork-tube provided with av flared mouth at one end to receive theneck of a bottle, and tension devices Which yieldingly sustain the cork tube and permit it to move This being the construction of my machine,

veyer onto the bottle-bed or platen, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a bottle corking machine, the zcom bi- I nation with a cork-tube and a plunger, of a table having an opening therein, a yielding platen or bed fitted in said table in line with said plunger, a lever having a rod or stem which is connected to said platen or bed and provided with an adjustable Weight, a conveyer arranged at one side of said platen or bed, and means for shifting-a bottle from'the conveyor, upon the platen or bed, and thence back to said co nveyer, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In a bottle corking machine, the combination with a plunger, a cork-tube, and a feed mechanism, of an endless conveyor at one the bottle-carrier with a step-by-step motion,

the combisubstantially as and for the purposes described.

7. In a bottle corking machine, the combination with a plunger, a cork-tube, and a cork feed mechanism, of a continuous endless bottle-carrier passing at one side of the cork tube rier, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8; In a bottle corking machine, the combination with a cork tube, and a reciprocating plunger provided with a cross head or projection,of a spring-controlled feed slide guided across the path of the plunger and the cork-tube, a lever L connected to said feedslide, and a trip linked to said lever and guided to lie normally in the path of said cross-head or projection on the reciprocating plunger, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9.,In a bottlecorking machine, the combination of a table, a cork-tube, a feed-slide guided in a horizontal way, a spring for retracting the feed slide, a bell-crank lever connected to the feed slide, and a vertically guided stem linked to the bell crank lever and having a projection arranged in the path of a.

cross head on said plunger, substantially as and for the purposes described.

10. In a bottle corking machine, the combition of atable having a horizontal guide-way, a corkguide tube suspended from said table at one end of said guide way, a cork-feed tube at one side of the cork-guide tube, a feed-slide fitted in said guid eway between the two tubes and provided atone end with'the cork grasping jaws, a reciprocating plunger, a lever L connected to said feed-slide, and a stem connected with the lever and provided with a projection arranged in the path of the plunger, for the purposes described, substantially as set forth.

11. In a bottle corking machine, the combination of an elevated cork-hopper, a primary hopper, an elevator operating in the primary hopper to receive the corks therefrom and deliver the same to the elevated hopper, a cork-V tube below the elevated hopper, a feed tube leading. from said elevated hopper, a feed slide between the feed tube and cork tube, a plunger, and connections between the plungerand feed slide to actuate the latter, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

12. In a bottle corking machine, the combination with a cork-t ube, a plunger, and a feed slide, of an elevated cork hopper provided with-a pendent feed tube which discharges the corks to said feed-slide, a primary hopper situated below said elevated hopper, an endless elevator between the primary and elevated hoppers, a vibrating agitator hung within the primary hopper in the path of the buckets on said endless elevator, and an overhead driving mechanism for actuating the plunger and the endless elevator, substantially as and for the purposes described.

13. In a bottle corkingmachine, the combination with a cork-guide tube, a plunger, and a feed slide, of a feed tube arranged to deliver the corks one at a time to said feed-slide, a reciprocating hopper movable to and from the feed slide and having a cork-way between which the corks are to be suspended, detents operating synchronously with the hopper to move the corks along its guide way, and means for supplying corks to the hopper, substan tially as and for the purposes described.

14. The combination with afeed tube, of a reciprocatin g hopper and corkway plates supported over the feed tube, a detent to withdraw a cork from said hopper and move it between the cork-way plates, a swinging corkplate adapted to detain a cork from moving with said cork-way plates as the hopper moves away from the said cork plate, a locking mechanism to hold the detent and swinging cork way plates in elevated positions during the movement of the hopper in one direction, and devices to depress said detent and swinging cork plate, substantially as described.

15. The combination with a feed tube, of a reciprocating hopper carrying the cork-way at one end thereof, the detent arranged between the cork-way, the swinging cork-plate, connections between said detent and cork plate, a locking means to hold the detent and cork plate in their raised positions, and means to depress the cork plate and detent, substantially as described.

16. In a bottle corking machine, the combination of a yieldingly supported cork tube, a movable platen or bed in line with said cork tube andnormally pressed toward the same by a weighted lever, an intermittently rotated bottle carrier situatedbetween said cork tube and the platen or bed, and a plunger, substantially as and for the purposes described.

17. In a bottle corking machine, the combination of a cork guide tube, D, a plunger 0, and cork feed devices to supply corks one at a time to said tube D, of an automatic gassupply valve 46 supported above the corktube and having a pipe connection therewith, and means carried by the plunger to momentarily open the valve as the plunger descends to force the cork through said tube D, into IIO plunger to be operated thereby as-the plunger descends, the flexible pipe between the valve and the gas-orifice in the cork-tube, and a supply pipe to said valve, substantially as descrlbed.

15 In a bottle corking machine, the combination with a cork tube, a plunger, and a bottie? platen or bed, of a gassupply pipe cou- 'nected to the cork tube, a self-closing valve ['0 held in a fixed support above the cork tube andhaving an arm, and a yieldingtappet earried by the plunger and adapted to open the valve on the downstroke of the plunger, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

SAML. B. SMALLWOOD.

V Witnesses: i W. M. SMALLWOOD,

CHAS. W. HALLETT.