US922776A - Capping-machine. - Google Patents

Description

G. KIRKEGAARD.

CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONYFILED MAY 6, 190a.

Patented May 25, 1909.

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GEORG KIliKEGAARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO IMPERIAL STOPPER COMPANY,

A CORPORATION 011 MAINE.

CAPPING-MAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnosc KIRKEGAARD, a citizen of the United States, residin at the city of New York, in the borough 0 Brooklyn and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Capping-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to bottle capping machines of that class which are adapted to apply a stopper to a bottle, comprising a metal cap having a depending flange adapted to makin locking engagement with the exterior of 5m neck. of the bottle and containing a packingdisk which is held undercompression against the mouth of the bottle by such locking engagement. In machines of thischaracter, especially those which are driven by power, the stroke of the plunger and head which applies the cap to the bottle is usually of uniform length and, if the bottle happens to be of abnormal length, as often occurs, unusual pressure is, exerted upon the bottleby the machine, which results in breakage and loss.

It is the ob ect of my invention to provide a machine which, while affording the necessary pressure to compress the packing disk and apply the cap, will automatically compensate for any unusual length in the bottle and prevent the breakage and loss referred to.

The invention consists in supporting the a table upon which the bottle, While undergoing the capping operation, is supported, upon a spring having a tension suificlent to resist the pressure of the machine when acting upon a bottle of normal size.

The invention further consists in providing asupport or abutment for said spring which is adapted to yield or retreat under certain conditions, but which is normally held by a latch or equivalent means In capping a bottle of unusual length the latch is tripped and the support is allowed to retreat or recede, thus; rinitting 'the bottle to move with the-stro e of the capping machine and relieve-itselfof the'iundue pressure which it would otherwise be subjected to. The invention Willbe described in detail with reference'to the accompanying draws in in which igure 1 is a verticalrsection of the ma chine with parts in elevation. Fi 2 is a horizontal sect on on line w-w 0 Fig. 1,

looking downward, and Fig. 3 is a plan of a plate which supports the table.

, Referring to the drawingby reference numerals, 1 indicates the base frame and 2 a hollow standard supported thereon. 3 is a continuously running pulley through which power is transmitted tothe mach1ne,.and- 4 .isa treadle by which the movmg pulley s coupled to the-shaft 5 for each operation.- of the machine. which is adapted to impart a stroke downward and upward to a rod 7 extending; up through the hollow standard 2. This rod carries a capping head at its upper-end: 8 adapted to move in suitable guides 9 and having propermechanism at 10 for engag: ing the cap on the bottle and looking it 1111.- der compression thereon. The pan 11, is merely a receptacle for stoppers. These features do not form any part of thepresent' invention.

Against the front of the standard is bolted a plate 12 carrying a vertical cylinder 13,,the,

lower end of which is closed, except for a threaded perforation which accommodates an adjusting screw 14 having a locking nut The shaft 5 carries a lfinko 15. The upper end'of the cylinder is open,

but serves as a guide for a table. 16 having,

on its upper surface a cushion of rubber or other suitable material 17 upon which; the

bottle rests while being acted upon. by the machine. The table is of suilicient length to be held steadily in the cy xi'dcr, audit is provided on its under side ith an; annular inclined surface 18 and with a central cylindrical projection 19.

The screw 14 sustains a horizontal disk, or support 20 which may be adjusted vertically and locked at any point of adjustment by means of the screw and its lockin nut. This disk is provided with a centra upwardly projecting pin 21 and with three notchc$ 22 equally spaced around its periphery. Above the disk 20 is another disk 23 havlng a central opening which enables it to be passed" over the pin 21, and it is yieldingly sustained some distance above disk 20 by a sprin 24. This disk. is likewise notched around? its peri hery', and flanking each notch are. u war ly-extending cars 25 inthe upper on s of which are the pivot pins, 26of three levers 27. These levers extend" downward and u ward from their pivots, their lower en '5 notches 22, and their upper en carryingrollers 28 which bear against the inclined annular surface 18 of the table 16. The lower end of each lever is provided with a sprin 29 which bears against the wall of the cylin er 13 so as to move the lever inward when free to do so. The disk 23 serves as a support for a second spring 30 considerably heavier and stronger than the spring 24. This spring surroundsthe upper end of pin 21 and the rejection 19 of the table, the table being held in its normal position or elevation by this spring. Above the table at a. proper elevation is a bracket carrying a e 31 which facilitates positioning the ttle upon the table. The various parts are shown in their normalrelation, wherein it will be seen that'the supporting disk '23 is positively sustained at a fixed distance above the main supporting disk 20 bythe levers 27, and the sprlng 21 is under no special compression 'due' to the weight of the parts above it. The spring 30 is constructed to be of just sufiicient power to sustain the bottle at approximately a constant level, yielding only when an extraordinany downward pressure is applied to the t e-ordinary operation of table, so that, in ca lplnga bottle, the bottle is laced on the ta e in the position shown in ig. 1, and the treadle 4 is actuated. The head moves downward and exerts considerable pressure m a downward direction against the top of the bottle to com ress the packing disk in the ca and then lick the cap upon the bottle.- f the bottle is of normal length, the spring 30 willsustain the table, allowing it to {l'ower only slightly and not enough to .,,ca1ise the rollers 28 to travel on the inclined "ann ilar surface 18 got the table. When, however, a bottle is encountered which is longei rthan usual, which is often the case becf'auseof the crude way in which such bott l es'arenrade the stroke of the cappin head remaining the same as before, the ta 1e 16 must yield *sufliciently to compensate for the extra: length of bottle, or otherwise the bot-" tle will be broken. Therefore, the spring 30 is constructedto yield slightly when this abnormal' pres'sure upon the table is exerted,- and,' W.hen,-the table travels downward," its the rollers 28 and; forces them inward, thus throwing outward" the. lowe,r, ends-of levers 27 into the notches inclined surface 18 strikes .sition, v carrying 22 of disk 20. This releases-the supporting and *another replaced without any disturb ance of the operation; On the return stroke,

the spring 24lifts the disk 23 to its normal position, the levers-27 being carried with it until their lower ends clear thetop of the disk 20, when their springs 29 force, them inward to'rest upon the top of disk '20. Spring 30. meanwhile resumes its normal pothe table to its proper normal working level. I

It will be seen that the levers act as latches to sustain the abutment disk 23 at its proper working level, and, when they aretripped, the abutment is released and.a second and weaker spring is substituted to su ort the table. The sprin "are originzfily constructed to be of t e right power todo the work, but, any weakening or strengthening of them which may be required is accomplished by the adjusting screw 14.

What I claim is:

1. In a bottle capping machine, a depressible table, a spring for resistin depression of the table, an abutment for sai spring, means for positively and rigidly locking said abutme'nt against depresslon, and meansactuated by more than a predetermined depression of said table for releasing the locking means for said abutment and permitting the latter to retreat. v i 1 2. In a bottle capping machine, a depressibletable, a sprin for resisting the depression of said tab e, an abutment for said spring, a latch for positively and rigidly locking said abutment against depression,

and means actuated by more than a predetermined depression of said table for release ing'said' late In witness whereof, I subscribe my ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: WALDO M. CHAPINf. JAMES D ANTONIO...

GEORG

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