Abstract: The device comprises a first pair of pressure chambers, the facing inner walls of which are provided with contoured pleating pads, and a second pair or pressure chambers, the facing inner walls of which are provided with contoured pressing and lapping pads, each said pad being outwardly shaped to substantially correspond to the shape of a bottle neck. The pleating pads have a substantially constant thickness when the pressing and lapping pads have lateral end portions of a greater thickness than the mid-portion thereof. The method comprises the step of first pressure applying the pleating pads, then the pressing and lapping pads to tightly press the cap onto the bottle neck with formation of two symmetrical pairs of outwardly extending pleats, to retract all the pads and to bring back the pressing and lapping pads into pressure contact against the neck to cause said lateral end portions thereof to overflow around the bottle neck, thereby to fold or lap over the thus formed pleats.

Abstract: Printed caps to be placed upon filled and corked bottles are forwarded onto slanted parallel guide rods which are caused to selectively rotate to present the successive caps thereon to a cap gripping and setting device with said caps having a determined position as detected by a sensing device disposed adjacent the lower end of the guide rods for sensing marks provided on the caps. The desired position of the caps is determined with respect to a proper positioning of the bottles so as to have printed patterns on the caps and the pleats thereof positioned with respect to structural features of the bottles, such as wire eyes of cork-wiring of champagne bottles.