IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS OR CLOSING APPARATUS FOR DECANTERS, BOTTLES, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Millar, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid
Lothian, Glass Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS
OR CLOSING APPARATUS FOR DECANTERS, BOTTLES, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES."
Sealed the 10th July 1857, and dated the 18th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Millar at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th March
1857.
I, JOHN MILLAR, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, Glass
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOPPERS OR CLOSING APPARATUS FOR DECANTERS, BOTTLES, AND OTHER
RECEPTACLES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of a mechanical
appliance by means of which the stoppers of decanters, bottles, and other
vessels are removed from the mouth of the decanter or vessel, when it is
inclined, as in the act of pouring out the contents. On restoring the vessel to
a vertical position the stopper is replaced on its seat. Thus by these improve-
ments the trouble of removing and replacing the stoppers of decanters and
other like vessels is wholly avoided. Under one modification of the improve-
ments, the arrangement consists in the fitting a metal ring to the flange or lip of
the decanter or bottle, and to this ring is soldered or otherwise attached a short
upright piece of metal; a small horizontal lever is jointed to the upright, so
as to project over the flange or lip of the decanter, and to the inner end of the
horizontal lever is jointed a small piece of metal, carrying a twisted wire or
ornamental band, which encircles the upper part of the stopper. The under
side of the stopper is made to correspond in shape with the mouth of the
decanter or other vessel, so that when it rests thereon it fits close, and prevents

page_text: the evaporation of the liquid contained within the decanter or vessel. By
means of this arrangement, when the decanter or other vessel is inclined, the
piece of metal jointed to the inner end of the horizontal lever turns on its
axis and removes the stopper from the mouth of the vessel; and if the
decanter be still more inclined, the horizontal lever moves on its axis, carrying
the stopper still further away from the mouth, and clear of the liquid as it
issues from the vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Millar in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MILLAR, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, Glass Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Millar, Her special license that I, the said John Millar,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Millar, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
luring the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOPPERS OR CLOSING APPARATUS FOR DECANTERS, BOTTLES, AND OTHER
RECEPTACLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Millar,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Millar, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-

page_text: My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of a
mechanical appliance by means of which the stoppers of decanters, bottles, and
other vessels are removed from the mouth of the decanter or vessel, when it is
inclined, as in the act of pouring out the contents. On restoring the vessel to
a vertical position the stopper is replaced on its seat. Thus by these improve-
ments the trouble of removing and replacing the stoppers of decanters and
other like vessels is wholly avoided. Under one modification of the improve-
ments, the arrangement consists in the fitting a metal ring to the flange or lip
of the decanter or bottle, and to this ring is soldered or otherwise attached a
short upright piece of metal; a small horizontal lever is jointed to the upright,
so as to project over the flange or lip of the decanter, and to the inner end of
the horizontal lever is jointed a small piece of metal, carrying a twisted wire
or ornamental band, which encircles the upper part of the stopper. The
under side of the stopper is made to correspond in shape with the mouth of
the decanter or other vessel, so that when it rests thereon it fits close, and
provents the evaporation of the liquid contained within the decanter or vessel.
By means of this arrangement, when the decanter or other vessel is inclined,
the piece of metal jointed to the inner end of the horizontal lever turns on its
axis, and removes the stopper from the mouth of the vessel; and if the
decanter be still more inclined, the horizontal lever moves on its axis, carrying
the stopper still further away from the mouth, and clear of the liquid as it
issues from the vessel.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of
shewing certain modifications under which my Invention may be judiciously
carried out in practice.
Figure 1 of my illustrative Drawing is an elevation of a decanter or vessel
for holding wine or other fluid, and having my improved stopper or closing
apparatus applied thereto; Figure 2 is a side view of the upper part of a
similar vessel on an enlarged scale, shewing the position of the stopper or
closing apparatus whilst the fluid is being poured from the containing vessel;
Figure 3 is a plan corresponding to Figure 1.
In this modification of my improvements, the projecting flange or lip of the
decanter or other vessel is fitted with a band or ring of metal A, which is
made to accurately fit the lip or flange. To the edge of the metal ring A is
soldered or otherwise fastened a stationary vertical piece of metal B, and to
the upper end of this fixed support there is jointed a short piece of metal C,
which projects inwards over the mouth of the decanter or other vessel. The

page_text: upper part of the stopper is encircled by a ring or band of metal D, which is
made with a projecting piece E, by means of which it is jointed to the link or
intermediate lever C. The metal ring D may be surmounted by ornamental
chased work, serving for the support of an escutcheon, on which armorial
bearings, crests, or other devices may be engraved. Or the upper part of the
stopper may be surmounted with figures or other terminal ornaments, thus
giving a highly decorative finish to decanters or other vessels fitted with my
improvements. The stopper F is modified in form to suit the peculiar
arrangement of my self-acting closing and stopping apparatus. The lower
part of the stopper F is made of a flatly convex shape, and the mouth of the
decanter or other vessel is made of a concave shape, corresponding to the flat
convexity of the stopper. Thus, when the stopper is resting upon the mouth
of the decanter, as shewn in Figure 1 of my illustrative Drawings, the mouth
of the vessel is securely and efficiently closed, if proper care has been taken
in making the stopper and mouth of the vessel to correspond in their respective
curvatures. When the decanter or other vessel, fitted and arranged according
to these improvements, is inclined, as in the act of pouring, the weight of the
stopper causes the projecting piece E to turn upon the pin, by means of which
it is jointed to the link or intermediate lever C. As the stopper turns upon
its point of attachment it assumes the angular position shewn in Figure 2 of
my illustrative Drawings, and obviously leaves the mouth of the decanter open
for the contents to flow therefrom; but if the projecting picce E were the
only moveable part, the stopper F would to some extent interfere with the
egress of the fluid when the decanter or other vessel is still more inclined than
is shewn in Figure 2 of my Sheet of Drawings. This difficulty is, however,
avoided by the secondary movement of the intermediate lever C, which turns
upon its point of attachment as the mouth of the vessel is inclined below the
horizontal line. The motion of the lever C about its axis causes the stopper
to move still further from the mouth of the vessel, and leave a clear passage
for the flow of the fluid. Upon returning the decanter or other vessel to
the vertical position, the stopper gradually descends upon the mouth and
effectively secures the same. In fitting the necks of some kinds of vessels,
for example, water bottles, claret jugs, or other wide-mouthed vessels, the
intermediate link or lever C may be dispensed with. In this arrangement the
fitting consists only of the straight or curved stationary piece of metal B and
a moveable projecting piece. This is obviously a plainer and less expensive
arrangement than that shewn in Figure 1 of my Sheet of illustrative
Drawings. Instead also of making the joint at the upper part of the piece
of metal B, it may be jointed at the lower part, at its junction with the ring A.

page_text: This arrangement admits of the stopper being thrown completely back, leaving
the mouth quite clear, for the greater convenience of filling the vessel. For
wines and most fluids, a sufficiently close junction is obtained if the stopper
and mouth of the decanter or other vessel are smooth and polished, as in
decanters of the ordinary kind; but if a closer junction or air-tight joint is
desired, this may be obtained by grinding the under surface of the stopper and
the concave portion of the mouth of the vessel, so that the two surfaces form
a closely fitting joint when brought in contact with each other. By means
of these improvements the contents of decanters and other vessels may be
poured out by merely inclining the bottle, no other movement being necessary
on the part of the operator or user for the removal of the stopper.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,---
First, the general arrangement and construction of stoppers or closing
apparatus, and additional parts applied to bottles, decanters, jugs, and other
vessels or receptacles, whereby a self-acting closing and unclosing action is
obtained, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of closing and unclosing the mouths of bottles,
decanters, jugs, and other vessels or receptacles by means of apparatus
arranged as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of arranging and constructing bottles, decanters,
jugs, and other vessels or receptacles, wherein on the simple inclination of the
bottle or vessel the stopper or closing apparatus is completely removed from
its seat.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Millar, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty cavan
JNO. MILLAR. (L.S.)