Improvements in Bottles, Flasks, Jars, or similar Vessels, and in the Means Adopted for the Prevention of the Fraudulent Filling thereof.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 14th May, 1892-Accepted, 18th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottles, Flasks, Jars, or similar Vessels, and in
the Means Adopted for the Prevention of the Fraudulent Filling
thereof.
I, ARTHUR WILLIAM ELLIS of 4 Margaretta Terrace, Chelsea, in the County
of Middlesex, Chemical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of bottles, flasks, jars, or similar
vessels in such a manner that having once been used they cannot, without detection,
be refilled. To effect this object I contract the neck of the bottle at its upper and
lower extremities, though I do not confine myself to these positions, and provide
the intermediate portions with grooves or channel ways for the passage of air and
liquid. The lower contraction provide for the purpose of receiving a sphere,
plug, or valve which is introduced into the neck of the bottle, when the same has
been filled, to the desired height, and the upper contraction (forming the mouth of
the bottle) I provide for the purpose of receiving the ordinary cork or other
stopper. This valve, if made for instance of a heavy material such as glass or
earthenware, I prefer to be hollow and of about the same specific gravity as the
liquid for which the bottle is required.
To provide against the possibility (when the bottle is upright) of the valve
floating in the liquid, and thus permitting the downward passage of same, I place
above said valve, a glass sphere or weight or other suitable contrivance which must
move freely in the neck of the bottle, when the same is tilted, for the purpose of
pouring out the contents.
I may also introduce, either between the glass sphere or weight and the valve,
or between such glass sphere or weight and the stopper, hereinafter described, a
hollow ball or closed cylinder of caoutchouc or other suitable elastic material,
which, upon any attempt being made to exhaust the bottle of air, will expand and
thus close, or partially close the opening, and at the same time press the valve,
hereinbefore described, into its seating, thus preventing the passage of liquid, in
whatever position the bottle may be placed.
At a convenient distance below the mouth of the bottle cause a horizontal
groove or depression to be cast in the neck, for the purpose of receiving the lugs
or projections of the stopper hereinafter described, and at a short distance, or at
short distances from and below this groove or depression I provide an internal
and borizontal ridge or projection, or internal ridges or projections, around the
circumference of the neck, the diameter of which is only just sufficient for the
passage of the valve hereinbefore mentioned.
The object of the ridge or ridges is to prevent the introduction, through the
hereinbefore first mentioned grooves or channel ways, of a wire or other instrument
whereby the valve might be raised or otherwise displaced.
To render the withdrawal of the valve, sphere, or other contrivances, impossible
I construct a short cylindrical stopper of glass or other suitable material, provided
at or about the centre of its height, with two or more horizontal holes passing
completely through said stopper, and into these holes I fit short pieces of glass or
other suitable rod, the combined length of any two pieces being somewhat shorter
than the diameter of the stopper; upon withdrawing these rods I fit into the centre
of said stopper a piece or picces of caoutchouc or other suitable elastic material, in
such quantity that upon inserting the short rods herein before described considerable
force is necessary to bring their outer ends within, or flush with, the diameter of
the stopper herein before described.

page_text: Having filled the bottle to the desired height, I place the valve in its seating, and
upon it the spheres or weights, herein before described, I then by means of some
suitable tool insert the stopper into the mouth of the bottle pressing it downwards
until the short rods or lugs herein before described, are by the pressure exerted, by
the compressed caoutchouc or other elastic material, forced outwards and into the
horizontal groove or depression hereinbefore described, by which means the said
stopper is secured.
As a modification of the means of preventing the extraction of, or tampering
with, the valve and in lieu of the horizontal groove or depression herein-
before described, I enlarge the diameter of the mouth of the bottle and provide an
internal shoulder at the bottom thereof; into this enlarged portion of the neck, I
fix (when the bottle is filled) by means of some suitable cement, a short piece of
stout tube, or false mouth, the internal diameter of which is smaller than that
portion of the neck in which the valve and spheres or weights work.
As a further modification I may make the bottle in two distinct parts, the body
having a short neck and contraction therein, forming the valve seating, and the
longer neck being provided with grooves or channel ways, and an internal and
horizontal ridge or projection as hereinbefore deɛcribed. In this case, the mouth
of the bottle must be contracted sufficiently to prevent the removal or displace-
ment of the valve, an intermediate stopper or false mouth will therefore be
unnecessary.
In order the more efficiently to secure the upper or longer portion of the neck,
which is enlarged to fit over the lower or shorter portion, I prefer that they be
ground or roughed, the one internally and the other externally by this means a
better hold is given to the cement used for attaching the parts, or I cause an outer
casing to be cast around, and at a short distance from, the shorter neck, and in the
annular space thus formed I insert the longer portion of the neck, securing the same
by means of cement or other suitable material.
Dated this Twenty-third day of January 1892.
ARTHUR W. ELLIS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottles, Flasks, Jars, or similar Vessels, and in
the Means Adopted for the Prevention of the Fraudulent Filling
thereof.
I, ARTHUR WILLIAM ELLIS, of 4, Margaretta Terrace, Chelsea, in the County
of London, Chemical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in bottles, flasks, jars or similar vessels
whereby, after they have been once emptied, they cannot be refilled without
detection.
In carrying out my invention 1 arrange in conjunction with the neck of the
vessel a valve adapted when the bottle is in an upright position to rest upon a seat,
the said valve being preferably made hollow or of such a material that its specific
gravity is less than that of the liquid which the bottle is to contain so that, if an
attempt is made to introduce liquid into the bottle whilst in an inverted position,
the said valve will float into contact with its seat. In order to prevent the valve
from floating upon liquid introduced into the vessel when in an upright position I
arrange in conjunction with this valve a suitable weight. In conjunction with the
valve and the weight I arrange passages through which the liquid and air can flow,
and in the neck of the vessel I fix a stopper or shield having passages through it
for allowing the egress of liquid from the vessel but so arranged that a wire or
instrument, for holding the valve away from its seat to allow the fraudulent filling
of the vessel, cannot be inserted.

page_text: The upper part of the neck of the vessel is adapted to receive a cork or other
ordinary stopper.
I sometimes make the neck of the vessel detachable from the body portion
thereof.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the neck of a bottle provided with my
improvements, the valve, the weight and the shield being shewn in elevation:
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but shewing the valve, the weight and the
shield in vertical section:
Figure 3 is a plan view of the upper part of the bottle; and,
Figure 4 is a section on the linea, Figure 1, the valve being removed :
Figures 5 and 6 are a plan and horizontal section of the shield:
Figures 7 to 12 are views illustrating modifications of my invention and hereinafter
described.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a indicates the bottle-neck which is enlarged at the part in order to form a
seating for the valve and to provide space for a series of grooves d, d for the
passage of the liquid past the valve. e indicates the valve, the weight for pressing
the same onto its seat, and the shield.
As shewn in Figures 1 and 2 the valve which is advantageously made of glass or
india-rubber is in the form of a hollow sphere and the weight is also spherical and
formed of glass or other suitable material. The guard or shield y is designed to be
fixed in the bottle-neck at such a height above the valve and weight as to allow
free movement of the latter for the discharge of the contents of the vessel. The
guard shewn in Figures 1 and 2 is of cylindrical shape and has formed around it
two circumferential grooves, forming three collars i,,. In these collars I
form slots 3, 3, as shewn most clearly in Figures 5 and 6, the slots in one collar
being opposite to the solid portions between the slots in the adjacent collar or
collars, as indicated most clearly in Figure 5, in order to provide an indirect or
zig-zag passage for preventing the introduction of a Wire or implement for
displacing the valve. At its centre the guard is provided with horizontal
holes passing completely through it and with a vertical central cavity jl
permanently closed at its upper part. Into this cavity I insert a piece of
india-rubber or other elastic material preferably in the form of a tube and into the
horizontal holes I insert short pieces ³ ³ of glass or other rod of such length that
upon pressure being put upon them they will enter the guard sufficiently for the
same to be introduced into the neck of the bottle into which it is forced by some
suitable contrivance. In the said neck I form a horizontal groovek in such a
position that when the guard is pressed down to the desired point the ends of the
rods will be pressed into the groove by the elastic material in the central
cavity of the stopper, thereby locking the said shield in position.
In lieu of the continuous groovek I may provide recesses for the reception of the
ends of the rods.
с
The method of applying my invention is as follows:-that is to say, having
filled the bottle to the desired height I drop into the neck thereof the valve e and
then the weight; I then insert the guard or shield g, after which the bottle may
be corked in the ordinary manner. It will thus be seen that in discharging the
contents of a bottle provided with my improvements the valve e drops away from
its seating so that the liquid is free to pass the same through the grooves d, d and
through the recesses in the guard or shield. It will be seen, however, that no
liquid can be introduced into the bottle whilst in an upright position owing to the
fact that the valve e is retained upon its seat by the weight neither can any
liquid be introduced into the bottle if the latter is reversed as, in this case, the
valve would float upon the liquid and bear against its seating.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figure 7 I have represente.l a

page_text: '
:
mitred valve in lieu of a spherical valve in this case the valve e is made hollow as
hereinbefore described and the weight is carried thereby.
The arrangement shewn in Figure 8 is substantially the same as that shewn in
Figure 7 except that, instead of grinding the valve into its seating as would be
necessary in the arrangement shewn in Figure 7, the valve is provided with a
ring m of indin-rubber or other suitable material between the valve and the
seating to ensure the perfect closing.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figure 9 I have represented a
spherical valve e and a weight similar to those employed in the arrangement
shewn in Figures 1 and 2 but, between the valve and the weight, I have
represented an additional hollow ball of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
material which will expand upon any attempt to exhaust the bottle of air and thus
force the valve into its seating and close the same, In this case I have shewn the
guard or shield as being reduced in depth, that is to say, it has only two
collars, In this case, however, in order to provide an additional precaution
against the insertion of a wire or other contrivance for the displacement of the
valve I have arranged in the grooves d, d flanges m³, m', as shewn.
'
In the modification shewn in Figure 10 the arrangement of the valve, weight
and guard or shield is similar to that described by reference to Figures 1 and 2
except that the rods by means of which the said guard or shield is held in position
and consequently the holes in the guard or shield for holding the same and the
recesses in the neck to which the rods are suspended are dispensed with. The
guard in this case rests upon a shoulder n and is kept in position by inserting
a short piece of stout tube or a false mouth ¹ into the neck of the bottle;
the said short tube or false mouth being secured in the bottle-neck by plaster
of Paris or other suitable cement, and in order to give the plaster of Paris a good
hold the interior of the neck and the exterior of the false mouth are advantageously
provided with grooves, as indicated at o, o into which the plaster may run.
Figure 10 is a plan of the guard detached.
As a precaution against the successful employment of a solvent for the cement. I
may fit around the shoulder of the false mouth a washer p of india-rubber or
other suitable material.
The modification wherein the neck is formed separately from the body of the
bottle is illustrated in Figures 11 and 12.
q
In the arrangement shewn in Figure 11 a short socket provided with internal
grooves is formed upon the body of the bottle and a contracted portion of the
neck provided with external grooves is fitted into the said socket and secured
therein by means of some suitable cement such as plaster of Paris which I prefer
to protect by means of an india-rubber washer s.
In the arrangement shewn in Figure 12 the neck instead of being fitted into a
socket as in Figure 11 is represented as being fitted over a nipple t, the lower end
of the neck being inserted into a groove u formed around the base of the said
nipple. In this modification two washers s,s are provided for protecting the
cement and grooves are formed inside the neck and outside the nipple to receive
cement in the same manner as the grooves o for securing the false mouth shewn in
Figure 10.
In Figures 11 and 12 the arrangement of the valve, weight and guard is the
same as that shewn in Figure 10 but the guard is secured in position during the
manufacture of the bottles by contracting the portion of the neck over the said
guard, as shewn.
In the arrangement also shewn in Figure 12 the valve-seating is represented
as provided with a recess for the reception of an india-rubber or other ring
for the purpose of ensuring a more perfect fit of the spherical valve and it is to
be understood that such a recess may be formed in conjunction with the valve-
seatings of any of the other modifications except that shewn in Figure 8.
Instead of connecting the necks to the bottles as hereinbefore described may

page_text: connect them by screw-threads, or 1 may provide lugs or projections on one part
adapted to enter grooves or recesses in the other part.
In carrying out my invention I wish it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise form of valve, weight or guard illustrated by the drawings as they
may be varied in form without departing from the nature of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I
claim is
1. A bottle, flask, jar or similar vessel having in the neck portion thereof a
valve adapted to be pressed against its seat in one direction by a weight and so
constructed that, when the vessel is reversed, the said valve will float against its
seat upon any attempt to introduce liquid, substantially in the manner described.
2. In a bottle having a valve in the neck for preventing the fraudulent
introduction of liquid, a guard or shield adapted to allow the free passage of the
liquid from the bottle but prevent the introduction of a wire or instrument for
holding the valve away from its seat, substantially as described.
3. A bottle, flask, jar or other vessel having in the neck thereof a hollow ball, a
weight and a guard or shield, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially
in the manner described by reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. A bottle or other vessel having a weighted valve in the neck thereof and a
guard or shield, both constructed and arranged substantially in the manner
described by reference to Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a bottle having a hollow spherical valve and a weight in the neck thereof
as hereinbefore described, the combination with such valve and weight of a hollow
elastic ball, substantially as, and for the purpose, described by reference to
Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a bottle or other vessel having a weighted valve held in the neck by means
of a shield or guard as described, the arrangement substantially as described by
reference to Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings for preventing the
said guard from being removed from the bottle-neck.
7. A bottle the neck of which is made detachable and provided internally with
a valve, a weight and a shield or guard, substantially as described by reference to
Figures 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th dov of May 1899
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.