Improvements in Bottle Stoppers and Tapping Devices.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1893—Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Stoppers and Tapping Devices.
I, JOHN CARNRICK of 447 & 449 Greenwich Street, in the City and State of
New York, United States of America, Manufacturing Chemist, 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 siphon and other bottles and more particularly to
stoppers for the same provided with a tubular tap which may be turned, and is
adapted to readily control effervescent fluids contained in suitable bottles or jars,
and permit the fluid to be drawn as desired.
The object of the invention is to provide for conveniently drawing off a portion
of the effervescent contents of the bottle and directing it into a drinking glass or
mug without permitting the escape of the gas contained in the liquid not drawn, as
ordinarily occurs when the entire stopper is removed. I accomplish this object
by tightly fitting into the rubber or other elastic portion of the stopper a turning
tap or spigot, having at the lower end a lateral opening adapted to register with a
lateral opening in the stopper or to be turned around for closing its opening and
longitudinal passage. The elastic portion of the stopper is provided with a
downward tubular extension or socket for receiving the tubular tap.
I also provide other forms of stoppers and fastening devices for holding them
in the bottle and various forms of taps arranged in the stoppers, as will be
particularly described below.
I will now describe my stopper device and tap in detail by reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which,―-
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the stopper and tap applied to a bottle;
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section thereof on the line y-y;
Fig. 3 represents vertical sections of the tap detached ;
Fig. 4 represents a top plan view of the top disk or cap;
Fig. 4 represents a similar view of a modified form of
Fig. 5 represents a sectional detail view of the rubber portion of the stopper;
Fig. 6 represents a vertical section of a modified form of tapping device con-
necting with an ordinary stopper and with the usual tube of a siphon bottle;
Fig. 7 represents a vertical section of another modified form of my tapping
device.
cap;
The neck of the bottle, L, is provided with the usual glass bead or enlarge-
ment molded with it for holding the wiring devices, which are applied in
substantially the usual manuer, but are modified in construction as pointed out
below.
Instead of forming the yoke of a single piece of wire connecting with the top
of the stopper by a pivotal eye, it is formed of a top disk, B, having downwardly
bent ears or wires, 6, and the two lateral wires or links, C, connected by suitable
pivotal eyes at 8, s. The disk, B, is preferably made of metal and forms the top
cap of the stopper, and it is provided with a central opening b, for receiving the
tap or spigot, F. The disk or cap B, is united to the rubber or other elastic
portion, A, of the stopper in the usual manner. These parts however need not
be united but simply held loosely together by the knobs x of tap F. The rubber
stopper, A, is formed with the usual top flange and with a body, a, which fits
snugly into the mouth of the bottle and said body is provided with a tubular
extension or elongated elastic portion a', which projects down into the neck of the
bottle when applied in position.
The stopper, A, is provided with a central longitudinal passage, m, open at the
top, but closed at the bottom of the extension, a', which, however, is provided with

page_text: 11
a lateral opening, a", near the bottom. Two or more small openings may be
provided in the extension, a', if desired. A small annular groove, o, may be
formed in the wall of the passage, m, near the top of stopper A, for receiving an
annular bead or flange f" on the tubular tap F. The tubular tap F, is provided
with a straight nozzle, f, in line with its central passage or with a nozzle, fi, turned
at right angles to its central passage, as shown in Fig. 3, and the central passage is
closed at the bottom, but a lateral opening, g, is formed in the wall of the tube
near the bottom, adapted to register with the lateral opening, a", in the elastic
tubular extension of the rubber stopper. Tube, F, is also provided with an
annular bead or flange, f", of larger diameter than the annular groove, o, so that
when the tube is fitted in the stopper, the bead, ", will compress the rubber and
nake a tight joint. The groove, o, may be omitted in which case the bead, f1,
will simply compress the rubber of the stopper and thus securely hold the tube in
the socket, n, of the stopper. Since the tubular extension a', of the rubber
stopper is of elastic yielding material it closely embraces the tubular cap forming
a tight joint; and when the bottle is filled with effervescent liquid and the stopper
closed the pressure of the fluids on the yielding material compresses it against
the tap F, and prevents leakage and escape of gas or liquid between the parts.
The tubular tap, F, is preferably provided near the top with knobs, e, for turning
it and the knob, a', which is in line with the lateral opening 9, is preferably made
longer than the others and may be pointed, so as to indicate the position of the
lateral opening, g.
The cap piece, B, or the top of the stopper, A, may have a
small boss or lug or a depression in the form of an arrow, y', in line with the
lateral opening, a", to indicate the position of such opening, so that when the
pointed knob, a, is turned to register with the boss or lug, y', the opening, g, in
the tap will register with the opening, a", in the stopper, thus permitting the
liquid to flow out through the tube. When it is desired to shut off the flow of
liquid, the tap is turned one quarter or one half around in the stopper.
Instead of using a metallic disk, B, the top wire of the yoke may be formed into
a flat coil B¹, of two or three turns around the tap, F, thus forming a metallic cap
for the top of the stopper as shown in Fig. 4. The yoke pieces, C, have inwardly
bent lower ends, c, c, for engaging with the eyes, t, t, of the lever in the usual
manner. The two ends of the lever, D, are bent inward, as shown at d, d, and
engage with the eyes, u, u, of the circular wire, E, which is secured under an
annular bead or flange on the neck of the bottle in the usual manner. The tubular
tap, F, is inserted in the socket or passage, m, of the rubber stopper, A, so that the
annular bead, f", will fit tightly in the groove, o, or will force out and compress
the rubber in the body, a, of the stopper. The disk, B, should have an opening
large enough for the passage of the lower end of tube F, and its flange, fl; or,
if the cap of the stopper is formed of a flat coil of wire instead of disk, B, the
wire may be coiled around tube F, after it has been inserted in the socket of the
stopper A.
The tubular tap, F, may be made of any suitable metal or alloy or of
hard rubber or other suitable material.
In the modified form of stopper and tapping device shown in Figure 6, the
neck, L, of the bottle is provided with a tight fitting screw-cap, B', having inside
thereof a soft rubber or leather washer which fits against the top edge of the neck
and acts in connection with the screw-cap to make a tight joint. To the central
portion of the metallic cap, B', is secured a metal tube, A', projecting a short
distance into the bottle and having a tapered portion, a', projecting up above the
cap and closed at the top, and provided with a lateral opening, g'. Above the
cap there is fitted to the tapered portion, a', of tube A', a correspondingly tapered
tube or sleeve, F', provided with a spout, fl, adapted to register with the
openings, g'. The tube or sleeve, F1, fits closely to the tapered portion, a², and at
the bottom is fitted within a rubber ring or socket, k, which is secured to the
cap, B', for making a tight joint between the tube and its turning sleeve or tap, F1
Upon the sleeve or tap, F1, are secured at their edges two hollow semi-spherical
shells forming a ball, e, for convenience in turning the sleeve or tap, F¹, in drawing

page_text: off the contents of the bottle. Below the tap there is fitted to the metal tube, A',
a glass tube, G, which, in practice, extends down to near the bottom of the bottle
or jar, as in the well known siphon bottle. The turning tap, F, may be made of
elastic soft rubber for tightly embracing the tapering portion, a', in the same
manner that the tubular rubber extension a', embraces the turning tap F, in the
construction shown in Figures 2 and 5, above described. The metal tube, A', may
also have an annular bead or flange corresponding to the annular bead, f", shown
in Figure 3, for making a tight joint with the sleeve F¹.
In the modified construction and arrangement shown in Figure 7, the metal cap
plate, B', is provided with an upwardly projecting socket, a', which is internally
screw-threaded for receiving the screw-plug D, having a tapering lower end, con-
stituting a conical valve, d. The cap plate, B', is provided centrally with an
opening, g, at the bottom of the socket, a', for receiving the conical valve, d, of
screw-plug, D, by means of which such opening may be tightly closed. The
socket, a', is provided with a lateral spout, fi, for discharging the liquid when the
screw-plug is turned up out of the opening, g",
My tap or spigot and new form of stopper are especially useful in connection
with bottles containing strongly effervescent liquids such as kumyss or champagne,
and constitutes an elegant and convenient device for drawing off a portion of the
effervescent liquid into a drinking goblet or glass without danger of the contents
being blown out and spattered over the furniture or one's clothing as would be
liable to occur when removing the old form of stopper. By means of my device,
also a portion of the contents of the bottle may be drawn off while the gas is
retained in the remaining portion within the bottle and then the opening may
be quickly and conveniently closed by turning the tap in the socket, as explained
above.
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, The bottle stopper composed of an elastic rubber body, a, and an elastic
yielding tubular extension, a", having a longitudinal passage and a lateral opening,
in combination with a tubular tap inserted in the passage of the stopper and having
a lateral opening adapted to register with the opening of said extension, substan-
tially as described.
2, In a bottle stopper the elastic portion having a longitudinal passage and a
lateral opening, in combination with a tubular tap having a closed lower end
and a lateral opening, and also having an annular bead or flange arranged to
press into the inner wall of the passage in the elastic stopper, substantially as
described.
3, The elastic portion of the stopper having a longitudinal passage and the
tubular tap fitted in said passage, in combination with a cap having lateral ears or
wires as 6, and the yoke wires, C, connecting with wires, b', by means of pivotal
eyes, substantially as described.
4,-In combination with a bottle and its tight fitting cap, a tube fitting tightly
in the cap and extending to near the bottom of the bottle and having an extension
above the cap, closed at its upper end, and having a lateral opening, a second tube
fitting tightly over such extension and having a spout or nozzle adapted to register
with said lateral opening, and means for making a tight joint between the inner
and outer tubes.
Dated this 10th day of March 1902
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.