Improvements in or relating to Bottles to Prevent them being Refilled.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1897-Accepted, 28th Aug., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bottles to Prevent them being
Refilled.
We, CHARLES HENRY HAHN and JAKOB HAIN, bakers, both of 1272 State Street,
New Haven, in the County of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, one of the
United States of America, 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 of that class in which the neck
or inlet end is sealed or corked in such manner that in order to get access to the
contents the said neck will have to be broken off below the seal, thereby requiring
a part of the bottle to be destroyed which will give evidence of the fact that the
original contents were removed in case any attempt should be made to refill the
bottle.
My invention provides an ordinary bottle with a cork or stopper located in the
lower part of the neck, and above said stopper is placed a stopper or seal of solid
material carrying spring-projected arms or lugs which engage recesses in the neck,
the said solid cork in the neck precluding any possibility of the said arms or lugs
being retracted after the solid stopper is inserted. This construction necessitates
breaking the neck at a point below the arms, after which the cork stopper can be
removed.
With the above objects in view my invention consists in providing the neck of
a bottle with an internal recess or recesses, and employing in connection therewith
a stopper having spring-projected arms or lugs.
The invention further consists in the particular construction and arrangement of
the parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and specifically pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,
Figure 1 is a sectional view through a bottle, the neck of which is provided with
my improved stopper for sealing the opening.
Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the solid stopper with the spring-projected
arms removed.
Figure 3 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing the manner of connecting
the spring to the arms which are carried by the solid stopper.
Figure 4 is a modification of the lugs.
In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the bottle the neck 2 of which is
provided with an annular bead 3 to expand the neck for forming a groove within
the same. The bead 3 and the recess formed thereby is located a'suitable distance
below the upper end of the neck to provide for the reception of the solid stopper,
hereinafter referred to.
4 designates the seal or stopper which is preferably made up of hard material, as
glass of a configuration to conform with the opening in the upper part of the bottle,
said stopper having a transverse opening 5 therein. Within this transverse open-
ing is placed arms 6-6 connected to each other by a helical spring 7, the tendency

page_text: of said spring being to project the outer ends of said arms or lugs beyond the sides
of the stopper. The expansion of the spring 7 is such as to only project the arms
or lugs 6 6 sufficiently to properly engage the groove within the bead 3 when the
said stopper is placed within the neck of the bottle, and in order to provide for
easily inserting the stopper the projecting ends of the arms or lugs are beveled or
under-cut as shown in the modification.
In sealing a bottle with my improved attachments the ordinary cork stopper 8
is first placed in the neck and forced therein a short distance below the bead 3,
after which the solid stopper 4 is inserted which will retract the arms or lugs as
the said stopper passes within the upper end of the neck, and when the arms or
lugs come opposite the groove or recesses in the bead they will be projected and
securely hold the stopper against withdrawal. Therefore, in order to gain access
to the contents of a bottle sealed as before described it is necessary that the neck
be broken at or below the bead 3, after which the cork 8 can be removed in the
ordinary manner. It will thus be seen that any attempt to refill a bottle sealed
by my improved device would be met with conclusive evidence that the original
contents had no doubt been removed.
It will be understood that instead of having the lower part of the neck of the
bottle straight, as shown in the drawings, it could be tapered, which would prevent
the cork stopper from being forced downward into the bottle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we
claim is,
1. A seal or stopper closing the neck of a bottle comprising a cork having spring-
projected arms or lugs which engage a groove or recess in the neck of the bottle,
substantially as shown and described.
2. In combination with a bottle having an internal groove or recesses in its neck,
of a stopper having lugs which are projected beyond the sides thereof to engage
the recesses or groove in the neck of the bottle, substantially as shown and
described.
3. The combination with a bottle having an internal groove or recesses in its
neck, of a solid stopper having a transverse opening, lugs or arms located in said
opening, and a spring for projecting the lugs or arms, substantially as shown and
for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination with a bottle having a neck with an internal groove or
opposite recesses, of a cork stopper placed in the neck below the groove or recesses;
together with a solid stopper having a transverse recess with spring-projected arms
Jocated therein, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.
5. The combination with a bottle having a neck with an internal groove or
opposite recesses, of a cork located in the lower end of the neck below the groove
or recesses; together with a solid stopper having a transverse recess, lugs located
therein and connected by an interposed spring, the projecting ends of the lugs
being beveled or undercut, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 1st day of July 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.