IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathan Thompson, of the City of Brooklyn, in the State of
New York, in the United States of America, but at present of 23, Southampton
Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE."
Scaled the 18th July 1876, and dated the 17th May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathan Thompson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th May 1876.
NATHAN THOMPSON, of the City of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, in the
United States of America, but at present of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, AND
OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
IN THEIR MANUFACTURE."
The Invention has for its object improvements in stoppers for bottles, jars, and
other hollow articles, and in machinery or apparatus to be employed in their
manufacture, and the Invention relates to that class of stopper which is forced into
the interior of the bottle neck.
For this purpose I form the body of the stopper preferably of wood turned into
the form of a cylinder open at the lower end and closed at the upper end, where it
is also provided with a projecting flange, which is by preference formed with an
annular recess around and close to the cylindrical portion. The top or head of this
hollow wooden body is covered with a metal cap, the periphery of which is
roughened, corrugated, or serrated to afford an efficient grip, whilst the closed end
of the cylindrical portion is coated internally, and, if desired, externally, with shellac,
cork, or other suitable material. The hollow cylindrical portion of the stopper is
cut longitudinally to within a short distance or close to the head thereof so as to
form it into a number of separate segments connected together at the upper end
and thereby give elasticity to such cylindrical portion. The exterior of this
cylindrical portion is covered with sheet cork formed into two cylinders, the outer
one of which has its adjacent ends connected together by a piece or strip of metal
These teeth or
formed with teeth or projections on each side and one end thereof
[Price Gd.1

page_text: projections are first turned up at right angles, the side teeth are then passed
through the cork, and then the side and end teeth are pressed down flat, by which
means, in addition to connecting the adjacent edges together, I also afford pro-
tection to the bottom edge of the seam of the cork coating. The upper edge of the
cork is received into the annular recess in the head of the stopper. If desired the
adjacent edges of the outer sheet cork cylinder may be connected together by
sewing or otherwise.
The following is the mode in which I arrange machinery or apparatus to be
employed in cutting the cylindrical portion of the wooden body of the improved
stopper into segments:-I employ a [saw bench of any suitable construction, but
according to my Invention I mount on each side of the saw a guide so that the
two guides acting together fit the interior of the hollow wooden body. Thus by
placing the hollow wooden body on the guide and pressing it against the saw the
cylindrical portion thereof is cut up as required, then by drawing the hollow wooden
body back and turning it round until the said cut is opposite a gauge mark it is
again adjusted for another cut, and so on. I also employ exterior guides fitting the
outside of the wooden cylinder to support the same and prevent the saw breaking
away any of the segmental portions thereof, and when using circular saws I arrange
guides on each side thereof so as to enable two attendants to work simultaneously
at the same saw.
If desired the body and head of the stopper may be made of other material than
wood, and in some cases the mode of manufacture would vary from that above
described, depending upon the character of material employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Nathan Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
November 1876.
NATHAN THOMPSON, of the City of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, in the
United States of America, but at present of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, AND
OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO DE EMPLOYED
IN THEIR MANUFACTURE."
The Invention has for its object improvements in stoppers for bottles, jars, and
other hollow articles, and in machinery or apparatus to be employed in their
manufacture, and the Invention relates to that class of stopper which is forced into
the interior of the bottle neck.
For this purpose I form the body of the stopper preferably of wood turned into
the form of a cylinder open at the lower end and closed at the upper end, where it
is also provided with a projecting flange, which is by preference formed with an
annular recess around and close to the cylindrical portion. The top or head of this
hollow wooden body is covered with a metal cap, the periphery of which is rough-
ened, corrugated, or serrated to afford an efficient grip, whilst the closed end of the
cylindrical portion is coated internally, and, if desired, externally, with shellac, cork,
or other suitable material. The hollow cylindrical portion of the stopper is cut
longitudinally to within a short distance or close to the head thereof so as to form
it into a number of separate segments connected together at the upper end and
thereby give elasticity to such cylindrical portion. The exterior of this cylindrical
portion is covered with sheet cork formed into two cylinders, the outer one of
which has its adjacent ends connected together by a piece or strip of metal formed
with teeth or projections on each side and one end thereof. These teeth or pro-
jections are first turned up at right angles, the side teeth are then passed through
the cork, and then the side and end teeth are pressed down flat, by which means, in
addition to connecting the adjacent edges together, I also afford protection to the

page_text: Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 is a cross section on the
line 1, 1, of Figure 2, representing a stopper constructed according to one part of my
Invention Figure 4 is a side view, and Figure 5 is a plan of the body of such
stopper separately, and Figures 6 and 7 are two views of a metal connecting picco
for connecting together the adjacent ends of the outer cork coating of the stopper,
and Figure 8 represents a blank suitable for producing such connecting piece.
a is the body of the stopper, which I form preferably of wood turned into the form of
a cylinder open at the lower end and closed at the upper end, where it is also provided
with a projecting flange or head a', which is by preference formed with an annular
recess around and close to the cylindrical portion a. The top or head a' is
covered with a metal cap bx, the periphery of which is roughened, corrugated, or
serrated to afford an efficient grip, whilst the closed end a³ of the stopper is coated
internally, and, if desired, externally, with shellac, cork, or other suitable material.
The hollow cylindrical portion of the stopper is cut longitudinally to within a
short distance or close to the head a' thereof in a number of places a³ so as to form
it into a number of separate segments connected together at the upper end and
thereby give elasticity to such cylindrical portion. The exterior of this cylindrical
portion or body a is covered with sheet cork formed into two cylinders b, c, breaking
joint with each other, the outer one c of which has its adjacent ends connected
together by a piece or strip of metal & formed, as shown at Figure 8, with teeth or
projections on each side and one end thereof. These teeth or projections are
first turned up at right angles, as shown at Figures 6 and 7, and then the side teeth
are passed through the cork, and then the side and end teeth are pressed down flat,
by which means, in addition to connecting the adjacent edges of the cork together, I
also afford protection to the bottom edge of the seam of the cork coating c. The upper
edges of the cork coatings b, c, are received into the annular recess ain the head of
the stopper. If desired, however, the adjacent edges of the outer sheet cork cylinder c
may be connected together by sewing or otherwise. Figure 9 is an end view,
Figure 10 a side view, partly in section, and Figure 11 a plan, also partly in section,
of machinery or apparatus arranged according to the second part of my Invention
for cutting the cylindrical portion of the wooden body of the improved stopper into
segments. Figures 12, 13, and 14, and Figures 15, 16, and 17 are detail views of
parts thereof drawn to a larger scale. c is a circular saw, which is fixed on the
axis on which are fixed fast and loose pullies g, h, as is well understood.

page_text: According to my Invention I mount on each side of the saw guides i, i, pre-
ferably connected together at the outer end, as shown. These guides fit the interior
of the hollow wooden body, and are fixed to slides j, j¹, which fit and are capable
of working in guides formed in or fixed to the bed plate of the machine. Each
slide j,, is acted upon by a spring to retain it at or return it to the position
shown in the Drawings, except when pressed in the contrary direction, that is
towards the saw in the act of cutting the wooden body of the stopper. In
connection with the guides i, i¹, I also employ guides, to fit against and give
support to the outside of the wooden cylinder to support the same and prevent the
saw breaking away any of the segmental portions thereof, and when using circular
saws I arrange guides on each side thereof, as shown, so as to enable two attendants
to work simultaneously at the same saw. Thus by placing the hollow wooden
body on the guides i or i, and pressing it against the saw, the cylindrical portion
thereof is cut up as required; then by drawing the hollow wooden body back, and
turning it round until the said saw cut is opposite a gauge mark or point i* or i³, it
is again adjusted for another cut, and so on.
On reference to Figures 12 to 17 it will be seen that the guide is placed above
the guides i, whilst the guide is below tho guides, suited to the direction of
motion of that part of the saw.
If desired the body and head of the stopper may be made of other material than
wood, and in some cases the mode of manufacture would vary from that above
described, depending upon the character of material employed.
I would here remark that I am aware that stoppers have heretofore been made
with a cylindrical body split or otherwise formed into a number of segments,
but in such cases screws and other mechanism were employed to cause the
expansion of the cylindrical portion of the stopper inside the bottle neck, or to
cause the contraction thercof around the outside of the bottle neck.
It has also been proposed to construct a hollow stopper of metal, with the
cylindrical portion thereof split or otherwise made into a number of segments, and
lined with cork, the several segments acting as springs to force the cork tightly
against the outside of the bottle neck.
I do not, therefore, claim generally the construction of hollow cylindrical stoppers
having the cylindrical portion thereof formed into a number of separate segments,
nor do I claim the employment of such a description of stopper when the inside of
the cylindrical portion is lined with cork or other packing when employed to fit
closely around a bottle neck, but what I do claim is--
Firstly. The construction of stoppers to fit inside the necks of the articles to he
stopped, in a similar manner to ordinary corks, by employing a hollow cylinder
closed at one end, and having the cylindrical portion thereof formed into a number
of segments, and coated with cork or other suitable material, substantially as herein
shown and described.
Secondly. Applying to hollow cylindrical stoppers of the character described two
cylindrical coatings of cork breaking joint with each other and abutting against
the head of the stopper or fitting into an annular recess therein, and having the
exterior cork coating connected together by a connecting piece d, in manner
substantially as herein shown and described.
And, thirdly. I claim the mode of applying guides to saw benches to facilitate
the cutting up of the cylindrical portions of my improved stopper, substantially
as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathan Thompson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
NATHAN THOMPSON. (L.S.)