Improvements in or relating to Stoppers for Bottles, Jars, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1898-Accepted, 10th Sept., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Stoppers for Bottles, Jars, and
the like.
I, EDWARD JOHN WALKER, of 48, Sloane Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Dairyman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to stoppers for bottles, jars and the like, its object being
the construction of a stopper having a washer which will not only close hermeti-
cally the space between the bottle neck and the stopper when the latter is right
home, but will automatically prevent the flow of air into a bottle or the like if
the stopper is merely resting in the bottle neck as a preliminary to being
tightened up.
This latter feature is of particular advantage for the stoppers of
bottles and jars employed to contain food products. For instance in the steriliza-
tion of milk it is customary to place screwed or other stoppers in the necks of
bottles in which the milk is heated, the air and other volatile matter passing out
of the bottle freely between the stopper and the neck; when the contents of the
bottle cool a vacuum is produced above the material within it into which there
is a tendency for the external air to flow and nullify the value of the process of
sterilization, in spite of the fact that the ordinary rubber washer is employed on
the stopper or in the bottle neck. To prevent the occurrence of this influx of
air the neck of the stopper is, according to this invention, encircled by a washer
sufficiently thin, soft and flexible to enable the pressure of the atmosphere to
force it easily into close contact with both bottle and stopper, either by the action
of the atmosphere on the washer or on the stopper itself, and so close any passage
way which might otherwise exist between them. After this automatic closure
the stopper can be tightened by screwing it home or by driving it in.
In practice a screwed stopper with the washer encircling the upper portion of
the screwed stem and lying against the underside of the head has been found to
operate with great efficiency.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Stoppers for Bottles, Jars, and
the like.
I, EDWARD JOHN WALKER, of 48, Sloane Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Dairyman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
Price Sd.

page_text: the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
-
This invention relates to stoppers for bottles, jars and the like, its object being
the construction of a stopper having a washer which will not only close hermeti-
cally the space between the bottle neck and the stopper when the latter is right
home, but will act as a valve and automatically prevent the flow of air into a
bottle or the like if the stopper is merely resting in the bottle neck as a preliminary
to being tightened up. This latter feature is of particular advantage for the
stoppers of bottles and jars employed to contain food products. For instance in
the sterilization of milk it is customary to place screwed or other stoppers in the
necks of bottles in which the milk is heated, the air and other volatile matter
passing out of the bottle freely between the stopper and the neck; when the
contents of the bottle cool a vacuum is produced above the material within it
into which there is
to flow
tendency for the external air
a.
and
nullify the value of the process of sterilization, in spite of the fact
that the ordinary rubber washer is employed on the stopper or in the bottle
neck. To prevent the occurrence of this influx of air the neck of the stopper is,
according to this invention, encircled by a washer so formed and arranged as to
enable the pressure of the atmosphere to force it easily into close contact with
the bottle or with both bottle and stopper, either by the action of the atmosphere
on the washer or on the stopper itself, and so close any passage way which might
otherwise exist between them. After this automatic closure the stopper can be
tightened by screwing it home or by driving it in.
In practice a screwed stopper with the valve washer encircling the upper por-
tion of the screwed stem and lying against the underside of the head has been
found to operate with great efficiency.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of a bottle neck and stopper, the latter resting
loosely in the bottle neck as a preliminary to being tightened up;
Fig. 2 is a similar view half in elevation showing the position taken up by the
edges of the valve washer upon any attempt of external air to flow into a vacuum
within the bottle past a stopper resting loosely in the neck as in Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 is another view similar to Figures 1 and 2 but showing the stoppe
screwed right home.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In the bottle-neck A is the stopper B, encircled just under the head B' by
thin soft flexible washer C of annular form and made of rubber or the like sprung
over the stem of the stopper so that its smaller circumference C¹ maintains an
elastic-grip on the stem with sufficient force to make a fluid-tight joint therewith
whilst its larger circumference C2 can move downward from the position in which
it is shown in Figure 1 into that in which it is shown in Fig. 2 under the action
of atmospheric pressure so as to constitute a non-return valve making close con-
tact with the end of the bottle-neck and so close any passage through which air
attempts to flow from without the bottle to within.
Should the initial fit between the valve washer and the bottle-neck be so good
that there is no tendency for any current of air to pass between them into the
bottle the creation of a vacuum in the latter would, assuming sufficient looseness
of fit of the thread of the stopper in the neck cause the stopper to be forced dowa
firmly upon the bottle neck from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 into
tha in which it is shown in Fig. 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I am
aware that bottle stoppers have previous to my invention been encircled by a
rubber or similar washer but to such washers which do not act as a valve for the
purpose of this invention I make no claim but what I claim is:-
1. The combination with a bottle stopper of a non-return valve operating to
allow pressure to escape from the bottle but not to return.

page_text: 2. A bottle stopper encircled by a valve washer substantially as described.
3. The bottle stopper encircled by a valve washer substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
1000
EDWARD J. WALKER,
Boult & Wade,
Agents for Applicant. .