IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR UNSTOPPING BOTTLES
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I DAVID GRIFFITHS, of Chester Road, Erdington, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Annuitant, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR UNSTOPPING BOTTLES " to be as follows :—
My Invention is designed to facilitate the unstopping of bottles having stoppers
kept closed by pressure of gas within the bottles. It is usual to employ for
depressing such stoppers a device resembling a cap with an internal central
projection which is pressed against the stopper and causes it to leave its seat. The
use of this device involves considerable exertion, and is otherwise inconvenient and
uncleanly. Now according to my Invention the stopper is depressed by a screw
supported in the upper part of a frame whose lower portion is made to surround
or partly surround the neck of the bottle so as to take a bearing against the under
part or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper part of the neck.
The lower portion of the frame may be variously formed. In one arrangement it
is made with two curved parts hinged together and each formed with a straight or
approximately straight extension so that when the curved parts are round the
bottle neck the extensions may be held together with one hand while the other.
hand is used to work the screw for depressing the bottle stopper, which for this
purpose is provided with a thumb piece or handle.
Dated this 1st day of January 1884.

page_text: "
I, DAVID GRIFFITHS, of Chester Road, Erdington, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Annuitant, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR UNSTOPPING BOTTLES and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My Invention is designed to facilitate the unstopping of bottles having stoppers
kept closed by pressure of gas within the bottles. It is usual to employ for
depressing such stoppers a device resembling a cap with an internal central
projection which is pressed against the stopper and causes it to leave its seat.
The use of this device involves considerable exertion and is otherwise inconvenient
and uncleanly. Now according to my Invention the stopper is depressed by a
screw supported in the upper part of a frame whose lower portion is made to
surround or partly surround the neck of the bottle so as to take a bearing against
the under part or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper part of the
.neck. The lower portion of the frame may be variously formed. In one arrange-
ment it is made with two curved parts hinged together and each formed with a
straight or approximately straight extension so that when the curved parts are
round the bottle neck the extensions may be held together with one hand while
the other hand is used to work the screw for depressing the bottle stopper which
for this purpose is provided with a thumb piece or handle. My apparatus may be
constructed of iron or other suitable material as will be well understood.
An arrangement of apparatus according to my Invention, as just described, is
illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 representing it in
position on the neck of a bottle, ready for use, and Fig. 2 shewing it alone, and
with the lower part of the frame opened out.
a is a screw, b a frame with boss or enlargement b¹. Through this part of the
frame is a hole, with a female thread corresponding to the male thread of the
screw a. Thus when the apparatus is in position, as represented in Fig. 1, if
the screw be rotated, by means of the thumb piece or handle c in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the stopper d will be caused to leave its seat,
thus enabling the contents of the bottle to be removed. The lower part of the
frame b, in the example illustrated, is made with two curved parts b², 6³ hinged
together at b, and each formed with a straight or approximately straight
extension 65 as shewn.
In using the apparatus the curved parts 6 6 of the frame are placed round the
bottle neck, as represented in Fig. 1, so as to bear against the under part or
shoulder of the enlargement e of the bottle neck, their extensions 65 being held by
one hand of the operator, whilst with the other hand he turns the thumb-screw a
to depress the stopper d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. An apparatus for unstopping bottles comprising a screw and a frame, the
screw being supported by and able to turn within a hole having a female screw
thread, in the upper part of the frame, and the lower part of the frame being made
to surround or partly surround the neck of the bottle so as to take a bearing

page_text: against the under part or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper
part of the bottle neck substantially as described.
2. The improved apparatus for unstopping bottles shown in and described with
reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Dated thin 90th day of anamba 100A