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 the said Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR UNSTOPPING BOTTLES" to be as follows:-
The
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.
use of this device involves considerable exertion and is otherwise inconvenient and
uncleanly. Now according to my Invention the stopper is depressed by a
projection carried at or near one end of a lever pivotted or jointed to another lever
having a part bifurcated or otherwise suitably formed to take a bearing against
the under part or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper part of the
bottle neck.
My improved apparatus as above described may be constructed in several forms.
In one arrangement the two levers are connected together by a hinge pin at one
end a spring being interposed that tends to keep the other ends normally apart;-or
the hinge pin or joint may be at a point intermediate between the extremities of
the levers. In some cases I pivot to the lever that carries the projection for acting
upon the stopper a bent or bell-crank lever, in this case the bifurcated lever is
constructed with a slot-like or equivalent guide with stop piece or abutment the
arrangement being such that when one end of the bent or bell-crank lever is
depressed its other end will take a bearing against the stop piece or abutment and
the lever that carries the projection for acting on the stopper will be depressed
to open the bottle. A similar result may be attained by bending downward that
end of the lever that acts on the stopper to which the power is applied and
connecting it by a link to one end of a lever of the first order-the two levers thus
connected having their respective fulcra in horns or upward projections formed
with the bifurcated lever.
Deted this 1st day of T1004

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 projection carried
at or near one end of a lever pivotted or jointed to another lever having a part
bifurcated or otherwise suitably formed to take a bearing against the under part
or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper part of the bottle neck.
My improved apparatus as above described may be constructed in several forms.
In one arrangement the two levers are connected together by a hinge pin at one
end, a spring being interposed that tends to keep the other ends normally apart,
or the hinge pin or joint may be at a point intermediate between the extremities
of the levers.
In another arrangement I bend downward that end of the lever that acts on
the stopper to which the power is applied and connect it by a link to one end of
a lever of the first order, the two levers thus connected having their respective
fulcra in horns or upward projections formed with the bifurcated lever.
In the accompanying Drawings similar letters denote corresponding parts
wherever they occur.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one arrangement of apparatus according to my
Invention.
a, al are two levers connected together by a hinge pin at b, their other ends
being kept normally apart by a spring c kept in place by projections d formed
with or attached to the levers. The free end of the lever a is bifurcated, so as
when the apparatus is in operation, to grip, or take a bearing against, the under
part or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper part of the bottle
neck. The exact shape of the fork thus formed may be varied to suit circumstances,
as, for example, it may be semicircular; but I prefer it to be of a more or less
acute shape so as to be suitable for use with different sizes of bottle necks. eis a
projection on the lever a¹. It is so arranged that when the apparatus is in proper
position in relation to the neck of the bottle to be unstopped it will, on the
lever a being depressed, displace the stopper (f) and thus allow of the removal
of the contents of the bottle. g is an india rubber washer which when the
lever a is depressed bears against the rim of the bottle neck and prevents
escape of the liquid around the exterior of e. h is a projection whose purpose is to
limit the outward or upward movement of the lever al and thus prevent the
spring c from flying off. The projection e may if desired be hollow, as shewn, and
connected to a tube or spout i so as, on the stopper being displaced, to allow of
the liquid contents of the bottle being syphoned off, as well understood.
Fig. 2 illustrates a modified arrangement wherein the hinge pin or joint b is at
a point intermediate between the extremities of the levers a, a¹ the arrangement

page_text: being in other respects similar to Fig. 1. In Fig. 3 the projection e is carried by
a lever a that is connected to a lever a' by a link a³ the two levers a³ al having
their respective fulcra in horns or upward projections a' as formed with or attached
to the lever a.
It will be evident that my Invention may be variously modified without
departing from its essential characteristics. For instance, in lieu of the spiral
spring c springs of other kinds might be employed to effect the same object. It
will also be obvious that the apparatus may be constructed of various kinds of
material.
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. In an apparatus for unstopping bottles the combination of two levers one
with a projection to act on the stopper and one constructed to take a bearing
against the under part or shoulder of the enlargement formed around the upper
part of a bottle neck when the above mentioned projection of the other lever is
caused to press against and force inward the bottle stopper substantially as
described.
2. The apparatus for unstopping bottles comprising the bifurcated lever a,
lever al with projection e, hinge or joint b and spring c all arranged and operating
as described with reference to and shewn in Fig. 1 of the Drawings.
3. The apparatus for unstopping bottles comprising the bifurcated lever a,
lever a', with projection e, hinge or joint b and spring c all arranged and operating
as described with reference to and shewn in Fig. 2 of the Drawings.
4. The combination in an apparatus for unstopping bottles of three levers such
as a, a¹ and a the latter being furnished with a projection and being connected
by a link to the lever a¹ so as to be operated thereby in the manner and for the
purpose described with reference to Fig. 3 of the Drawings.
Dated this 29th day of September 1884.