Improvements in Stoppers for Aerated Water and other Liquids under Pressure.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stoppers for Aerated Water and other Liquids
under Pressure.
We ARTHUR JOSIAH NEWTON and EDWARD KAY NEWTON of 17 Breck Road,
Everton, in the County of Lancaster, Contractors, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an internal stopper for aerated waters that can
be opened with very slight pressure of the finger and the gas allowed to escape and
the pressure fall by which means the bottle can be opened with ease instead of
requiring the heavy and dangerous pressure now employed. Indeed with the
present arrangement there have been many cases where bottles have been burst in
the opening through the extra pressure required in forcing down the stopper.
Furthermore very serious accidents have happened through ignorant persons having
purchased these bottles and finding they could not open the stopper have knocked
the neck of the bottle off thus causing an explosion.
Now by our invention we use the ordinary internal stoppers but with this
difference. Immediately under the indiarubber valve we form a groove to the
surface and connect this groove with a perforation or perforations brought down
from above the valve. This can be done in a variety of ways; either a single
hole can be drilled through the central axis of the stopper nearly to the bottom and
a cross-drill meet it, a cross-section of the cross-drill being intersected by the lower
surface of the indiarubber washer when in normal position. The result of this is
that when the pressure is in the bottle the stopper is pressed firmly against the
indiarubber and the indiarubber fills the groove thus preventing any gas escaping.
A very slight pressure on the top of the stopper, however, presses the stopper down
sufficiently for the groove to leave the indiarubber enough for the gas to pass,
the pressure is almost instantly removed and the stopper then falls into the
bottle.
In the foregoing we have specially mentioned drilling a hole through the body
of the stopper. We have tried making a groove on the outside round the india-
rubber but we find that the pressure of the gas on the indiarubber causes the latter
to swell and fill up this groove; and no good result is obtained unless the passage
leading from the groove immediately below the washer is clear of the washer.
This can be only done by boring through the stopper (or supplying a special tube
for this purpose which would be expensive and cumbersome and liable to derange-
ment). The perforation need not, however, reach the top of the stopper but one or
more perforations can be drilled from the side instead.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stoppers for Aörated Water and other Liquids
under Pressure.
We, ARTHUR JOSIAH NEWTON and EDWARD KAY NEWTON of 17 Breck Road
Everton, in the County of Lancaster, Contractors, 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 an internal stopper for bottles or similar receptacles
which contain aërated water or other liquids under pressure, and the object of the
invention is to provide such a stopper which can be opened with very slight pressure
of the finger, the gas being allowed to escape, the internal pressure then falls, by
which means the bottle or other receptacle can be opened with ease, instead of
requiring the heavy and dangerous pressure now employed; indeed, with stoppers
as at present employed, there have been many cases where bottles have burst in
the opening through the extra pressure in forcing down the stopper. Furthermore,
serious accidents have happened when ignorant persons have purchased these bottles,
and finding they could not open the stopper have knocked the neck of the bottle
off, thus causing an explosion.
Our improved stopper is shown in the accompanying sheet of drawings in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4;
Figures 1 and 2 being cross sections (at right angles to each other) of the
stopper.
Figure 3 shows the stopper in the neck of a bottle, the bottle in this case being
supposed to be filled with its contents.
Figure 4 shows a stopper in a portion of the neck of a bottle when the requisite
pressure has been applied to the top of the stopper, and the latter has just sunk
sufficiently to allow the gases exerting pressure in the interior of the bottle to
escape.
According to our invention, we use the ordinary internal stoppers A, but with this
difference :-
Immediately under the india-rubber valve B we form a groove or channel C
extending right through the body of the stopper so that the orifices of such groove
or channel C, on either side of the body of the stopper, come up to the internal
surface of the india-rubber valve B. This groove or channel C is connected with a
perforation or perforations brought down from above the valve.
This can be done in a variety of ways and the way we have found to be the best,
and which we have shown in the drawing, is by providing a single hole D through
the central axis of the stopper nearly to the bottom (that is to say, abutting into the
groove or perforation C), and a cross drill E meets this hole D.
In the drawing, we have shown the stopper weighted with a piece of lead F which
is pressed into the upper part of the hole D and also into another hole G, at right
angles to D.
By so weighting the stopper, we insure that such will fall to the bottom of the
bottle when its contents are being emptied instead of floating about the top of its
contents, thereby preventing the convenient emptying of the bottle.
When bottles containing liquids under pressure are stoppered with our improved
stopper, the result will be that the pressure in the bottle, acting on the lower
surface H. of the stopper, the stopper will be pressed firmly up to the lower surface
of the india rubber valve B, thereby preventing any of the gases in the bottle
escaping out through the grooves or perforations C, D, E, but a very slight pressure
of the finger on the top of the stopper, as shown in Figure 4, will suffice to spring
the india rubber valve so that the body of the stopper will be sufficiently depressed
when the orifices of the hole or perforation C become exposed, owing to the india
rubber having left that part of the stopper which is adjacent to them. It is

page_text: advisable to form the under wall a b of the groove in which the india rubber
valve B is seated on a slope-slanting down from the interior to the exterior,-as,
by so doing, the movement of the valve B, necessary for uncovering the orifices of
the hole or perforation, is materially assisted. In this position the gases will
then be able to escape out from these orifices and through the grooves or
perforations D, E to the open air, the pressure in the interior of the bottle
thereupon falls and a very little pressure, if any, is further required from the
finger to cause the stopper to fall to the bottom of the bottle, allowing the contents
to be freely poured out.
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 what we
claim is :-
1. The improvements in bottle stoppers of the kind described, consisting in
providing such stoppers with holes or perforations substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown, whereby, when the stopper is slightly depressed, the internal
entrance or entrances to such become exposed and allow the gases exerting internal
pressure to partially or wholly escape to the exterior, all substantially as herein-
before described.
2. The improved construction of an internal bottle stopper (provided with a
flexible valve B) consisting in forming such internal stopper with a groove or
channel C, and with a perforation D, E, connecting it with the outside above the
flexible valve arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and shown, and for
the purpose set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.