Improvements in Jars.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVIDIUNAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Jars.
I, JULIAN PORTER LYON, of 45, East High Street, Detroit, Michigan, United
States of America, Packer of Fruits and Vegetables in Glass, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is an improvement on that class of jars in which the cap or
closure is retained by atmospheric pressure without any fastening device, the
invention consisting of a construction which enables the cap to be readily dis-
placed without injuring the gasket and without liability of chipping the
material of which the jar is composed and the gases to be automatically and
more effectively exhausted during the process of preserving the contents of the jar
than was heretofore possible.
The jar is provided around its mouth with an external annular groove and an
annular rib, the latter forming a horizontal shoulder and having a recess therein
which leads from the groove to the space above the rib. The cap fits the mouth
of the jar and is provided with a downwardly-extending flange the inner wall of
which is inclined outwardly and downwardly so as to embrace the mouth of the
jar about the rib and so that the lower edge of the flange will lie in engagement
with the top of the rib near the outer edge thereof. The gasket is seated on the
rib and encircles the mouth of the jar. The cap when in position bears down
upon the rib and the inclined wall of the flange engages the outer side of the
gasket and forces the gasket inward. The perpendicular outer wall of the mouth
of the jar and the inclined wall of the flange on the cap form, when the cap is
in place, an upwardly tapering space into which the gasket is forced by an atmos-
Conse-
pheric pressure when a vacuum or partial vacuum exists in the jar.
quently as soon as the air within the jar is rarefied, inward pressure
on the
gasket is exerted and the gasket is forced firmly into the tapering space referred
to, so as to effect a hermetic sealing of the jar. Simultaneously with this action
the cap is forced down on the jar in a manner to oppose the upward movement
of the gasket. In such a position the parts remain until the vacuum within the
jar is broken. This is effected by pushing a knife, pin, or other slender instru-
ment upward through the recess in the rib and between the wall of the flange
and the outer side of the gasket or between the jar and the inner
wall of the gasket. The instant that air passes through the orifice
thus formed, the pressure on the gasket and cap is relieved and the cap may be
readily lifted from the jar.
The lower edge of the flange may bear against the rib or the upper edge of the
jar may bear against the under side of the cap and prevent a contact between
the rib and the flange, in either case the same tapering space being formed
between the mouth of the jar and the flange so that the gasket is forced into the
space and the sealing of the jar effected.
In preserving fruits and vegetables the material is placed within the jar and
the cap placed over the mouth thereof and secured by a temporary fastener. As

page_text: the contents of the jar become heated, the excess of pressure therein causes the
cap to be raised and the steam and hot air is discharged beneath the cap. This
process goes on until the food is properly treated whereupon there will be a par-
tial vacuum within the jar; and upon lowering the temperature of the jar the
atmospheric pressure will force the cap firmly down on the jar and seal the same
as described above. The temporary fastener may then be removed, to be used
again. The peculiar construction of my invention makes this operation efficient
and certain. The cap is lifted slightly and the resilient character of the gasket
permits the gasket to be forced sidewise so that the hot air and steam may escape.
In order to still further facilitate the escape of the hot air and steam and the
consequent relaxation of pressure within the jar I may construct the jar with a
rib provided with an opening which extends entirely, through the rib to the side
of the jar, contradistinguished from extending partly into the rib.
The cap
with its flange bears down upon the jar and the gasket is caused to operate in a
manner the same as before described, excepting that when the pressure within
the jar tends to, force the steam and hot air out of the jar the rubber gasket is
fixed down into the recess, thus forming a comparatively open space through
which the air and steam may pass. When the pressure is relaxed, the resiliency
of the gasket, causes it to return to its normal position in which position the
gasket will act to close the mouth of the jar. This forms essentially a valve
that acts to open and close automatically and at proper times. The operation
last described also takes place in the other forms of the invention but not so
effectively.
1041 1
1000
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
I, JULIAN PORTER LYON, of 45, East High Street, Detroit, Michigan, United
States of America, Packer of Fruits and Vegetables in Glass, 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 is an improvement on that class of jars in which the cap or
closure is retained securely by atmospheric pressure without the use of any fasten-
ing device the invention consisting of a construction which enables the cap to be
readily displaced without injuring the gasket and without the liability of chip-
ping the material of which the jar is composed and the gases to be automatically
and more effectively exhausted during the process of preserving the contents of
the jar than was heretofore possible.
This specification is the disclosure of several forms of my invention while the
claims define the actual scope of the invention
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of my invention shewing the
cap raised above the jar. Figure 2 is a sectional view shewing the cap in place.
Figure 3 is a sectional view with the cap in place and illustrating a slightly
different construction. Figure 4 is a plan view of the invention. Figure 5
is a detail section of a second variation of the invention. Similar characters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The form of the invention shewn in Figures 1 and 2 is a jar the body a of

page_text: which may have any desired form and the upper portion or mouth of which has
an annular groove extending around it. Above the groove b'is an annular
rib c forming an upper horizontal shoulder d and having a recess e therein which
leads from the groove to the space above the rib c. The cap is shaped to fit
the mouth of the jar and is provided with a downwardly extending flange f the
inner wall of which is inclined outwardly and downwardly so as to embrace
the mouth of the jar above the rib c and so that the lower edge of the flange f
will lie in engagement with the top of the rib c near the outer edge thereof.
The gasket g is seated on the rib c and encircles the mouth of the jar. The cap
when in position bears down upon the rib c and the inclined wall fl of the
flange f engages the outer side of the gasket and forces the gasket inward. The
perpendicular outer wall of the mouth of the jar and the inclined wall f¹ of the
Hange of the cap form when the cap is in place, an upwardly tapering space
into which the gasket g is forced by atmospheric pressure when a
vacuum or partial vacuum exists within the jar. Consequently as soon as
the air within the jar is rarefied, inward pressure on the gasket is
exerted and the gasket is forced firmly into the tapering space referred to so as
to effect a hermetic sealing of the jar. Simultaneously with this action the
cap is forced down on the jar in a manner to oppose the upward movement of
the gasket. In such a position the parts remain until the vacuum within the
jar is broken. This is effected by pushing a knife, pin, or other slender instru-
ment upward through the recess e and between the wall f¹ of the flange f and the
outer side of the gasket g or between the jar and the inner wall of the gasket.
The instant that air passes through the orifice thus formed the pressure on the
gasket and cap is relieved and the cap may be readily lifted from the jar.
The form of the invention shewn in Figure 3 differs in no essential feature from
that above described. The only difference is that the construction shewn in
Figures 1 and 2 is such as to cause the lower edge of the flange f to bear in
actual contact against the rib c while that shewn in Figure 3 causes the upper
edge of the jar to bear against the under side of the cap and prevents a contact
between the rib c¹ and the flange f2. The same tapering space is formed between
the mouth of the jar a¹ and the flange f so that the gasket g¹ is forced into the
space and the sealing of the jar effected. The especial advantage of the form
shewn in Figure 3 is that by the contact between the mouth of the jar and the
under face of the cap it is impossible for the contents of the jar to contact with
the rubber gasket and thus incur the possibility of disflavour from the gasket.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the jar, shewing a construction adapted to either
form of the invention; consequently either form of the cap may be used on
the jar.
In preserving fruits and vegetables the material is placed within the jar and
the cap placed over the mouth thereof and secured by a temporary fastener. As
the contents of the jar become heated, the excess of pressure therein causes the
cap to be raised and the steam and hot air are discharged beneath the cap. This
process goes on until the food is properly treated whereupon there will be a partial
vacuum within the jar, and upon lowering the temperature of the jar the atmos-
pheric pressure will force the cap firmly down on the jar and seal the same as
described above. The temporary fastener may then be removed, to be used again.
The peculiar construction of my invention makes this operation efficient and
certain. The cap is lifted slightly and the resilient character of the gasket
permits the gasket to be forced sidewise so that the hot air and steam may escape.
In order to still further facilitate the escape of the hot air and steam and the
consequent relaxation of pressure within the jar, I provide the construction shewn
in Figure 5 wherein the jar a2 has a rib formed thereon, having an opening e
which extends entirely through the rib to the side of the jar, contradistinguished
from extending partly into the rib as in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. The cap f³
with its flange f bears down upon the jar as in the other forms of the invention
and the gasket g² is caused to operate in a manner the same as before described

page_text: excepting that when the pressure within the jar tends to force the steam and
hot air out of the jar the rubber gasket is flexed down into the recess e³ thus
forming a comparatively open space through which the air and steam may pass.
When the pressure is relaxed, the resiliency of the gasket causes it to return to
its normal position in which position the gasket will act to close the mouth of
the jar. This forms essentially a valve that acts to open and close automatically
and at the proper times. The operation described with reference to the recess e²
also takes place with reference to the recesses in the other forms of the inven
tion but the operation is not so effective or marked.
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. A jar having its outer wall adjacent to the mouth disposed perpendicularly
and having an annular rib run around its outer side at the base of said per-
pendicular wall, and the rib having a recess at one point, the recess extending
into the rib toward said perpendicular wall, and a cap having a web or main
portion extending over the mouth of the jar to close the same, the cap having
at its edges a downwardly projected flange extending into proximity to the outer
portion of the rib on the jar, and the inner side wall of the flange being disposed
diagonally downward and outward, said wall extending from the upper edge of
the perpendicular wall of the jar downward to the outer portion of the upper face
of the rib, and beyond the inner wall of the recess in said rib, the space between
the said perpendicular wall of the jar and the inner wall of the flange serving
to accommodate a gasket.
2. A jar having its outer wall adjacent to the mouth disposed perpendicularly,
the jar also having an annular rib running around said perpendicular wall and
projecting out therefrom, the rib having a recess therein which extends inward
to the perpendicular wall so as to completely cut away the rib at the point of
the recess, and a cap having a web or main portion extending over the mouth of
the jar to close the same, and the cap having at its edges a downwardly extend-
ing flange running into proximity with the outer portion of the rib, and the
flange having its inner side wall disposed diagonally and extending from the
upper edge of the said perpendicular wall of the jar downward and outward to
the outer portion of the upper face of the rib, the space between the said perpen-
dicular wall of the jar and the inner wall of the flange serving to accommodate a
gasket.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.