Improvements in and relating to Stoppering Devices to Prevent the Refilling of Bottles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Stoppering Devices to Prevent the
Refilling of Bottles.
We JAMES DANIEL MIDSON of North Botany near Sydney in the Colony of
New South Wales Carpenter and FREDERICK WILLIAM SCHROEDER of Newtown
near Sydney aforesaid, Engineer 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 stoppering devices for bottles by the use of which the
fraudulent interference with the contents of the bottle by adding other liquids
to those contents is absolutely prevented and in fact the second use of bottles having
such stoppering devices absolutely prevented. By means of a bottle having such a
stoppering the vendor may be assured that his goods will reach his customer
untampered with.
Heretofore many attempts have been made to attain the result just above
indicated but so far as can be ascertained without success for in no case were such
stoppering devices or bottles proposed which would prevent them being filled
underneath the surface of a fluid while being jigged.
Stoppering devices for preventing the filling of bottles constructed according to
this invention consist primarily of a hollow valve or ball and two or more but
preferably two balls or globular weights contained within an enlargement of
peculiar double globular or bulb like formation in neck of the bottle and operating
as a valve chamber in which one ball resting on the top of the valve will have
super-imposed upon it at a peculiar angle the other ball which on the other side
bears up against the inner curved face of the chamber. Above this chamber is a
crown piece or hood having peculiarly constructed passages or ways therethrough
for preventing the entrance of any hard foreign or injurious substance into the
valve chamber and so to the valve seat; and above this again there is a plug or cork
socket which locks and secures the whole device in position. This plug or cork
socket has non-continuous passages leading from the outside of its lower end into
the open interior of its upper said open interior being adapted to receive as
ordinarily a cork or other stopper. Around the inner face of the upper part of the
neck of the bottle is a groove adapted to receive a spring ring compressed within a
similar groove around the periphery of the plug or cork socket until said grooves
come flush with each other when the spring expands and engages both grooves so
that the plug or cork socket is keyed or fastened in the neck of the bottle
immovably that is to say so that it cannot be removed without breaking the spring
(a most unlikely contingency) or breaking the bottle and rendering it useless.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now be
made to the drawings herewith in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the
neck or upper portion of a bottle constructed according to these improvements
Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified construction of the bottle herein before
described and also showing the disposition of the balls when the valve is open.
Figures 3 and 4 are sections on lines a a and b b respectively of Figures 1 and 2
whilst Figure 5 is a section on line ce of Figure 2 Figure 6 is an elevation partly
in section of the crown piece or hood Figure 7 being plan and Figure 8 reverse.
plan respectively of the same.
The body or container portion A of the bottle may be formed round square or of

page_text: any other desired section with or without the lome shaped top of the ordinary
shaped top of the ordinary shaped bottle. In the aperture or orifice AI at the base
of the neck where it joins the body is set a hollow valve B closing down up
sent A and having a hollow dome shaped head B and legs or webs 13. This
valve is so constructed thnt in the event of the bottle being uponded and liquid
surreptitiously forced into the valve chamber said valve will Hoat upon the surface
and be forced firmly on to its seat. Above said valve within the globular or bulb
like valve chamber A' are placed two balls or globular weights CC which are of
such a size and so arranged that when said valve B is closed one of said balls C will
fall between the valve B and under a shoulder or corner A former within the
chamber A the top ball C falling between said first or lower ball and the opposite
side of the chamber A' in such a manner that the valve will be kept closed until by
the tipping or reversing of the battle the top ball C is caused to move out of its
place ami so release the first or lower ball and the valve B. lu order that the
valve may not be raised or opened by jigging and to keep the valve firmly on its
seat the falls should be so arranged that the angle formed by a straight line joining
the centres of the two halls and another line joining the centre of the valve with
the centre of the lower ball should not be greater or less than from 70° to 100° but
preferably 90°. Alsive valve clamier A is a perforated crewn piece or hol D
having flange D and washer D to take upon shoulder A'in neck A. This crown
piece or hood D hans peculiarly constructed passages or ways D as shewn extending
perpendicularly downward from the top Ince to a certain distance but not right
through said crown piece or hood the passages through to the valve chamber being
completed by inclined branches D (see Figure 6) for the purpose of catching grit
or injurious or foreign substauces and so preventing its admission to the valve
chamber. For the same purpose the upper surface of the crown piece or hood is
provided with small pyramidal or conical protuberannes D (see Figures 6 and 7)
the apices of which form the months of the ways or passages hereinbefore mentioned.
In practice hunever it would be impossible and unnecessary to form all said ways
or passages as just described and the centre ways or passages D may therefore pass
straight through the crown piece or hood the upper surface of which about said
boles being slightly raised above the surrounding surface this also conducing to the
object mentioned. The crown piece or hood D is pressed tightly down upon the
shoulders Aby the plug or cork zocket E which fits within the expanded top or
mouth A' of the neck keyed or locked therein hy spring ring E' in groove
said socket E and taking or expanding into the groove or recess A when pressed
tightly down upon the washer E upon shoulder A of the neck so as to make an
air-tight joint from the bottom or underside E of the plug or cork-socket. E which
inay be concaved above the centre of the crown piece as shewn passages Eare
provided on opposite sides passing out from said concavity up and rostad the lower
part of the plug or cork socket in opposite directions and enter the open interior E
(see Figure 4) into which the cork or stopper F is tightly pressed when the buttle
is filled a small lug or stop piece on the outer periphery of socket E engaging in
a slot or notch A in the neck of the bottle preventing said socket from turning
when screwing a cork-seruw into curk F or turning the cork or stopper by hand
On the outer face of said spring ring E' above mentioned the name or mark of the
person or firm manufacturing or disstilling the contents of the bottle may be marked
or impressed which name or mark will be seen through the glass neck of the bottle
by the purchaser.
un
It will be seen that by no external means otherwise than by breaking some part
of the bottle can the valve B be tampered with said valve being opened or raised
only by capsizing or upending the bottle which action will cause the top ball Ch
to fall upon the inner side of the crown piece and so release the ball C and
allow the weight of the liquid in the body A of bottle to open the valve B and flow
into the valve chamber A through the ways or passages in crown picce D into
the concavity above said crown piece and thence through passages E into the open
interior E (see Figure 4) of the plug or cork socket the return of the bottle to its

page_text: normal or upright position causing the balls to fall into their first position again.
and close the valve.
Should dust or grit or (for the purpose of mischief or fraud) a wire, pebbles,.
shot or other like injurious or foreign substances be passed through passages E' in
the plug or cork socket they will be prevented from falling through holes D into the
globular valve chainber A' and causing injury to the valve B or seating A by
the small pyramidal or conical protuberances D on the upper face of crown piece D.
or be caught in the bottom of the perpendicular portion B of the passages or ways
in said crown piece being baffled by means of the inclined branches D' so that only
by breaking part of the neck of the bottle or by drilling a hole in the top part of
the body can said body a be refilled.
Instead of the hollow valve B, it is obvious that a hollow ball operated upon
as herein described would in a similar manner and might if desired be substituted
therefor.
In order to obviate the necessity of destroying the whole of the bottle after
being once used the neck may be inade separate and distinct from the body as shown in
Figure 2 the base d' of said neck being secured to the upper part of the body
of the bottle by a spring ring a² engaging in a groove 2 and making an air-tight
joint by washer cement or like suitable packing a against shoulder in the same
manner as the plug or cork socket hereinbefore mentioned except that the stoppering
device is removably attached to the bottle in the modification shewn in Figure 2
there is no difference in the construction and arrangement of the parts which bear
similar letters of reference.
According to a modified arrangement of the valve operating mechanism a
number of smaller balls may be employed in place of the single lower ball C,.
said balls being acted upon by single upper ball such as C¹ of large diameter in
the manner hereinbefore described."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the sanie is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. In stoppering devices to prevent the refilling of bottles the combination
and arrangement with a hollow valve such as B (or a hollow ball) in the base of
the neck of a bottle of two or more balls or globular weights (such as C and C¹)
the lower ball or balls resting upon the valve and the upper ball bearing angularly
between the lower one and oppositely against the inner surface of a double
globular or bulb like enlargement (such as A) of said neck containing the balls.
so that the valves cannot be opened or raised in any manner by jigging or otherwise
when the bottle is in an upright position substantially as herein described and
explained and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.
Second. In stoppering devices to prevent the refilling of bottles the combina-
tion and arrangement with a hollow valve such as B (or a hollow ball) in the base
of the neck of a bottle of two or more balls or globular weights (such as C
and C) the lower ball or balls resting upon the valve and the upper ball bearing
angularly between the lower one and oppositely against the inner surface of a
double globular or bulb-like enlargement (such as A') of said neck containing
the balls and a plug or cork socket having passages (such as E) passing
into its open interior adapted to receive a cork and a locking device (such
as E) substantially as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated in the
drawings.
Third. In stoppering devices to prevent the refilling of bottles the herein.
described crown piece or hood provided with ways or passages, so constructed
as to allow the emission of the contents of the bottle but prevent the admission of
any hard foreign or injurious matter into the valve chamber substantially as herein
described and explained and as illustrated in the drawings.
Fourth. In stoppering devices to prevent the refilling of bottles the herein
described plug or cork socket having passage (such as E) passing into its open

page_text: interior which is adapted to receive a cork and the whole locked or secured in
position by a spring ring (such as E') engaging in corresponding grooves in the
neck of the bottle and said plug or cork socket respectively substantially as and
for the purposes specified and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.
Fifth. In stoppering devices to prevent the refilling of bottles a neck piece
with valve chamber made independently of the bottle and secured to the upper
part thereof substantially as herein described and explained and as illustrated in
Figure 2 of the drawings.
Sixth. In stoppering devices to prevent the refilling of the bottles the herein.
described combination of (1) bollow valve such as B or hollow ball having super-
imposed above it two or more balls or globular weights (such as CC) (2) crown
piece or houd (such as D) having therein passages or ways (such as D³ D')
(3) n plug or cork socket (such as E) secured or locked in position by a spring
ring (such as E) engaging in corresponding grooves in the neck of the bottle and
said plug or cork socket respectively substantially as and for the purposes specified
and as illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of January One thousand eight hundred and
JAMES D. MIDSON.
FREDERICK W. SCHROEDER.
Abel & Imay,
Agents for the Applicants.