Year: 1889

page_text: 1. GEORGE A. POOLE of Dearborn, in the city of Chicago in the County of Cook
and State of Illinois, United States of America, Printer, 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 improvements in stoppers for cans, bottles or the like
and more particularly to such as are used as benzine cans by printers, and like
uses, which contain highly inflammable and dangerous, or highly volatile and valuable
liquids used in the arts.
The accompanying drawing is a central sectional elevation through the axis of a
can provided with a closing device constructed according to this invention.
Like letters of reference denote like parts throughout the drawings.
This invention consists in providing the mouth of cans and bottles with a tube
closed by a stopper and weight connected to the stopper by means of a flexible
connection arranged to operate so as to cause the stopper to close by the operation
of said weight when the can is in either a horizontal or erect position and so that the
stopper by the action of the same weight and that of its own weight will open when
the can is held in, or near, an inverted position. This invention is constructed and
operated substantially as follows namely;
Through the screw cap or through an ordinary cork A as shown in this case fitting
into the mouth of the can bottle or the like B, I pass or attach a tightly fitting
tube C terminating at or slightly below the lower end of the cork or cap, when
the latter is made of sheet metal, and which said tube projects upward far enough
above the cap or cork to give a good seat to the plug, valve or stopper D which

page_text: closes the end of said tube. This stopper is preferably conically shaped and its
tapering or inner end may be more or less sharply pointed than is shown in the
drawing as may be found best suited to the material contained in the cans, and at
at the same time form the best valve, stopper or closure. To the apex of the
said stopper is attached a stem E of wire which passes down into the can a short
distance and at its lower end has attached to it a weight E by means of a chain G.
In order to prevent the tube C from being closed by the weight F and thus
prevent the flow through said tube when the can B is inverted to pour out its
contents, various devices may be resorted to as for example by cutting in the inner
end of the tube (recesses or holes as marked C₁ in the drawing or by providing
two or three webs F¹ on the top of the weight F or any other arrangement which
will permit a flow from the bottle through the tube when the case or bottle () is
tilted over sufficiently for the purpose.
To operate this device it is only necessary to turn the vessel partly or wholly
upside down when by gravity the stopper D will fall from the tube and to close
the can it is only necessary to hold it in or near a horizontal position and from that
to a vertical position, when by the weight F the stopper D will be drawn into or
upon the tube C and the vessel will be securely closed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
laim is ;-
1. The combination with the stopper D of a weight such as F connected there-
with by a chain or equivalent flexible connection substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2. In an automatically opening and closing stopper the combination with the tube
or mouth of the vessol of a weight such as F having webs F1 flexibly connected
with the stopper and adapted to operate substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
3. In an automatically opening and closing stopper the combination with the
stopper D and flexibly connected weight F adapted to close the opening when the
stopper is out of a tube or mouth such as C provided with recesses or openings C¹
for the purpose of permitting the passage of the contents of the vossel when the
end of C is closed by F, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
Dated thie 23rd day of Janna 1980