Improved Means of Preventing the Fraudulent Refilling of Bottles, Jars, and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1893.
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1894-Accepted, 2nd June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Preventing the Fraudulent Refilling of Bottles,
Jars, and the like.
We, MICHAEL WORNUM BEAZELEY of 8, St. Paul's Road, Thornton Heath,
in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, and FRIEDRICH WILHELM OSTERMANN OF
27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:→
This invention has for its object to provide means whereby to render the
fraudulent refilling of bottles or other similar receptacles, bearing the labels of
firms of established reputation, practically impossible by providing a
whereby the fraud must necessarily be rendered evident to the most casual
observation.
means
The invention consists in providing the bottle, jar, or other similar receptacle,
with a screw-plug which can only be removed by being permitted to fall into
the body of the bottle and which when once removed from its seat in the bottle
neck cannot be replaced therein but remains loose in the body of the bottle as
an indication that the bottle has been emptied of its original contents.
This
plug is supplementary to the ordinary cork, and it is only intended as a means
of closure in so far that its removal is necessary before the contents of the bottle
can be poured off. This plug may therefore be a comparatively easy fit, the
screw-threads both of the plug and bottle neck being formed by moulding without
any grinding or other means of making a tight closure. The plug may be made
of glass or earthenware or other suitable material and its outer end is made
somewhat in the form of a clutch adapted to admit of the plug being turned
by means of a suitable instrument, but only in one direction namely that by
which it is screwed inwards, the form of the clutch like surface being such as
to afford no grip for any instrument whereby it could be unscrewed. The plug
may, however, be made to fit tightly if desired by the introduction, between the
threaded surfaces of the plug and socket, of a liner or film of cork or other
suitable material. Usually the screw-plug would be situated beneath the cork
but if desired the screw-plug might be above the cork and used as a means of
forcing the cork into the body of the bottle into which the plug would also fall
when the contents are to be poured off.
C
2009
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Preventing the Fraudulent Refilling of Bottles,
Jars, and the like.
We, MICHAEL WORNUM BEAZELEY, formerly of 8, St. Paul's Road, Thornton
Heath, in the County of Surrey, and at present of 194 Clapham, Road, London
S.W. Gentleman, and FRIEDRICH WILHELM OSTERMANN, of 27. Leadenhall
Street, in the City of London, Merchant, 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 has for its object to provide means whereby to prevent the

page_text: practice of fraudulently refilling bottles or other similar receptacles bearing the
labels of firms of established reputation, by so closing or stoppering the bottle or
other receptacle that it cannot be opened without the fact being evident to the
most casual observation.
The invention consists in providing the bottle jar, or other similar receptacle,
with a screw-plug which can only be removed in the inward direction so that it
must fall into the bottle, and which when once removed from its seat in the bottle
neck cannot be replaced therein but remains loose in the body of the bottle as an
indication that the bottle has already been opened.
This plug is supplementary to the ordinary cork and it is only intended as a
means of closure in so far that its removal is necessary before the contents of the
bottle can be poured off. This plug may therefore be a comparatively easy fit, the
screw-threads both of the plug and bottle neck being formed by moulding without
any grinding or other means of making a tight closure.
The plug may be made of the material of which screw stoppers, as now used for
bottles, are made, or of glass, earthenware, or other suitable material, and its outer
end is made somewhat in the form of a clutch such as to enable the plug to be
turned by means of a suitable instrument but only in one direction, namely that by
which it is screwed inwards, the form of the clutch-like surface being such as to
afford no grip for any instrument whereby it could be screwed in the reverse
direction.
.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, which shews at Figure 1 a section of the bottle neck with the
screw-plug and cork inserted therein and shewn in elevation. Figure 2 shews a
perspective view of the screw-plug separately, and Figure 3 shews face and edge
views of an instrument for screwing it inwards. In these figures the screw-plug is
placed beneath the cork. Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 1 shewing the
relative arrangement of the screw-plug and cork reversed. The same letters of
reference denote like parts in all the figures.
The screw-plug A is a screw-threaded cylinder which screws into a corresponding
screw-threaded socket B moulded in the neck of the bottle. The plug is thus
inserted after the bottle has been filled and in Figure 1 the usual cork C is driven
into the mouth of the bottle after the screw-plug has been so inserted. It is
evident that in Figure 1 the bottle mouth must be at least equal in diameter to
the maximum diameter of the plug A so as to give free passage to the plug. In
Figure 4, however, in which the arrangement is reversed, the cork and its seat in
the bottle neck are of greater diameter than the minimum diameter of the screw-
socket B through which the cork is driven in a compressed state by the nozzle of
the corking machine being made of such length and diameter as to pass through
the screw-socket B in the operation of corking. Whichever arrangement be
adopted the outer end of the screw-plug is of such form that when once the
plug has been inserted it can only be removed by being screwed inwards until
it falls into the body of the bottle, since it will be observed that although the
radial shoulders a at the outer end of the plug admit of its being easily turned
in the direction for screwing it inwards, the intermediate inclined surfaces b afford
no grip for any instrument by which the plug could be unscrewed even though
the consumer desired so to do which, however, he would have no interest in doing.
The arrangement shewn in Figure 4 is preferred for convenience of manufacture
of the screw-socket in the bottle neck and in this case the screw-plug would be
used as a means of forcing the cork into the body of the bottle, both the cork and
plug dropping into the bottle when the contents are to be poured off. As it is
quite impossible, once the plug has fallen into the body of the bottle, to remove it
therefrom by screwing it up into the bottle neck, it follows that a bottle containing
such a plug loose within it would be unavailable for the purpose of fraudulent
refilling with liquid of an inferior quality and consequently a want which is much
required in the spirit trade is effectually fulfilled by means of this invention at a
comparatively insignificant addition to the first cost of the bottle.

page_text: The invention is applicable to all liquids of which it is desired to prevent the
passing off of an inferior quality under cover of the trade labels of well known
firms.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination, with a bottle, jar, or other similar receptacle, having a
screw-threaded socket in its neck, of a cylindrical screw-threaded plug so shaped
on its outer end that it can only be turned in the direction for screwing inwards,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination, with a bottle, jar, or other similar receptacle, having a
screw-threaded socket in its neck and a plain socket for a cork either above or
below the screw-socket, of a cylindrical screw-threaded plug having radial
shoulders and intermediate inclined surfaces on its outer end so as to be adapted
to be rotated only in the screwing-in direction, as described.
3. The herein described means of preventing the fraudulent refilling of bottles,
consisting of a screw-plug fitting in the bottle neck and removable therefrom
only by a screwing action by which it is caused to fall into the body of the
bottle, as specified.
זיוי.
M. W. BEAZELEY,
F. W. OSTERMANN,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.