Year: 1885

page_text: I, OLIVER IMRAY, of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention a disc of flexible material, such as caoutchouc or
linoleum, of greater diameter than the mouth of a bottle is pushed into the mouth
so that it presents a convexity to the interior of the bottle. Internal pressure on
the convex surface, by tending to flatten the disc, causes its periphery to press
against the interior of the bottle mouth with such force that it retains its hold.
For greater security, the bottle mouth may be made with an internal circular
groove to receive the edge of the disc or may be roughened by a number of small
grooves. The elastic disc may be covered by or have within it a disc of thin sheet
metal. In order to open the bottle, the disc may be removed by inserting in it a
hook tool and drawing it out obliquely, or by pushing it in at one side thus
causing it to take an oblique position so that it can be easily extracted. Also the
disc may be made with a tag or may have a tag, string or wire attached to it, by
which it can be pulled out.

page_text: I, OLIVER IMRAY, of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents 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:-
According to this invention a disc of flexible material, such as caoutchouc or
linoleum, of greater diameter than the mouth of the bottle is pushed into the
mouth so that it presents a convexity to the interior of the bottle. Internal
pressure on the convex surface, by tending to flatten the disc, causes its periphery
to press against the interior of the bottle mouth with such force that it retains its
hold. For greater security, the bottle mouth may be made with an internal
circular groove to receive the edge of the disc or may be roughened by a number
of small grooves. The elastic disc may be covered by or have within a disc of
thin sheet metal. In order to open the bottle the disc may be removed by inserting
a hook tool and drawing it out obliquely or by pushing it in at one side, thus
causing it to take an oblique position so that it can be easily extracted. Also the
disc may be made with a tag, or may have a tag, string or wire attached to it by
which it can be pulled out.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective of an ordinary bottle with
the before described stopper inserted, Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the bottle neck
and stopper, Figs. 3 and 4 shew methods of removing the stopper, Figs. 5 and 6
illustrate the difference in action between the inverted arch stopper and an
ordinary internal stopper, Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are modifications of the invention.
A is an ordinary bottle with a slight internal groove B within the neck near the
top, and C is the disc stopper in place. I prefer to provide the bottle neck with
a groove because it makes the action of the stopper sure, notwithstanding any
variation in the internal sizes of necks, incident to the manufacture of bottles, and
also any variations there may be in the material from which the disc-stoppers may
be made; but the groove need not be more than of an inch in depth. Were it
practicable to secure uniformity in the respects named, the groove would not be
required, and it may be dispensed with as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8. With com-
paratively low internal pressure, the groove is not necessary in any case.
The stopper C is a circular disc of some suitable flexible material. It may be,
normally, somewhat concave, but the flat form answers the purpose best. The disc
is made considerably larger than the neck of the bottle, so that when it is forced
therein its edges are contracted and it assumes the form of an inverted arch or
dome, supported by pressure against the internal walls of the bottle neck, as shewn.
As in all structures of that form, pressure upon the arch will be, in part, trans-
mitted to the abutment, as before described; therefore, the stopper being capable
of expanding, pressure upon the arch will be transferred, laterally, to the bottle
neck, and will cause the resistance of the stopper to increase measurably in pro-
portion to the pressure upon it, up to that point at which the arch will be crushed.
If the stopper is made of material having considerable resilience or inherent
expansive force, or, if the interior of the bottle mouth be roughened, sufficient
adhesion will result without the use of the groove to secure the initial hold, when

page_text: any additional pressure will increase its holding power, as explained, and any
usual internal pressure will be resisted.
For general purpose two-ply rubber packing of common quality answers well
for making the discs; the material known as linoleum, (made principally of ground
cork), also serves well for the purpose and is still cheaper than rubber packing.
Many other materials, metallic as well as non-metallic, are available. Metal discs
require a packing material to be used in connection with them, and such discs are
preferably employed with bottle necks having a packing shoulder, as in Fig. 7,
wherein d is the metal disc, e the packing of rubber or other suitable material and
f the shoulder against which the packing rests. In this case the metal disc is
provided with a hole h by which it may be extracted. Metal discs require great
strength of bottle neck, to avoid breaking, and are therefore not considered as
desirable for general purposes as discs made entirely of comparatively soft material.
Metal discs embedded in rubber may also be used, in which case the edges should
remain soft and elastic. to give a proper bearing. To remove the disc stoppers, a
simple wire hook, 'as shewn in Fig. 3, may be employed; the point pierces the diso
and either forcibly reverses the arch, or lifts up one edge, thereby releasing the
disc. To facilitate the piercing of the disc, a pit or cavity g, extending part way
through the disc, may be employed. By simply applying pressure against one
edge of the disc, so as to force it inward and tilt or partially rotate it, its hold is
released when the internal pressure causes it to fly out. This action is shewn in
Fig. 4. No special tool is required in opening the bottle in the way last described;
any object, capable of applying the requisite pressure to the edge of the disc will
answer.
It is sometimes desirable to remove the disc stopper from the bottle without the
use of a tool; in such cases the discs are formed with a lug or ear shewn in Figs. 5
and 9. A slight pull on the ear starts the disc from its position and it is thus
easily extracted. An eye of wire, like the shank of a button, may also be attached
to the disc, or a string, cord or other device to facilitate its removal. But for
general use, the simple circular disc is preferred. The groove in the bottle neck
may be of any desired form: concave as in Fig. 2, V shaped or otherwise; a slight
stricture at its top may be employed, as in Fig. 3; a series of fine grooves or
corrugations may also be employed instead of a single groove. The thickness of
the discs, their stiffness, &c., are dependent on the uses to which they are applied
and the pressure they are subjected to, and may be varied with such conditions.
By this method of sealing bottles against internal pressure as described, I am
enabled to produce stoppers with the least possible quantity of material, and that
of a very cheap kind. The stoppers require simply to be cut from a sheet by a
hollow punch, or a punch and die. They can therefore be produced at a small
portion of the cost of any other stopper serving for a similar purpose and require
no fastenings of any kind, as they are self retaining. They are easily and quickly
extracted, are neat in appearance, and leave the bottle and its mouth entirely clear
of all obstructions. A great saving of bottles results from the use of these disc
stoppers; they are extremely cheap and when bottles are lost or broken the cost of
the bottles alone is sacrificed, which is not the case when any of the usual form of
fastenings are employed.
Moreover, by reason of the uniformity of the material employed, a perfectly
tight seal is always secured, and the contents of the bottle cannot become flat.
While I have described several forms in which the arch disc stopper may be
used, many variations in details of construction and application will suggest
themselves, and I do not therefore confine myself to those herein described.
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. The use for stoppering bottles, of a disc of flexible material, cup-shaped.
placed in the bottle neck with its convex side inward and its convex side outward

page_text: and with its edge abutted against the bottle neck, whereby internal pressure upon
the said stopper will be 'transmitted as lateral pressure, against the bottle neck,
and resistance to displacement will increase with an increase of internal pressure,
as set forth.
2. The combination of a bottle baving a neck opening with or without a groove,
recess or cavity and a cup-shaped stopper of flexible material seated therein, with
its convex side inward and its concave side outward, substantially as set forth.
3. The use of a bottle stopper consisting of a disc of flexible material capable,
when compressed circumferentially in arched form, of resiliency toward a less arch,
and adapted to be forced into the bottle mouth with its convex side inward and
its concave side outward, with its edges abutting against the bottle neck, the
said disc being provided with a lug whereby it may be extracted, substantially as
set forth.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.