in Stoppers therefor.
Year: 1885

page_text: in Stoppers therefor.
I, MATTHEW LINDEN MACAULEY, of 28 West Bank Terrace, Glasgow, Lanark-
shire, Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had
to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My said invention has reference to an improved mode of stoppering bottles, and
to a special shape of and means or appliances for so shaping the internal neck of
the bottles therefor, and also to special constructions of stoppers for the same.
These improvements are particularly applicable to bottles for containing aerated
liquids and liquids that become brisk or gaseous in the bottles, which have their
stoppers inserted and withdrawn from the outside; and which improvements will
enable the stoppers to be more easily and quickly inserted and withdrawn than
they have been heretofore.
And in order that the full nature and novelty and mode of performing my said
invention and putting the several improvements thereof into effect or practice may
be properly understood, I shall now describe the figures on the Sheet of Drawings
which I have hereunto appended for that purpose, the same reference letters
indicating the same or like parts in the several figures.
Figures 1 and 2 show a vertical section and plan respectively of my new or
improved construction or shape of the internal neck a of the bottle alone; and
Figures 3 and 4 are a corresponding section and plan of the same neck a and
bottle A shown in figures 1 and 2 at right angles to these, and with the stopper
B B¹, as inserted and in section in Figure 4. Figure 5 is an elevation and plan of
the improved stopper. Figure 6 is a side view of an ordinary hand tool or spring
shaping gripper C, for shaping the neck a of the bottles, showing my improved
fittings as applied thereto for forming the internal stoppering part, and with the
neck a of a bottle shown in section as in the act of having this formed. Figure 7
shows a side view of the improved shaping part c and d at right angles to that
shown in Figure 6. Figures 8, 9, and 10, show an end, a side, and a back view.
respectively of the end plate D, carrying the improved shaping fittings of this tool.
Referring to these Figures, the nature and novelty of the invention consist all
as follows:-
By these improvements I make the neck A of the bottle of a slightly tapered or
conical form at a from the widest circular part at the mouth for half-an-inch or so
inwards, at which point I form an oval or elliptical projection rounded above, but
square undercut at a¹ below, as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2.
The improved stoppers for these bottles, which may be made of wood, porcelain,
glass, vulcanite, or other composition, are formed with a milled head B (for pressing

page_text: them in and turning them by) with a gently tapered or conical stem B¹, as shown
in Figures 3, 4, and 5, for being inserted and made tight in the bottles by an india
rubber ring B. This washer is fitted into a slightly recessed groove in the
stem B¹, a little distance from the head B; and the stem B¹ is formed with a small
round lateral hole right through it down towards the lower end or in a plane with
the under edge of the projecting oval part a¹ in the neck of the bottle. So that
when a piece of hard end wood b is fitted into this hole, projecting a little beyond
it on each side, these projections b pass down through the wide oval part a, a², of
the bottle neck A. On the stopper being turned round a quarter of the circle the
wood projections b pass and grip under the two opposite projections a¹ forming
the contracted sides of the oval part in the neck a, a² or head A of the bottle, as
shown particularly in Figure 3. A little behind the gripping projections b, raised
stop ridges b¹ are formed on the stem B¹, which, as the stopper is turned a quarter
round as stated to fix it, come round against the projections a¹, and prevent the
stopper from turning too far, as seen particularly in the section of the stopper
Figure 4.
Referring to Figures 6 to 10, the improvements connected with the hand
tool C C¹, for shaping the improved internal neck a and oval catch a¹ of the
bottle as described, consist as follows:-
C, C, are the ordinary spring arms of the tool, with the pressing blocks C¹ on
their extreme ends for shaping the outer head and neck part A of the bottles.
C' is the light central spindle secured to the back spring end of the arms C, having
its front end steadied by the lateral guide pins C³ passing through holes in the
front ends of the arms C, while it is secured through the arms D¹ of and end
plate D which it carries and against which the head A and inner neck a of the
bottles are shaped by the blocks C¹. The bottle-maker holds the spring arms C
in the one hand over the head A of the bottle, with the projecting end of the
central spindle C inside the neck a, so as to shape these parts to the proper size
as he turns the molten neck of the bottle with his other hand, and at the same
.time presses in the blocks C¹ gradually up against the ends of the plate D, all so
far much as usual in the making of the necks of bottles generally. The new or
improved parts of this tool, Figure 3, which I have invented to shape the internal.
conical neck a and oval projecting catches a¹ on each side, consist mainly in making
the conical part c, which forms the outer conical part a of the neck of the bottle,
where the india-rubber washer B³ of the stopper B, B', makes it liquid tight, and
to revolve loose on the central spindle C close up to the plate D, with an eye on
it passed in through the plate D, with an indicator or cam ca on it to show on the
outside the position of the conical piece c inside the neck of the bottle for the
removal of the bottle as will herein after be explained. This cone piece c has a
short piece c¹ on its opposite sides at its smaller outer end rounded and reduced to
the size and oval shape to form the projections a' forming the minor axis of the
oval a¹, a², within the lower neck a of the bottle, and as shown particularly in
Figure 6. This construction of oval part a¹, a', is also made to coincide with the
new very slightly tapered or parallel oval tool piece d, secured on the extreme end
of the central spindle C³, so that it does not revolve as the part c does, and thus
as the molten neck a of the bottle is turned it makes the inner part of the neck a³
beyond that formed by the conical piece o³, as wide as the widest part c² of the
oval end of the conical piece c; while the larger square angled part d' of this
outer stationary tool piece d, as the bottle and the piece c revolves, forms the
under cut part of the glass pressed into the reduced part c¹ by the shaping blocks C¹,
so as to leave these in the shape of the oval projections a¹, shown in Figures 2, 3, 4
and 6. But so that when these two parts c and d are turned to coincide as shown
in Figures 7 and 8 the bottle thus formed with the contracted oval projections can
be withdrawn, the end oval tool piece ddd' passing out through the corresponding
oval hole or contracted part a¹ a³ of the neck a of the bottle. One arrangement
for indicating from the outside when the parts c and d coincide as stated, to be
able to withdraw the bottles as quickly as they are formed, consists in mounting

page_text: a small lever e on the back of the plate D, with a pin e¹ on its outer end passed
through a small hole in the plate D, a light spring e¹ behind the lever always
keeping the end of the lever e pressed in, and the pin el seen on the outside by the
light of the hot glass; but when the conical piece c inside the bottle and the oval
contracted part a, a, all turned with the finished bottle, so that the oval tool
parts d d coincide, so as to allow the latter to pass out through the contracted
part formed in the neck of the bottle a, a small cam or projection c³ on the outer
eye of the piece c comes round and acting on the small projecting arm on the
lever e, draws out the pin e¹ and shows at once that the bottle may be drawn off
the tool.
When a stopper B B¹ is desired to be made tight by a cork ring B³ (instead of
by an india rubber one B', as hereinbefore described in reference to Figures 3, 4,
and 5, and as preferred) this may be done as shown in elevation in Figure 11, by
making the conical part a, at the top of the bottle a little larger and longer to
allow of the cork ring B³ being made stronger and having greater gripping surface;
and the cork ring would be pushed tight on to the upper part of the stem B¹
against the head B, without a groove below it in this case, either before or after
the projecting pin 6 was inserted.
Although stops b₁ on the stopper stems B, have only been described and shown
behind the retaining projections b, and thus only allowing the stoppers to be fixed
or locked by turning in one direction and released by turning in the reverse
direction, by merely placing the stops b' centrally above the retaining pins b, and
making them only to project so little out from the stem that the stoppers could
turn nearly a quarter round in either direction to release or secure them.
In some cases as when the stoppers B, B1, are made of hard wood the stems B¹
might have the securing projections 6 formed on them instead of boring holes.
through the stem B₁ and inserting a pin of end wood as described, which is more
particularly applicable when the stoppers are made of a hard material, as porcelain
or glass.
The top B of these stoppers B, B₁, are preferably formed with a narrow slot B*
for the insertion of a shilling or other coin, or it might be a screw driver for
tightening up or slackening them back.
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
First. The making of the internal stoppering neck of bottles with an elliptical or
oval projection a' for securing and retaining the stopper substantially as herein
described, and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction or adaptation of a hand tool with the improved parts
indicated by the italic letters c, d, and e, for forming the stoppering neck of bottles
with the oval projection a', all substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The making of stoppers for bottles with lateral projections b on their
opposite sides, either formed on them or by pins of wood driven into or through
them for securing and retaining them in the necks of bottles with oval projections,
all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.