IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Warner, of Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, Mineral Water Manufacturer, and William Tully, of Thomas
Street, Kennington Park, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
Sealed the 11th December 1877, and dated the 16th June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Warner and William
Tully at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1877.
CHARLES WARNER, of Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Mineral Water Manufacturer, and WILLIAM TULLY, of Thomas Street, Kennington
Park, in the County of Surrey, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING
TO STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH."
Our said Invention relates to a novel stopper for bottles, to the means for securing
the said stopper in the bottle, and to a device or apparatus serving as a tap to be
used in connection with our improved stopper for drawing the liquid from the
bottles in which the same is secured.
The said Invention is more especially designed for stoppering bottles containing
lemonade, ginger beer, soda water, and mineral waters, and other gaseous or
effervescing liquids, but it will serve advantageously in the place of the ordinary
corks used in wine, spirit, beer, and other bottles.
Our improved stopper may be formed of india-rubber, gutta percha, leather, cork,
wood, metal, glass, or other material. We prefer however to construct it of india-
rubber or gutta percha, and in the following manner, that is to say:-The said valve
is formed to fit the interior of the neck of the bottle and has an oval opening or
passage through it; the inner end of the said valve is wedge shaped, and its two
sides, which are capable of opening and closing, are exposed to the pressure inside
the bottle, which pressure tends to keep the valve closed. The said valve has a
flange or collar on its outer or upper end, which prevents its being forced too far
into the bottle. When it is properly fitted in its place we place over it, just within

page_text: the mouth of the bottle, a disc or cap with a hole through its centre, formed of
metal, wood, glass, or other suitable material, which is cemented, screwed, wedged,
keyed, or otherwise inade fast in the mouth of the bottle, thereby fixing the said
valve or stopper securely in its place.
In some instances we fit within the central hole or passage of the valve stopper a
metal ring or short tube, which prevents injury to the valve by excessive pressure
of the gas within the bottle. The said valves or stoppers may be made of any
required dimensions and may be round, oval, or of any other suitable shape.
In connection with this improved valve or stopper we may use any suitable
device capable of insertion through the said stopper for drawing the liquid from the
bottle. But we have devised a special form of tap which will be found very con-
venient for this purpose, and which is constructed as follows, that is to say:-We
form the said tap with an oval stem which may be easily pushed through the hole
or passage in the valve; this stem projects from a collar, which when the said tap
is inserted in the valve rests on and covers the disc or cap in the mouth of the
bottle. Outside of this collar the said tap has a vertical tube or barrel, from which
projects a suitable spout, curved and of a convenient form and length, for discharging
the contents of the bottle. This tube or barrel is fitted with a spring piston or plug
or other device, which allows the said tap to be readily opened and closed. By
means of this tap the bottle can be completely emptied at once, or any desired
quantity of its contents can be drawn from the said bottle from time to time as
desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Warner and William Tully in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th December 1877.
CHARLES WARNER, of Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Mineral Water Manufacturer, and WILLIAM TULLY, of Thomas Street, Kennington
Park, in the County of Surrey, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING
TO STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH."
Our said Invention relates to novel forms of stoppers for bottles, to the means for
securing the said stoppers in the bottles, and to devices or apparatus serving as or
in connection with taps to be used for filling bottles provided with our improved
stopper, and for drawing the liquid from the bottles, secured by the same.
The said Invention is more especially designed for stoppering bottles containing
lemonade, ginger beer, soda water, and mineral waters, and other gaseous or
effervescing liquids, but it will serve advantageously in the place of the ordinary
corks used in wine, spirit, beer, and other bottles.
Our improved stoppers, or the main parts thereof, may be formed of india-rubber,
gutta percha, leather, cork, wood, metal, glass, or other material. We prefer
however to construct them of india-rubber or gutta porcha, and in the following
manner herein-after described.
In the accompanying Drawings we have shewn various forms of the aforesaid
stoppers.
Figure 1 shows three views of one form, and Figures
modifications of the same.
and 3 show various

page_text: Figures 4 to 12 show bottles with the same or other forms or modifications of the
said stoppers secured in them, and also illustrate other parts of our Invention
herein-after described.
In these Figures & is the stopper, and b is the bottle.
In Figure 1, A is an under side view shewing the stopper closed; A¹ is a similar
view shewing the same open; A² is a transverse section of the said stopper.
In Figure 4 this stopper is shewn secured in the bottle b, whose neck b' is properly
formed for its reception. When the said stopper is properly fitted in its seat we
place over it a disc or cap c formed of wood, cork, metal, glass, or other suitable
material, which is screwed, wedged, keyed, or otherwise made fast in its place.
This disc or cap has a central hole coinciding with the hole or aperture of the
stopper or valve a.
In connection with this improved valve or stopper we may use any suitable
device capable of insertion through the said stopper for drawing the liquid from the
bottle, but we have devised a special form of tap which will be found very con-
venient for this purpose, and which is constructed as follows, that is to say:-We
forin the said tap with an oval stem, which may be easily pushed through the hole
or passage in the valve; this stem projects from a collar, which when the said tap is
inserted in the valve rests on and covers the disc or cap in the mouth of the bottle.
Outside of this collar the said tap has a vertical tube or barrel, from which projects
a suitable spout, either straight or curved, and of a convenient form and length for
discharging the contents of the bottle. This tube or barrel is fitted with a spring
piston or plug or other device, which allows the said tap to be readily opened and
closed. By means of this tap the bottle can be completely emptied at once, or any
desired quantity of its contents can be drawn from the said bottle from time to time
as desired.
In Figure 4 we have shown one form of this drawing-off tap; d is the tap,
whose end d is inserted through the stopper when it is desired to draw off the
contents thereof. This tap has a plug, whose handle is shewn at d. When the tap
is inserted into the stopper, as shewn by turning this handle, the contents of the
bottle will be discharged through the nozzle (³.
In Figure 5 we have shewn a modification of the above-described devices, in
which I insert within the disc c a small tube e; this tube has a collar at e', which
is enclosed in a cavity c¹ in the disc c, and the lower extremity of this tube when
the stopper or valve a is closed enters the said valve but does not pass through it.
But the tube e is so fitted in the disc, and the cavity c¹ is formed of such a length
that by forcing the said tube down or inward its inner extremity will pass through
the said stopper and the liquid will then flow through the said tube.
In Figure 6 and 6ª we have shewn another modification in which we insert into
the stopper a a small tube f, whose lower or inner end has an opening at g; inside
this tube f we fit another tube h, which extends above the tube f, and is formed
with a collar h¹. The cap or plug c is in this case screwed into the bottle neck
above the collar h¹, and thereby keeps the said tube in place; but the said tube,
with its collar ', is fitted to turn freely in the tube f and cap c. The said tubo /
also has an aperture at its lower or inner end, and these two tubes with their
apertures form a valve as follows:-When the closed or solid part of this end of the
tube is adjusted to cover or close the aperture g in the end of the tube f, the
valve will be closed, but when the inner tube h is turned or adjusted so that the
apertures in the two tubes coincide or come opposite each other, the valve will be
open and the contents of the bottle will be discharged through the same.
In Figure 7 we have shown a modification of the tap or tube d'above described,
in which it bas a piston valve d', instead of a plug in the body of the tap, and
according to its position it opens or closes the passage or aperture communicating
with the nozzle d. The said valve d is preferably provided with a spring d³ to
keep it open, and is adjusted to prevent the discharge of the liquid by depressing it
Lor forcing it down; but if desired this spring may be dispensed with.

page_text: By making the oval stem or shank of this drawing tube of such a length as to
extend to the bottom of the bottle as shewn, the whole of the contents thereof can
be drawn out with the bottle in an upright position.
Either of the various forms of stoppers shewn at A³, A², A³, Aº, A³, or A³, may
be used instead of the stopper shewn in Figure 1. That shewn at A' differs from
.the others in having a small valve or flap j of india-rubber or other suitable
material, and which is so formed and arranged that the gaseous pressure within
the bottle will tend to keep it closed until it is opened by forcing through it the
aforesaid tap, or by other suitable means; a* is a small metal bush or ring which
facilitates the insertion and removal of the tap or tube.
In Figures 8 and 8 we have shown our improved stopper secured in the
bottle by means of a metal cap k screwed upon the exterior of the bottle neck.
In Figures 9 and 9a we have shewn a device for securing the said stopper, con-
sisting of a pronged metal piece l. This device is inserted into the bottle's mouth
above the stopper or valve a, as shewn in Figure 9, and the hooked ends of the
prongs ¹ engaging with the shoulder 6 keep the said stopper securely in place.
Figure 10 shows another securing device consisting of a metal piece m, formed
with three or more prongs m³, which are designed to extend downward and fit the
exterior of the bottle neck, whereon they are secured by a metal or other band, or
by wire, or other suitable means.
.
In Figure 11 we have shown the stopper or valve a, secured by a disc c, which is
cemented in the mouth of the bottle b. For this purpose the said disc is bevelled or
tapered, and the mouth of the bottle is of corresponding form, but somewhat larger
in diameter than the said disc. The latter is inserted with its largest diameter
downward, and resting on the stopper, and the cement is introduced within the
taper annular space between the disc and the bottle at c².
In Figure 12 we have shewn an application of our Invention which will bo
found very useful in the bars of restaurants and the like. In this case the bottle
b, which is fitted with one of the stoppers above described, is placed upon a frame
12, which is supported and fixed in an inclined position above the bar or counter.
The part n¹ of this frame is the drawing-off tube, which has a shank or stem at n²,
similar to that above described; the bottle is free to slide in the frame n, and is
held and guided thereon by the spring-clips n³, or by other suitable means. The
bottle is placed in this frame, as shewn, and when it is desired to draw out the
contents thereof it is pushed forward on the frame n so as to force its neck over the
end or shank of the said tube, which is thus caused to pass through the stopper and
open the same, the contents of the bottle being then discharged at the nozzle n³.
Figure 13 is a front elevation, and Figure 14 an end elevation of an apparatus
for filling the bottles provided with our improved stoppers. For this purpose we
provide taps with tubular shanks or stems o, and shoulders o¹, similar to those of
the aforesaid taps. The said stems are fitted to slide up and down in the said taps
and are provided with springs to raise them. The plugs of these taps are provided
with levers p, which are connected by rods or links q with a handle or lever r; on
the plug spindles are cams 8, which act on shoulders o², or rollers on the stuffing
boxes o to depress the tubular stems o. By means of this mechanism the operator,
by turning the handle r, can simultaneously open all the taps and force the tubes o
through the stoppers in the bottles; and when the said liandle is released the
closing of the taps and raising of the tubes out of the bottles will be simultaneously
effected by the said springs; s¹, s¹, 8¹, are small valves which relieve the bottles of
excessive pressure.
The said taps are all connected with a cylinder t, which is to be secured upon any
suitable filling machine. I prefer to combine with this cylinder a syrup vessel u,
provided with a piston u¹; the piston rod u² has on its lower end a rack which
gears with the toothed sector v; the latter is provided with a handle or lever v',
whereby the said piston may be raised and lowered in the vessel or cylinder u. The
latter is supplied with syrup by the tube u; the syrup is admitted to the space

page_text: below the piston by suitable valves, and when the piston is depressed the said
syrup is forced through the pipe u into the stem o below the tap, and thence into
the bottle.
By the use of our improved stoppers constructed and secured in the bottles as
aforesaid, in connection with the apparatus above described, we provide means for
stoppering bottles containing gaseous or effervescent liquids, and for drawing off
these liquids in a more advantageous manner than has heretofore been practicable.
It will be seen by the above description that the stoppers are permanently and
tightly secured in the bottles without presenting any or but very slight metallic
surfaces to the action of the liquid in the bottles, and that the aforesaid stoppers
have apertures large enough to permit a very free entrance and discharge of the
liquids, and though they are perfectly tight when closed, and close without any
special care, they are very easily opened by the insertion of the said taps or by the
other means described; and moreover, in the act of opening these stoppers, there is
no waste of the liquid or unpleasant wetting or soiling of the hands or clothes as
with other stoppers.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we wish it understood that we claim,—
First. The improvements in and relating to bottle stoppers consisting partly of
elastic material, and partly of wood, glass, or other suitable substance, and so formed
and secured in the bottles as to act like valves, and close tightly, and remain tightly
closed until opened by the aforesaid taps, tubes, or other means, and which have
central apertures for the insertion of the said taps, or tubes, or other opening and
closing devices, and suitable for the free entrance and discharge of the liquids as
above described.
Second. The improved drawing taps or tubes constructed to be used in combi-
nation with the aforesaid stoppers for emptying or drawing off the contents of the
bottles, and operating as above set forth.
Third. The combination of the tap or tube with the frame, shewn in Figure 12,
to operate in combination with the said frame, and enter or pass through the stopper
and discharge the contents of the bottle as above set forth.
Fourth. The combination of our improved taps with the other apparatus shewn
in Figures 13 and 14 for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Warner and William Tully, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
seven.