Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles and other Receptacles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 9th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles and other Receptacles.
I, GUSTAVE KOCH, of 1223, Park Avenue, New York, United States of America,
Manufacturer, 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 closing bottles, barrels,
jugs, cans and the like, and consists in stoppers of the character hereinafter
described and claimed, said stoppers constituting a neat, simple, cheap and effective
substitute for the usual cork stoppers and possessing features of novelty differ-
entiating them from all other known stoppers.
The distinct features of novelty embraced in the stoppers will be pointed out.
hereinafter, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figures 1, 4, 6, 8 and 11 are central sections through stoppers embodying the
invention, showing the said stoppers before being applied to the bottles.
Figures 2, 5, 7, 9 and 12 are like views showing the stoppers applied to the
mouth of the bottles, the bottles being shown in section.
Figures 3, 10 and 13 are plan views of Figures 18 and 11 respectively.
In the drawings I illustrate the preferred form of stoppers embracing the
various features of my invention, A denoting the stopper, B a bottle to receive and
be sealed by it.
The stopper A, in its preferred form, comprises the hollow metallic plug having
its one end closed by a dish-shaped bottom or top a and provided with sides
whose lower portions bare substantially vertical and parallel and whose upper
portions, comprising a comparatively extensive surface area, diverge upward and
outward on curved lines to the extreme upper edge of the stopper, the said metallic
plug above its lower part having a diameter greater than that of the bottle neck it
is to close and seal.
Figure 1 shows a stopper with its bottom end dished, and Figure 2 shows the
same stopper after it has been forced into place, the bottom a being flattened and
the flange d curled and properly formed."
Figure 4 shows a similar stopper with its top end dished and Figure 5 is the
same stopper after it has been forced into place..
Figure 6 is a slight variation of the stopper shown in Figure 4 but with a
more pronounced flange d which, as shown in Figure 7 forms a shoulder which
not only increases the sealing contact, but also predetermines the depth the
stopper can be forced into the bottle neck.
Figure 8 is a similar stopper which has sides 6 diverging outwardly and
upwardly and is of a sufficiently greater diameter than the opening it is to
seal to form a strong frictional sealing contact on the inner walls of the bottle
neck as it is forced into position as shown in Figure 9.
Figures 11, 12, and 13 show the same stopper as is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3
with the extension of the flange d to e made large enough to encompass the

page_text: special form of bottle neck B Figure 11, of which form many are in use. This
stopper, besides being forced down into the bottle neck and then expanded by
flattening the dished bottom a, has an extra sealing contact on the outside of said
bottle neck by forcing the flange de into the groove around the bottle neck.
The various functions accomplished by my invention may be given full effect
by stoppers of the character above described and hence the forms of stoppers
shown are a full illustration of the several features of the invention, although
it is to be understood that this invention is not limited except as indicated in the
claims.
One of the main purposes of the invention is to provide a metal plug stopper
capable of properly sealing all usual or special bottles and thus avoiding any
necessity for the special manufacture of bottles possessing peculiar and unusual
necks or necks containing grooves, shoulders, screw-threads or other unusual
formations. And a further purpose of the invention is to provide a metal plug
stopper capable of effectually scaling the bottle or other receptacle without the
aid of rubber, cork and analogous gaskets.
My invention is based on new principles of construction and operation and they
with the accomplishment of the purposes above indicated will be understood from
a consideration of the method of using the stopper shown in the drawings.
The stopper A will be placed firmly within the mouth of the bottle or receptacle
in the manner shown in Figures 2, 5, 7, 9 and 12, in which it will be observed
that the upper outwardly flaring sides of the stopper are above the upper edges
of the mouth of the bottle and are incapable of entering the mouth of the bottle
except under definite positive pressure.
The downward pressure on the flange d drives the entire stopper downward
into the bottle and also forms the flange.d on the upper edges of the stopper.
This upper edge of the wall b may be flanged as shown by d or not. This does
not require a tool of special or complicated structure to secure the stopper in
position or to remove the same from the bottle, any suitable instrument, such as
a plug, punch, pencil or the like, will answer to force the stopper into place, and
a hook, corkscrew, or the like will answer to remove the stopper; the metal,
being soft is easily punctured. The normal height of the stopper is such that
a tool does not operate upon the dish shaped bottom of the stopper until after the
upper edges of the stopper have been turned over.
Thus the first action of the tool is not to flatten the bottom of the stopper but
to forcibly drive the stopper into the bottle and curl the upper edges of the
stopper, and thereupon act upon the dish-shaped bottom of the stopper and
serve to move said bottom into a flattened condition, whereby the lower portion
of the side walls of the stopper are driven into sealing contact with the inner
walls of the neck of the bottle. The stopper when driven into the bottle
sufficiently for its outwardly flaring sides to be crowded into the narrower diameter
of the bottle neck, effects along the upper portions of its sides a sealing con-
tact with the walls of the bottle, due to the contraction and compression of said
sides and their natural outward flexion against the inner walls of the bottle neck.
The peculiar construction or shape of shell is of especial importance making
this stopper fill out all uneven places always found in the neck of bottles and
the deeper it is pressed down the tighter it fits into the neck and the better
it fills out all pores or uneven places. The flattening of the dish-shaped end of
the stopper by the tool not only carries the outer peripheral edges of said end
against the bottle neck but moves a substantial area of surface of the sides of
the stopper against the bottle neck, and thus the dish-shaped end and vertical
sides of the stopper combine to produce the sealing effect and said sides thus
moved outward by the flattening of the dish-shaped end will fill the somewhat
irregular shapes found in the usual bottles and produce a liquid tight joint
without the employment of a gasket and without the employment of
shoulders, grooves and unnatural or other special formations in the
neck of the bottle and without the employment of tools acting laterally

page_text: against the sides of the stopper, all of which previous conditions, remedied
by the present invention, are decidedly objectionable.
In its preferred form the stopper A has a compound sealing action, the walls
of the stopper by contraction and compression, coupled with their outward flexion,
sealing themselves against the inside walls of the bottle neck, and a portion of
the sides of the stopper by their direct outward pressure closely sealing themselves
against the sides of the bottle neck. The inward contraction and compression
of the upper portions of the sides of the stopper also create a tendency in the lower
portions of said sides to move with firmness against the walls of the bottle neck.
The stopper produced in accordance with my invention is thus of substantial
height and throughout its height has its extended surfaces in sealing contact
with the walls of the bottle. The dish-shaped end of the stopper perform functions
which have never heretofore been performed by any of the known dish-shaped
disks. The dish-shaped end of the stopper made the subject of this application
moves outward definite portions of the sides of the stopper and effects the seal-
ing contact of said sides with the walls of the bottle neck, the said end after moving
the said sides outward, operating to restrain said sides from returning to their
inward or normal position.
I have demonstrated that the stoppers embodying the present invention are
capable of effecting a satisfactory seal without the use of any gasket whatever
and without the use of any specially constructed bottles, the said stopper being
adapted for use with the ordinary bottles found in the market.
It is not necessary
for me, and I do not limit the invention, to the non-use of a strip of paper or other
binding agent around the sides of the stopper shown, since the stopper shown is
in itself novel in construction and operation. There may be some metals out
of which the stoppers might be constructed which would not be sufficiently yield-
ing to effect the sealing of the bottles without the use of a strip of paper or other
analogous binding agent around the stopper, but with all metals of the ductile
character of aluminium, britannia metal and other soft metals, no gasket of any
kind is necessary, of employment, the metal stopper being of such construction
and function as to effectually seal the bottle with the metal in direct contact with
the glass. If the stopper should be used in bottles containing any liquids likely
to corrode the stoppers, I should recommend that the surfaces of the stoppers
be dipped in wax previous to their insertion into the bottles, for the protection
of said stoppers against the action of the liquids.
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
claim is:
1. The stopper consisting of the hollow metallic plug closed at its end and
adapted to pass downward within the neck of a bottle or receptacle with the side
surfaces normally engaging with firmness the inner walls of said neck, the end
of said stopper being dish-shaped and adapted on being flattened to move a portion
of the sides of the stopper into binding contact with said inner walls and effect
the sealing of the bottle; substantially as set forth.
2. The stopper consisting of the hollow metallic plug closed and dish-shaped
at its end and adapted to pass downward within the neck of the bottle or receptacle
with its sides engaging with firmness the inner walls of said neck, and said
sides diverging upward and outward, whereby upon the said stopper being driven
into the bottle and its bottom flattened the upper sides of the stopper by their
contraction are caused to firmly bind against the bottle and the lower sides of the
stopper are by the flattening of said bottom forced into binding contact with the
bottle; substantially as set forth.
3. As a new article of manufacture, the stopper comprising the hollow metal
plug closed at its lower end by a dish-shaped bottom and having sides which
diverge upward and outward throughout a substantial part of their length on
curved lines; substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4. As a new article of manufacture, the stopper comprising the hollow metallic
plug closed at its lower end by a dish-shaped bottom and having sides which near
said bottom are substantially vertical and then throughout a substantial part
of their length diverge upward and outward; substantially as set forth.
5. As a new article of manufacture, the stopper comprising the hollow metal
plug closed at its lower end by a dish-shaped bottom and having sides which near
said bottom are substantially vertical and then diverge upward and outward
throughout a substantial part of their length on curved lines; substantially as set
forth.
6. As a new article of manufacture, the stopper comprising the hollow metal
plug closed at its lower end by a dish-shaped bottom and having sides which
diverge upward and outward to the extreme upper edges of the stopper; sub-
stantially as set forth.
7. As a new article of manufacture, the stopper comprising the hollow metal
plug closed at its lower end and having outwardly flaring sides which above said
lower end are greater in diameter than the diameter of the neck of the bottle
to which the stopper is to be applied, whereby on said stopper being driven
downward into the bottle the sides of the stopper will be thereby contracted and
conformed to said neck and bind against the same with sealing effect; sub-
stantially as set forth.
8. As a new article of manufacture, the stopper comprising the hollow metal
plug closed by a dish-shaped end, the sides of said stopper being adapted to
firmly bind against the walls of the neck they are to close by pressure applied
in line with their length and simply driving the stopper into said neck, and the said
sides at their lower or upper portions being adapted to be driven against the
walls of said neck by the flattening of said dish-shaped end; substantially as
set forth.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.