Improvements in Bottle-stopper Extractors.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM PAINTER, of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Bottle-stopper Extractors.
We THE BOTTLE SEAL COMPANY LIMITED of No. 8 Great Winchester Street in the
City of London 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 :-
It is often desirable, after a bottle has been opened and a portion of its contents
poured out, to temporarily stop the bottle again. This is especially the case with
effervescent and fermented beverages. Many bottle stoppers such as those formed of
discs of flexible material cannot practically be reinserted manually to restop the bottle
and the same is true of corks in many cases after they have been withdrawn and their
lower ends expanded.
It is the object of our invention to provide in combination with a tool for extracting
stoppers a means whereby after the tool has been used to extract the stopper or cork,
the bottle mouth may be again conveniently and tightly stoppered yet so as to be as
readily re-opened.
To this end our invention consists in a stopper-extracting tool having an extracting
end provided with a point or points or of other suitable configuration and provided
with a stopper adapted to enter and close the mouth of the bottle after the original
stopper or cork has been withdrawn.
The extracting end may obviously take various forms, for the purpose of making
our invention more clearly understood, we have shown in the accompanying drawings
and have hereinafter described as a means for carrying the same into effect a tool
having a configuration especially adapting it to the extraction of disc or seal
stoppers.
In said drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation partially in section of the stopper-extracting tool.
Figure 2 is a view illustrating the use of the same in extracting a stopper.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the bottle showing the device employed
as a stopper.
Referring to the drawings A indicates a shank of suitable material such as galvanized
iron provided at its upper end with a convenient handle B. In the construction shown
this latter consists of an eye formed by bending a continuation of the shank A. The
lower end of the shank carries the extractor proper C curved at its extremity to serve
as a hook c for retaining the stopper when extracted from the bottle. The stopper is
shown at S being in this case of the form termed a disc or seal stopper held in place
in the neck N of the bottle by a shoulder or groove n. At its centre said stopper is
shown provided with an upward projection consisting of a wire loop s.
In extracting
a stopper it is simply necessary to engage this wire loop by the hook c and depress
the handle B and shank A using the lip of the bottle as a fulcrum (see Figure 2).
This movement retroverts the stopper and releases it with ease from the groove n.
At any convenient point which will not interfere with the use of the extractor as
thus far described, the tool is provided with a stopper D of some suitable material.
In the construction shown, the stopper proper consists of a rubber sleeve d drawn
over a boss d¹ preferably cast with or upon the shank A. This boss is provided at its
lower end with a flange d² which prevents the sleeve d from being left within the
bottle neck when the device, after being used as a stopper, is withdrawn.
The boss may also be provided at its upper end with a similar flange d³ to more
effectually keep the sleeve d in place.
The use of the device as a stopper is clearly illustrated in Figure 3. After extracting

page_text: the original stopper and pouring out the desired quantity of the beverage, the device
is simply inserted in the open neck of the bottle as indicated in Figure 3 thus retaining
the effervescence of the beverage.
When the stopper or cork is not provided with a projection or loop by which it may
be extracted it may be engaged directly by the point c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The hereindescribed combined bottle stopper extractor and stopper consisting of the
lever A provided at one end with means such as a point or points for engaging a
projection or loop carried by the bottle stopper, having at its other end and rigid
therewith a suitable handle B and provided between said handle and the operative end
with a boss d¹, flanges d² d³ at each end of said boss and integral therewith all of said
parts being cast together and the elastic sleeve D surrounding said boss between the
flanges substantially as set forth.
Dated this 20th day of October 1890.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicants.