Year: 1887

page_text: I, WALTER CHARLES CHURCH, of 6 Trinity Square, Brixton in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to means of stoppering bottles, jars and other vessels, within
which the pressure may be less than that of the external atmosphere without injury
to the contents. For this purpose, I make the plug or stopper wholly or partly of
caoutchouc or equivalent elastic material, with a head in the form of a hollow ball or
bulb, and with either a plug part to enter the mouth of the vessel, or a hood to cover
the mouth. In putting in or on the stopper, I compress the bulbous head and thus
force out the air through a hole at the bottom, then on relieving the pressure on the
bulb, it dilates causing a reduction of pressure within the vessel such that the superior
external pressure by forcing down the stopper makes the closure tight. In many
cases, I make the elastic bulb with two apertures provided with valves or unade so as
to act as valves, opening, the one inwards and the other outwards. The bulb then beingi
compressed and allowed to dilate several times, acts as an air pump exhausting to a.
certain extent the vessel to which it is applied. When a considerable degree of
exhaustion is desired I place within the bulb a spring which causes it to dilate even
when the pressure within it is considerably below that of the atmosphere.
Dated this 12th day of January 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, WALTER CHARLES CHURCH of 6 Trinity Square Brixton in the county of
Surrey, Engineer 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 :-
My invention relates to means of stoppering bottles, jars and other vessels within
which the pressure may be less than that of the external atmosphere without injury
to the contents.
For this purpose, I make the plug or stopper. wholly or partly of caoutchouc or
equivalent elastic material, with a head in the form of a hollow ball or bulb, and with
either a plugipart to enter the mouth of the vessel or a hood to cover the mouth. In
putting in or on the stopper, I compress the bulbous head and thus force out the air
through a hole at the bottom, then on relieving the pressure on the bulb, it dilates
causing a reduction of pressure within the vessel such that the superior external
pressure by forcing down the stopper makes the closure tight. In some cases I make
the elastic bulb with two apertures provided with valves or made so as to act as
valves, opening the one inwards and the other outwards. The bulb then being
compressed and allowed to dilate several times acts as an air pump exhausting to a
certain extent the vessel to which it is applied. When a considerable degree of exhaus-
tion is desired 1 place within the bulb a spring which causes it to dilate even when
the pressure within it is considerably below that of the atmosphere.
When a stopper is used in this way, it is of advantage to provide it with a valve or
aperture that can be opened so as to admit air and relieve the pressure which holds
it closed.
The stoppers according to my invention may be of various forms and proportions.
I will describe several convenient forms as examples referring to the accompanying
drawings..
Fig. 1 is a section of a stopper. in its simplest form; Fig. 2 is a section of a stopper
having a spring within its bulb and inlet and outlet valves; Fig. 3 is a section of a
similar stopper with valves of a different kind; Fig. 4 is a section of a stopper
with valves but without spring. Fig. 5 is a section of a stopper with spring and
valves, with a mouth to cover externally the vessel to which it is applied. Fig. 6 is
a section of a similar stopper with additional valve to relieve pressure; Fig. 7 is a
section of a stopper through which a stem passes as for a gum brush; Fig. 8 is a
modified form of stopper for the same purpose.
A Fig. 1 is a hollow bulb of caoutchouc or similar elastic material with its lower
part formed as a plug B to enter the mouth of a bottle, and with a hole C through the
plug. The bulb A is compressed so as to discharge air from the interior and its
plug B is then inserted in the bottle mouth.
On releasing the bulb A from pressure it expands creating a partial vacuum in the
bottle, and the greater external pressure keeps the stopper in its place.

page_text: The bulb A Fig. 2 has slits cut at C and D through ridges of the elastic material,
these operating as valves, C for suction and D for discharge. A spring E within the
bulb causes it to expand after being compressed vertically. After placing it on the
mouth of a bottle or vessel it may be compressed and released repeatedly, acting as a
pump to exhaust the air in the vessel.
In the modified form Fig. 3 the spring E is made nearly to fit the interior of the
bulb so as to dilate it in all directions.
The suction valve at C is a ball, and the discharge valve consists of a slit at D
formed by passing a sharp blade transversely through the elastic head.
In the stopper Fig. 4 the bulb is made with a base which may be flat or somewhat
hollowed as shewn to seat on the top of the vessel that is closed by it. The suction
valve at C is in this case a flap valve and the discharge valve is a slit at D.
In the modified form Fig. 5, the bulb has a base made as a mouth piece with lips
to close over the mouth of a vessel.
There is an internal spring E a ball suction valve at C and several slits at D to
operate as discharge valves.
The stopper shewn in Fig. 6, besides having an internal spring E, has at the side
of its mouth piece a projection F which is partly severed by a cut at facross a small
passage. When by repeated compressions and dilatations of the bulb the air in
the vessel is so far exhausted that it would require considerable force to remove the
stopper, the projection F can be raised by the finger to admit air by the slit and
passage funder the base of the bulb, whereupon the stopper can be readily removed.
Obviously a valve of any suitable form or a plug might be used for this purpose.
In cases where the stem of a brush or other fitting has to pass through the stopper,
it may pass directly through that bulb as shewn at G in Fig. 7, or it may pass
obliquely through the lip of the base of the stopper as shewn at G in Fig. 8.
Although I have shewn the springs E as placed within the bulbs A, they may be
imbedded in the material of the bulbs, and they may be introduced compressed to any
desired extent so as to cause forcible dilatation of the bulbs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what inanner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what 1 claim is :-
1. A stopper for a bottle, jar, or other vessel consisting of an elastic hollow bulb
with an aperture opening to the interior of the vessel, constructed and operating
substantially as herein described.
2. A stopper for a bottle, jar, or other vessel consisting of an elastic hollow bulb
having an opening into the bulb from the interior of the vessel provided with a
suction valve, and an external opening from the bulb provided with a discharge valve,
substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of October 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.