Improvements in Automatic Measures for Bottles and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Measures for Bottles and the like.
We, ALFRED EMERSON JANES and HENRY ARTHUR RULE, Engineers, of Addington
Works, Addington Square, in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in automatic measures for bottles and the like
has for its object to provide an appliance that can be fitted to an ordinary bottle
or similar vessel and by means of which a certain definite quantity of the contents
of the bottle can be readily and quickly poured out until the bottle is completely
empty, and consists in a cylindrical measure having a weighted piston and provided
at its bottom with a neck covered with cork or the like and adapted to be fitted
tight into the bottle, a valve connected to the piston and adapted when the piston
is at the top of the cylinder to prevent egress from the bottle, and an outlet spout
that is opened when the piston is at the top of the cylinder.
The valve that prevents the egress of liquid from the bottle into the measure is
connected to the piston by its rod and closes the neck of the cylindrical measure.
Or in a modification the valve closes the air inlet to the bottle.
The air inlet to the bottle is through the axis of the piston rod and piston, through
a hole in the top of the measure. This air inlet may be closed when the piston
arrives at the top of the measure.
The measure is also provided with an air inlet opposite the outlet spout that is
uncovered by the weighted piston at the end of its upward traverse.
In use the server acts as if he were pouring out the contents of the bottle in the
ordinary way. Whilst the piston is falling by gravity to the top of the measure
the measure is filling, when at the top the liquid is cut off from the measure and
the measure empties through the spout that has been uncovered.
The hollow piston rod opens out into a small chamber in the top of the piston
and is provided in addition to the hole at its end with a small hole a short distance
down to prevent the hole being stopped by a bubble or otherwise. The inner end
of the apparatus may be protected by a perforated tube.
Dated this 26th day of April 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained, in and by the following statement:—
This invention for improvements in automatic measures for bottles and the like
has for its object to provide an appliance that can be fitted to an ordinary bottle
or similar vessel and by means of which a certain definite quantity of the contents
of the bottle can be readily and quickly poured out until the bottle is completely
empty, and consists in a cylindrical measure having a weighted piston and provided
at its bottom with a neck covered with cork or the like and adapted to be fitted
tight into the bottle; a valve connected to the piston and adapted when the piston
is at the top of the cylinder to prevent egress from the bottle, and an outlet spout
that is opened when the piston is at the top of the cylinder.
The valve that prevents the egress of liquid from the bottle into the measure is
connected to the piston by its rod and closes the neck of the cylindrical measure.
Or in a modification the valve closes the air inlet to the bottle.
The air inlet to the bottle is through the axis of the piston rod and piston, and
through the spout or through a hole in the top of the measure.
This air inlet may
be closed when the piston arrives at the top of the measure.
The measure is also provided with an air inlet opposite the outlet spout that is
uncovered by the weighted piston at the end of its upward traverse.
In use the server acts as if he were pouring out the contents of the bottle in the
ordinary way. Whilst the piston is falling by gravity to the top of the measure
the measure is filling, when at the top the liquid is cut off from the measure and
the measure empties through the spout that has been uncovered.
The hollow piston rod opens out into a small chamber in the top of the piston
and is provided in addition to the hole at its end with a small hole a short distance
down to prevent the hole being stopped by a bubble or otherwise. The inner end
of the apparatus may be protected by a perforated tube.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Figs. 1 and 2 show, in central
vertical section two modifications of an automatic measure constructed according to
this invention.
The cylinder a is provided with a weighted piston 6 fitting loosely therein and
at the bottom with a neck c covered with cork or the like so that it can be fitted
tight into the neck of a bottle or like receptacle. The piston rod d of the piston b
is hollow and passes through the neck c of the cylinder, sufficient space being left
between the rod id and the neck c to allow of the admission of the liquid into the
cylinder. On the end of the piston rod d is a disc or valve e that when the piston
is at the upper end of the cylinder a closes the neck c.
The cylinder a is also provided with a spout f and an air inlet 9 that are just
uncovered when the piston is at the upper end of the cylinder a. An air inlet h
may also be provided at the upper end of the cylinder a.
The operation is as follows:-When the receptacle is vertical the piston b is at
the bottom or neck end of the cylinder. When desired to deliver the measured
quantity from the receptacle the receptacle is inclined or inverted so that the con-
tents run into the cylinder a whilst the piston slowly descends to the top (now the
bottom) end of the cylinder, sufficient air being admitted to the receptacle through
the spout and inlets h and 9 and hollow rod d. The piston 6 passes the ports of
the spout and inlet g and just as the valve e closes the neck c, the ports are
uncovered by the lower (now the upper) edge of the piston b. The cylinder c is
thus full of liquid from the lower edge of the piston to the neck c and these contents
when the ports of the spout f and inlet 9 are uncovered run out through the spout,
air being admitted through the inlet g. A fresh supply cannot enter the cylinder a
as it is cut off by the valve e. Consequently all that it is necessary to do to
deliver the measured quantity is to invert the bottle and wait until it stops running,
when the bottle is reinverted and the piston will drop by gravity ready to deliver
another measured quantity. As shown the rod d is adjustable in the piston 6 but
it is preferably adjusted to deliver the exact quantity and then soldered or otherwise
secured in the piston b.

page_text: In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the valve e is replaced by a valve i at the
other end of the rod, that when the piston is at the upper end of the cylinder enters
the recess and so closes the end of the rod d, the piston at the same time closing
the port of the inlet h so that no air can enter into the receptacle.
We have shown and described the appliance to be fitted to a bottle in a similar
manner to an ordinary cork but this fitting may be replaced by any ordinary inside
or outside clamp or fixing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An automatic measure for bottles and the like substantially as described.
2. An automatic measure for bottles and the like consisting of a cylinder, a
weighted piston therein, a means for attaching the cylinder to the opening of the
bottle or receptacle, and inlet and outlet ports controlled by the piston.
3. The improvements in automatic measures for bottles and the like substan-
tially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated thin ofth daw of Tannam 1900
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.