IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES."
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Nathan Thompson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th March 1881.
NATHAN THOMPSON, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State of New
York, in the United States of America, but at present of 23, Southampton
Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.. IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS
BOTTLES, JARS, AND OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES."
"
FOR
The Invention has for its object improvements in stoppers for bottles, jars,
and other hollow articles, and relates to means whereby stoppers may be readily
withdrawn from the necks of the articles into which they have been inserted, and
be repeatedly inserted and withdrawn for a considerable time while still remaining
efficient stoppers.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement, I take a piece of cork and form
a circular space therein, leaving a good thickness of cork around and at the bottom
of the same; into this recess I cement a rigid headpiece, preferably of wood, and
formed either with or without a projecting flange as may be desired. Either
partially or entirely across the head of the stopper I form a recess, and transversely
of such recess I pass a pin or bar, leaving sufficient space around the latter to
enable an instrument of a similar character to a button hook to pass under and
partly around the same for the purpose of withdrawing the stopper.
When the recess is formed entirely across the head of the stopper, the ordinary
binding wire or cord used for fastening the stopper in position can lie in such
recess, and if desired a capsule or label placed smoothly over the entire, which
capsule or label must be destroyed or defaced in order to obtain access to the
contents of the bottle or other. vessel.
In some cases in lieu of employing a cross pin in such slotted head to enable
the stopper to be withdrawn from the bottle, I pivot a lever in such slot which
projects at one end so as to form a handle thereto, and at the other end bears
on the bottle neck; or such slot in the head may be dispensed with, and a
lever partly passing around the head of the stopper be used in lieu of the cross
lever.
By raising the one end of either of said levers, the other end or ends thereof
are caused to bear against the bottle neck and thereby partially withdraw the

page_text: stopper, and in the latter case the lever forms a convenient handle for the complete
removal of the stopper.
According to another arrangement I form the head of the stopper of metal in
such manner as to enable it to be firmly fixed to the cork, and at the same time
provide means to enable it to be readily withdrawn in the manner above described.
For this purpose I employ a solid cork, and I make the metal head in the form of
a cap provided if desired with a projecting flange and an inwardly projecting ring.
I also form a slot or depression in the centre of the cap, and in the latter case I
fix a pin across such depression by passing the legs of a staple through the cap on
opposite sides of the depression, and then turning such legs back against the
underside of the metallic cap, or such cross pin or bar may be formed and fixed in
any other suitable manner; the cork is compressed and then passed into the metallic
cap, where it expands and where it is preferably cemented and thereby becomes
securely fastened to the cap.
Or the cap may be formed with a straight ring or short cylinder in the first
instance, then when the cork is placed in position the ring or short cylinder is
turned inwards by dies or otherwise.
When a mere slot or hole is formed in the metallic (cap, an instrument in the
form of a lever will readily withdraw the stopper on being passed into the slot or
hole and caused to bear at its end against the underside of the cap, and in some
cases also against the top of the cap, or the neck of the bottle, or other article to
which the stopper is applied.
When a cross pin or bar is applied to the metellic cap, an instrument similar to
a button hook is employed to withraw the stopper in like manner to that described
with respect to the first described stopper.
The lower part of the cork portion of the stopper when exposing the end grain
of the cork may be coated with a suitable cement in order to render the same
impervious.