IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPING OR CLOSING BOTTLES AND SUCH LIKE VESSELS USED FOR CONTAINING ÅERATED AND OTHER LIQUIDS."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hiram Codd, of No. 58, King William Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPING OR CLOSING
BOTTLES AND SUCH LIKE VESSELS USED FOR CONTAINING ÅERATED AND OTHER
LIQUIDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hiram Codd at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th September 1879.
" IM-
HIRAM CODD, of No. 58, King William Street, in the City of London.
PROVEMENTS IN STOPPING OR CLOSING BOTTLES AND SUCH LIKE VESSELS USED FOR
CONTAINING AËRATED AND OTHER LIQUIDS."
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, No. 3070, in the year 1870,
I described stopping or closing a bottle used for containing aërated liquid by means
of a ball of glass held by the pressure of gas within the bottle up to and against a
ring of elastic material contained within a groove formed around the mouth or neck
of the bottle. According to my present Invention I form the top of the neck of
the bottle curved over, so as to conform internally to the contour of the surface of
the ball, and with an outlet aperture at the centre of the curved or domed
shaped top.
Around the curved or dome shaped top where it conforms to the surface of the
ball I form a groove to contain the ring of elastic material for the ball stopper to
close against. By forming the bottle in this manner the ball if pressed outwards
against the elastic ring with such force as to cause the ball to come against the
glass forming the top of the bottle, the ball will rest against a large area of bearing
surface, instead of coming against a narrow edge, as in the bottles as heretofore
made.
It is not necessary that the stoppers should be of a globular form; they might be
of other form, and the top of the interior of the bottle be similarly made to conform
to a large area of their upper surface, whilst the groove for containing the elastic
ring is formed around this part of the interior surface of the mouth or upper part of
the bottle; or the groove for holding the ring might in some cases be around the
stopper in place of around the mouth of the bottle, and still retain the advantage of
having a large bearing surface for the stopper to come against if the stopper is

page_text: forced outwards with sufficient force to compress the elastic ring to such an extent
that the rigid portion of the stopper comes against the bottle.
I have also found that if the interior surface of the bottle where it fits over the
stopper conforms sufficiently nearly to the surface of the stopper that it is then
unnecessary to insert any elastic ring into the groove which is formed around the
interior of this portion of the bottle, or around the part of the stopper which fits
against it, as a certain quantity of liquid gets enclosed in this groove, and cannot
escape from the groove by reason of the close fit between the stopper and bottle;
thus a liquid joint is formed which prevents the escape of gas.
In the same way bottles, decanters, and other such like vessels used for con-
taining liquids which are not aërated may have a groove or grooves formed either
around the stoppers with which they are closed or around the interior of the por-
tion of the bottle or vessel that the stopper fits within. A certain amount of liquid
will always get enclosed in such groove or grooves when the stopper is put into its
place, and form a liquid joint to prevent air or gas passing into or out of the bottle
or vessel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hiram Codd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th March
1880.
HIRAM CODD, of No. 58, King William Street, in the City of London.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STOPPING OR CLOSING BOTTLES AND SUCH LIKE VESSELS USED FOR
CONTAINING AERATED AND OTHER LIQUIDS."
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, No. 3070, in the year 1870,
I described stopping or closing a bottle used for containing aerated liquid by means
of a ball of glass held by the pressure of gas within the bottle up to and against a
ring of elastic material contained within a groove formed around the mouth or
neck of the bottle. According to my present Invention I form the top of the neck
of the bottle curved over, so as to conform internally to the contour of the surface
of the ball, and with an outlet aperture at the centre of the curved or domed
shaped top.
Around the curved or dome shaped top where it conforms to the surface of the
ball I form a groove to contain the ring of elastic material for the ball stopper to
close against. By forming the bottle in this manner the ball, if pressed outwards
against the elastic ring with such force as to cause it to come against the glass
forming the top of the bottle, will rest against a large area of bearing surface, instead
of coming against a narrow edge, as in the bottles heretofore made. It is not
necessary that the stoppers should be of a globular form; they might be of other
form, and the top of the interior of the bottle be similarly made to conform to a large
area of their upper surface, whilst the groove for containing the elastic ring is
formed around this part of the interior surface of the mouth or upper part of the
bottle; or the groove for holding the ring might in some cases be around the
stopper in place of around the mouth of the bottle, and still retain the advantage
of having a large bearing surface for the stopper to come against if the stopper is
forced outward with sufficient force to compress the elastic ring to such an extent
that the rigid portion of the stopper comes against the bottle.
I have also found that if the interior surface of the bottle where it fits over the
stopper conforms sufficiently nearly to the surface of the stopper it is then unneces
sary to insert any elastic ring into the groove which is formed around the interior
of this portion of the bottle, or around the part of the stopper which fits against it,
as a certain quantity of liquid gets enclosed in this groove, and cannot escape from
the groove by reason of the close fit between the stopper and bottle; thus a liquid
joint is formed which prevents the escape of gas.
In the same way bottles, decanters, and other such like vessels used for con-
taining liquids which are not aerated may have a groove or grooves formed either
around the stoppers with which they are closed or around the interior of the por-
tion of the bottle or vessel that the stopper fits within. A certain amount of liquid
will always get enclosed in such groove or grooves when the stopper is put into its
place, and form a liquid joint to prevent air or gas passing into or out of the bottle
or vessel.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a section of the upper part of a bottle for aerated water, together with
its glass ball stopper (which is put into the bottle before it is necked) and the india
rubber packing ring, which is inserted into a groove in the neck. The special
facture of novelty in this battle in that the nook of the bottle is domed and mode to

page_text: form in place of bearing upon an edge, as occurs whenever the ring is fully com-
pressed in bottles of this class as heretofore constructed. Figure 2 is a side view of
the lower or operative parts of the necking tongs employed in making these bottles ;
they are similar to the tongs formerly patented by me and now in extensive use,
except that the protruded teeth by which the groove in the neck is produced are
formed at a, a, a, a, to a circular sweep, such as to mould the part of the neck
with which they come into contact accurately to the curvature of the ball or
stopper.
It is not necessary that the stopper should be a sphere, so long as the neck of the
bottle is moulded to the shape of the stopper in such a manner that the stopper may
take a bearing upon a conformable surface within the neck. In Figure 3 a hollow
stopper is shewn, which may be employed in place of a sphere. Figure 4 shews a
portion of the neck of a bottle with a stopper carrying the packing ring. The neck
of the bottle is dome shaped, and conforms to the shape of the part of the stopper
immediately above the packing ring.
I have discovered however, as already stated, that the india rubber ring may be
dispensed with. When it is intended to do without these rings I make the bottle
as is shewn in Figure 1, but with a glass ball within it slightly larger than the
seating formed in the neck at a, a. I then invert a number of these bottles in a
rack, so that the necks dip into a tray, which I charge with water and fine sharp
sand. I then impart a vertical jogging motion both to the rack and tray, and in a
short time the parts become ground so that the spherical stopper takes a good
seating in the bottle, bearing both above and below the groove. The bottles are at
this stage removed, for the grinding must not be carried too far. Bottles so pre-
pared need no packing ring, and will contain aerated waters under pressure.
In decanters and other stoppered bottles in which the stopper is withdrawn
exteriorly, a liquid-containing groove may with advantage be formed either in the
stopper or in the neck of the bottle. These bottles which are not usually inverted
when full should have a shallower groove than that shown in Figure 1, but in
bottles which are stored in an inverted position the groove may with advantage be
of the full depth, as shewn, as it will be kept constantly supplied from the contents
of the bottle.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The construction of bottles having internal stoppers with a dome shaped
mouth and a seating conforming to the shape of the stopper, substantially as
described.
Second. The method of stopping bottles for containing aerated liquors by grinding
into its seat a stopper introduced into the bottle before it is necked, substantially as
described.
Third. The method for more effectually closing stoppered bottles and such like
vessels by forming a liquid containing groove around the neck of the bottle or
around the stopper, substantially as described.
Fourth. My improvements in stopping and closing bottles and such like vessels
used for containing aerated and other liquids, substantially as described and repre-
sented in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hiram Codd, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.