An Appliance for Preventing Refilling of a Bottle.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
An Appliance for Preventing Refilling of a Bottle.
We, FREDRICK THEODORE VANSTRUM and JOHN PHILIP VANSTRUM, both
of 301 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, State of Minnesota, United States
of America, Merchants, 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:-
Our invention has for its object an appliance for preventing refilling of a bottle,
which we shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of a bottle with appliance according to our
invention.
Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 shews the bottle in its pouring position.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the lock stopper detached, and
Fig. 5 is a plan of the cup shaped sealing valve.
a is the body and at the neck of a bottle. The neck is formed with an internal
annular groove a², and has at its bottom an internal annular ledge as which,
constitutes a valve seat. b is a lock stopper having a peripheral groove b¹ and
several liquid passages 62 through it. This lock stopper b is of such diameter that
it closely fits in the bottle neck and is secured in the neck by a segmental spring
or key c which engages in the groove 61 of the stopper 6 and in the groove a² of
the bottle neck a¹. The spring key c is sprung into the groove 61 of the stopper,
before inserting the stopper, and then on forcing the stopper in until the groove b
coincides with the groove a², the ends of the key e spring out and engage in the
groove a thus locking the stopper b in the bottle neck.
The sealing valve f is in the form of a cup having its mouth bevilled outwards to
a knife edge. The sealing valve f is of such diameter that it can move freely
in the neck of the bottle lengthwise, the space between b and a³ being longer than
the valve itself, which leaves its seat when the bottle is turned upside down, or
into pouring position.
The valve has on its exterior, longitudinal grooves f', running the whole length
and cutting through the bevilled rim of the cup so as to have the appearance of
notches.
The depth of the grooves f¹ is less than the width of the ledge a³, and hence,
when the cup rests on its seat, it forms a tight closure. 9 is a cork or other
stopper applied to the mouth of the bottle in the usual way.
When the bottle is filled with liquid the parts are in the position shewn in Fig. 1.
On removing the stopper g, and then turning the bottle into the position shewn in
Fig. 3 the bottle may be emptied, the valve f moving away from its seat a³, until
its rim meets the lock stopper b, in which case the notches or ends of the grooves f1.
afford passage for the liquid into the interior of the cup whence it flows through
the passages in the lock stopper b. At the same time air can pass inward
through the upper passages 6 to the interior of the cup, and thence through
the upper grooves f¹ into the interior of the bottle, so as to take the place of the
liquid poured out.
When the bottle is wholly or partially emptied, it cannot be refilled, and any
attempt to do so can be readily detected." When the bottle is in an upright, or
approximately upright position, such as is required for filling it, the valve seats

page_text: itself, and any liquid poured through the lock stopper 6 simply enters the interior
of the cup fand is held there. It is not possible by shaking or otherwise to make
the liquid pass downward around the valve f into the bottle.
The bottle, the lock stopper b and the cup or valve f being made of glass, after
any attempt to refill the bottle, the liquid caught in the cup can be seen, shewing
that the bottle has been tampered with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
In combination with a bottle having an annular ledge or valve seat a³ in its neck,
the cup shaped sealing valve f having a knife edged rim and longitudinal grooves f
and the lock stopper b, having the passages 62 extended through it and arranged
to discharge into the mouth of the valve or cup f, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of December 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.