Improvements in and relating to Hermetically Closed Jars and such like Receptacles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Hermetically Closed Jars and such
like Receptacles.
We, FREDERICK JOYNSON, Chemical Engineer, of High Moor, and WILLIAM
HARRISON, Mechanical Engineer, of Forge Hill, both of Killamarsh, (near
Rotherham) in the County of Derby, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to hermetically closed jars, wide mouthed bottles, and such
like receptacles and their covers, (all made of glass, porcelain, or other clean and
vitreous material,) and intended to contain and preserve fish, fruit, or other
perishable substances, in vacuum.
The objects of our improvements are (1) to provide better and simpler means
than heretofore employed for destroying the vacuum and equalizing pressures when
required to remove the cover, and this without breaking same or rendering the
receptacle unfit for re-use; and (2) to construct the mouth part of a jar so as to
be well adapted to our purposes.
According to our improvements we use a screw valve made of similar or suitable
material for closing an air way in the cover and opening same when required.
Such valves may be constructed in sundry ways. We make through the cover,
which is suitably thickened for the purpose, a hole enlarged at its upper part, and
internally threaded and adapted either to receive entirely a correspondingly
threaded screw-down valve or plug, or valve with projecting head countersunk
into the cover; thus the screw-valve head will be flush with the cover, and a cross
cut is made in its head for a key; or for covers recessed into or below the mouth
of the jar the valve may have a projecting head adapted to come level therewith,
when screwed down, and provided with thumb piece or fly nut for a head. The
valve seat may be at the base of the valve below the screwed part, or below its
projecting head above the screwed part, or in other position as desired; but it is
in all cases covered with a rubber washer, or some other yielding substance is
interposed between valve and seat so as to make an airtight joint.
After the jar has been filled with the goods to be preserved, the cover, with its
valve firmly screwed down on its seat, is applied, and then vacuum or rarefaction
of the contained air or gases is produced by heating, or by exhaustion in known
manner. The air or gases escape from the jar around the circumference of the
cover, until sufficiently attenuated, when free access of atmospheric pressure
instantly serves to effect an hermetic closure in known manner.
To remove the cover, the internal vacuum is destroyed by our improvement by
simply unscrewing to required extent the valve in the cover, thereby admitting air
and equalizing internal and external pressures. No force is required, and thus
the life of the jar and cover is or may practically be infinite.
We may use our screw valve with any kind of covers and jars adapted to our
purpose, but we prefer to use a jar having the mouth, cover and joint constructed
as follows.
We form a level surface around the mouth for carrying the flat annular washer,
and an outer rim a little below same, level interiorly and bevelled down exteriorly ;
the cover may be flat or recessed on its top, and has an internal annular flange
fitting within the jar mouth, and a downwardly projecting rim bevelled internally

page_text: and fitting outside the jar so as to leave a small space between its face and the
aforesaid outer rim. In use in this space we interpose cement of suitable kind.
When the valve has a projecting countersunk head we may leave a space between
it and its recess and run cement or quick drying varnish thereinto, but this is not
essential.
Improvements in and relating to Hermetically Closed Jars and such
like Receptacles.
We, FREDERICK JOYNSON, Chemical Engineer, and WILLIAM HARRISON,
Mechanical Engineer, both late of Killamarsh, (near Rotherham) in the County
of Derby, but now of 77, Boswell Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancashire,
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 relates to hermetically closed jars, wide mouthed bottles, and such
like receptacles and their covers, (all made of glass, porcelain, or other clean and
vitreous material), and intended to contain and preserve fish, fruit, or other
perishable substances in vacuum.
The objects of our improvements are (1) to provide better and simpler means
than heretofore employed for destroying the vacuum which holds the cover and
equalizing internal and external pressures when required to remove the cover, and
this without breaking same or rendering the receptacle unfit for further use;
and (2) to construct the mouth part of a jar or receptacle so as to be well adapted
to our purpose.
According to our improvements for each jar we use a screw valve made of
material preferably similar to that of the jar or suitable material for closing
a small air-way in and passing through the cover, and for opening same when
required. Such valves may be constructed in sundry ways, and we do not limit
ourselves solely to the constructions shown. The construction of the jar mouth is
hereinafter explained.
We will now fully describe our invention in reference to the accompanying
drawings in which
Figs. 1 and 2 are central sections of jars complete with their covers and screw
valves ;
Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sections of the screw valves of same shown in Figs. 1
and hereinafter described;
Figs. 5 and 6 are two modified forms of screw valves; and
Fig. 7 shows the key for operating the valves shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5.
The cover B is suitably thickened as at 6 as in Figs. 1 and 2 for receiving the
screw valve, and the air-hole is enlarged at its upper part and internally
threaded and adapted either to receive entirely a corresponding screwdown valve
or plug which may be constructed as at V in Fig. 5, or a valve with a projecting
head countersunk into the cover B as in Figs. 1 and 3; thus in either case, when
screwed down, the screw valve head will be flush with the surface of the cover,
and a cross cut k is made in its head for a key such as is shown in Fig. 7; or for
covers recessed centrally into or below the edges or the mouth of the jar as in
Fig. 2 the valve has or may have a projecting solid head of such height as to
come level with the top edges of the cover when the valve is screwed down, as in

page_text: Figs. and 4, or it may be provided with a thumb-piece as shown in Fig. 6, or
equivalently a fly nut may be substituted for a head. The valve seat may be at
the base of the valve below the screwed part as in Fig. 5, or below its projecting
head above the screwed part as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 6; but the seat is in
all cases covered with a rubber washer such as S, or some other soft yielding
substance is interposed between the valve and its seat, so as to make an air-tight
joint.
After the jar has been filled with the goods to be preserved, the cover B (with
its valve V firmly screwed down on its seat s) is applied, and then vacuum or
rarefaction of the contained air or gases is produced either by heating or by
exhaustion or in any convenient or usual manner. The contained air or gases
escape from the jar between its mouth and the circumference of the cover B until
sufficient attenuation is attained, and then free access of external atmospheric
pressure to the lid instantly serves to effect a hermetic closure in known manner.
To remove the cover B the internal vacuum is destroyed by simply unscrewing
to required extent the valve V in the cover, thereby admitting the air and
equalizing internal and external pressures; no force is required, and thus the life
of the jar and cover is or may practically be infinite.
We may use our screw valves with any kind of covers and jars adapted to our
purpose, but we prefer to use jars having their mouths, covers, and the joints
between same constructed as follows.
We form a level surface around the mouth for carrying the flat annular
washer P, Figs. 1 and 2, and an outer rim Q a little below the same with a flat
surface bevelled down exteriorly on its outer edge as at g; the cover may be flat
as in Fig. 1, or recessed on its top as shown in Fig. 2, and it has an internal
flange or shoulder F fitting within the jar mouth, and a downwardly projecting
ring W bevelled internally and fitting outside the jar mouth so as to leave a small
triangular space a between cover and jar as shown in the figures.
In this space we may interpose cement of suitable kind or some quick drying
varnish. When the valve has a projecting countersunk head we may leave &
small annular space as at 7 in Figs. 3 and 6 between it and its recess to receive
cement or quick drying varnish thereinto, but this is not essential nor do we claim
it as part of our invention, but
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 :-
1. The use in combination with the covers of hermetically closed jars and the
like, for facilitating the removal without injuring same of a screw valve such
as V controlling an air-way h in the cover B, such valve being either countersunk
entirely into a flat cover and operated by a key, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 5,
or having a projecting thumb-piece flush with the top of a recessed cover, as in
Figs. 2, 4 and 6, whereby the internal and external pressures can be equalized and
the cover released, substantially as set forth.
2. The construction of the mouths, covers and joints of jars and the like such
as above referred to, substantially in the manner described in reference to Figs. 1
and 2 of the drawings.
Dated thi ] 1