Improvements in or relating to Bottles and like Vessels, or Stoppers therefor, to Prevent Fraud in Retailing Liquids.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 1st July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bottles and like Vessels, or Stoppers
therefor, to Prevent Fraud in Retailing Liquids.
I, ROBERT PERSONNE DE SENNEVOY, of 24 Rue de Chazelles, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to a new or improved device for preventing fraud in
retailing liquids, and is designed to prevent the illicit introduction of liquids into
vessels. It is specially applicable in the case of vessels sent out by manufacturers
and containing liquids having a high reputation, and which vessels may bear a
well-known name or trade mark.
My invention consists essentially of a vessel for containing the liquid to be
retailed and having a single passage for the emission of the said liquid the said
passage being provided with two valves one which can be operated by the retailer
and the other which while not directly under the control of the retailer will open
under pressure from within the vessel when the valve first hereinbefore mentioned
is operated.
In the annexed drawing I illustrate one means of carrying my invention into
effect. In this case it will be seen that the main parts are mounted upon or so as
to form a stopper adapted for insertion in the neck of the vessel R, to which it is
attached and sealed in any of the usual ways of attaching stoppers in bottles so that
they cannot be removed without detection.
In this form of my invention the valve B is of the well known form employed
in syphons for aërated waters and is actuated by the lever D. In addition to this
valve there is another small valve opening outwards from the vessel and kept in
position by a spring. In the case illustrated this valve consists of a ball A main-
tained in position by the spiral spring C (of slightly smaller diameter than the ball
and maintained in position by the rod E) descending from the bridge or transverse
piece H. The spring Cis sufficiently weak to give way under the pressure
established in the vessel R; but it is made sufficiently strong not to give way under
its own weight if the vessel be upturned or if it be subjected to shock or concussion.
It is evident that the valve B being closed there is a state of equilibrium between
the pressure in the small chamber above A and that in the vessel R. As soon as
valve B is opened valve A will be also opened under the pressure in R, so that
the liquid is forced up the tube J and out at the nozzle K by means of the
pressure in R.
In some cases the tube J is dispensed with, in which case the vessel R must be
turned upside down when drawn from to prevent the gas in R which produces the
pressure from escaping through the valve.
In order that the manufacturer may introduce compressed air or gas into the
vessel R after having charged it with liquid I provide a small channel or passage
extending from M to a. In the swelling or mouth-piece M 1 insert an opening in
which the passage or channel a terminates. This opening is tapped to receive the
threaded nozzle of an air pump. A small valve prevents the compressed air from
blowing out after its introduction, or a simpler device may be employed such as a
small faucet or stopper thrust in and closing up the said channel or passage a close
to the orifice M. Before withdrawing the air pump this stopper is forced home
and is covered at once with sealing wax or other plastic material on which the seal
is placed or impressed. In this way the only passage left communicating between
the interior of the vessel R and the exterior is the passage in which are the

page_text: valves B and A. Through this passage it is possible to empty the contents of R
but impossible to fill the said vessel R.
It will of course be understood that if the passage containing the valves opens
into the vessel R at a point higher than the bottom thereof a tube such as J will
be required.
It is obvious that instead of having the parts mounted upon a stopper they may
be mounted upon or form part of the vessel R, in which case the vessel R is
furnished with an orifice for the introduction of the liquid such as is shown at N,
which orifice may be closed and sealed as is the orifice M herein before mentioned.
In the case of large vessels an orifice may be employed for the introduction of
the air or gas separate from that employed for the introduction of the liquid.
By means of my invention it is possible for a manufacturer to set up large vessels
at the places of business of the retailers, into which vessels he may introduce his
goods and after sealing the openings leave the whole in charge of the retailers who
whilst they can freely draw liquids from the vessels as required will be unable to
introduce anything into them.
It is evident that my invention may be employed for ordinary gaseous or aerated
liquids, in which case the gases previously existing in them will obviate the necessity
of the introduction of other gas or compressed air.
I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any particular forms of
valve or containing vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The new or improved device for preventing fraud in retailing liquids
substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a closed vessel containing air or gas under pressure of
two valves in a single passage, one of these valves being capable of being actuated
by hand and the other by the said gaseous pressure when the first is actuated
substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with vessel R containing gas or air under pressure of
valve B valve A and conduit a all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day of March 1893.
ROBERT PERSONNE DE SENNEVOT,
Per. J. G. L.