IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING THE MOUTHS OF BOTTLES TO RECEIVE THE SAME
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wilkinson, of Swinton, in the County of York,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN
APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING THE MOUTHS OF BOTTLES TO RECEIVE THE
SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wilkinson at the Office
"
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th January 1881.
JOHN WILKINSON, of Swinton, in the County of York. IMPROVEMENTS IN
STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING THE MOUTHS OF
BOTTLES TO RECEIVE THE SAME."
For the purpose of stoppering a bottle I form its mouth with an externally
projecting circular lip or flange," which has through it vertical notches, slots, or
holes, or it has parts of its periphery flattened or removed so that it is 'of other
than circular form. I provide a cap having a plug of elastic or compressible
material, or a rigid plug covered with such elastic material or surrounded by a
washer of such material, and to this cap I attach limbs extending down as far as
the underside of the flange or lip of the bottle, and having jaws projecting inwards.
In placing the cap with its plug on the bottle mouth I pass the limbs with their
projecting jaws down along the notches, slots, or flattened parts of the flange
and then by turning the cap partly round I make the jaws of the limbs engage
under the flange of the bottle, thus holding the cap on. For adapting the mouths
of bottles to receive stoppers of the kind above described, I employ spring 'tongs
of the usual construction with the addition of apparatus to form the notches, slots,
or flattened parts of the flange. This apparatus consists of retractile dogs made
of the shape of the desired notches, slots, or flattened parts, which dogs are caused
by the closing in of the jaws of the tongs to advance inwards or forwards, or in
both directions, so that when the hot mouth of the bottle is placed between the
jaws of the tongs and pressed against a disc or washer the flange at the mouth of
the bottle receives its circular shape by turning it between the jaws of the tongs,
having at the same time its edge indented by the dogs which are mounted on the
central mandril of the tongs, so that they can turn freely thereon as on an axis

page_text: along with the bottle. In cases where it is desired to form bolt holes or parallel
sided notches or slots through the flange of the bottle the dogs may be fixed on a
washer or disc free to turn on the mandril of the tongs, so that by pressing the
hot bottle mouth up against the disc or washer the dogs penetrate or indent its
flange forming the desired holes, slots, or notches, and when the bottle is turned
between the closed in jaws of the tongs the disc or washer with its dogs turns
freely along with it. The apparatus above described is obviously applicable for
the formation of perforated or indented flanges for bottle mouths which may be of
forms adapted to stoppers other than that above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Wilkinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th July
1881.
JOHN WILKINSON, of Swinton, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING THE MOUTHS OF
BOTTLES TO RECEIVE THE SAME."
For the purpose of stoppering a bottle I form its mouth with an externally
projecting circular lip or flange, which has through it vertical notches, slots, or
holes, or it has parts of its periphery flattened or removed so that it is of other
than circular form. I provide a cap having a plug of elastic or compressible
material, or a rigid plug covered with such elastic material or surrounded by a
washer of such material, and to this cap I attach limbs extending down as far as
the underside of the flange or lip of the bottle and having jaws projecting inwards.
In placing the cap with its plug on the bottle mouth I pass the limbs with their
projecting jaws down along the notches, slots, or flattened parts of the flange, and
then by turning the cap partly round I make the jaws of the limbs engage under
the flange of the bottle, thus holding the cap on. For adapting the mouths of
bottles to receive stoppers of the kind above described I employ spring tongs of
the usual construction with the addition of apparatus to form the notches, slots,
or flattened parts of the flange. This apparatus consists of retractile dogs made
of the shape of the desired notches, slots, or flatteued parts, which dogs are caused
by the closing in of the jaws of the tongs to advance inwards or forwards, or in
both directions, so that when the hot mouth of the bottle is placed between the
jaws of the tongs and pressed against a disc or washer, the flange at the mouth of
the bottle receives its circular shape by turning it between the jaws of the tongs,
having at the same time its edge indented by the dogs which are mounted on the
central mandril of the tongs, so that they can turn freely thereon as on an axis
along with the bottle. In cases where it is desired to form bolt holes or parallel
sided notches or slots through the flange of the bottle, the dogs may be fixed on a
washer or disc free to turn on the mandril of the tongs, so that by pressing the

page_text: hot bottle mouth up against the disc or washer the dogs penetrate or indent its
flange forming the desired holes, slots, or notches, and when the bottle is turned
between the closed in jaws of the tongs, the disc or washer with its dogs turns
freely along with it. The apparatus above described is obviously applicable for
the formation of perforated or indented flanges for bottle mouths, which may be
of forms adapted to stoppers of other kinds than that above described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a section and Fig. 2 a plan shewing one mode of stoppering a bottle
according to my Invention. A is the bottle neck at the top of which is formed a
projecting flange B having through it two opposite notches 6, b. A metallic cap
is made with two hooked wings c, c, which being passed down the notches b, b, of
the flange are on turning the cap partly round made to catch under the flange B.
A caoutchouc washer d is sprung on to a slightly dovetailed boss on the underside
of the cap, this washer making a tight joint at the mouth of the bottle which is
slightly recessed to receive it. In order that the washer d
may be compressed, the
lower face of the flange B on each side of the notches b, b, is slightly inclined as
shewn in the side view Fig. 1a, so that in turning the cap C its hooks c, c, have a
screw like action to force the cap down. I prefer to insert into the cap C stud E
of glass or ceramic material, so that there may be little of the metal of the cap
exposed to the liquid in the bottle. Fig. 3 is a section, and Fig. 4 a plan of another
mode of stoppering according to my Invention. In this case the flange B on the
neck A of the bottle is made with two holes through it in which two hook bolts e, e,
are inserted and are secured by passing a wire f through holes in the bolts and
round the bottle neck under the flange. The stopper cap C is of glass made with
two notches c, c, at its edge to pass the hooks of the bolts e, e, and its upper face is
sloped upwards in each direction from those notches, so that on pushing down the
cap and turning it partly round the hooks of the bolts e, e, have a screw like action
to tighten down the caoutchouc washer d. Fig. 5 is a section; Fig. 6 a side view,
and Fig. 7 a plan of another mode of stoppering according to my Invention. In this
case two eye bolts g, g, are secured by the wire fin holes or notches of the flange B,
and a cross yoke H is pivotted in their eyes. The stopper cap C of glass has a
slight shoulder h. The hole of the yoke H is made large enough to pass this
shoulder, and after it has passed, the sides of the yoke are squeezed a little in so as
to engage under the shoulder h. The upper surface of the cap C is hollowed on
two sides, and slopes upwards in both directions, so that on pressing it down and
turning it partly round the sloping surface bearing against the yoke H has a screw-
like action to compress the caoutchouc washer d. On turning the cap back it is
slackened, and it, with the yoke H, can be canted into an oblique attitude opening
the bottle mouth.
For the purpose of forming the flange B and the notches or holes through it, I
fit appliances to the tongs employed for forming the bottle mouth, as I will now
describe, referring to Fig. 8, which shews part of the moulding tongs adapted
to form a flange with holes through it. K is the central stem of the tongs to which
is attached the core k that is inserted in the bottle mouth. On the stem is fitted a
disc M free to revolve and having projecting from it studs m, m, of the size and
shape of the holes through the flange. The bottle mouth while the glass is in a
plastic state is pressed up against the disc M and turned round, the disc and its
studs turning with it while the jaws L, L, of the tongs are pressed towards each
other shaping the exterior of the bottle and its flange.
For making notches in the flange at the bottle mouth I modify the tongs as
partly shewn in Fig. 9; in this case two dogs N, N, are hinged to a collar n free to
revolve on the stem of the tongs but prevented by two pins from moving
longitudinally, and a slotted tube O fitted to slide along the stem is at its upper
end connected by oblique links P, P, to the arms of the tongs. On the lower end
of the tube O is fitted a disc Q which is free to revolve between collars and through

page_text: holes in which pass the dogs N, N. When the tongs are expanded these dogs are
wide apart as shewn, but on closing the tongs so that its jaws L, L, squeeze the
bottle neck and shape the flange thereon, the dogs N, N, are also caused to close
inwards impressing their form in the glass flange so as to make notches in it as
shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim,―
First. The method of stoppering bottles by securing a cap by means of bolts or
hooks passing through holes or notches in an external flange formed around the
bottle mouth, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7
inclusive of the accompanying drawings.
Second. For forming at a bottle mouth an external flange with holes or slots
through it, the use of a disc free to revolve on the stem of the shaping tongs, the.
said disc carrying studs suited to the holes or slots, substantially as described with
reference to Fig. 8.
Third, For forming at a bottle mouth an external flange with notches, the use of
a disc in combination with closing in dogs free to revolve on the stem of the
shaping tongs, substantially as described with. reference to Fig. 9.
In witness whereof I, the said John Wilkinson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.