Improvements relating to the Stoppering of Bottles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1888
Specification Accepted, 20th July, 1888
Improvements relating to the Stoppering of Bottles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
In this invention, I have endeavored to do away with the wires employed to hold
the cork in wine, beer and medicine bottles. By its use, I am also enabled to employ
cork in all cases in which that material is preferable to rubber. The invention is
hereinafter fully explained and set forth in the claim.
In the drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a bottle embodying my
invention.
Figure 2 is a plan, showing the cork locked within the bottle.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3. 3. of Fig. 2.
Figure 4 is a plan showing the parts in the unlocked position.
In said drawing, A represents the bottle, the orifice of which is provided at opposite
sides with horizontal, internal lips or projections a. B is the cork, which as
shown is pressed down into the bottle until its top lies below said lips a.
C is a
metal plate, of such dimensions as to enable it to span the orifice and enter under
the lips a and thus be kept by the latter. To insert it under such lips, it is dropped
within the orifice and upon the cork, and then turned upon the axis of the bottle until
its points c engage with the lips.
The plate C is formed of flat metal and cut from a sheet thereof. It may have
wings d, which give it the same outline as the cork and thus enable to act as a metal
cap to the latter. But it is very necessary that it be provided with some means
whereby to turn it, as it must be turned both in locking and unlocking, and for this
purpose I stamp up in the body of the plate one or more raised ribs e, which are
adapted to be engaged by a tool and to receive from such tool the power necessary to
turn the plate. The turning may have to be done while the cork is strongly forced

page_text: up against the plate by the pressure from within the bottle, and hence these projections
or ribs should be strong. Where two parallel ribs are present as shown, an ordinary
screw driver can be used by inserting its point between them. Another advantage
attending the use of the stamped ribs is that they stiffen the plate, and permit the use
of quite thin material.
It
The lips a are located immediately within the mouth of the bottle and should not
project within the stopper passage so as to interfere with the entrance of the stopper,
nor should they set any farther back of the passage than is necessary, as that would
necessitate the use of larger retaining plates and probably of heavier ones.
is also desirable that the lips should be short instead of continuous, as that renders
the bottle more easy of manufacture and facilitates the insertion and release of the
retaining plate.
The orifice above the retaining plate may be filled with wax or composition in the
usual manner to render the bottle more secure against leakage, but the cork needs no
additional fastening to hold it in place. The retaining plate, being very
inexpensive, can be thrown away with the cork, to which they need not be attached
however.
In addition to the total saving of the wire heretofore customarily employed, which
is a very considerable item in the expense of putting up liquors &c., is the saving in
the corks themselves, which by my invention can be made very much shorter than the
usual length. There is also the avoidance of all necessity for the use of tin foil to cover
the wires.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
The combination with the bottle having lips a, and the cork or stopper B, of a
metal retaining plate cut from sheet metal and having one or more ribs or
projections stamped in its body portion and furnished with points c, substantially as
specified.
Dahi 10th day of In 1988