Improvements in and relating to the Corking or Stoppering of Bottles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Corking or Stoppering
of Bottles.
I, CONRAD SCHROEDER, residing at Number 1138 Kinnikinuic Avenue, in the
City and County of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, United States of America,
Beer Bottler, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 has for its object the effectual stoppering of bottles with ordinary
cork as the material and with the use of less of said material than is commonly
employed for the purpose, and without the application of wires, or any other extra
fastening, and also without projecting the cork above the top or below the choke in
the neck of the bottle, and to that end the said invention consists in certain
peculiarities of construction of the upper part of the bottle, and the combination of
a short stopper of cork therewith, all as hereinafter described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, and subsequently claimed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figures 1 to 5 inclusive are vertical sectional views of the upper parts of bottles,
constructed and stoppered according to my present invention, and
Figure 6 is a view, in elevation, of the form of cork employed in stoppering.
In said drawings I show five different forms or modifications of the interior
contour of the head of the bottle, and in all of said forms A represents the upper
part of the neck of a bottle such as is ordinarily employed to hold beer, wine, or
other potable fluid, the lower part of the bottle not being shown as the same may
be of any usual shape and construction; B represents the head of the bottle, and
a what is termed the choke in the bottle neck.
In Figure 1 the interior of the head B is provided with two circumferential
concave grooves, b and c, one just below the line of the top of the bottle and the
other in the lower part of the head just above the line of the choke a, leaving a
wall d, practically vertical, between the two grooves.
In Figure 2, is shown an upper groove b, like that in Figure 1, below which the
wall of the bore in the head is flanged or widened regularly downward, as shown at e,
to a point just above the line of the choke.
In Figure 3, is shown a concave groove extending entirely around the inner
surface of the bottle-head at about the center thereof, the wall of the bore extending
upward in an outward flare, as shown at g, and also being similarly flared down-
ward as shown at h, to a point just above the line of the choke.
In Figures 4 and 5 the grooves shown in the other figures are dispensed with,
and the bore of the head reduced at a point intermediate between the top and
choke, above and below which point of constriction the wall of the bore is flared
outward. In Figure 4 this point of constriction i is shown at about the center of
the head, the flaring portions of the wall of the bore, k and m, being practically
equal in length, while in Figure 5, the said point (marked n) is only a short
distance above the choke, the upper flaring portion o of the wall of the bore, in
this form, being therefore much longer than the lower flaring portion p thereof.
The stopper C, shown before use in Figure 6, is of cork, as stated, and the
same form of stopper is used with all the styles of bottle-heads, the said stopper
being slightly tapered, and its narrowest diameter being at least equal to the
diameter of the widest portion of the bore in the bottle-head, as otherwise the
stopper would offer resistance when being driven to place, and turn to one side
FD027

page_text: on encountering a groove or projection, but as it is, the stopper will travel evenly
under compression, and when in place will expand, so as to fit tightly against all
the adjacent surfaces of the bore in the head, filling up the grooves and crowding
against the flaring walls, and thus the bottle will be effectually and securely closed,
the pressure of the gaseous contents of the bottle only serving to more tightly press
the cork against the said walls and within the said grooves, rendering any wiring
or additional fastening devices unnecessary. These corks are only about one-third
of the ordinary length, and hence great economy is obtained by their use, and the
fluids in the bottles are free from the objectionable flavors resultant upon using
stoppers of caoutchouc or other compositions; notwithstanding the security afforded
in closing the bottles, these stoppers can be readily removed by a slight pull, but
will never become accidentally dislodged by pressure from within the bottle, but as
stated, only rendered more secure in place thereby.
:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A bottle provided with a head having interior annular grooves or flaring
enlargements of its bore intermediate between the top and the choke of the bottle
neck, in combination with a short stopper of cork expanded into said enlarged
portions of the bore between the points named.
2. A bottle provided with a head having one or more enlargements of its bore,
in combination with a short stopper of cork expanded into the said enlarge-
ments between the top of the bottle and the choke of the bottle neck.
3. A bottle provided with a head having its bore constricted at some point
between the top of the head and choke of the bottle neck, and enlarged above and
below said point, in combination with a short stopper of cork compressed at said
point of constriction of the bore, and expanded above and below the same.
Dated this 15th day of March 1892.
CONRAD SCHROEDER.