Year: 1899

page_text: I, LOUIS WIDDERSHOVEN, of 18 and 20, Rue de l'Escant, Antwerp, Belgium,
Merchant, 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:-
This invention relates to a safety funnel which insures the rapid discharge of
the liquid which it is desired to pour into a bottle or other vessel having a neck
or bunghole, whilst preventing all spilling of the liquid outside of the said vessel
during the filling of the same. In the accompanying drawings which are given
by way of example:
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a bottle in the course of being filled by means of
an ordinary funnel.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of a bottle in the course of being filled with the
aid of the funnel that forms the subject of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a partial view in plan of the funnel.
Figure 4 are horizontal sections of the spouts of prism-shaped section.
In using funnels a having cylindrical or conical spouts as heretofore ordinarily
employed for the purpose of pouring a liquid into a vessel having a neck or circular
bung hole, and especially for filling bottles, the outer wall of the spout g fits tightly
against the inner wall of the neck or of the bung-hole which is of the same shape as
the spout, and it thus closes all issue to the air contained in the vessel b, which
air being displaced by the liquid which is being poured in, forces a passage for
itself by raising the funnel and escapes through the annular space which is thus
produced between the outer wall of the funnel and the inner wall of the neck,
whilst carrying with it to the outside of the bottle a comparatively large quantity
of liquid in the manner shown in Figure thus producing the double drawback
of a loss of liquid and of a very slow filling. Now the funnel which forms the
subject of the present invention is designed to obviate these drawbacks. The outer
walls of the spout gl of this funnel which is represented by D in Figure 2, are
provided with vertical grooves e e. Each of these grooves starts at the lower
end of the spout and ends at a certain point in the height of the spout, which point
can never be covered by the neck of the bottle. When the funnel is placed in the
neck of a vessel b and liquid is poured into the funnel, this liquid will flow rapidly
into the said vessel and the air displaced by the liquid will find an issue through
the channels formed by the grooves e e and the inside wall of the bottle neck.
An inside border h which is fixed to the upper edge of the funnel prevents
splashing when the liquid is poured into the funnel. The grooves may extend up
to the outer edge of the funnel. For the purpose of forming the above mentioned
passages or channels when the funnel is placed in the neck or bung hole of the vessel,
the spout of the funnel may be cast with corrugated walls. The said spout may also
be made of a prism-shaped or pyramidal form having eight or six sides or faces, or it
may be made in the form of a truncated triangular pyramid or of a triangular

page_text: prism as shown in Figure 4. The discharge passages for the air when the funnel
is in operation, will in such cases be formed by the segmentary spaces that exist
between the outer sides of the spout and the cylindrical inner wall of the neck
or bung hole of the vessel. In accordance with the shape of the spout I may
also modify the shape of the funnel itself in a corresponding manner.
The hereinbefore described funnel may be made of all materials such as glass,
porcelain, wood caoutchouc, ebonite, compressed paper, stoneware, tinned iron or
galvanized iron, according to the use for which it is intended.
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) An improved funnel characterized by the formation of channels, grooves,
ribs or facets cut in or on the spout and in or on the whole or part of the body of
the funnel for the purpose of affording a passage for the air contained in the vessel
between the neck or the bunghole of the vessel and the spout of the funnel.
(2) In the funnel specified in Claim 1, the formation of an inner border at the
upper part of the funnel with the object of preventing the liquid from splashing
outside of the funnel.
(3) A funnel constructed substantially as above described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
T
...
.
T
1000
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.