Improvements in or relating to Bottles to Prevent them being Fraudulently Refilled.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Bottles to Prevent them being
Fraudulently Refilled.
I, DANIEL SINCLAIR, of 48, Tierney Road, Streatham Hill, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, (a communication from Walter Green Sinclair, of Johannesburg,
in the South African Republic,) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of non-refillable
bottles, and has for its object the provision of means whereby the fraudulent re-
filling of the bottle, after the original contents have been withdrawn, is impossible.
By so doing, the purchasers are protected from dishonest traders, who re-fill the
empty bottles of well-known manufacturers with inferior liquors, cordials,
medicines, and other similar articles, of their own make, and dispose of them under
the name of the original manufacturer.
For this purpose, I cut or form in the neck of the bottle, on the outside, near the
top, a groove or channel, and the inside of the neck I cause to be roughened on the
surface by indenting or grooving. The bottle may be constructed of glass, porce-
lain, or any other suitable material, and to any of the shapes or sizes ordinarily in
use.
To fill the bottle, I pour the liquor or powder into the neck in the ordinary way,
and, when filled, I drive a cork into the neck, somewhat further than is the case
with the present form of bottle, in fact, until the top of the cork is within, say,
a quarter of an inch of the aforementioned groove. Over the cork I pour liquid
cement, of a hard-setting and insoluble nature, so as to completely fill up the
remainder of the neck of the bottle.
After the cement has once set hard, it is obviously impossible to withdraw the
cork without breaking the neck of the bottle, as the cement has filled up the
roughened surface of the interior of the neck.
To draw off the contents of the bottle, a smart blow is given to that part of the
neck which is filled with cement, causing the neck to fracture at the groove, that
being the weakest part. The cork may now be drawn with a cork-screw, in the
same way as from an ordinary bottle.
Should the whole of the contents of the bottle not be required at the time the
cork is drawn, sufficient neck will be found to allow of the cork being replaced,
so that the contents may be kept from contact with the air.
Dated this 28th day of September 1896.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Bottles to Prevent them being
Fraudulently Refilled.
C+
I, DANIEL SINCLAIR, of Tulse Hill House, 69, Upper Tulse Hill, late of 48 Tierney
Road Streatham Hill in the County of Surrey, Engineer, (on a communication
from abroad from Walter Green Sinclair, of Johannesburg, in the South African
Republic) 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:-
The object of my invention is to produce a bottle, which having been once
filled and emptied of its contents cannot be refilled without clearly showing that the
same has been done. By so doing, purchasers may be protected from dishonest
traders, who refill the empty bottles of well-known manufacturers with inferior
liquors, cordials, medicines, and other similar articles, of their own make, and
dispose of them under the name of the original manufacturer.
In the drawing attached to this specification, Fig. 1 is the elevation of the top
portion of a bottle constructed in accordance with my invention, Fig. 2 being a
section of same.,
Referring to Fig. 1, is the V-shaped groove, or channel, cut, or formed, in the
outside of the neck of the bottle, near the top, the object of this groove, or channel,
being to make that portion of the neck considerably weaker than any other part.
On the section shown in Fig..II, a is the previously-mentioned groove, and d the
interior surface roughened by indenting, or grooving, so as to present a surface to
which the cement, (which is to be poured into this part) may firmly adhere. This
portion of the neck may be, with advantage, somewhat larger in diameter than that
portion immediately below the centre of the groove a, so as to facilitate the corking
of the bottle. It will be noticed that the roughened surface comes down nearly,
but not quite, to the centre line of the groove a.
Bottles of any of the shapes and sizes ordinarily in use, and of glass, porcelain, or
other suitable material, may be constructed in accordance with this invention.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will now proceed to
.describe the method of filling, corking, and sealing my improved bottle.
The bottle is filled in the ordinary manner, and a cork driven into the neck,
.somewhat further than is the common practice, in fact, until the top of the cork, c,
is nearly in line with the top of the groove a, as shown in Fig. I.
Over the cork, c,
and completely filling the neck of the bottle, I pour a hard-setting liquid cement, b,
preferably of a kind difficult to dissolve. This cement, entering the grooves, or
roughened surfaces, d, provided, in the neck of the bottle, forms a perfect seal,
through which it is impossible to drive a cork-screw, thus rendering it necessary,
before the cork can be withdrawn, to disfigure the bottle.
To draw off the contents of the bottle, a smart blow must be given to the upper
portion of the neck containing the hard-setting cement, b, which will cause the
neck to fracture in the centre of the groove, or channel, a, that being the weakest
part. The cork may then be drawn in the ordinary well-known manner, and any
splinters of glass which may he caused by the breaking of the neck, will be
carried away by the cork, and thus prevented from falling into the interior of the
bottle. After the top of the neck has been knocked off, as previously described,
sufficient neck still remains to enable. the cork to be re-inserted as a temporary
protection to the contents of the bottle, but the top rim, containing the cement, b,
cannot be replaced.
My invention admits of modifications in "construction," which would readily

page_text: suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and I, therefore, do not limit myself
to the precise details of construction illustrated and described herein.
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:-
A bottle constructed substantially as described, with reference to Figs. I and II
of the accompanying drawings, for the purpose specified.
Dated this 26th day of June 1897.
DANIEL SINCLAIR.