Improvements in the Construction of Stopples or Appliances for Securing the Contents of Bottles or other similar Vessels.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Stopples or Appliances for
Securing the Contents of Bottles or other similar Vessels.
ROBERT WILLIAM SHARPE of 18 Leinster Square Rathmines in the County
of Dublin Civil Engineer 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 consists in the improved construction of stopples specially
applicable for closing bottles or vessels containing aerated or gaseous fluids but
also applicable to bottles or vessels containing other liquids, fruits or pickles.
The main object of this invention is to ensure that the stopple shall be secured
to the bottle or vessel in such a manner as to prevent the loss and inconvenience
attendant upon detachable stopples as well as to secure the advantages of being
quickly and easily applied which is so essentially requisite in bottles containing
aerated liquids.
This improved stepple consists mainly of a clamp made of metal which admits
of being applied to the neck of a bottle or vessel so that the pivots formed on the
ends of the legs or arms thereof shall fall into circular hollows or indents made or
formed in the neck of the bottle or vessel thereby permitting the clamp to be
rotated round said pivots so as to be brought into the proper position for applying
the plug attached to the end of the milled-headed screw to the oriface of the
bottle when a slight turn or so of the said screw will effectually close the bottle or
vessel securely. To discharge the contents of the bottle it is only necessary to
turn the screw the reverse way until the plug is clear of the oriface when the clamp
is again rotated round its pivots until the plug is withdrawn clear of any
interference with the discharge of the contents.
The improved stopple consists of a clamp and screw-plug; the clamp being
made of steel or other metal having pivots formed on the ends of its legs or arms
at right angles to same which fit into circular hollows or indents formed in the
neck of the bottle or vessel during the process of its manufacture. The centre of
the clamp is enlarged and a hole formed therein to receive the flanged nut in
which the screw plug works. This nut is secured to the bead of the clamp by
being tightly fitted to the hole therein the flange of the uut being placed under-
neath the head instead of on the top thereof thus dispensing with the necessity for
upsetting or rivetting or any other mode of securing the said nut. The lower end
of the screw is turned down, or it may be tapped to receive a screw, to receive a
washer to which is attached a plug or cushion of cork vulcanised india rubber or
other suitable material of hemisperical or other suitable shape.
Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation
of the clamp A as applied to secure the contents of bottle or vessel and showing its
attachment to the bottle B. The dotted lines in Fig. 2 show the clamp in position
when the contents of the bottle are being discharged. S is the millheaded screw
which works in the nut N carrying at its end the washer W to which is attached
the plug r
are the legs of the clamp and p p the pivots formed on the enls of
same which work in the hollows or indents formed in the neck of the bottle
or vessel.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim is
1st. An improved mode of attaching the flanged out to the head of clamp as
shown in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. An improved construction of plug or stopper by means of which metallie
contact with the contents of the bottle or vessel is prevented.
3rd. An improved construction of clamp by means of which same is securely
attached to the bottle or vessel operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore
described and as represented in the accompanying drawings,
Dated this 9th day of October 1895.