Improvements in the Formation of Stoppers for Bottles Con- taining Aerated Waters and for the more easily Opening of the Bottle.
Year: 1885

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Formation of Stoppers for Bottles Con-
taining Aerated Waters and for the more easily Opening of
the Bottle.
JOHN THOMAS CREASY of Britannia Works Lawson Street in the Boro' of
Southwark in the County of Surrey Mechanical Engineer and ALBERT THEODORE
JULES WILD the Younger of Great Dover Street in the same Borough Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE OPENING
OF BOTTLES FOR AERATED WATERS FERMENTED OR OTHER "LIQUIDS" to be as
follows:-
We make or form a stopper to be inserted inside a bottle which stopper we
bereafter describe. The bottle may be of any ordinary shape or design the stopper
is placed inside the bottle before the neck is formed as in the ordinary and usual
and well known way of of manufacturing casting moulding or blowing bottles.
The stopper is made of glass or any other substance suitable to resist the action of
water acids or gas, we use glass for cleanliness.
The stopper is of a shape oval at each end the centre part being circular the
whole being much in the shape of an elongated egg with an annular groove cast or
formed around its extreme circumference to hold or keep in its place a ring of
India rubber cork or other elastic material most suitable for the particular liquid
contained in the bottle. The method of opening the bottle to allow the contents
to be emptied is as follows:
By pressing aside (in any direction) the stopper one point or portion of the ring
is drawn away from contact with the neck of the bottle, so enabling the super-
fluous gas which holds the stopper in its position close with the neck of the bottle
to escape whereupon the stopper sinks in the bottle and the bottle is opened, to be
emptied.

page_text: Improvements in the Formation of Stoppers for Bottles Con-
taining Aerated Waters and for the more easily Opening of
the Bottle.
56
We JOHN THOMAS CREASY of Britannia Works Lawson Street Southwark
in the County of Surrey Mechanical Engineer and ALBERT THEODORE JULES
WILD the Younger of 51 Great Dover Street in the same Borough Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE
FORMATION OF STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES CONTAINING AERATED WATERS AND FOR
THE MORE EASILY OPENING OF THE BOTTLE" and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
We make by moulding casting or cutting a stopper to fit the neck of the bottle.
The stopper may be of any suitable material but we use glass because of its
superior cleanliness and durability. The bottle may be of any ordinary shape or
design, the interior or groove in the neck tapering upwards towards the mouth or
opening thereof as shewn in the drawings (accompanying).
We place within the bottle the stopper hereinafter described, it may be of a sizc
exactly to fit in and pass through the neck of the bottle, or it may be of a circum-
ference larger than the smallest part of the neck, in which latter case we place the
stopper inside the bottle whilst the bottle is in the course of being moulded and
before the neck thereof is completely formed. We shape the stopper as in the
accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the stopper Figure 2
is the bottle and stopper (shewing with the pressure of the thumb, the mode of
opening the bottle) The ends of the stopper are of sufficient length to reach to and
be flush with the top of the bottle neck, or it may be slightly beneath it to avoid
accidental friction and so as not to project beyond it (A A are the points of the
stopper. B. B. is the annular groove cut or formed around its extreme circum-
ference C. C. is the circular elastic ring fitting partially into and projecting from
the annular groove) Around the centre or extreme circumference of the stopper,
we mould or cut an annular groove to hold the elastic-ring This ring may be of
india rubber, cork or other elastic material most adapted to resist the action of the
constituents of the particular liquid contained in the bottle, for aerated drinks we
use india rubber rings. The elastic ring is affixed around the stopper by the aid of
forceps or other suitable tools.
The
In filling the bottles in the usual mode of charging bottles with aerated waters,
it will be seen that the stopper with the elastic ring around it is forced to and held
in its place by the compressed air or gas with which the water is charged, and it
thus forms a close and hermetically fitting stopper, sealing the contents.
bottle is opened by the simple process of pushing aside in any direction the upper
point of the stopper, which lies free in the neck of the bottle: by this easy
movement some portion or external point of the elastic ring is drawn away from
its contact with the groove in the neck; the superflous gas is thus released, either
all at once or by degrees, and thereupon the stopper sinks in the bottle, and the

page_text: contents are set free, but, so long as sufficient gas or air remains in the bottle and
the pressure of the thumb is removed from the stopper, the latter recovers its
normal position, preserving the contents, thus the whole or any portion or portions
of the gas or air may be liberated at one continued or several renewed movements
or pressures on the point of the stopper, allowing thus of a graduated escape of the
confined gas or air and so avoiding the sudden explosion and outburst of the
bottle's contents. We thus avoid also waste of the waters and loss of the india
rubber rings, also the accidents, and injuries to the person and breakages which
so commonly result from the heavy downward pressure or other violent exertion
required by the systems hitherto in use of sealing a bottle with a stopper and ring,
and we at the same time preserve all the advantages of the elastic and hermetical
sealing of the bottle, but finally and chiefly we have attained the maximum of
facility, simplicity and speed in opening a stoppered bottle containing aerated
waters.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The combination of the formation of the stopper as described with the elastic
ring attached around it and held by the annular groove in the stopper, by which
combination of stopper and ring attached lying in conjunction or contact with the
bottle's neck, substantially as above set forth we have attained the advantages and
facilities above described and "Improvements in the formation of stoppers for
bottles containing aerated waters; and for the more easily opening of the bottle.