AN IMPROVED SELF-ADJUSTING SPRING. STOPPER POR CLOSING THE MOUTH PIECE OF SPEAKING TUBES AND BOTTLES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Leetch at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th July
1869.
I, JAMES LEETCH, of Broadley Terrace, Blandford Square, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ADJUSTING SPRING. STOPPER POR CLOSING THE MOUTH
PIECE OF SPEAKING TUBES AND BOTTLES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention relates to a spring stopper for various purposes, which
is chiefly designed for the mouth piece of speaking tubes, such as are
commonly used in offices and other places of business, and also on board
steam vessels, and in other cases for communicating instructions or
information between the different rooms or portions of the building or
structure, the said tubes being provided with a mouth piece at each
end, and with a whistle for calling attention to the speaker. The whistle
has heretofore been usually formed to fit in the end of the mouth piece
and has to be removed therefrom, when it is desired to speak through

page_text: the tube and carefully replaced therein, otherwise a person in the room
at one end of the tube could not attract the attention of persons in the
room or portion of the building at the other end thereof. It is well
known that great inconvenience is frequently occasioned by the absence
of the whistles which from accident or negligence are liable to be blown
out or otherwise displaced and lost. On board steam vessels where the
tubes are used to convey instructions to the engineer, this absence of
the whistle might be the cause of serious consequences.
The main object of my said Invention is to provide the mouth piece
of such a speaking tube with a combined stopper, and whistle which
shall be connected thereto in such a manner as to permit the ready
adjustment of the same away from the mouth piece, and which when
released will immediately close and adjust itself over the said mouth
piece, and these objects I accomplish in the following manner :-The
mouth piece which is attached to the end of the tube in any ordinary
and suitable manner, and which is formed with a lip of convenient size
to allow the mouth to be applied thereto, has one side of the said lip
extended and formed with a projecting piece. The whistle, which is
also the stopper, is formed to fit into the said mouth piece, and provided
with a lug or projection which is hinged or jointed to the projection on
the mouth piece. The pivot of the said hinge is at such a distance from
the side of the mouth piece as to allow the whistle to be turned back
quite clear of the aperture of the said mouth piece, the hinge itself
forming a continuation of the lip so that it offers no obstruction to the
mouth in speaking through the tube. As before stated the whistle when
released will immediately close over the mouth piece without requiring
any care to adjust, it, and for this purpose I provide the said whistle
with a spring, which though allowing the said whistle to be easily
opened has sufficient force to close. it properly when it is not held open.
I prefer that the spring should be an india-rubber cord or other elastic
material arranged within the mouth piece, but if desired I may use a
.metal spring, and the same may be arranged inside the mouth piece or
at the back of the hinge, or in any other convenient manner which
will effect the closing of the whistle without interfering with the
convenient use of the mouth piece.
My improved self-adjusting stopper without the whistle may be
advantageously used for bottles for containing liquids, for pickle and

page_text: preserve jars, and for other similar purposes. The said stopper may be.
formed of vulcanite or other prepared india-rubber, or of wood, metal,
ivory, gutta percha, or other suitable material.