IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLE STOPPERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the county of Middlesex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BOTTLE STOPPERS" (a communication from Charles de Quillfeldt and Jacob Mersereau,
both of New York, United States of America, Manufacturers) 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 permanent bottle stoppers, or such as remain attached
to the bottle when removed from the aperture of the neck thereof. The invention
purports to produce a cheap and neat construction, which, while affording ready and
secure fastening, allows of conveniently removing the stopper from one bottle to
another; thus not wasting the stopper, when the bottle is broken avoids exposing
the enclosed beverage to the fouling contact with a rubber stopple; and prevents
the metallic cap from striking against the neck or breast of the bottle, when the
latter is opened and the cap swung aside. The invention comprises a flanged
screw-cap secured to a bail, which is pivoted with its inward bent ends to a spring
band expansible over the head of the bottle said band being fitted to slide and turn
upon the bottle-neck; the cap bas, under its flange, a Hat packing ring, which
projects circumferentially beyond the flange and receives the impact against the
side of the bottle, when the stopper is swung aside.
In the accompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 represents a side-view of the upper part of a bottle provided with this
improved stopper, the head of the bottle being shown in central section.
Fig. 2 is a similar view, in section on the line c-x of fig. 1. and seen in the
direction of arrow 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of one modification of the neck-band.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same on the line y-y of fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a plan-view of the neck-band displayed as it leaves the die, by which it
is stamped out from a tin-plate.
A is the cap, inade of pure tin and provided with threads a, which fit corresponding
threads formed in the operture of the head b of the bottle-neck B.
The cap has a flange a¹, and below the flange, a circumferential groove, in which
fits a flat packing-ring E, larger in diameter than the width of the cap across the
flange a¹,

page_text: When the cap is screwed home the ring E tightens against the upper edge of the
head b. The cap A is cast upon and thus firmly secured to a wire-bail C, which
thence.projects downward and has its lower ends c bent inward and pivoted in holes
through opposite welts, or raised portions, d upon a spring-band D, open at d.
This band, in attaching, is expanded, by depressing it over the head b, and closes
snugly around the neck B, so as to turn and slide with the screwing, in or out, of
the cap A, which operation is performed by grasping the bail, at opposit points c¹,
by the thumb and fore-finger; thus gaining moře leverage for comfortably tightening,
and unscrewing, the cap, than could be obtained by grasping the cap itself. The
rises, d, may be only round bosses surrounding the pivoted bail-ends c, as in fig. 1;
or the rise may be made continuous throughout the whole length of the band D, by
making the latter in the shape of a hollow semi-cylinder, as shown in fig. 4, the
latter form increasing the strength, elasticity and neatness, in appearance, of the
band. It is preferable, however, to provide the band D at one end with a tongue n
and at the other end with a slot s, as shown in fig. 5, in order that it may be clasped
as in fig. 1 by passing the tongue-n through the slot s and then bending it back
upon the band
7
The cap A may, of course, be made free to turn upon the central portion of the
bail, without preventing the proper operation of the device as a stopper; but to
make it rigid is better and has two distinct objects: one of them being to facilitate
the adjustment of the cap relative to the aperture, by handling it by the bail only;
and the other to prevent the cap, when swung in the position, shown in dotted lines
in fig. 2, from striking with its metallic portion against the side of the bottle, and,
instead thereof, allow the impact to be made by the edge of the soft packing-
ring E.
As the threaded stopper is of pure tin, and the packing-ring E touches only the
upper inner edge of the head b, the objection of contact between the beverage and
the ordinary rubber-stopper is thus obviated.
Having thus described the invention as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent
1st In a bottle-stopper, the combination of the screw-cap A, bail C, and neck-
band D, the said bail being attached with its central portion to the cap and pivoted
with its ends to opposite points of the band, and the said band being free to turn
and slide upon the neck B.
2nd In a bottle-stopper, the combination of the screw-cap A, bail C, and neck-
band D, the said bail being attached with its central portion to the cap and having
its ends c bent inward to act as pivots. for the bail, and the said band having at
opposite points a perforated rise d to receive the ends c and being free to turn and
slide upon the neck B.
3d In a bottle-stopper, the combination, with the screw-cap A and bail C,
attached together and pivoted substantially as described, of the spring-band D
having a continuous rise d perforated to opposite points to receive the bail-ends_c.
4th In a bottle-stopper, the combination, with the neck-band, D¸ and the bail.C
pivoted thereto, of the screw-cap A rigid upon the central portion of the said bail,
and the packing-ring. E fitted underneath the cap-flange a' to rest against the side
of the bottle when the cap is swung aside, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.