Improvements in and relating to Stoppering Devices for Bottles and similar Receptacles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1892-Accepted, 27th Feb., 1892
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Stoppering Devices for Bottles
and similar Receptacles.
We PAUL LEVENQ and JULES GARIEL of 16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of this invention is a new kind of stopper characterised by the
combination of a system of balls arranged so as to allow the liquid to be poured
out of the bottle, and forming a stoppage by resting on their seat when on the
other hand it is desired to introduce liquid into the interior of the bottle.
This
The object of this new system of stopper is to prevent fraud in that liquids
cannot be substituted for the proper ones, it being impossible when once the bottle
has been emptied to again fill it, or at any rate in a non-apparent manner.
new kind of stopper is applicable to any sort of bottle or vessel made of any sort
of material. The form of bottle also can be altered as may be desired in the part
containing the liquid, the neck alone having a form necessarily suitable and
fitted to the dimension and to the working of the parts forming the stopper
so called.
To utilize this new kind of stopper a circular enlargement is made in the upper
part of the body of the bottle, enclosing a glass stopper, which has a conical
orifice on the upper edge of which an india-rubber capsule is loosely fitted having
the shape of a spherical zone. This plug is held in place by a cement run all
round its outer wall.
A second spherical enlargement in the largest part of the neck of the bottle or
receptacle limits the course of two balls of different dimensions and densities which
are always arranged in the same positions to each other so that the same ball alone
causes the stopping of the passage by fitting on the edge of the capsule aforesaid.
Above this second spherical enlargement there is a depression in the neck of the
bottle which retains inside the neck a cylindrical piece for preventing anyone
nterfering with the balls intended to produce the stoppage. This cylindrical
iece has at its lower part a hollow which communicates with the interior of the
bottle by radiating passages, the number of which may be varied if desired. The
hollow communicates on the other hand by means of a simple or multiple opening
with another series of radiating and oblique passages ending all at the same point.
The latter series of passages may also be of any number variable with the density
of the liquid. This part of the cylindrical piece, the shape of which may be
varied and which may be made of one or more parts, is held in position by means
of a ring of cement, preventing any possibility of displacement except by fraudulent
olence. This system of stopper is completed by a peculiar arrangement of the
bottom of the bottles or jars, which is opened and turned back so as to represent a
neck intended to receive either a ground glass stopper permanently fixed,
or a Liège stopper sealed in the usual manner. By this opening, the various
parts forming the stopping device are inserted and if required the bottle may be
illed.
In a variety of the device, the enlargement at the top of the body of the bottle
holds a glass plug approximately similar to the plug in the first variety, but higher
n shape, so as to allow a ball lighter than any liquid to lodge therein which can
effect the closing in case of any attempt to fill the bottle by suction.
Finally, it may be remarked that the neck placed at the bottom of the bottle and
ntended for filling it can be replaced by an opening placed at the top of the body
f the bottle and closed by means of safety seals.

page_text: The bottle could also be filled in the usual manner by preventing for instance
the ball from fitting on its seat, sustaining it during the filling by means of a thread
which is broken as soon as the filling is completed. In this case the bottle once
emptied is absolutely unuseable.
Dated thin 7th dow of Va 1901
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and relating to Stoppering Devices for Bottles
and similar Receptacles.
We, PAUL LEVENQ and JULES GARIEL of 16 Rue Drouot, Paris in the
Republic of France, Merchants, 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 this invention is a new kind of stopper characterised by the
combination, with a plug of glass enclosed in the neck of the bottle and having
zig-zag perforations, of a system of balls arranged so as to allow the liquid to be
poured out of the bottle, and one of which forms a stoppage by resting on a seat,
suitably arranged for this purpose, when, on the other hand, it is desired to
introduce liquid into the interior of the bottle.
The object of this new system of stopper is to prevent fraud, in that liquids
cannot be substituted for the proper ones, it being impossible, when once the bottle
has been emptied, to again fill it, or at any rate in a non-apparent manner. This
new kind of stopper is applicable to any sort of bottle or vessel made of any sort of
material. The form of bottle also can be altered as may be desired, and the neck
may have an extended form in which the balls may rest or otherwise, in which
latter case the balls are placed in the stopper itself, the form of which is suitably
arranged for the purpose.
In order to enable the description to be better understood, reference will be made
to the accompanying illustrative drawing, on which :-
Figure 1 is a view in sectional elevation of a bottle fitted with this system of
stopper;
Figure 2, a view of a modification of one of the parts of the system.
These two figures represent types of bottles with enlarged necks.
Figure 3 is a view in sectional elevation of the neck of a bottle fitted with this
system of stopper arranged so as to operate without it being necessary to employ
bottles with enlarged necks.
Figures 4, 5 and
are sectional plan views of the same system of stopper on the
lines 1, 2-3, 4 and 5, 6, respectively, of Figure 3, the plan views of Figures 4 and 5
are supposed to be seen from below, and that of Figure 6 from above.
Figure 7 is a separate view in geometrical elevation of the constituent part of
this system of stopper shown in section in Figure 3.
Figure 8 is the same view shown in perspective.
The same letters of reference represent the same parts in the various figures.
To utilise this new kind of stopper, shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying drawing, a circular enlargement A' is made in the upper part of the
body Z of the bottle, enclosing a glass stopper T, which has a conical orifice T',
on the upper edge of which an indiarubber capsule T" is loosely fitted, having the
shape of a spherical zone. This plug is held in place by a cementing C¹, run all
round its outer wall.
A second spherical enlargement R, in the largest part of the neck of the bottle
or receptacle, limits the course of two balls B B of different dimensions and
densities which are always arranged in the same positions to each other, so that
the ball B alone causes the stopping of the passage by fitting on the edge of the

page_text: capsule T aforesaid. Above this second spherical enlargement there is a
depression d in the neck of the bottle, which retains inside the neck a cylindrical
piece, the section of which, shown on the drawing, shows one of the forms which
may be employed with advantage, for preventing anyone interfering, from outside
the bottle, with the balls intended to effect the closing. This cylindrical piece has
at its lower part a hollow 1, which communicates with the interior of the bottle by
radiating passages 2, the number of which may be varied if desired. The hollow 1
communicates, on the other hand, by means of a simple or multiple opening 3, with
another series of radiating and oblique passages 4, ending all at the same point, 5.
These passages 4 may also be of any number, variable with the density of the
liquid. This part of the stopper, the shape of which may be varied and which
may be made of one or more parts, is held in position, in a similar manner to the
plug T, by means of a ring of cement 6, preventing any possibility of displacement
except by fraudulent violence. This system of stopper is completed by a peculiar
arrangement of the bottom H of the bottles or jars, which is opened and turned
back, as shown on the drawing, so as to represent a short neck V V intended to
receive either a ground glass stopper permanently fixed, or a cork stopper sealed
in the usual manner. By this opening, the various parts forming the stopping
device are inserted, and, if required, the bottle may be filled.
Figure 2 represents another variety of the device, in which the enlargement A¹
at the top of the body of the bottle holds a glass plug T" approximately similar to
the plug T, Figure 1, in the first variety, but higher in shape, so as to allow a
ball B, lighter than any liquid, to lodge therein, which can effect the closing at U
in case of any attempt to fill the bottle by suction.
It may further be remarked that the neck V, placed at the bottom of the
bottle and intended for filling it, can be replaced by an opening O, Figure 1.
placed at the top of the body of the bottle and closed by means of ordinary safety
seals.
The bottle could also be filled in the usual manner by preventing, for instance,
the ball B from fitting on its seat, sustaining it during the filling by means of a
thread which is broken as soon as the filling is completed. In this case, the bottle
once emptied is absolutely unuseable.
This method of carrying out this system of stoppering with balls forming a
closing valve resting in an enlargement of the neck of the bottle presents the
inconvenience of necessitating the use of bottles of a special shape, and, conse-
quently, the abandonment of various shapes forming types known to the trade as
representing certain marks and characterising certain products.
On the other hand, the system of valve and plug are therein always separate one
from the other.
Endeavours have been made to arrange this system of stopper by connecting
together, so as to form a single whole, the valve and the plug, and that in such a
way as to render its application possible and even easy to all patterns of bottles
used in commerce without necessitating any modification whatever in the form of
these latter.
For this purpose, the system of valve with double balls is combined with a
hollow piece, itself forming the plug and capable of being easily fitted in the neck
of a bottle of any form whatever, and of being attached there in an absolutely
immovable manner, this hollow piece may also be surmounted itself by å stopper
merely intended to prevent external dust from penetrating into the bottle.
Figures 3 to 8 represent this new combination.
This modified system of stopper comprises a hollow part A of the same shape as
the neck of the bottle in which it is to be placed, and having at its lower part an
opening a on which a ball B may fit, forming a hermetic joint therewith,
surmounted by a second ball B₁ of the same diameter, or of a slightly larger
diameter than that of B. These two balls B B', which may be made of any.
suitable material, but preferably of glass, for the purposes of cleanliness, may,
whilst always remaining superposed the ope on the. other: in the same order, be

page_text: displaced in the internal space of the hollow part A formed of a cylindrical part a
terminated at its lower part by a series of grooves a" having, in the type shown in
the drawing, the form of truncated pyramids, the reason of which will be explained
further on.
These grooves may also equally well be truncated cones without in
any way modifying the action of the system. This hollow part thus formed is
closed at its upper end by means of a stopper forming the plug properly so called,
the flat upper part c of which has a certain number of horizontal slots c', four, for
instance, intended to allow the liquid to run out. A circular groove D is placed
below this flat part, which communicates, by means of a certain number of
apertures d, four, for instance, equally arranged in zig-zags, as regards the former
slots, with the interior of the chamber formed at this point by a hollow composed
of a series of conical surfaces E arranged on the inside of the stopper C, as is
shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawing. The edges e of these
different conical surfaces are so shaped, as shown on the drawing, that the ball B¹
can penetrate further forward into the interior of the stopper C when the bottle is
inclined to pour out the liquid, and, consequently, to more completely release the
ball B. from the opening a on which it fits like a valve resting on its seat.
The whole is surmounted by a cork stopper F, the sole object of which is to
prevent dust from the atmosphere penetrating into the bottle.
This system of stopper works as follows:-
The bottles are supplied commercially, for instance, having the hollow part A
but without the balls B and B', or the stopper plug C, which are supplied
separately.
The bottles are, consequently, filled in the usual manner, the balls B B' are then
introduced and then the stopper C, which is secured by means of a cementing
similar to that which serves to hold the hollow part A. The cap F is then placed
over the whole. When it is desired to pour out the liquid contained in the bottle,
the latter is inclined in the usual manner. In this position, the ball B₁ descends
into the stopper C, resting on the ridges e, it, consequently, releases the ball B
which leaves its seat a', whereby the liquid flows out in consequence of the
corresponding entrance of air into the bottle. The liquid flows by the grooves a",
passes through the cylindrical part a of the hollow part A, then attains, by means
of the truncated conical passages E, to the openings d, and from thence by the
groove D to the openings which allow it to pass to the outside, whilst the air
following an inverse course enters into the bottle. Once the latter is emptied, it is
quite impossible to again refill it.
In a vertically upright position, in fact, admitting that any one may have
succeeded in causing a few drops of the liquid to penetrate into the chamber A by
the zig-zag openings ed, this liquid will not be able to penetrate into the bottle,
the opening a¹ of which is closed by the ball B.
In the reversed vertical position, when a vacuum apparatus is employed, the
ball B is again the first to fit on its seat a' under the action of the atmospheric
pressure and it is then impossible to remove it therefrom.
It is equally impossible to refill the bottles in the intermediate positions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improvements in stoppering devices, consisting in the employment of
balls (B B or B) in an enlargement or separate plug (T or T¹) made as
described, in conjunction with a cylindrical perforated piece formed as described
and shown, the foregoing parts being made and arranged or applied as regards
one another substantially as and for the purposes herein before described, and
intended for use in a bottle or similar receptacle provided with openings such
as V or O.
2. The improved make of stopper embodying the principles of our invention set
forth, which consists of a hollow stopper, enclosing the balls B B₁, having truncated

page_text: conical or pyramidal passages and a perforated base, and also a cap or plug with
zig-zag passages as shown, the whole arranged, made and for use substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 21st day of January 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.