Improved Means for Preventing the Fraudulent Re-filling of Bottles and other Containers, and Verifying the Genuineness of their Contents.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Preventing the Fraudulent Re-filling of Bottles
and other Containers, and Verifying the Genuineness of their
Contents.
We, ANDRÉ BRALY, Civil Engineer, of 8, Rue Sainte Beuve, Paris, France,
and LOUIS BRALY, Genealogist, of 19, Cours de la Liberté, Lyons, France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improved means for preventing the fraudulent re-filling
of bottles and other containers and for enabling the genuineness of their contents
to be verified.
The invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, consists of a
transparent glass collar b (Figure 1) of any suitable thickness and depth applied
to the mouth n of a bottle or other container which is made of reduced diameter
and shouldered as at a to retain the ring b which completes the mouth of the bottle.
Upon the inside of the glass ring is pasted a small numbered label upon which are
imprinted at its lower part opposite each figure certain characters of larger
dimensions than those of the figures which differs for each label. These characters
may either consist of figures or letters of the ordinary kind or of Arabic or Chinese
characters or fanciful designs.
When the bottle, jar, or other vessel has been tightly corked a narrow band.h of
paper or parchment or silk ribbon, etc. of a distinctive colour (see Figures 3
and 3) is stretched centrally across the cork and the ends folded down upon the
neck of the bottle after which the glass collar b with its label attached is applied
thereon, the inner surface, except that covered by the label, having first been sand-
blusted and coated with hot silicate of potash or glass-mending cement. The
surface of the bottle mouth having also been roughened the collar becomes so
quickly united as to render it impossible to separate it without breaking the neck
of the bottle. Figures 3 and 4 represent respectively a section and exterior
view of the bottle neck shewing the collar b applied thereon and confining the
band h. Figure 5 represents three examples of bottle necks provided with
inviolable bands h and having three labels bearing different numbers and
characters.
When, as in the case of champagne bottles or perfumery bottles, it would be
inconvenient or undesirable to apply the glass collar to the mouth of the bottle
the protecting band would be secured, as in Figures 6 and 7, by small seals s of
transparent white or coloured glass cemented with hot silicate upon a roughened
part of the glass at each side of the bottle neck and over the ends of the band
which has previously been passed over the cork or stopper.
The numbered and variably impressed label would be enclosed beneath a
transparent glass seal p (Figure 4) cemented to the roughened surface of the
bottle or container at the side or even upon the bottom if it is to be concealed.
Labels of infinitely variable character may be printed by an automatic
numbering stamp printing numbers from 1 to 1,000,000 and upwards the only
necessary modification of the stamp being that shewn in Figure 8 (which represents
cne of the numbering wheels) to provide on each of the ten faces m of each
number wheel, in addition to the number to be printed, a removable type t which

page_text: is secured by a spring shank in a hole d. These printing characters which would
be as varied as possible produce the variable impressions upon the labels, three
examples being shewn in Figure 5. For purposes of verification it is only
necessary to preserve a duplicate of each impression in a register from which
duplicates corresponding to export orders might be detached and forwarded to the
foreign agent for enabling the labels to be verified on the spot.
The following advantages are derivable from the adoption of the invention :-
(1.) The opening of any container is rendered impossible except by cutting the
protective band which passes over the cork and is imprisoned by the glass collar
on the bottle neck. As the latter always remains as a visible indication that the
container has been tampered with, there will be no danger of the vessel being
refilled with an inferior product as is commonly done by purchasing empty bottles
which have contained products of known brands and refilling them with inferior
products under false labels ;
(2.) The bottles, phials, jars, etc. bearing differently numbered labels, verification
of genuineness is rendered possible.
Dated this 24th day of October 1896
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improved Means for Preventing the Fraudulent Refilling of Bottles
and other Containers, and Verifying the Genuineness of their
Contents.
We, ANDRÉ BRALY, of 8 Rue St. Beuve, Paris, and LOUIS BRALY, of
19 Cour de la Liberté, Lyons, both in the Republic of France, 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 :-
We make use of ringless bottles having a flange or shoulder a few centimetres
from the top of the neck upon which rests a transparent ring of glass or other
material provided with a label inside upon which are appropriate signs the object of
which will be hereinfter explained.
A safety band of paper or other material is inserted between the ring and the
bottle and one end of such band has a detachable portion, which reaches down as
far as the middle of the bottle and is placed under the label.
This invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings in which
Figure 1 shows a bottle secured in accordance with our invention.
Figure 2 is an axial section of the neck of the bottle.
Figure 3 shows the ring.
Figure 4 is an axial section showing the several parts in their respective
positions.
Figure 5 is a plan of the corked bottle.
Figure 6 shows the reverse side of the safety band.
In these figures:
A is the bottle a is the flange or shoulder upon which the ring B rests.
C is the cork.
D is a label gummed on the inside of the ring B.
This label is provided with suitable signs and characters which are seen from the
outside, the ring being transparent.

page_text: E is the safety band e is its detachable portion or label which bears the same
signs and characters as the label D.
F is the usual bottle label.
It may be remarked that the detachable portion or label e of the band E is
provided on the reverse side with suitable signs or characters which are not the
same as those upon its face, as is shown in Figure 6 of the drawings.
In applying our invention we proceed in the following manner :-
The bottle A being filled with liquid, is corked in such a manner that its cork C
is flush with the top of the neck. The safety band E is placed across the cork
as shown in Figure 4.
The ring B which has previously been provided with its label is then placed as
above described.
This ring is pushed down until it rests against the shoulder a and is kept fast to
the bottle by means of a suitable cement.
The band E is thus pinched between the ring and the bottle and covers the cork;
the free end of the band except the detachable portion e is then pasted upon the
bottle itself.
The end e¹ of the band E is also pasted upon the bottle and the label
put on in such a manner as to almost completely cover the portion e¹.
is then
It has already been stated that the label D and the detachable portion or label e
are provided with the same signs and characters as shown in Figure 1; con-
sequently the consumer in buying a bottle has an easy means of assuring himself
that there has been no fraud and that the label D and the hand E have been
applied by the same person.
Moreover there is also a second means of verification at hand.
It is only necessary to detach the label e which as has been stated contains on its
reverse side different signs and characters from those on the face side, and to send
this label to the firm purporting to have placed it on the bottle.
This firm of course preserves a duplicate of each band, and can therefore easily
verify the label sent to them.
Of course each band should bear a different number and stamp.
Thus the labels D and e bear on their front side as in Figure 1 the number 260325
and a star with two crosses and the label e bears for example on its reverse side a
portion of an impression of a stamp, the remainder of which is preserved by the
firm of origin.
These combinations may of course be varied indefinitely.
As will readily be understood this arrangement may be applied to flasks and all
kinds of receivers, a bottle is shown as an example.
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 without
limiting ourselves to the details of execution which may be varied that what we
claim is :-
An arrangement for preventing the fraudulent refilling of bottles, flasks and
other containers and verifying the origin of their contents consisting in the
combination with a bottle or other container of suitable shape, of a transparent
ring with an inner label and a safety band passing over the cork inserted between
the ring and the bottle the said band being attached to the bottle and bearing a
detachable label having on its visible side the same signs and numbers as the label
of the ring and on the reverse side other signs and characters by which the
producer can verify its identity substantially as described and shown in the
drawings.
ANDRÉ BRALY.
LOUIS BRALY.