Improved Stopper for Bottles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
Improved Stopper for Bottles.
We, THE BALTIMORE WOOD STOPPER COMPANY, a corporation duly incorporated
under the laws of the State of West Virginia, and having its principal office in the
City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and United States of America, and CHARLES
NEUHAUS, of 510, North Eutaw Street, in the same City and State, Merchant,
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:-
This invention relates to an improved stopper for bottles. The object of the
invention is to provide a composite stopper of wood and metal that will effectually
seal bottles.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is a side view of the metal parts of the stopper.
Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the wood and a side view of the metal part of
the stopper in position ready for insertion into the mouth of a bottle.
Figure 3 is a side view of the wood part of the stopper.
Figure 4 is a top plan view of same.
Figure 5 is a view of a bottle neck in section, and the improved stopper in
position.
The letter, a, designates the body of the stopper, made preferably of wood, but
any other suitable material which is compressible may be used. This body is in the
form of a cup, being bored out or hollow on top, and in its primary condition its
circular wall, a', is slightly flared, as seen in Figures 2 and 3.
The metal core part
comprises a circular disk, b, having a cutting edge; a cap-piece, c, also in the form of
a disk having a rim, cl, and a projecting flange, c², and a shank, d, which unites said
two disks. The shank extends up through the cap-disk and above the latter has a
suitable head or eye-piece e. In the present instance this head has a hole, e¹, for the
insertion of a prong or extracting tool, to be used when drawing the stopper out of
a bottle. Each of the metal parts, b, c, d, may be cut out by means of dies.
The metal core part, b, c, d, is of size to snugly or neatly fit into the hollow or cup
of the wood-part, as shown in Figure 2. It will be seen the shoulder or rim, c¹, of
the cap-piece, c², projects over on top of the edge of the rim of the wood cup.
In applying the improved stopper to the mouth of a bottle, the small or bottom
end, f, of the wood cup is entered into the mouth, g, which it should snugly fit
Then the entire stopper is driven into the mouth. In this operation the wall, a¹, of
the wood cup is compressed with the effect of causing the sharp edge of the disk, b, to
cut laterally into the wall of the hollow or cup, and also causing the top edge of the
wood cup to be compressed around and against the rim, c¹, the circular wall of the
cup is forced into the space between the cutting edge of the disk, b, and the rim
shoulder, c¹; and the flared circular wall, a³, of the cup becomes practically straight.
The projecting flange, c², now fully covers the top rim of the wood cup and prevents
evaporation of the liquid in the bottle through the porous material of the cup.
Thus the metal core-part is positively locked into the hollow cup.
When the liquid
i

page_text: contents of the bottle moistens the wood cup stopper, the latter will swell and become
very tightly fitted in its place in the bottle mouth.
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. A bottle-stopper comprising a compressible cup-part; and a metal core-part
having two disks-one of which fits in the bottom of the cup and the other within
the top-edge of the cup, and a shank which unites the two disks.
2. A bottle-stopper comprising a compressible cup-part; a metal core-part having
two disks one of which has a sharp edge that cuts into the wall of the cup when the
latter is compressed, and the other serves as a cap-piece to cover the hollow of the
cup; and means uniting said two disks.
3. A bottle-stopper comprising a compressible cup-part; a metal core-part having
two disks one of which fits in the bottom of the cup and the other within the top-
edge of the cup, the latter having a projecting flange which takes over the top-edge
of the cup; and a shank uniting the disks.
4. A bottle-stopper comprising a compressible cup-part; a metal core-part having
two disks one of which has a sharp edge that cuts into the wall of the cup when the
latter is compressed, and the other fits within the top edge of the cup; means uniting
said two disks; and a draw-head or eye-piece above the top-disk.
Dated this 1st day of April 1808