A New Method of Olosing Bottles of all kinds, Preventing the Escape of their Contents, either Gaseous or Liquid, and also Preventing the Access of Air to the Bottle.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 24th June, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Method of Olosing Bottles of all kinds, Preventing the
Escape of their Contents, either Gaseous or Liquid, and also
Preventing the Access of Air to the Bottle.
PETER ORPHOOT, Doctor of Medicine, practising as a Dentist at 113 George
Street Edinburgh, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The article for which the Patent is desired is a strip of india rubber of length,
width and thickness varying according to the size of the bottle to which it is to be
applied. When it is necessary to secure additional strength at each end of the strip,
it. may be doubled for a space varying according to the size of the bottle to which
the strip is to be applied. At each end of the strip there is a hole also varying in
size to suit the neck of the bottle to which the strip is to be applied. The strip is
used thus. When the glass stopper, cork or plug of any kind is put into the neck of
the bottle, one of the holes in the strip is passed over the stopper of whatever kind
till the strip reaches the neck of the bottle. The strip is now drawn out so as
considerably to stretch it, and while so extended it is wrapped round the neck with
the stopper or cork in position, the effect of which is that the surfaces and joints -
from which liquids, gases or evaporations could escape are so closely embraced that
such escapes cannot occur.
Dated thin 19th dow of March 1802
PETER ORPHOOT, M.D.,
113, George Street, Edinburgh.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Method of Closing Bottles of all kinds, Preventing the
Escape of their Contents, either Gaseous or Liquid, and also
Preventing the Access of Air to the Bottle.
I, PETER ORPHOOT, Doctor of Medicine practising as a Dentist at 113 George
Street, Edinburgh, 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 a new method of closing bottles of all kinds, preventing
the escape of their contents either gaseous or liquid and also preventing the access
of air to the bottle.
The invention is particularly applicable to glass stoppered bottles which are not
usually completely air tight. It is found that with glass stoppered bottles, solutions
of gums, in ether, alcohol and chloroform and such like solutions, rapidly evaporate
by the bad fitting of the glass stopper, unless some substance is used between the
stopper and the mouth of the bottle. My invention consists in wrapping a strip of
thin india-rubber round the top of the bottle and the stopper, so as to completely
seal the contents of the bottle from evaporation or from the access of air.
In order that my said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings
hereinto annexed.
The strip of india-rubber as shewn in Figure 1 has a hole at each end; the one
hole is passed over the stopper on to the neck of the bottle; the rubber is then
stretched out as shewn in Figure 2 and in the stretched condition it is wound round
the top of the bottle so as to completely seal the stopper; when the rubber is fully

page_text: wound round, the hole at the other end of the rabber is passed over the top of
the bottle thus covered so that the rubber covering is retained firm. The more
tightly the rubber strip is stretched while winding, the more perfectly air tight is
the closure; usually three or four windings should be made round the joint to be
protected.
1.
Each end of the strip is preferably strengthened where the hole is made.
The invention is equally applicable to all kinds of stoppered bottles such as cork.
stoppered bottles. Hitherto it has been found practically impossible to prevent the
evaporation or deterioration of such extremely sensitive substances as ether, alcohol,
and chloroform unless the "stopper or cork in sealed with wax, grease or the like;
also it is well known that glass stoppers, more especially, after a time become fixed
in the neck of a bottle and can only be removed by great difficulty and trouble.
I have found however that in the use of stretched india rubber in the manner
as described, no such evaporation, or fixing of the stopper occurs, and that the use
of the rubber strip is much more convenient than applying wax or grease for the
purpose of obtaining an hermetical seal. When using the appliance for the
preservation of wine or spirits in decanters I find it convenient to secure
the stretched rubber by means of a rubber ring which may be either attached to
the end of the strip or used separately, and the said ring may be stretched or
doubled twice or thrice around the strip.
Figure 3 shows such a ring used separately. By making the ring of sufficient
width of rubber, it may be used to take the place of the rabher strip, being
stretched or doubled twice or thrice around the cork and the neck of the bottle
and so obviate the difficulty of securing the ends when using the rubber as a strip.
The said arrangement is equally applicable to all kinds of bottles.
When applying my invention to very large mouthed jars or vessels where it
would not be convenient to stretch a hole in the end of the rubber strip over the
top of the vessel, I may have vessels made with one or more projections for the
purpose of retaining the one or both ends of the stretched rubber strip.
It is obvious that the retaining of the stretched rubber strip may be varied in
many ways and the means I have described are only examples of convenient
methods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
Wrapping the neck and stopper of bottles, and the like, with a strip or ring of
stretched sheet india rubber or like material, substantially in the manner as
described.
Den 1:00
JOHNSONS,
116, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.