Improvements in Means for Preventing the Re-filling of Bottles, Jugs, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: "Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1899 --Accepted, 27th May, 1899
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Preventing the Re-filling of Bottles,
Jugs, and the like.
I, THOMAS PERCY GREENHOW, General Manager of The Pepsin Seltzer Drug
& Chemical Company, of No. 25, South Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland,
United States of America, Chemist, a Citizen of the United States, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to improvements in bottles and similar vessels, but
more particularly to bottles, and it is intended to provide an attachment by means
of which it will be impracticable to refill the bottle after the same has once
been emptied of its contents. The purpose of the invention is therefore to prevent
the re-filling of the vessel with spurious liquid after it has once been filled with
the genuine liquid and the latter emptied therefrom.
My invention consists in the novel details of construction and combination and
arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
Reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which the same parts are
indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.
Figure represents a central vertical section through the neck of the bottle
showing one of the separable halves of my improved non-refillable device, and
the parts contiguous thereto in section, through the bottle neck, being along the
line A-B of Figure 2.
Figure 2 represents a transverse section along the line CD of Figure 1.
represents the bottle made of glass or other suitable material, which is
provided with a conical opening near its mouth provided with two slightly raised
ribs b, c, which are somewhat exaggerated in the drawing to better illustrate the
invention. represents a band of cork or similar yielding material which is
either slipped over the two halves of the stopper as will be hereinafter described,
or is placed between the ribs 7 and in the conical seat in the neck of the bottle
prior to the insertion of the stopper.
The non-refillable attachment consists of two parts o of glass, porcelain, wood,
vulcanite or other hard material substantially conical in exterior shape but
provided with the annular grooves f to engage the ribs and c, and with flat
adjacent faces forming when placed together, as shown in Figure 2, an enlarged
valve chamber g, a small chamber for the stem of the valve, zigzag passages &
for the passage of the fluid from the bottle, and tenons at the end of each length
of said zigzag passages, to catch the end of a wire should it be attempted to insert
a wire through either one of the passages for the purpose of tampering with the
valve. These two parts are locked together when in the bottle by means of
the ball, which fits in a suitable recess formed partly in each of the blocks
and thus prevents either member of the said stopper from moving longitudinally
after the stopper has been forced down on its seats,

page_text: k represents the valve which is preferably provided with anogival, or conoidal
head, with tapered stem to pass into the guide chamber and with a washer m
which will hold the valve clear of the lower ends of said passages when liquid
is poured from the bottle.
Above the two parts e is an ordinary cork or other suitable seal n, which is
removed when it is desired to empty the bottle.
The operation of the device is as follows:
The bottle is filled before the non-refillable attachment is inserted. The two
parts of the non-refillable attachment are placed together over the valve k
and over the ball j, the cork strip d put on, and these parts are then forced down
into the bottle as shown in Figure 1.
The cork or other seal n is then placed in position and such additional seals
as may be desired are placed over this.
To pour out liquid from the bottle, pull off the cork or seal n and tilt the bottle,
and the valve stem 7 passing up into the guide chamber h will allow the valve k
to permit the passage thereby of fluid which will flow out through one of the
passages i. The fluid will flow out through one of these passages i, while air
will flow into the bottle through the other, and it will be evident that the bottle
may be emptied as described. It will also be evident that if an attempt be made
to re-fill the bottle by pouring in liquid from the top of the neck that the
valve will settle on its seat in the position shown in Figure 1, and will prevent
the passage of any liquid from the top into the bottle.
In order to re-fill the bottle it will be necessary to remove the parts e which
can only be done by breaking the neck of the bottle.
It will be thus seen that I provide an attachment which will render it possible
to conveniently pour out the liquid in small or large quantities from within the
bottle, and yet which will prevent the re-filling of the bottle after it has been
once partly or wholly emptied. If the ribs b, c be made very low the two parts e
of the stopper may be forced or sprung over the same and held in place thereby
without the necessity for the cork strip d.
Having thus particularly ascertained and described the nature of my said inven-
tion, declare that what I claim is;-
1. The non-refillable closure for bottles, jugs, or the like, substantially as
hereindescribed and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. The combination of the bottle neck provided with a tapered opening, the
parts e with zig-zag passages therethrough, the valve d, the locking ball, the
yielding band d, and the ribs b and c, substantially as hereindescribed and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated
VILIS
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.