Contents Indicators for Bottles and other Receptacles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Contents Indicators for Bottles and other Receptacles.
We, WILLIAM VERNARD BAUMAN, of 320, Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis,
Hennepin County, State of Minnesota, U.S.A., Merchant, and ISAAC ROSENFIELD, of
271, Madison Street, Chicago, Cook County, State of Illinois, U.S.A., Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: —
The invention relates to bottles jars and like receptacles through which the
contents are visible (hereinafter referred to as bottles) for liquors, medicines,
wines etc., from which small parts of the contents are taken at a time; and the
object of the invention is to provide means whereby the refilling of a bottle in
whole or in part may be detected.
Heretofore, druggists and liquor dealers, particularly the latter, have habitually
bought standard bottled goods, and, after using the contents, have refilled the
bottles with spurious liquor, and have continued to sell such liquor from the same
bottle as long as the label of the bottle remained unsoiled; thus defrauding the
public.
The particular object of this invention is to provide a bottle having a series of
small seals or marks upon it, which, as the contents of the bottle are taken out
portion by portion, are destroyed by the customer or purchaser to indicate to the
next customer that the liquor has been exhausted down to a certain level in the
bottle, so that the refilling of the bottle to any extent would be instantly detected
by the next purchaser. Such a bottle, after all of its seals have been broken,
cannot be used again, as the first person to use the same would know instantly
that the original contents of the bottle had been removed and had been checked
off by the various purchasers.
The invention consists generally in the combination with the bottle, of a series
of breakable destructible or removable seals or marks upon the exterior thereof,
to be destroyed by the persons buying the contents in small quantities. The
invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, forming part of this specification and in which;
Fig. 1 is a view of a bottle embodying our invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the side of the bottle showing the seal unbroken.
Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the broken seal.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a modified form of seal.
Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the seal broken.
Fig. 6 is a detail view.
Fig. is a view of a bottle showing a modified form of seal.
Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the side of the bottle and the seal.
Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the seal broken.
Fig. 10 is a sectional view with the paper strip omitted: and
Fig. 11 is a similar view showing the seal broken.
As shown in the drawings, the bottle is provided with a vertical groove 2, in

page_text: its exterior surface, and the bottom of this groove is preferably provided with a
series of shallow depressions or recesses 3, preferably elongated in form. Within
said groove, we prefer to arrange a strip 4, preferably of paper having a series of
perforations, corresponding substantially in form to said recesses and registering
therewith, and within said perforations flush therewith (Figs. 4 and 5) or at the
back thereof (Figs. 2 and 3) and over said recesses we prefer to provide frangible
crystals or seals 5 which may be easily broken by the pressure of the thumb
or finger. Instead of providing a perforated strip within the groove, we may
provide an imperforate strip 6 (see Fig. 7), similar in form, preferably of thin
paper, through which the outlines of the depressions or recesses in said groove
may be seen and said strip being stretched across the recesses may be easily
broken by pressure upon its surface, and we may prefer to set the frangible crystals
or seals within said recesses where they may be broken by pressure upon the
paper strip, or if preferred, the paper strip may be dispensed with (see Figs. 10
and 11) and small crystals of any suitable material may be placed in the depres-
sions to be removed therefrom or broken by the finger nail. Generally speaking,
the seals may be of any form or material and applied in any desired manner to
the bottle, as long as they are upon the exterior thereof and are adapted to be
broken, used or removed by the purchasers of the contents of the bottle. The
portions taken from liquor bottles by different purchasers at a bar are about
equal, and the ordinary quantity taken by a customer is calculated, and the bottle
is provided with as many seals or marks as it contains drinks or portions. When
a bottle is first opened the seals are intact whatever their nature may be. The
first customer upon pouring his drink from the bottle will scratch off or break
the first seal near the neck of the bottle. When the second portion is taken
from the bottle the second seal will be destroyed and so on, and it is evident that
if any person upon looking at the bottle finds that the level of the liquor therein
is above a broken or destroyed seal or mark on the bottle, he will be justified in
declaring that the contents of the bottle are spurious or have been tampered with
by the addition of a quantity of liquid not originally contained therein.
result will be that the refilling of bottles will be prevented, and that it will be
impossible for bar-keepers and other persons handling liquors and medicines to use
the bottles more than once.
The
This is accomplished by means so simple and so cheap that any bottling
establishment may use the invention without materially adding to the cost of their
goods, and with the positive assurance that their goods will not be imitated or their
bottles used for the purpose of selling imitations and fraudulent or spurious
articles. It is evident that our invention may be properly and profitably used upon
bottles for powders, pills, chemicals and drugs of various kinds, a full bottle of
which is not sold at a time.
We do not confine our invention to the specific construction herein shown and
described.
Having now particularly described the nature of this our said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle or receptacle through whose
wall its contents are visible and provided on its exterior surface with a row of
destructible gauge marks or seals, substantially as described.
2. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle or receptacle having a wall through
which its contents are visible and provided in its exterior surface with a row
of depressions and a series of frangible crystals or seals adapted to cover said
depressions, substantially as described.
3. A bottle or receptacle, provided with a vertical row of depressions arranged
at intervals in its exterior surface, and a series of frangible crystals or seals
adapted to cover said depressions and flush with said exterior surface, sub-
stantially as described.
4. A bottle or receptacle provided with a groove in its exterior surface, a series

page_text: of depressions provided at intervals in said groove, and destructible seals or gauge
marks provided in said depressions, substantially as described.
5. A bottle or receptacle provided with a series of depressions in its outer
surface, and a strip over the same adapted to be checked or broken over said
depressions, as and for the purpose specified.
6. A bottle or receptacle provided with a vertical groove in its side having
a series of depressions therein, crystals provided in said depressions, and a covering
or strip thereon, substantially as described.
7. A bottle or receptacle provided with a series of depressions in its outer
surface, a series of destructible gauge marks or seals provided over said depres-
sions, and a perforated strip provided on the outer surface of said bottle with
its perforations registering with said depressions, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of August 1899.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.