IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MILK-CANS follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
to be as
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MILK-CANS
follows:-
"
This invention relates to milk-cans and especially to devices for closing and
locking the same.
Upon the body of the milk-can is arranged a neck, upon the inner surface of
which are arranged, opposite each other, two small angular projections. The said
neck has also formed in it at angles of 90° from the said projections two small
holes.
The lid or cover for closing the said neck carries in its upper rim an india-rubber
packing ring Attached to the said cover and projecting above this rim are arranged
two bearings opposite one another. These bearings carry a shaft which has at
each end a small eccentric projecting beyond the bearings, whilst a lever is attached
to the middle of the shaft. To the end of the said lever is hinged a small plate
provided with two holes which correspond with the holes formed in the neck.
The eccentrics of the shaft are so placed relatively to the lever that when the
latter is in a horizontal position the said eccentrics are in their highest positions;
whereas when the lever is thrown over, the eccentrics are in their lowest positions.
The lid is put upon the can when the lever is in the latter position in order that
the eccentrics can be readily brought by a small rotary motion of the lid under
the angular projections of the neck.
In order to hermetically close the can, the lever is turned upon its shaft so that
the eccentrics come into operation and press indirectly upon the packing. When
the can is closed the two holes of the hinged plate coincide with the holes in the
neck of the can and serve for the attachment of a seal or lock.
When the can is empty, the lid is put on in such a manner that the two holes of
the hinged plate coincide with the holes in the neck, without moving the lever, for
the purpose of hermetically closing the can. The object of this arrangement is to

page_text: prevent the loosely applied lid, by the use of the seal or lock, from being lost in
the return transport, without being obliged to subject the packing to needless
pressure, thereby damaging the same.
The sealing of the cans is, especially when there are many, rather inconvenient
and requires much time. I have for these reasons constructed a simple lock which
permits of being handled very conveniently and rapidly and which offers greater
safety and durability than ordinary simple pad-locks.
This lock consists of a bow and a box. The parts are separate from each other
when the lock is opened. The bow is internally bevelled at both ends and above
these bevelled parts is provided with depressions by means of which it snaps over
a solid retaining piece having two noses, on being pushed into the lock-box.
The opening of the lock is best effected with a key similar to a pair of tongs or
scissors, the points of the key being formed in a suitable manner.
These points
are passed into a narrow slit in the lower surface of the lock box, and by exerting
pressure with the said key upon the sloping ends of the bow the arms of the
latter are caused to spring apart. The lock-box is provided with a false key-hole
of the ordinary shape.
A sufficiently great variety of keys is easily obtainable. The depressions in the
bow can, for instance, be arranged externally instead of internally, in which case
the key must operate in the opposite direction.

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 milk cans and especially to devices for closing and
locking the same, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing the figures of
which are hereinafter referred to.
A, Figures 1 and 2, is the body of the milk-can upon which is arranged a
neck B, figures 1, 2, 4, 7 and 13, having on its inner surface at opposite points two
small angular projections C, C figures 1, 2, 6, 7, 8. The said neck has also
formed in it at angles of 90° from the said projections C C two small holes d d,
figures 2, 4, 5.
The lid or cover a for closing the can has in its upper rim b which is open at
the underside an indiarubber packing ring g, figure 4. Attached to the said cover
and projecting above this rim are arranged two bearings L L figures 1, 2, 3, 7
opposite one another. These bearings carry the shaft E figures 1, 3, 4, which has
at its ends small eccentrics o o projecting beyond the bearings, whilst the lever H
figures 2, 3, 4 is attached to the middle of the shaft. To the end of the said
lever H is hinged a small plate P figures 2, 4 and 5 which plate is also provided
with two holes d d corresponding with the holes d d formed in the neck.
The eccentrics on the shaft E are so placed relatively to the lever H that when
the latter is in horizontal position figure 4 the said eccentrics oo are in their
highest positions; whereas when the lever is thrown over to the opposite sile of
the lid rim the eccentrics assume their lowest positions. The lid is put upon the
can when the lever is in the latter position in order that the eccentrics, the position
of which is shown in dotted lines in Figure 6 can be readily brought by a small
rotary motion of the lid under the angular projections C C Figure 6 until they are
stopped.
To hermetically close the can, the lever H is turned upon its shaft through a
semicircle, so that the eccentrics o o come into operation and press the lid or cover
downward, thereby compressing the packing. When the can is closed the two
holes d d of the hinged plate P must coincide with the holes d d in the neck of
the can and serve for the attachment of a seal or lock.
When the can is empty, the lid is put on in such a manner that the two holes dd
of the hinged plate P coincide with the holes d d in the neck B, without moving
the lever, H, to hermetically close the can. A lock or the like can then be inserted
through the hole d. d. The object of this arrangement is to prevent the loosely
applied lid from being lost in the return of the can, without being obliged to
subject the packing to needless pressure, and thereby damaging the same.
The sealing of the cans especially when there are many of them, is rather
inconvenient and requires much time. I have for these reasons constructed a
simple lock which permits of being handled very conveniently and rapidly and
which offers greater safety and durability than ordinary pad-locks.

page_text: This lock consists of the bow N and of the lock case M Figures 11, 12; both these
parts are completely separate from each other when the lock is opened. The bow is
bevelled on the inner sides at both ends and above these bevelled parts is provided
with depressions by means of which it snaps over a solid retaining piece x having
two noses or projections Figure 9 on being pushed into the lock case M.
The opening of this lock is best effected with a key similar to a pair of tongs or
scissors, the extremeties of the key being formed as shewn in Figure 9. These
points are inserted into a narrow slit in the lower surface of the lock case, and by
exerting pressure with the said key upon the sloping ends of the bow the arms
of the latter are caused to spring apart. The lock-case is provided with a false
key-hole of the ordinary shape to give it the appearance of an ordinary padlock.
A sufficiently great variety of keys is easily obtainable. The depressions in the
bow can for instance be arranged externally instead of internally, in which case
the key must operate in the opposite direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First. In a milk-can, the employment of the neck B Figures 1, 2, 4, 7 provided
with the angular projections C, C, Figures 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and the sealing or lock
holes d, d, Figures 2, 4, 5.
Second. In a milk-can the employment of the plate P Figures 2, 4 and 5,
hinged to the lever H. which plate enables the lid or cover of the can to be secured,
by means of a seal or lock, from being lost in the return transport without its
being necessary to exert pressure upon the packing ring.
Third. In a lock for locking or securing milk cans the employment of the
bow N Figure 12, adapted to be separated from the lock case and provided with
two notches or depressions, which bow, when pushed into the said lock case,
engages by the said notches or depressions with two noses or projections formed in
the lock case, substantially as described.
• L
1
0
L
1005
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.