Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
I, JUSTUS ALBERT TRANT, of New Britain in the County of Hartford and State of
Connecticut, United States of America gentleman, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in bottle-stoppers of the class in which a
portion of the stopper is expanded within the neck of the bottle and the main objects
of my invention are to prevent the stopper from being expanded in the attempt to
remove it when it adheres to the neck of the bottle and in general to improve the
convenience and efficiency of the stopper.
In the accompaning drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my stopper as expanded within the neck of a bottle
said neck being shown in vertical section.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my stopper with the expansible portion contracted
and
:
Fig. 3 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, on line x-r of Fig. 1 with the
expansible portion expanded.
A designates the neck of a bottle having my stopper secured therein.
4 designates the upper section of my stopper which is made tapering in form and
its upper end is intended to be of a size that will fill the mouth of the bottle and form
a rest to determine the position of the stopper when it is placed therein.
The lower end of this section 4 is provided with a conical face, 12, as shown in
Figs. 2 and 3. This upper section is also perforated axially and the rod 5 passes
through said perforation. The upper end of this rod is slotted and has pivoted within
it the cam 6, which cam is provided with a lever-handle 7 as shown. If the upper
section 4 is formed of wood or other soft substance, I prefer to face its upper end
with a metal piece 8, Fig. 3 for the cam to work against, so as to decrease the
wear.
The lower end of the rod 5 is screw threaded and provided with an adjusting-nut 9,
the upper end of which is flat as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
This nut is preferably made of hard rubber or other non-corrosive material and its
threaded hole does not extend entirely through the nut, whereby said nut is provided
with a solid lower end that excludes the entry of any material through the nut to
the metallic rod upon which it is screwed.
The lower end of this nut is milled or knurled to facilitate turning it.
Between the cone face 12 of the upper section 4 and the opposing upper flat face
of the nut 9, I arrange a perforated cylindrical block 10, of soft rubber, the perfora-
tion extending longitudinally.
The flat upper end of the nut 9 should be of a diameter which equals that of the
perforated cylindrical rubber block 10, when it is not expanded as shown in Fig. 2.
I prefer also to make the upper section 4, of hard rubber or wood or other non
corrosive material, but inasmuch as said section is above the perforated cylindrical
rubber block 10, its material is not so important as is the material of which the nut 9
is composed.
In use the cam-lever is lifted into the position illustrated in Fig. 3 and the complete
stopper is placed within the neck of the bottle until the upper section 4 comes to a
rest as shown in Fig. 1.
The lever 7 is then depressed to elevate the nut 9, thereby forcing the opposing
faces of the upper section + and nut together, when the cone face 12 of the
section 4 expands the perforated cylindrical rubber block, 10, so that it snugly
fills the neck of the bottle as illustrated in Fig. 1. In case one motion of the

page_text: lever and cam is not sufficient to expand the perforated cylindrical rubber block 10,
so as to stop the bottle firmly, the stopper may be removed and the nut 9 screwed
farther upon the rod 5 to give a greater degree of expansion. A less degree of
expansion may be attained, if desired, by unscrewing the nut.
My stopper will be generally used in bottles which are opened after transportation
in order to save such portion of the contents as may not be used upon first opening
the bottle.
In case, however, it should be desired to use this stopper in bottles during trans-
portation, a string or wire may be passed through the perforation in the outer end of
the lever handle 7 and around the neck of the bottle to prevent an accidental move-
ment of said lever.
In case the stopper shall remain expanded within the mouth of the bottle until it
becomes quite dry and adheres to the neck of the bottle even after the pressure of the
cam is removed, it may readily be pulled out because the upper face of the nut is
flat and of a size equal to the normal size of the perforated cylindrical rubber block
and therefore pulling. upon the stopper to remove it does not further expand the
rubber and bind it firmly upon the neck of the .bottle.
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 :-
The combination of the upper section 4, having a lower conical face 12, the rod, 5,
cam, 6, perforated cylindrical block of soft rubber and the nut 9, screw threaded upon
the lower end of the rod 5; and having a flat upper face, substantially as described
and for the purvose specified.
Dated this 5th day of July 1889.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
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