IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING AËRATED OR GASEOUS LIQUIDS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Barrett, of Hampton, in the County of Middlesex,
and John Bailey, Manager of the India Rubber, Gutta Percha, and Telegraph
Works Company, Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STOPPERS FOR
BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING AËRATED OR GASEOUS LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 4th February 1879, and dated the 21st November 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Barrett and John
Bailey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st November
1878.
HENRY BARRETT, of Hampton, in the County of Middlesex, and JOHN BAILEY,
Manager of the India Rubber, Gutta Percha, and Telegraph Works Company,
Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING AËRATED OR GASEOUS
LIQUIDS."
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of internal stoppers for
bottles for containing aërated or gaseous liquids which have hitherto been made of
a stem or body of hard non-elastic india rubber, known as vulcanite or ebonite, and
a washer of soft, elastic, vulcanized india rubber, the stem or body of such stopper
being moulded or formed with a recess for receiving the india-rubber washer.
Now the object of our improvements is to obviate many of the inconveniences
resulting from the stoppers being formed in two such separate pieces, and amongst
the objections to such stoppers may be mentioned the following, videlicet:-Any
small mechanical faults, either in the recess in the hard rubber or in the soft vulca-
nized india rubber washer, will cause a leakage of the gas in the bottle and thereby
render the liquid useless; there is great liability of tearing the soft rubber washer
in stretching it over the ebonite or vulcanite stem or body to fit it into the recess;
and there is also the inconvenience of the stopper itself being in two parts, which
require to be fitted together to complete the stopper; and this Invention consists in
avoiding these objections by vulcanizing the hard india rubber stem or body and

page_text: the soft india rubber washer in union in the process of manufacture, and thus
supplying a stopper with a hard rubber stem or body and a soft rubber washer in
one piece complete.
In carrying out our Invention we form or fashion the body or stem of the stopper
of ebonite dough, that is, dough intended to form cbonite, a material that is well
known and partially vulcanize it, that is to say, subject it to sufficient heat only as
to convert it into soft or semi-hard rubber: I then remove it from the vulcanizing
or curing vessel, and I then place the washer made of soft dough and intended to
be afterwards vulcanized in the recess in the semi-hard stem or body, and I then
place the article consisting of the combined parts either in a mould or not in the
vulcanizing or curing vessel, and after being subjected to sufficient heat the stopper
is removed and the body will be of hard rubber, that is to say, ebonite or vulcanite,
and the washer of soft elastic rubber, the parts being united in the last vulcanizing
process, so that I thus obtain a stopper with a vulcanized washer and an ebonite or
hard rubber stem complete in one piece.
Or I form the body of ebonite dough, having the requisite amount of sulphur to
convert it into ebonite, and the washer of dough having a less quantity of sulphur
for soft vulcanizing, and in the soft state I put the article into a mould and subject
it to heat in the vulcanizing or curing vessel and vulcanize it, and when complete
the stem formed of ebonite dough is converted into hard rubber or ebonite, and the
washer portion is converted into soft vulcanized india rubber.
Or I partially vulcanize the washer portion of the stopper and fit it on either a
hard or semi-hard stem or body and then complete the vulcanization.
There are other ways of carrying out the operation.
The head of the stopper may be loaded or not as hitherto.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Barrett and John Bailey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th May 1879.
HENRY BARRETT, of Hampton, in the County of Middlesex, and JOHN BAILEY,
Manager of the India Rubber, Gutta Percha, and Telegraph Works Company,
Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING ABRATED OR GASEOUS
LIQUIDS."
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of internal stoppers for
bottles for containing aërated or gaseous liquids which have hitherto been inade of
a stem or body of hard non-elastic india rubber, known as vulcanite or ebonite,
and a washer of soft, elastic, vulcanized india rubber, the stem or body of such
stopper being moulded or formed with a recess for receiving the india rubber
washer.
Now the object of our improvements is to obviate many of the inconveniences
resulting from the stoppers being formed in two such separate pieces, and amongst
the objections to such stoppers may be mentioned the following, videlicet:-Any
small mechanical faults, either in the recess in the hard rubber or in the soft
vulcanized india-rubber washer, will cause a leakage of the gas in the bottle and
thereby render the liquid useless; there is great liability of tearing the soft rubber
washer in stretching it over the ebonite or vulcanite stem or body to fit it into the
recess; and there is also the inconvenience of the stopper itself being in two parts,
which require to be fitted together to complete the stopper; and this Invention
consists in avoiding these objections by vulcanizing the hard india rubber stem or
body and the soft india rubber washer in union in the process of manufacture, and
thus supplying a stopper with a hard rubber stem or body and a soft rubber washer
in one piece complete.
In carrying out our Invention we form or fashion the body or stem of the stopper
of ebonite dough, that is, dough intended to form cbonite, a material that is well
known, and partially vulcanize it, that is to say, subject it to sufficient heat only as
to convert it into soft or semi-hard rubber. We then remove it from the vulcanizing
or curing vessel, and we then place the washer made of soft dough and intended to
be afterwards vulcanized in the recess in the semi-hard stem or body, and we then
place the article consisting of the combined parts either in a mould or not in the
vulcanizing or curing vessel, and after being subjected to sufficient heat the stopper
is removed and the body will be of hard rubber, that is to say, ebonite or vulcanite,
and the washer of soft elastic rubber, the parts being united in the last vulcanizing
process, so that we thus obtain a stopper with a vulcanized washer and an ebonite.
or hard rubber stem complete in one piece.
.
Or we form the body of ebonite dough, having the requisite amount of sulphur
to convert it into cbonite, and the washer of dough having a less quantity of sulphur
for soft vulcanizing, and in the soft state we put the article into a mould and
subject it to heat in the vulcanizing or curing vessel and vulcanize it, and when
complete the stem formed of ebonite dough is converted into hard rubber or ebonite,
and the washer portion is converted into soft vulcanized india rubber.
Or we partially vulcanize the washer portion of the stopper and fit it on either
a hard or semi-hard stem or body and then complete the vulcanization.
There are other ways of carrying out the operation.
The head of the stopper may be loaded or not as hitherto, and instead of ebonite
or vulcanite we may use gutta percha and sulphur vulcanized for the stem or
body.
Having thus described our said Invention we would have it understood that we
do not confine ourselves to any particular mode of making or vulcanizing the two

page_text: parts of the stopper together, nor to any particular form of the stem of the stopper,
but what we do claim is,-
Firstly. The manufacture of internal stoppers for bottles for containing aërated
or gaseous liquids of a vulcanite or ebonite (or vulcanized gutta percha) stem or
body with a soft india rubber washer in one piece with the hard stem or body by
combining the two parts together by vulcanization, substantially by the modes
herein before described.
Secondly. I claim the stoppers manufactured substantially by the modes above
described, and consisting respectively of a stem of hard rubber or ebonite (or
vulcanized gutta percha) and a washer of soft elastic vulcanized rubber combined
in one piece, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bailey, for and on behalf of myself and
the said Henry Barrett, have hereto set my hand and seal, this Four-
teenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy nine.
JNO BAILEY. (L.S.)