Year: 1889

page_text: A communication from GEORGE A. POOLE, of Chicago, in the County of Cook and
State of Illinois, United States of America, Printer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.1.M.E. 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 improvements in stoppers for cans, bottles or the like and
more particularly to such as are used as benzine cans by printers, and like uses, which
contain highly inflammable and dangerous or highly volatile and valuable liquids used
in the arts.
Figure 1 is a central sectional elevation through the axis of the can showing the
cork and its attached mechanism in full when the can is closed and in broken outline
when the can is open.
This invention consists in providing the mouth of cans and bottles with a tubo
closed by a cork and weight connected to the cork by means of either a rigid or
flexible connection arranged to operate so as to cause the cork to close by the operation
of said weight when the can is in either a horizontal or erect position and so that the
cork by the action of the same weight and that of its own weight will open when the
can is held in or near an inverted position. This invention is constructed and operated
substantially as follows, namely:
Through the screw-cap or through an ordinary cock a as shown in this case fitting
into the mouth of the can or bottle etc. I pass or attach a tightly fitting tube b
terminating at or slightly below the lower end of the cork or cap when the latter is
made of sheet metal and which said tube projects upward far enough above the cap
or cork to give a good seat to the valve or cork which closes the end of said tube.
Onto the upper end of said tube is placed a stopper valve or plug preferably conically
shaped of which the tapering or inner end may be more or less sharply pointed than
here shown, as may be found best suited to the material contained in the cans and at
the same time form the best valve-seat or closure and to the apex of said cork or valve
is attached a stem d of wire which passes down into the can a short distance and at
its lower end has attached to it a weight e. In order to prevent said weight e from
closing the tube b when the can is inverted, said wire d is bent at the point finto an
obtuse angle so as to leave a straight part below the point inclined to one side
and which will rest on and extend beyond the lower edge of the tube when the said
valve is open. The angle of inclination between the two straight parts of said wire d

page_text: should be of about the proportion here shown, or great enough to cause the part f¹ to
slide down over the lower edge of the tube when the can is held in a horizontal
position or thrown on its side and thus, by the force of the weight e, close the cork c.
The weight e causes the cork and stem to turn so that the weight will always move
to its lowest position instantly and cause the lower section of the stem to rest upon
the end of the tube and slide down on it until the cork c is drawn in and fully closes
the aperture.
No matter in what position the weight e may be when the can is turned upon its
side the said weight will always through gravity find its, lowest position instantly and
cause the can to close as above stated.
It will be observed that the length of the part 1 of the stem should be only long
enough to permit the free operation of the valve which must over balance the weight e
when the can is inverted so as to cause its contents to flow.
The principle of construction of this invention may be carried out in various ways,
a second form being shown in figure 2 in which a is the screw cap or ordinary cork
fitting into the mouth of the can or bottle and through which is passed a tightly fitting
tube b forming a seat for the preferably conically-shaped stopper, valve or cork c.
To the apex of stopper c is attached a straight stem d of wire which passes
down into the can a short distance and rigidly connects a weight e with the
stopper c.
Three or more arms or spurs d' are attached and equally spaced at any suitable
angle around stem d and they prevent the weight from closing the mouth when the
can is inverted.
When it is desired to pour out the contents the can is tilted and the stopper c falls
out of its seat thus forming an aperture in the mouth through which the contents
may freely flow; if the can is tilted far enough the stopper falls till the arms d¹ are
held by the mouth of the can. When the can is placed in its original position the
weight instantly draws the stopper onto its seat which closes the aperture."
When the can is turned upon its side the weight will always through gravity
instantly find its lowest position and cause the can to close as above described.
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 :-
1. In an automatically opening and closing can or bottle a tube passing through
the mouth of the vessel in combination with a cork or valve at the outer end of said
tube and a weight within said vessel connected to said valve by means of mechanism
adapted to operate on the inner end of said tubo whereby said valve may be opened
and closed through the said attached mechanism by the action of gravity by moving
such vessel into suitable positions substantially as specified.
2. In an automatically opening and closing can a tube in combination with cork
and a weight within the can arranged eccentrically to the axis of the tube and con-
nected to a rod baving an inclined part to operate upon the inner end of the tube
substantially as specified.
3. In an automatically opening and closing stopper the combination with the tube
or mouth of the vessel of a weight such as e rigidly connected with the stopper by a
straight rod d having arms or spurs such as fl the whole operating substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 8th da