Improvements in Stoppering Bottles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 13th Apr., 1895
Improvements in Stoppering Bottles.
I WILLARD BOYCE STEVENS, Advertising Agent, residing at No. 431
West 57th Street, New York City in the County of New York, U.S.A. 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a stopper which is to be placed into
the neck of a bottle so as to permit of pouring the contents out of the bottle in
the usual manner, but at the same time to prevent refilling the bottle.
Dealers in fine wines and liquors complain that the bottles bearing their trade
marks or other characteristic features after they have been emptied by the
consumer are filled with an inferior quality of goods which poorer goods are then
sold to the public under the guise of the genuine article. If a bottle is provided
with my improved stopper it is absolutely impossible to fill the same with liquids
of an inferior grade and thus not only the dealer but also the public are protected
by my
invention.
In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are vertical longitudinal
sectional views showing my improved stopper which, however are all of the same
general construction.
The bottle stopper is constructed with a head A provided a short distance below
its upper part with an exterior annular groove A₁, the bottle neck B being provided
with a corresponding groove B'. A filling B³ of pressed wood cement or other
suitable substance is placed into the two grooves for the purpose of permanently
and securely holding the stopper in the bottle neck. The head A is provided
with a central discharge opening a. A cylindrical cage C extends downwards from
the underside of the stopper head, its upper edge abutting against the bottom of
the stopper and is of such diameter that it fits in the neck and leaves a space
between the sides of said neck and the cage.
Apertures or slots b are arranged at the top and bottom of the cage as shown.
From the underside of the stopper head a guard cup D made integral therewith
extends downwards and is provided with a series of slots d to permit the liquid to
pass to the discharge opening a. The bottom of said guard cup is closed and the
bottom surface of the guard cup is provided with a series of radial notches or
recesses d' as appears in Figure 2.
The bottom of the cage is provided with a central opening that can be closed by
an inverted hollow conical valve E, the upper part of which is rounded in the
manner of a ball so as to fit closely. An annular guard groove F is formed in
the upper surface of the bottom of the cage C around the seat of the valve and
above the valve as shown.
The conical valve E is provided at its apex with an aperture that can be closed
by a small auxiliary valve G within the hollow valve E, which valve G is weighted
by a ball H connected with the auxiliary valve G by suitable fine rod, which also
limits the movements of said valve G.
The cage C is provided at about half its height with an interior annular guard
shoulder C¹.
If an attempt is made to fill the bottle by pouring liquid through the central
aperture a in the stopper A the liquid passes through the guard cup and out
through the apertures or slots d of the same and by the notches d' will be guided

page_text: and directed upon and into the hollow conical valve E which closes the bottom
aperture of the cage and prevents the liquid from passing into the bottle.
If an attempt is made by inserting a wire through the central aperture a of the
stopper and the slots & of the guard cup to lift the conical valve E this wire will
strike against the shoulder C¹ which guides it back into the slots d and prevents
it from reaching the conical valve. Likewise the guard groove F prevents lifting
the valve E by means of a wire.
When the liquid which was filled into the bottle before my improved stopper
was inserted, is to be poured out, the bottle is tilted or inverted in the usual
manner whereby the pressure of the liquid can lift the conical valve E off its
seat permitting the liquid to flow through the slots d of the guard cup and the
central aperture a of the stopper.
The slots bb provide for the entrance of air into the bottle as the liquid flows
out. The bottom opening of the conical valve E which is held closed by the
auxiliary valve G is also opened when the bottle is tilted or reversed thus
preventing the back suction in the bottle from drawing the valve E against its
seat, as communication is established by said end opening of the conical valve
with the interior of the bottle independent of the communication along the
outside of said valve.
The construction shown in Figure 2 is substantially like the one described
except that in this case the cage has been omitted and the valve E rests on a seat
formed by an interior annular flange J of the bottle neck and the guard shoulder C'
is formed directly on the bottle neck so that in this case the bottle neck takes the
place of the cage. In the construction shown in Figure 3 the conical valve E is
decreased in size and is provided with a central upwardly tapering projection M
which can pass into a corresponding recess in the bottom of the guard cup when
the bottle is tilted or reversed.
When an attempt is made to fill the bottle provided with a stopper shown in
Figure 3, the entering liquid strikes the top of the conical valve E and the
tapering projection M and holds the valve on its seat so as to prevent all
communication with the interior of the bottle.
In the construction shown in Figure 4, the auxiliary valve G in the hollow
conical valve E is dispensed with and a ball valve P is placed into said stopper
which ball valve, when the bottle is tilted or reversed to pour out contents passes
into the recess R in the bottom of the guard cup. Otherwise this construction as
shown in Figure 4 is the same as that shown in Figure 2.
My improved stopper can be made of glass, porcelain or any kind of metal but I
prefer to make the same of glass as it is cleaner and cheaper."
The valve F can be made of any metal such as copper, brass, plated metal or
aluminum. The ball H and the ball valve P are preferably made of glass.
My improved stopper is placed into the bottle and secured therein immediately
after the bottle has been filled by the original bottler.
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 1
claim is:
1. A bottle-stopper consisting of a head having a discharge aperture, a guard-
cup arranged under said head and having side apertures, an internal body located
below the guard-cup and formed with a flaring valve seat and with a concentric
annular guard-groove around the upper end of the valve-seat, said annular guard-
groove being of greater diameter than the guard-cup and concentric therewith
and a conical valve adapted to fit in said valve-seat below said groove, substantially
as set forth.
2. A bottle-stopper consisting of a head having a discharge-aperture, a, cage,
said head and cage being adapted for permanent insertion into the neck of the
bottle and said cage having a valve-seat formed around an opening in its lower
end, a conical gravity-valve of hollow form having an air-opening in its lower end,

page_text: and an auxiliary valve for closing said air-opening and provided with means for
holding it on its seat by gravity, substantially as set forth.
3. A bottle-stopper consisting of a head having a discharge-aperture, a cage,
said head and cage being adapted for permanent insertion into the neck of the
bottle and said cage having a valve-seat formed around an opening in its lower end,
a conical gravity-valve of hollow form having an air-opening in its lower end, and
an auxiliary valve provided with a stem extending through said air-opening and
with a ball on said stem for seating the auxiliary-valve, substantially as set forth.
4. A bottle-stopper, consisting of a head having a discharge-aperature, a
perforated guard-cup located at the under side of said head, and having a closed
lower end provided with side-notches, a cage also on the under side of said head
and enclosing said guard-cup, said cage being provided with an internal annular.
guard-shoulder and having a valve-seat formed around an opening in its lower end,
and a valve for closing and opening, substantially as set forth.
5. A bottle-stopper, consisting of a head having a discharge-aperture, a guard
cup depending from the underside of said head and having side perforations, a
cage abutting against the underside of said head and provided at its lower end
with a valve-scat and with a concentric annular guard-groove around the upper
end of the valve-seat, so that the latter is located below the groove, said annular
guard-groove being of greater diameter than the guard-cup, and concentric with
said guard-cup, and a conical valve, substantially as set forth.
6. A bottle-stopper, consisting of a head having a discharge-aperture and a
perforated guard-cup arranged under said head and having a closed lower end
provided with side notches, substantially as set forth.
7. A bottle-stopper, consisting of a head having a discharge-aperture, a
perforated guard cup under the head which guard-cup has side notches and a
recess in its lower end and a valve below said guard-cup, substantially as set
forth.
0
8. The combination with a bottle having an internal annular groove in its neck
a short distance below the top of a stopper placed into said neck and provided
with an exterior annular groove below its upper end; a filling of retaining
material placed in said tubular grooves, a guard cup projecting downward from
the stopper which guard cup has apertures and a valve below the guard-cup,
substantially as set forth.
Doted this 7th dor of Merch 1895
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.