Improvements in Stoppers for Jar and other Openings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1897--Accepted, 22nd Jan.,
1898
Improvements in Stoppers for Jar and other Openings.
I, ROWLAND DOUGLAS TODD, of the Birmingham Stopper Company, of 80,
Buckingham Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in stoppers for jar and other openings relates
to that class of stoppers known as lever stoppers in which a rubber or similar
elastic ring is placed round the body of the stopper between the flanges that can be
forced together by means of a lever mounted on the stopper to bulge out the rubber
and so enlarge the stopper to fit tightly in the opening; and has for its objects to
increase the strength of the stopper, to reduce the cost of manufacture and to pre-
vent any liability to corrosion of the stopper.
Hitherto the stopper lever has been pivotted to ears or lugs projecting internally
from the base plate and the inner end of its under edge was cam shaped and bore
against a dished lever plate to which was secured the top cover provided with a
recess in which the lever lay when the stopper was extended or bulged.
Now according to this invention the stopper lever is provided with extensions
at right angles to its inner end that extend nearly to the outer circumference of
the body of the stopper and act on the two parts of the stopper at the said circum-
ference to draw the two flanges together.
In one way of carrying out this invention, the base of the stopper consists of a
ring open at the top, and closed and provided with a projecting flange at the
bottom. On the base ring is fitted a movable ring having at the top a flange and
recessed internally from the top. The ends of the lever are flat and pass through
cam holes in the base ring and bear against the bottom of the internal recess of
the movable ring. The arm of the lever passes through a hole in the cover plate
in the usual way. In order to insert the lever in place a hole is cut in the movable
ring and is placed opposite a hole in the base ring and after the insertion of the
lever one ring is turned on the other. The holes are so shaped that the lever is
locked when the flanges are forced together.
It will readily be understood that the lever may act in different ways at the cir-
cumference of the stopper without departing from the nature of this invention by
which the two flanges are brought together by pressures exerted on the rings and
not through flat plates that are liable to bend.
Usually lever stoppers have been made of metal that is liable to corrode and thus
injure not only the stopper but also the contents of the bottle or jar. Now accord-
ing to this invention that part of the stopper liable to come in contact with the
contents of the bottle is made of glass, porcelain or other similar material or is
covered with a non-corrodable material such as parchment.
In one way of carrying out this part of the invention the base of the stopper is
made of glass, porcelain or the like with a metal ring having the required holes

page_text: In another form an envelope of parchment is formed to a shallow circular box
shape and placed over the bottom of the stopper.
Dated this 21st day of Nor 1807
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
mprovements in Stoppers for Jar and other Openings.
I, ROWLAND DOUGLAS TODD, of the Birmingham Stopper Company, of 80,
Buckingham Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in stoppers for jar and other openings relates
to that class of stoppers known as lever stoppers in which a rubber or similar
elastic ring is placed round the body of the stopper between the flanges that can be
forced together by means of a lever mounted on the stopper to bulge out the rubber
and so enlarge the stopper to fit tightly in the opening; and has for its objects to
reduce the number of parts hitherto required for lever stoppers and also reduce the
cost of manufacture.
Hitherto the stopper lever has been pivotted to ears or lugs projecting internally
from the base plate and the inner end of its under edge was cam shaped and bore
against a dished lever plate to which was secured the top cover provided with a
recess in which the lever lay when the stopper was extended or bulged.
Now according to this invention the stopper lever is provided with extensions
at right angles to its inner end that extend nearly to the outer circumference
of the body of the stopper and act on the two parts of the stopper at the said cir-
cumference to draw the two flanges together.
In one way of carrying out this invention, the base of the stopper consists of a
ring open at the top and closed and provided with a projecting flange at the
bottom. On the base ring is fitted a movable ring having at the top a flange and
recessed internally from the top. The ends of the lever are flat and pass through
cam holes in the base ring and bear against the bottom of the internal recess of
the movable ring. The arm of the lever passes through a hole in the cover plate
in the usual way. In order to insert the lever in place a hole is cut in the movable
ring and is placed opposite a hole in the base ring and after the insertion of the
lever one ring is turned on the other. The holes are so shaped that the lever is
locked when the flanges are forced together.
It will readily be understood that the lever may act in different ways at the
circumference of the stopper without departing from the nature of this invention
by which the two flanges are brought together by pressure exerted on the rings
and not through flat plates that are liable to bend.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings:-Figs. 1 and 2 are eleva-
tions of a stopper constructed according to this invention, and showing the stopper
collapsed and expanded respectively. Figs. 3 and 4 are central sections corres-
ponding to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a plan of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation
of the cam or base ring and Figs. 7 and 8 are elevations of the lever.
The base of the stopper consists of the ring a the flange b and the bottom c
closing one end of the ring. The ring a is provided at the opposite extremities of
a diameter with triangular shaped holes or slots d. The movable ring e open at
both ends is of larger diameter at the top than at the bottom which slides loosely
over the ring a and is provided at its top with an external flange f. The reduction
in diameter leaves a recessed annular face.

page_text: The lever g is T shaped and its head is of the same length as the internal
diameter of the large part of the ring e. The large part of the ring e is provided
with a hole h sufficiently large to allow the end of the lever g to slide through it.
The stopper may be provided with a cover plate i, through which the lever g passes
in the usual manner as clearly shown.
In order to insert the lever g, the hole h in the ring e is placed opposite one of
the triangular holes d and one end of the head of the lever g is passed through the
holes d and h. The other end of the lever 9 can then be passed down and through the
other hole d, the first end being thus withdrawn from the hole h. The ring e is
then given a partial rotation so as to secure the lever g in position. The usual
elastic band or ring is placed as shown between the flange b and the shoulder
formed by the enlarged part of the ring e. In the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3
the flat ends of the head of the lever are horizontal and the rings cand e are
extended and the rubber band collapsed, the flat faces bearing respectively against
the recessed face of the ring e and the top of the hole h. In the position shown in
Figs. 2 and 4, the flat ends of the head of the lever g have been passed just beyond
the vertical and have forced the ring e down over the ring a, and thus expanded
the rubber ring, the edges of the flat faces bearing respectively against the face
of the ring e and the top of the hole h.
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:-
1. A lever stopner consisting of two rings sliding one on the other and operated
by the ends of a lever acting at the circumferences of the rings, and of an elastic
ring secured between the two rings.
2. A lever stopper consisting of a base ring provided with cam holes and having
its bottom closed and provided with a laterally projecting flange, a movable ring
sliding on the base ring and provided with a recessed annular face, a lever having
cam ends acting on the cam holes and on the recessed annular face, and an elastic
band or ring retained between a shoulder or flange on the movable ring and the
flange on the base ring.
3. The improved stoppers for jars and other openings substantially as described
with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 18th day of November 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.