Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1887.
. Specification Accepted, 20th Sept., 1887.
I, WILLIAM BEARDSLEY of Beacon, Iowa, in the United States of America,
Pharmacist, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 an improvement upon that class of bottle stoppers in which a
glass ball is used to serve as a closure; the object of the present invention being to dispenso
with any retaining cap, and at the same time to provide a stopper which shall be so
constructed and arranged as to be self-adjusting, and on which, after the bottle has
once.been closed, will not be liable to become accidentally displaced so as to open the
bottle.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming
a part of this
specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in
both views.
Fig. 1 is a view in central vertical section of a bottle provided with my improved
form of stopper, the parts being represented as they appear when the bottle is open
and empty; and Figure 2 is a similar view representing the bottle, however, as it
appears when filled and the stopper as in place against its packing-ring.
In constructing such a stopper as the one illustrated in the drawings above referred
to, I provide a bottle 10 in the head of which there is formed an annular recess 11,
the lower portion of said recess being of greater diameter than the upper portion
thereof, so that the annular defining walls of the recess are inclined, as shown at 2.
Within the recess 11, I fit a ring 12, that is made of flexible packing material, and
preferably of rubber, the walls defining the bore of the ring and the outer peripheral
face of said ring being vertical or parallel to the axis of the bottle. Prior to the
introduction of the ring I pass a stopper 14 within the bottle 10, said stopper being
spherical and of any proper material, such as porcelain, cork or metal. An inspection of
Fig. I will show that when the stopping-ball 14 is not in contact with the ring 12
said ring does not entirely fill the groove 11, there being quite a space between the
lower portion of the face of the ring and the inclined face 2 of the recess 11; but after
the bottle has been filled (and it will of course be understood that the class of bottles
ID 23

page_text: to which this invention is applicable are designed for use as receptacles for aerated
liquids) the pressure of the gas with which the contents of the bottle is charged will
act to force the ball 14 upward within the bore of the packing ring 12 which ring
when so subjected to pressure, will expand at its lower edge and entirely fill the
so that should
groove 11 the ball passing into the bore of the ring, as shown in Fig.
the contents of the bottle be unduly cooled, and the pressure thereby decreased, the
ring itself will bind upon the stopper and act to hold it in position. It will be noticed
from the construction illustrated in the drawings that the recess 11 is depressed at a
point about in line with the greatest expansion of the bottle head, so that, although
the defining-walls of the recess are inclined, the glass is not thinner at the lower
portion than at the upper portion of the groove or recess. I am aware that a bottle
has been formed with an internal annular groove having its peripheral defining
walls inclined outwardly and adapted to receive a packing having its peripheral face
beveled or inclined to correspond with the defining walls of the groove, and against
the under surface of which a ball in the bottle rests when the bottle is filled, and I
therefore do not claim such invention. I form the defining-walls of the bore of the
ring and the outer peripheral face of the same vertical or parallel to the axis of the
bottle, so that when placed in the groove it will not entirely fill the same, thereby
permitting it to expand to receive the ball within its bore and hold the same therein,
thus preventing all liability of the ball being accidentally displaced and the bottle
unstopped.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
The combination, with a bottle provided with an annular internal groove having
outwardly inclined defining walls, of an elastic apertured packing-ring having the
defining walls of its bore and its peripheral face vertical or parallel to the axis of the
bottle, and a ball within the bottle, substantially as described, whereby provision is
made for allowing the packing-ring to expand to receive the ball within its bore and
hold the same securely therein, as set forth.
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