Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application (in the United Kingdom), 20th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
I ALEXANDER MCLEOD of Queen Street Brisbane in the Colony of Queensland do
hereby declare that 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 purpose of this invention is to provide means by which the cork or stopper of
a bottle will be protected from the liability of being pierced by an instrument for
withdrawing the cork, so as to prevent the removal of the cork unless the neck of the
bottle be fractured.
I will now describe two forms of the invention and the claims will define the scope
of the invention.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a bottle having my invention applied thereto.
Fig 2 is a plan view of the blank for the form of the invention adapted for use in
connection with bottles filled with fluid under pressure; and
Fig 3 is a sectional view of a form of the invention adapted for use in connection
with bottles containing fluid not under pressure.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the bottle has its neck a provided with a cut or
annular indentation a¹ which makes the mouth or upper extremity a² of the neck
capable of being readily and evenly broken from the neck, on the line of the cut or
indentation a. The inner wall of the portion a² is formed with recess b, terminating
in shoulder 6 at upper end.
The cork c is pushed into the neck so as to lie with the cut or groove di
approximately at the waist of the cork and with the upper end of the cork slightly
above the shoulder b¹ of the recess b. The cork is prevented from being pierced by
an instrument for withdrawing the cork through the means of a circular metallic
plate d. This plate is shown in the blank in Fig 2 and is stamped from a piece of
sheet metal with the arms e radiating therefrom. Each arm e has a spring tongue e¹
integral with the outer end of the arm and running inward parallel with the arm.
The outer end of each arm e is made wider by the respective tongues e¹ and these
widened outer ends are each provided with points e².
The arms e are bent down perpendicularly from the plate d and the tongues el are
given spring tendencies outward, so that when the plate d is rested upon the top of

page_text: the cork c, and the arms e confined between the cork and the inner walls of the neck
of the bottle, the fingers e¹ will respectively project into the recess b and engage the
shoulder b¹ thereof.
This will prevent the plate d from being lifted out of the neck of the bottle.
The points e2 are bent inward from the arms e, so that when the arms are in their
normal position as shown in Figure 1, the points e² will pierce the cork c and serve to
afford further means, by which the plate may be connected with the cork. Pressure
within the bottle may be exerted forcibly within the inner end of the cork c without
displacing the cork, while it is impossible to drive an instrument into the cork so as
to withdraw the cork from the neck of the bottle.
To remove the cork the mouth or upper portion a² of the neck of the bottle should
be broken from the main portion, whereupon the plate d may be readily taken off
and the cork removed either by the hand or by another instrument.
In bottles which are to be filled with fluid or other material having no pressure on
the cork a construction such as is shewn in Fig 3 may be used.
This construction is used with a bottle having a neck f, similar to the usual necks
of bottles excepting that it is formed with an annular cut or indentation f¹ dividing
the mouth or upper portion of the neck from the main portion of the neck.
Within the uniforin bore of the neck the cork g is placed.
The top of the cork is covered by a plate h, having four downwardly extending
arms each having its lower end bent inwardly to form a spur i¹, which spurs pierce
the cork g, and hold the plate h immovable on the cork.
When the cork is moved into the neck of the bottle in a manner which will place
the lower ends of the arms i slightly above the cut f¹ the mouth portion f of the
neck may he readily broken to permit the cork to be withdrawn.
But without breaking off the part e² of the neck it will be impossible to draw the
cork out of the bottle. because the smooth surface of the plate h prevents the
connection of a cork-screw with the cork.
The plate with its arms is stamped out of an integral piece of metal, as
described with reference to the plate d and its arms.
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 :-
1. A bottle closure adapted to cover the top of a bottle stopper and to protect the
same from connection with a device for withdrawing the cork, the closure consisting
in a plate capable of resting on and covering the upper side of the cork, and having
'an arın projecting downwardly and capable of lying between the cork and the inner
wall of the neck of the bottle, the arm having a spur extending inwardly from the
arın and capable of piercing the cork substantially as described.
2. A bottle closure adapted to protect a bottle cork from connection with an
instrument for withdrawing the cork, the closure having a plate capable of bearing
on and covering the top of the cork and provided with an arm extending downward
from the plate and capable of lying between the side of the cork and the inner wall
of the neck of the bottle, the arm having means for connection with the cork,
substantially as described.
3. A bottle closure having a plate capable of bearing on and covering the top of
the cork of the bottle and provided with a plurality of arms projecting downward
from the plate each arm having a spring tongue pressing outward from the arms and
free at their upper ends the arms being adapted to lie between the sides of the cork
and the inner walls of the neck, the tongues being adapted to engage shoulder in
the inner walls of the neck of the bottle and each arm having a spur bent inwardly to
engage the cork, substantially as described.
4. A bottle closure having a plate with a plurality of arms projecting therefrom
each arm having a spring tongue at its lower end and the upper end of each tongue
being free and having a spring tendency outwards and the lower end of each arm

page_text: having a spur projecting inward, the arms being adapted to embrace the sides of a
cork and the spurs being adapted to engage the cork, while the spring tongues are
capable of engaging shoulder in the inner wall of the neck of the bottle substantially
as described.
5. A bottle having a neck provided with a frangible upper portion having a recess
in its inner wall the recess terminating in a shoulder at its upper end a cork fitted
within the bottle and having its upper end slightly located above the shoulder, a
plate rested on the top of the cork and an arm attached to the plate and projecting
downwardly therefrom, the arm lying between the cork and the inner walls of the
neck of the bottle and having a spring tongue free at its upper end the spring tongue
being pressed into the recess and engaging with the shoulder the lower end of the
arm having a spur bent inwardly to pierce the cork whereby a connection with the
cork is effected substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of October A.D. 1897,
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C. Agents for the Applicant.