IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKS, AND IN THE FORM OF THE NECKS OF BOTTLES TO BE USED WITH THE SAME, and the METHOD OF USING THE SAME FOR BOTTLING LIQUIDS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Thwaites, of 36, Waterloo Road, Lambeth,
in the County of Surry, and Louis Arthur Stephens, of 111, Peck-
ham Park Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surry, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKS, AND IN THE FORM OF THE NECKS
OF BOTTLES TO BE USED WITH THE SAME, and the METHOD OF USING THE SAME
FOR BOTTLING LIQUIDS."
caled the 15th April 1873, and dated the 9th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Thwaites and
Louis Arthur Stephens at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th January 1873.
We, RICHARD THWAITES, of 36, Waterloo Road, Lambeth, in the
County of Surry, and LOUIS ARTHURSTEPHENS, of 111, Peckham Park
Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surry, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKS, AND IN THE FORM OF
THE NECKS OF BOTTLES TO BE USED WITH THE SAME, AND THE METHOD OF USING
THE SAME FOR BOTTLING LIQUIDS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
We use bottles of which the upper part of the neck is made to taper
towards the aperture or mouth, to which we fit corks cut into a conical

page_text: shape, having the smaller end weighted with any suitable material. Our
method of using the same is to first force the cork into the bottle, and
then fill in the liquid the bottle is intended to contain, the bottle being
in an inverted position (or the bottle may be filled in the ordinary
position and afterwards inverted, the liquid being kept from running out
by means of suitable apparatus). Upon the flow of the liquid being
stopped the cork will fall into its proper place in the neck of the bottle
in consequence of the smaller end being weighted, when it can be drawn
tightly into the taper part of the neck by means of the fingers or other
suitable appliances. When aerated or other effervescing drinks are bottled
after our improved method, the pressure inside the bottle is sufficient to
drive the cork tightly into its place.
The shape of the material used to weight the smaller end of the cork
may be varied by either burying it in the end of the cork or forming it
into a cap or tip for the same, and upon which any name, device, or
inscription may be worked.
After the cork is well into its place in the neck of the bottle we
sometimes remove the weight from the end of the cork and pass a pin
transversely through the cork immediately across the mouth of the
bottle, the ends of the pin slightly projecting on either side of the cork.
The cork is thus secured from falling down however roughly the bottle
may be shaken. The larger end of the cork may also be slightly scooped
out to give the cork a better grip in the neck of the bottle.
To open bottles corked after our improved method it is only necessary
to press down the cork into the bottle, consequently in addition to
greater facility in opening the necessity for corkscrews is done away
with, and the danger from the bottle breaking at the neck from the
strain required to open it under the old system of corking is avoided,
and by corking bottles after the method shewn above the advantage of
a self-acting stopper is gained without the disadvantage of using any
clastic material, which might impair the quality of the liquid contained
therein.
By reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings the novelty and
advantages of this Invention will be seen, similar letters having reference
to like parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 is a section of a bottle. N, N, shews the taper part of the

page_text: into the neck; W is the material to weight the smaller end of the
cork. Fig. 2 is an clevation of the same bottle. Fig. 3 shews the
material W used to weight the smaller end of the cork O formed into
a cap or tip for the same. Fig. 4 shews the larger end B of the cork C
slightly scooped out and a pin P passed through the smaller end across
'
the mouth of the battle to nuareant the soul from fall:sa donn
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Richard Thwaites and Louis Arthur Stephens in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
THWAITES, of 36, Waterloo Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surry,
and Louis Arthur Stephens, of 111, Peckham Park Road, Camberwell,
in the County of Surry, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Richard Thwaites and Louis Arthur
Stephens, Her special licence that we, the said Richard Thwaites and
Louis Arthur Stephens, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Richard Thwaites and Louis Arthur Stephens,
our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CORKS, AND IN THE FORM OF THE NECKS OF BOTTLES TO BE USED WITH THE SAME,
AND THE METHOD OF USING THE SAME FOR BOTTLING LIQUIDS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Richard Thwaites and
Louis Arthur Stephens, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters J
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Richard Thwaites and Louis Arthur
Stephens, do hereby declare the nature of our said 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 our said Invention is to provide a means for corking
bottles containing liquids, more especially beverages, so that they may
be more readily opened and without the aid of a corkscrew, and to
prevent the accidents which arise from bottles breaking at the neck
under the strain requisite to open them when corked in the ordinary
manner; also to provide means for corking bottles containing aërated
beverages, so that the wire customarily used can be dispensed with and
the bottles more easily opened.
1
In order to obtain the above results we use bottles, the inside upper
part of the neck of which, instead of being straight as usual, is made to
taper up to the aperture or mouth, which is the smallest part. With
these bottles we use corks, and we would here provise that the corks
herein-after described and alluded to are more particularly those cut
from cork wood, but of course this Invention applies equally well to
corks made out of any suitable material. We use corks cut into a
conical shape, the bevel of the sides of which is slightly quicker than
that of the inside of the neck of the bottle, so that the larger end of
the cork has a tendency to gripe first in the neck of the bottle. The
larger end of the cork is sometimes also slightly scooped out to give the
cork a still greater gripe in the neck of the bottle. The amount of the
bevel given to the inside of the neck of the bottle and to the form of
the cork is varied to suit the purpose for which they are intended to be
used, but the quicker the bevel, that is to say, the more the sides vary
from the perpendicular, the less tendency will the corks have to gripe in
the neck, and the more easily can the bottles be opened; consequently
when we use them for liquids under high pressure a quicker bevel is
necessary than in other cases. Into the smaller end of these corks we
insert as a weight a small piece of lead, or we drill a hole nearly through
lengthwise from the larger end, insert a piece of lead, and plug up the
hole again with a piece of cork, wood, cement, or any such substance, so
that the small end of the cork is the heavier and the whole cork of
greater specific gravity than the liquid in which it is intended to be used.
Or we sometimes affix the weight to the cork so as to form a cap, tip, or
nob to the small end thereof, and upon which is engraved the name of

page_text: the liquor or any other suitable devise or inscription. In other cases we
form the weight to be affixed to the cork into a ring or hook, or into an
apparatus by which the cork is held in its place in the neck of the bottle.
The weight may be of any suitable substance sufficiently heavy to sink
the cork, and which cannot be acted upon by the liquid contained in
the bottle.
Our method of using these corks and bottles is first to force the corks
into the bottles by means of an inverted cone or funnel made to fit over
the mouth of the bottles. The liquid is afterwards filled into the bottles,
the bottles being in an inverted position; or the bottles can be filled in
the usual upright manner and afterwards inverted, the liquid being kept
from running out by means of suitable apparatus. Upon the flow of
the liquid being stopped the corks from being weighted at the smaller
end sink small end downwards through the liquid to their proper places
in the neck of the bottles, when they can be drawn tightly into the neck
by means of suitable appliances.
In order to prevent the cork from falling back again into the bottle
we pass a wire or pin transversely through the cork immediately across
the mouth of the bottle, the ends of which project slightly on each side
of the cork, or the cork can be maintained in its place by means of a
catch affixed to the cork, and which may form part of the weight itself
or not as may be desired. In the case of aërated drinks the pressure in
the bottles is sufficient to keep the corks in their places in the necks of
the bottles.
In order to open bottles corked after this method it is only requisite
to remove the pin or catch which holds the cork in its place, and then
to press the cork down into the bottle%3B or in the case of aërated
beverages, where no pin or catch is required, it is simply necessary to
force down the cork by gentle pressure.
So that this Invention may be more clearly understood we have
attached hereto a Sheet of Drawings, similar letters having reference to
like parts in all the Figures :-
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a bottle and cork made after our plan.
N, N, is the conical part of the neck to which this Invention has
3 reference; O is the cork; W is the weight which sinks the cork to its
place in the neck. Fig. 2, an elevation of the bottle as it would appear
when filled. Fig. 3 shows the weight W formed into a tip for the

page_text: cork. Fig. 5 shews the cork C with a pin P passed through to hold it
in its place, and the larger end B scooped out to give a better gripe.
Figs. 4 & 6 shew different designs for the weight W. Fig. 7 shows the
weight W sunk in from the larger end, and the hole afterwards plugged
up with wood A or any suitable material.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, we would
have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the particular
forms and configurations shewn and described, but what we do claim is
the use of bottles having the upper part inside of the neck tapered up
to the mouth instead of being straight as hitherto, to which are fitted
conical shaped corks weighted, the smaller end being heaviest, and which
being first placed in the bottles will fall to their places in the neck when
the bottle is filled and inverted.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Thwaites and Louis Arthur
Stephens, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Fifth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
RICHARD THWAITES.
(L.S.)
LOUIS ARTHUR STEPHENS. (L.s.)