Improvements in Non-refillable Bottles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Non-refillable Bottles.
We, JAMES RYDER LATILAM, of No. 126, West 11th Street, in the City of New
York, State of New York, United States of America, Physician, and ROBERT
MILBANK, of No. 554, West 48th Street, in the City of New York aforesaid,
Physician, 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:-
Our invention relates to an improvement in non-refillable bottles, in which the
closure is automatically made when the bottle is anywhere between upright and
the horizontal, by means of a closing device actuated by gravity.
This closing device may act directly, to automatically close the bottle, or it may
act indirectly, through the medium of a cap, or valve.
This closing device may act upon the valve or cap from a point without the
conduit which leads to the interior of the bottle, or it may act upon the valve from
within the said conduit.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 represents, in full lines, a sectional view of a bottle in which the gravity
closing device acts upon the valve from within the conduit leading to the interior,
the same figure showing, in dotted lines, the position of the parts when the bottle
is tilted.
Fig. 2 is a view of the position of the parts when the bottle is tilted to a point
below the horizontal, as in pouring.
Fig. 3 is a view of the bottle in an upright position, showing the gravity closing
device acting upon the closing valve from without the conduit leading to the
interior.
Fig. 4 is a view of the same, showing the parts in the position which they
assume when the bottle is tilted into its pouring position.
Fig. 5 is a view of a bottle in upright position, showing the gravity closing.
device acting directly to close the conduit leading to the interior; and
Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing another form of closing device acting directly
to close the said conduit.
In all the forms shown, A represents the body portion of the bottle; a the con-
tracted portion of its neck in proximity to the body portion; B an enlarged
portion of the neck; and 6 the nozzle.
In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the enlarged portion of the neck and the
nozzle are formed separate from the body portion, A, and permanently secured
thereto, while in the form shown in the remaining figures, the enlarged portion B
of the neck and the nozzle b are formed integral with the body portion.
In each of the several forms, there is a tubular conduit C, leading from the
enlarged portion B of the neck to the interior of the body A, the said tubular
conduit being supported in position by means of a stopper 1, which closely fits
the contracted portion a of the neck, in proximity to the body portion.

page_text: In each of the several forms, the enlarged portion B of the neck is fluted or
corrugated on its interior, as shown, and there is provided a guard plate or
diaphragm E, intermediate of the nozzle b and the tube C, and permanently secured
to the inner edges of the flutes or corrugations, so as to prevent any manipulation
of the operative parts of the closing device from a point without the bottle, while,
at the same time, permitting the free flow of liquid from within the bottle along
the spaces between the flutes or corrugations around the guard plate E to the
nozzle.
Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, where the valve is operated by
a gravity device working upon it from within the conduit C. F represents the
valve fitted to close the top of the tube C, and provided with a stem f, having a
limited vertical movement within the hub c of a spider c¹ seated in the tube C
near its outer end. The stem f of the valve F may be fixed rigidly to the valve F,
or it may be allowed a limited vertical sliding movement independently of the
valve F, as may be found most desirable.
The inner end of the stem f of the valve F is connected by a chain f', or other
suitable connection, with the centre of a plate G, to which a weight g is attached,
preferably on the under side of the plate G, and centrally thereof, as shown.
The plate G and its weight g form the gravity device for holding the valve F
closed when the bottle is in any position between upright and the horizontal.
The plate G may be a skeleton plate of polygonal or circular form, or it may
consist of several radial arms, the object being to cause its periphery to engage
the interior of the contracted portion a of the bottle, when the bottle is tilted, as
shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and thereby form a fulcrum on which the weight g
acts, to draw the valve to its seat, by means of the connection f¹.
When the bottle is tilted below the horizontal position, as shown
in Fig. 2, it is obvious that the valve will leave its seat, the plate G and its weight g
no longer tending to hold the valve to its seat, and the contents of the bottle may
be readily discharged.
In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the valve F is operated upon by a gravity
device located on the outside of the conduit, and consisting of a pair of gravity
levers H, H, pivotted to the opposite sides of an annular collar, I, arranged to
rotate freely around the exterior of the tube C, and which levers are so shaped as
that one or the other will engage the top of the valve F, to hold it to its seat, so
long as the bottle is not tilted into a position below the horizontal. A weight i
is attached to the collar I, for the purpose of keeping the lever H at all times on
the upper side of the tube C, the weight tending to seek the lowest point, and
thereby rotating the collar I, to bring the lever H uppermost. In case, however,
the weight should hold on center, and the bottle be carefully tilted over while
the weight remains uppermost, then the lever H¹ will come into action, and hold
the valve closed, so that no advantage could be thus gained in obtaining an open-
ing into the interior of the bottle by centering the weight i.
In Fig. 5, the closure is effected by the gravity device direct, instead, of intro-
ducing the valve. In this structure, the rotary collar, denoted by K, is weighted
on one side more than upon its opposite side, and the lid for closing the tube,
denoted by k, is hinged to the collar K on the lighter side, so that the tendency
will be to keep the hinge edge of the lid K uppermost, whatever be the tilted
position of the bottle above the horizontal. The collar K, in this instance, is free
to rotate around the top of the conduit tube C.
In Fig. 6, the lid, denoted by ¹, is itself weighted or made heavier at its free
swinging end than it is at its hinge end and its hinge end is provided with a tail
piece, which is adapted to travel around the top of the tube C in a groove c²,
formed for that purpose in the exterior wall of the tube C, the tube C for this pur-
pose being reinforced by a short inner tube C¹.
It is obvious that other modifications might be resorted to, without departing
from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, the flutes or corruga-
tions on the interior of the neck, which hold the guard plate in position, might

page_text: be shortened into simply lugs, as shown in Fig. 1, or extended throughout the
length of the enlarged portion of the neck, as shown in Fig. 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A gravity closing device in connection with a tubular conduit through which
communication is made between the interior of the neck and the interior of the
body of the bottle, the said gravity device being arranged to act in a direction to
form a closure, whatever be the tilted position of the bottle above the horizontal,
substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with the tubular conduit forming communication between
the interior of the neck and the interior of the body of the bottle, of a valve for
closing the said conduit, and a gravity device acting upon the valve, to hold it in
a closed position, whatever be the tilted position of the bottle above the horizontal,
substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with the tubular conduit forming communication between
the interior of the neck and the interior of the body of the bottle, of a valve for
opening and closing the said conduit, and a gravity device connected with the said
valve through the interior of the said conduit, and serving to hold the valve closed,
whatever be the tilted position of the bottle above the horizontal, substantially
as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of Wahr 1899