Improvements in the Construction and Fixing of Stoppers for Bottles, Jars, and other Vessels
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 29th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 29th June, 1888
Improvements in the Construction and Fixing of Stoppers for
Bottles, Jars, and other Vessels.
I THOMAS ETHERIDGE HARPER of Pilgrim House, South Weald in the County of
Essex, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I propose to construct a Stopper consisting of a tube rim or part of glass, wood,
metal or other suitable substance engaging by means of a metal wire band or other
suitable appliance with grooves or slits in or upon the neck of the Bottle or with
projections thereon and carrying one or more washers or Cylinders of Cork rubber or
other compressible or elastic material so arranged that upon insertion of the same into
the mouth of the Bottle or other Vessel an air and water tight joint is at once formed
and when the Stopper is fixed in position by means of the appliance engaging with
the groove slit or projection in or upon the Bottle such joint is maintained until the
Stopper is unfastened should the Bottle contain gas or effervescing liquids the upward
pressure of the same upon the washers or cylinders should cause them to expand
laterally and aid in maintaining the gas tight joint which was formed by the insertion
of the Stopper.
Dated this 30th day of August 1887

page_text: Improvements in the Construction and Fixing of Stoppers for
Bottles, Jars, and other Vessels.
THOMAS ETHERIDGE HARPER of Pilgrim House, South Weald in the County of
Essex Gentleman 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 :-
My Invention relates to a Stopper consisting of a tube rim or part of glass wood,
metal or other suitable substance engaging by means of a metal wire band or other
suitable appliance with grooves or slits in. or upon the neck of the Bottle or with
projections thereon or with loops or ends of wire or other appliance thereto attached
and carrying one or more washers or cylinders of cork rubber or other compressible
or elastic material so arranged that upon insertion of the same into the mouth of the
Bottle or other vessel an air and water tight joint is at once formed and when the
Stopper is fixed in position by means of the appliance engaging with the groove slit
or projection in or upon the Bottle or thereto attached such joint is maintained until
the Stopper is unfastened.
:
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 represents a Stopper consisting of a rim A and stem B in one part of
lignum vitae with a wire C running through holes bored in the rim A and fitting into
grooves a in the sides of such rim made in order to keep the wire rigid such wire
being bent at each end 1 in order to engage with projections upon the Bottle head' or
attached thereto-Such Stopper may be also made of glass earthenware or other
impervious and suitable material but in actual use lignum vitae will probably be found
inore durable.
Figure 2 represents a cylinder or ring of cork to be carried by "B" the inside
diameter of which should be slightly less than the outside diameter of the stem B so
that when forced upon such stem it will by contraction adhere to it when the stopper
is removed from the Bottle. The outside diameter of this ring should be such that it
can when stretched upon the stem B be forced into the mouth of the Bottle or other
vessel to be stopped and sufficiently large to prevent the escape or entrance of air or
liquid It may either taper as in the drawing or not as may be preferred. Such ring
may also be made of rubber and in that case need not be made so deep as represented
in the drawing.
Figure 3 represents the rim A as a separate piece from the stem B and it
consequently need not be impervious.
Figure 4 represents the stem B which when inserted in the hole in the centre of A
and retained therein by the wires represented by the next figure will form a stopper
somewhat similar to that represented by Figure 1 with this addition that the rim A
will with the wires it carries revolve while the stem B remains fixed this will be found

page_text: useful where a rubber cylinder or ring is used to make the "Joint "-The annular
groove (b) in the head of the stem B is made for the purpose of receiving the ends of
the wires which are to retain it in its place when inserted in A-The grooves
represented at the foot of B in this figure are for convenience in retaining and shaping
the rubber ring or cylinder-they are not essential and the sides of the stem may be
either parallel to each other as in Figure 8 or tapering as in figure 1.
Figure 5 represents the wires which are to be inserted in the rim represented by
figure 3 to retain the stem represented in figure 4 in its place-the wires should be
of such length that when pressed home the ends enter into the groove (6) in the head
of such stem but not so long as to jamb the stom and prevent the rim revolving they
should be of such diameter that when forced home through the holes made in
the sides of the rim A for the purpose of receiving them they will not readily work
loose.
Figure 6 represents the rim A with wires inserted as described above-but with
the stem omitted in order that the ends of the wires might be shewn.
Figure 7 represents a Bottle head with wires attached the ends of which E E are
looped to receive the ends of the wires depicted in figures 1, 5 and 6 at D.
Figure 8 represents a Stopper with its stem B carrying a cylinder or ring of rubber
as above described and with the ends of the wires D turned inwards so as to engage
with grooves formed on the Bottle head.
Figure 9 represents such a bottle head with the stopper upon it.
Figure 10 represents such Bottle with grooves F & G formed to receive the wire D.
The Stopper described above having with its appropriate washer been pressed into the
mouth of the Bottle or other vessel to be stopped is fixed by turning it so that the
ends of the wires D pass through the loops affixed to the vessel or under the pro-
jections or into the grooves made upon or in the Bottle head.
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. The combination in a Stopper of an impervious stem carrying an elastic or
compressible washer with a rim of wood carrying wires bent at their ends and fitted
so as to engage in grooves or projections made in or attached to the Bottle or other
vessel to be closed."
2. Apparatus for stoppering bottles substantially as described and represented in
the annexed drawing.
THOMAS E. HARPER.