Improvements in and relating to Closing Devices for Bottles, and similar Receptacles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Closing Devices for Bottles, and
similar Receptacles.
We, EDMUND HOFFMAN, of 69, East Avenue, Bridgeton, Machinist; ROBERT PORTER
FRIST, of York and Moore Streets, Bridgeton, Patternmaker, and CHARLES EWING
ELMER WHITELEY, of 65, Broad Street, Bridgeton, Secretary of The Whiteley Company,
all of Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States of America;
WILLIAM GUSTAVUS WHITELEY, of 800, West Street, Wilmington, New Castle County,
Delaware, United States of America, Manager of the Whiteley Company, and
HENRY WHITELEY, of 3803, Spruce Street, City and County of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Iron Manufacturer, 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 cap closures for bottles, jars, etc., having for its object
to provide a sheet metal cap, at once simple, strong, and especially well adapted for
use in closing bottles and a construction of locking grooves on the bottle neck
especially well adapted for use with caps having locking lugs. The nature of our
improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings
in which they are illustrated, and in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation of a bottle neck adapted for use with our closure, and a
cap embodying our invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bottle neck.
Figure 3 is a central cross-section through the cap.
Figure 4 a central cross-section through the cap on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, and
Figure 5 is a central cross-section through the cap on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.
A indicates the neck of the bottle, and A¹ the top thereof which is formed with
vertical passages or slots a a communicating on one side with inclined shoulders a¹
B indicates the metal cap, prefer-
which, in turn, run into horizontal shoulders a².
ably made flat on top, and with both sides extending at right angles to the plane of
the top. C is a plate or layer of cork, or other similar material, which we place in
the cap before its sides are corrugated, making it to nicely fit the upper part b of the
cap, the walls of the cap below the portion b are then partly or wholly crimped
or corrugated, as indicated at b¹, the crimps impinging into the lower edge of the cork
layer and locking it securely and permanently in place in the cap not only making it
unnecessary to cement the cork in place, but holding it much more securely than it is
possible to do do by cementation. Preferably, instead of crimping the entire side
walls of the cap, we leave plain facets, as indicated at 62, and form inwardly ex-
tending locking lugs or projections by forcing in a portion of the metal of these
facets, as indicated at 63, 64, and in order to give these lugs sufficient strength to
resist strains to which they are subjected we form them with their upper contacting
shoulders b³ extending inward abruptly, preferably at right angles to the face of
the facets, while the lower sides 64 of the lugs slope gradually outward to the face,
of the facet forming a brace well adapted to resist the pressure coming on top
of the lugs. Preferably also we form the top face of the locking lugs parallel to
the top of the cap.

page_text: A
In operation the lugs of the cap are brought to register with the passages a in
the top of the bottle and pushed down through these passages and then turned so
that the corner of the lug will ride down on the inclined shoulder a', the depth of
which is sufficient to insure the necessary compression of the cork layer C.
further turning of the cap brings the lug beneath the horizontal shoulder a² where
practically its entire length rests in contact with the shoulder thus availing
of the entire strength of the lug to hold the cap in place. To open the
bottle it is only necessary to turn the cap in the reverse direction.
Apart from the specific construction of the cap a meritorious feature of our
invention consists in providing the horizontal segmental shoulders a² at the base of
the inclined shoulders a¹; such construction permitting the lugs of the cap to be
moved to a distance away from the inclined shoulders and thus insuring that all
the lugs shall rest securely on the shoulders a² notwithstanding slight irregularities
in the position of the locking grooves or of the lugs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. A sheet metal cap with cylindrical sides for closing bottles and similar
receptacles having a thin layer of cork or similar elastic material situated at its
top and secured in place by a series of longitudinal crimps formed in the sides of
the cap and pressed into the lower edge of the cork layer after said cork layer is
inserted.
2. A sheet metal cap for closing bottles and similar receptacles having its sides
formed into plain facets, as 6, indented to form inwardly extending lugs and
longitudinally crimped between said facets to afford a good holding surface.
3. A. sheet metal cap for closing bottles and similar receptacles having inwardly
extending lugs 63 64 formed by indenting the metal of the sides of the cap and
having an abrupt shoulder 63 braced by a more sloping inclined lower face b
4. A sheet metal cap for closing bottles and similar receptacles having its sides
formed with plain facets as 62 indented to form inwardly extending lugs with
abrupt upper shoulders 63 and relatively sloping lower faces 64 and longitudinally
crimped between said facets to afford a good holding surface.
5. A sheet metal cap for closing bottles and similar receptacles having a layer
of cork or similar material at its top, inwardly projecting lugs as 63 64 formed in
its sides above their bottom edges and running parallel with its top in combination
with a bottle neck as A formed with vertical passages a and inclined shoulders a¹
terminating in shoulders a² parallel with the top of the bottle.
6. A bottle neck adapted to be sealed by a sheet metal cap having inwardly
projecting lugs said neck having two or more locking grooves formed in it each
having an entrance passage a, a downwardly inclined shoulder a¹ and a
substantially horizontal segmental shoulder u² extending around the bottle neck for
a distance from the end of such inclined shoulder.
Dated this 14th dow of Santamb. 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.