Improvements in Stoppering Bottles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1894
Improvements in Stoppering Bottles.
I GEORGE SOMERVILLE NORRIS of 413 East Water Street in the City of,
Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States of America 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of stoppers used with
bottles having their necks internally screw threaded and the objects of my improve-
ment are to provide the interior of the neck of that class of bottles with a screw
thread of peculiar form, to permit a smooth surface plug of cork to be forced or
turned by hand into engagement with said screw-thread, without danger of ripping
the material off the surface of said plug, although the latter is possessing much
less cohesion than the glass of said bottle, and also to provide cork plugs either
end of which is adapted to obtain a bearing surface upon an internal ledge in the
lower portion of the neck of the bottle and against the thread formed on said
neck, the bearing surface on the periphery of the cork being re-enforced by a pin.
passing transversely through said cork and having its ends in engagement with
the screw threaded neck of the bottle. I obtain these objects by the construction
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-
Fig. 1. is a central vertical section through the neck of a bottle provided with.
internal screw threads constructed in accordance with my invention :
Fig. 2. is a vertical section of the neck of a bottle having an internal screw
thread similar to that of Fig. 1. but with a cork plug therein constructed in
accordance with my invention.
Fig. 3. is a side view of said improved cork plug, showing the spiral
indentation formed thereon, after remaining a length of time within the neck of
the bottle, the re-enforcing diametrical pin being shown in dotted lines.
Fig. 4. is a side view of the improved cork plug with the re-enforcing pin in
end view.
Fig. 5. is a vertical section of the cork plug with the re-enforcing pin therein,
retained at an angle to the horizontal corresponding to the inclination of the screw
thread within the neck of the bottle.
Fig. 6. is a perspective view of the cork re-enforcing pin.
Bottle stoppers made of cork wood are to be preferred on account of their
inexpensiveness, freedom from offensive odours, and lasting qualities, but when
used to close bottles containing effervescent mineral waters, or liquids containing
gases, under heavy pressure, the friction of said stoppers with the neck of
the bottle is not found sufficient to retain them in position, and strong cord,
wire, or other means have been used for additional security, but they entail loss of
time in their application and generally deform the stopper, so that it cannot be
used again end for end. These defects are intended to be remedied by my
construction.
In the accompanying drawings A represents the neck of a bottle, having the
interior portion of its mouth provided with an internally projecting (round) screw
thread a constructed in accordance with my invention. The mouth A' has in its
lower end an angular ledge 6 that projects inwardly within said mouth.
The convex (round) thread a is of a size relatively to the flat surface a' between
cach coil of said thread, substantially as three to one. In other words the
surface a' within the mouth of the bottle is substantially three times that occupied

page_text: by the width of the thread a. The form given to, the thread a is round or semi-
cylindrical in cross section but presents a continuous spiral from the lower ledge b
to the upper edge 6 of the bottle's mouth.
The peculiar form and arrangement of the thread a causes a corresponding semi-
cylindrical "round" but spiral groove d to be formed in the convex surface of the
cork D, the portions between the grooves d being substantially three times the
size of said grooves.
The engagement of the thread a in the groove a of the stopper renders the latter
capable of resisting a very strong pressure of gas often found in bottled mineral
water or other liquids, and the relatively wide surface d' between the coils of the
grooved permits said surface to withstand said pressure without danger of being
ripped or torn off from the fibres of the cork body.
But to increase the power of the cork to resist the pressure of the gas or liquids
within the bottle, and thus to re-enforce it, the cork plug D. is provided with a
pin f. made to pass diametrically through said cork in a small perforation e. for
that purpose in said cork. The pin f. is preferably made of hard wood, either
round or in the form of a parallelogram in cross section, with the ends slightly
rounded, and corresponding with the internal periphery of the surface a' of the
neck of the bottle. The pin f. is inserted in the cork preferably in the middle of
the length of the latter, or it may be inserted at each end of the cork, in either
case rendering said cork reversible end for end. If the pin f. is located horizontally
in the cork only one of its ends becomes seated under the screw thread a. but if
slightly inclined as in Fig. 5. both ends of the pin take bearing against the underside
of said screw thread.
When the cork is introduced into the bottle, it is revolved at same time that it
is slightly pressed down until its lower end rests upon the ledge b. at the bottom of
its chamber, and a close fit is obtained between the lower end of the cork and said
ledge.
The cork is of such length that after it has been rotated (while being grasped
by the operator's fingers) until its lower end bears strongly upon the ledge b. its
upper end projects above the top of the mouth or ledge a sufficient distance to be
easily grasped.
As the cork is cylindrical, it is reversible end for end, and as wire is not required
to retain it in position in the bottle's mouth, and a cork-destroying corkscrew is not
used for its removal, the same cork can be used to tightly close a bottle a dozen
times or more against the gas pressure of acrated liquids.
Having now fully described my invention I claim-
1. A bottle stopper consisting of a cylindrical plug of cork, having a pin of a
length substantially equal to the diameter of the cork and passing transversely
therethrough substantially as described.
2. The combination of a bottle having a spiral screw thread within its mouth
and a ledge at the bottom of said mouth with a yielding cylindrical plug and a pin,
of a length substantially equal to the diameter of the plug, and passing transversely
through said plug substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of December 1893.
GEORGE S. NORRIS,
By W. S. Cwaf Baker,
His Attorney.