IMPROVEMENTS IN: EFFECTING THE HERMETIC CLOSING OF JARS, BOTTLES, MEAT TINS, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas George Fonnereau Dolby, of Dulwich, in the
County of Surrey, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN:
EFFECTING THE HERMETIC CLOSING OF JARS, BOTTLES, MEAT TINS, AND
OTHER RECEPTACLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas George Fonnereau
Dolby at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1878.
THOMAS GEORGE FONNEREAU DOLBY, of Dulwich, in the County of Surrey,
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING THE HERMETIC CLOSING OF JARS,
BOTTLES, MEAT, TINS, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES."
My Invention primarily consists of a simple method of effecting the hermetic
closing of jars, bottles, or other like receptacles by atmospheric pressure. For this
purpose, I place an india-rubber or elastic washer between the top of the jar or
other receptacle, and a corresponding surface on its lid or cover. I then place the
jar (any convenient number at a time) in a chamber which can be readily exhausted
of air. I exhaust the air from such chamber, and the bottles therein become also
exhausted, because their lids or covers simply resting upon them permit the air to
escape therefrom. I then allow air to again enter the chamber when the atmo-
spheric pressure, acting upon the lids or covers, will force them against the jars or
receptacles, the india-rubber washer between them ensuring a hermetic joint. Or
the air may be exhausted or partially exhausted from the jars or receptacles in
other ways; for example, the air therein may be rarified by heat, but in this case,
the lids should be held down by weights or otherwise during the cooling.
In the former case also, any suitable arrangement may for increased security be
adopted for holding on the lids, until the full pressure of the atmosphere has taken
effect.
The lids or covers may be flat discs or plates, or they may be spherical or of other
desired form, provided their seat upon the jar or other receptacle be of corresponding
form.

page_text: Sometimes, in addition to the lid or cover and india-rubber washer, as before
described, I employ a screw cap or other screw which, by being screwed down upon
the lid or cover, forces the latter tightly down upon its seat, and thereby makes a
hermetic joint. As the lid or cover is not turned round with the screw, there is
nothing to cause the india-rubber washer to ruck. This mode of hermetic closing
may be employed independently or not of the closing by atmospheric pressure
herein-before described.
In applying my Invention to receptacles made of tin, such for example as those
used for preserving meat, I prefer to recess or counter-sink the closing devices
below the surface of the receptacle. I form a countersunk flange round the opening
of the "tin" or receptacle, place an india-rubber washer on such flange, and a plate
or lid of glass or metal upon the washer.
The hermetic closing may be obtained simply by atmospheric pressure as before
explained; or in combination therewith, or in lieu thereof I use a screw plug which
takes into a female screw in the countersunk portion of the tin, so as to press the
plate or lid tightly down upon the washer.
Sometimes I secure a metal or other cover with its washer by means of a screw,
and then boil the contents of the "tin" or other receptacle, as in the method ordinarily
adopted, letting out the heated air or gases by a small hole which is subsequently
closed by solder as usual. The screw may then be removed, the cover being held in
place by the atmospheric pressure. Tins closed in this manner can be opened
without cutting, by simply piercing a small hole therein to admit the air, and then
removing the screw if it has not been previously removed. Or, if the receptacle be
made of glass, it may have a small hole therein, or in its cover, to allow the heated
air or gases to escape; the hole would then be closed with plaster of Paris, an india-
rubber plug or otherwise; or if the hole be in a countersunk portion of the cover,
it may be closed by a piece of sheet rubber protected by plaster of Paris or other
suitable material. To open the receptacle, the hole is uncovered to allow the air
'to enter.

page_text: SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas George Fonnereau Dolby in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th February 1879.
16
THOMAS GEORGE FONNEREAU DOLBY, of Dulwich, in the County of Surrey,
Manufacturer. IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING THE HERMETIC CLOSING OF JARS,
BOTTLES, MEAT TINS, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES."
My Invention primarily consists of a simple method of effecting the hermetic
.closing of jars, bottles, or other like receptacles by atmospheric pressure. For this
purpose, I place an india-rubber or elastic washer between the mouth of the jar or
other receptacle; and a corresponding surface on its lid or cover. I then place the
jar (any convenient number at a time) in a chamber which can be readily exhausted
of air. I exhaust the air from such chamber by means of a pump, and the jars
therein become. also exhausted, because their lids or covers simply resting upon
them permit the air to escape therefrom. I then allow air to again enter the
chamber, when the atmospheric pressure acting upon the lids or covers will force
them against the jars or receptacles, the india-rubber washer between them ensuring
a. hermetic joint.
:
Any suitable arrangement may for increased security be adopted for holding on
the lids, until the full pressure of the atmosphere has taken effect.
The lids or covers are plain, that is to say, they have no valves or similar ex-
pensive devices therein, and they may be flat discs or plates, or they may be
spherical or of other desired form, provided their seat upon the jar or other recep-
tacle.be of corresponding form. The said seat and the corresponding part of the lid
should be quite truc, and if necessary, should be ground or faced with that object.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings represents in sectional view a jar or bottle a,
with a lid or cover b composed of a flat disc or plate. c is the india-rubber washer
between the jar a and the lid b.
It will be readily understood that when the air in the jar a has been exhausted,
as herein-before described, the lid b will be kept down by atmospheric pressure.
When it is required to open the jar, a pointed instrument should be pushed through
the washer c, or a blade be inserted between the washer and the jar or lid, so as to
let in the air, or if the receptacle be made of sheet metal, a hole may be pierced in
the side or other part to admit the air.
Figure 2 represents another form of lid or cover, letters of reference, the same as
those in Figure 1, indicating corresponding parts.
The washer c in any of the forms may either be loose or be adherent either to
the lid b or to the mouth of the jar a.
Sometimes, in addition to the lid or cover and india-rubber washer as before
described, I employ a screw cap or other screw as represented at d, in Figure 3,
which if screwed down upon the lid or cover will force the latter down upon its
seat, and thereby make a tight joint. The neck of the jar is screw-threaded, as
seen at e, to receive the cap d. As the lid or cover b is not turned round with the
screw d, there is nothing to cause the india-rubber washer c to ruck. When a lid
or cover closed by atmospheric pressure, as herein-before described, has once been
opened, it can again be tightly closed as often as required by means of the screw d,
in combination with the washer c.
In applying my Invention to receptacles made of tin, I prefer to recess or counter-
sink the closing devices below the surface of the receptacle, as represented in
Figure 4, in which the letters of reference indicate corresponding parts to those in
Figures 1 to 3. I form a countersunk flange fround the opening of the "tin" or
receptacle a, place an india-rubber washer c on such flange, and a plate or lid 6 of
glass or metal upon the washer.
The hermetic closing may be obtained simply by atmospheric pressure, as before
explained, or in combination therewith I use a screw, such as is represented at h,

page_text: Figure 5, which takes into a female screw formed for the purpose in the counter-
sunk portion of the tin, so as to press the plate or lid tightly down upon the
washer c.
Sometimes I secure a metal or other cover, with its washer by means of a screw,
in the manner represented in Figure 5, for example, and then boil the contents of
the "tin" or other receptacle, as in the method ordinarily adopted, letting out the
heated air or gases by a small hole which is subsequently closed by solder as usual.
The screw may then be removed, the cover being held in place by the atmospheric
pressure. Tins closed in this manner can be opened without cutting, by simply
piercing a small hole therein to admit the air, and then removing the screw if it has
not been previously removed. Or if the receptacle be made of glass, it may have a
small hole therein, or in its cover (as shewn at g, Figure 6, which represents a cover
with a hole therein) to allow the heated air or gases to escape; the hole would
then be closed with plaster of Paris, an india-rubber plug or otherwise; or if the
hole be in a countersunk portion of the cover, as represented in Figure 7, it may be
closed by a piece of sheet rubber protected by plaster of Paris or other suitable
material. To open the receptacle, the hole is uncovered to allow the air to enter.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
The herein described method of hermetically closing jars, bottles, and other
receptacles which consists in interposing a suitable yielding packing between their
lids and their mouths, and in placing the receptacles in a chamber with their lids
and packing in place over their mouths, the lids not being in any way fixed and
exhausting the air from the said chamber, and from the receptacles without heating
the same, the said lids freely rising to allow the air to escape, then admitting air
freely to the said chamber, whereby the lids are held firmly in place, and a hermetic
closing is produced by atmospheric pressure, while the said receptacles can be
opened at will by simply inserting an instrument through the packing or between
the packing and the receptacle or its lid, or by piercing a hole in the receptacle or
its lid, substantially as herein-before described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of
the annexed Drawings.
I also claim, in combination with the said method of hermetically closing, the
recessing or countersinking of the closing devices below the surface of the recep-
tacles, as herein-before described and represented in Figure 4.
I also claim the method of effecting the hermetic closing of meat tins or other
receptacles, as herein-before described with reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7, when
the contents of such receptacles are boiled, and the heated air and gases escape by a
small hole.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas George Fonnereau Dolby, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.