Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 16th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
We, WILLIAM HENRY RAND, of 3937 Lake Avenue, Chicago, Cook County,
Illinois, United States of America President of a Corporation, and FRANK
TAYLOR ROBINSON of 33 Wisconsin Street Chicago, aforesaid, Inventor, 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:-
The subject of the present invention is a stopper of such construction that it
will permit the bottle to be emptied of its contents but prevent its being refilled.
I am aware of stoppers of such construction that they will prevent liquid from
being forced into the bottle under pressure when the bottle is inverted to such an
extent that liquid could not flow into it by gravity, and that will also prevent liquid
from flowing into it by gravity when it is in such position that the liquid could do so if
it were not for the presence of the stopper. These methods of fraudulently refilling
the bottle have been effectually guarded against by a number of stoppers, of which
I am aware, but there is another simple method that has not been effectually guarded
against by any patented stopper, and to provide a stopper that will guard against
it and at the same time do all that the other stoppers above referred to will do, is
the object of the present invention. The method of refilling here referred to is to
fill the neck of the bottle above the valve and then impart to the bottle a jigging or
jerking movement so directed that it will tend to throw the valve from its seat, the
bottle being held in such position that if it were not for the presence of the stopper
liquid could flow into it by gravity. If the bottle be kept immersed while given this
movement it can be quickly filled unless the valve be so controlled that it cannot be
thrown from its seat.
With this object in view the present invention consists in the features of
novelty hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the upper portion of bottle and of the improved
stopper in place therein, the parts of the stopper being in the positions that they
occupy under all conditions excepting when the bottle is inverted far enough to
unseat the valve.
Figure 2 is a similar view, with the parts in the positions that they occupy when
the bottle is inverted far enough to unseat the valve.
Figures 3 and 4 are sectional elevations of some of the parts showing slight
modifications.
A represents the bottle in the neck of which the improved stopper is secured so
that it cannot be removed. As shown in the drawing it rests upon a shoulder a on
the interior of the neck and is held in place by a spring ring B, which occupies
oppositely located grooves formed in the neck of the bottle and side of the stopper,
respectively. The shell or frame-work of the stopper is preferably made in four
separate parts, lettered C, D, E and F, each of which has certain features fitting it
for the duty it has to perform. The part C takes the form of a ring having
cylindrical flange e which extends to the part D and forms, with said part D,
a chamber X in which is located a valve G. This valve is sufficiently buoyant to
a

page_text: .
float to its seat in case the bottle be inverted and liquid forced into the chamber X
under pressure, the seat for the valve being, of course, around the opening of the
ring. The stem g of the valve occupies the opening of the ring and guides the valve
in its movement.
The part D takes the form of a disk having a cylindrical flange d, which extends
to the part E, and forms, with said part E, a chamber Y. It is also providea,
near its outer margin, with a sufficient number of openings d¹ to afford an ample
passage for the liquid, and its top side is raised in the centre, so that the floor of the
chamber will have an outward slope in all directions, for a purpose that will
appear presently.
The part E takes the form of a disk having a cylindrical flange e which extends
to the part F and forms, with said part F, a chamber Z. It is also provided with
a central perforation and a sufficient number of other perforations e¹ arranged around
the central perforation to afford ample passage for the liquid.
The part F takes the form of a ring having a hollow stem f projecting from it and
communicating with the opening of the ring, said stem being provided also with
lateral openings and surmounted by a disk f. This part F is in fact a shield for
preventing access to any of the parts below it.
The top side of the disk E is provided with a sphere-segmental depression
forming the seat for a valve H which has a stem that extends through the
central perforation of the disk. The valve is of sufficient diameter to cover (when
seated) all of the passages e and its under side is complementary to the valve-seat
so that it cannot be unseated at any point by the limited oscillatory movement which
it may have by reason of the lateral movement of its stem.
The cup I which may be connected with the valve by any suitable means so long
as it is allowed to tilt or swing in the manner hereinafter described and is restrained
against any considerable sidewise displacement. As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the
valve-stem itself is the only connecting medium. It passes through a flaring opening
It is in fact
in the bottom of the cup and has at its lower end an enlarged head.
a screw tapped into the valve. As shown in Figure 4 the stem is integral with the
valve and the cup is connected to the lower end of the stem by means of a flexible
wire J. To secure this wire to the valve-stem the latter may be provided with a
bore or socket in which the wire is soldered, and to secure it to the cup it may be
passed through a perforation in the bottom thereof and knotted or upset to prevent
it being withdrawn, the knotting or upsetting being done, of course, before the
wire is secured to the stem. Sufficient clearance is left between the end of
the stem and the cup and between the wire and the cup to allow the cup perfect
freedom of movement about its point of attachment. But my invention is not limited
to any particular means for connecting this cup with the valve, but on the contrary
it includes any means that will produce the desired result.
Within the chamber Y and beneath the cup is a spherical weight or ball K.
The floor of the chamber being highest at the centre this ball will always find a
position at the side of the chamber and will hold the cup in a tilted position as
shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, until the bottle is inverted far enough to allow the
ball to roll into the cup and thereby unseat the valve. The connection between
the cup and valve is of such length that the cup will always have contact with the
ball, and the distance between the floor and ceiling of the chamber is such that
when in the position shown in Figure 1, the cup will bear against the ceiling, the
point of contact with the cup being between its centre and its periphery. This cup
acts precisely as a lever of the first order would. It has a fulcrum (its point of
contact with the ceiling) located between the point where the power is applied
(which is the point against which the force of the ball is exerted) and the point
where the load is applied (which is the point of attachment to the valve-connection).
Preferably the cup has a well-defined angle at its fulcruming point, but this is not
essential, aud in Figure 3 is shown a cup that is curved continuously. In Figures 3
and 4 the ceiling of the chamber Y is shown as provided with a depression, but this
depression is not necessary unless the bottom of the cup be rounded, or else the

page_text: nature of the connection between the cup and the valve be such that something is
needed in order to restrain the side-wise movement of the cup. Where the bottom
of the cup is rounded the depression is necessary in order to hold the cup bottom
upward, with the valve in it, while the liquid is being poured out. Where the
connection between the cup and valve. would allow of a sidewise movement of
the cup. the shoulder resulting from the depression will restrain it. In any event the
corner resulting from the depression will form the bearing point for the cup, but it
is not necessary to provide a special bearing point, because the cup will find its own
bearing point, whatever be the character of the surface which the ceiling of the
chamber presents to it. In Figure 4 is shown a cup with an inturned marginal
flange with which the ball has contact, the parts being so proportioned that ivheu
in the positions shown, a line drawn through the ball and cutting its points of
contact with the cup and the floor of the chamber will pass below the ball's
diameter.
With any of these constructions, the ball, acting through the cup as a lever, will
hold the valve seated until the bottle is inverted far enough to permit the ball to
roll into the cup as shown in Figure 2. Then the valve will unseat and will remain
unseated until the bottle is again placed in such position that the ball will roll out
of the cup. It will be seen that if the ball be omitted the cup will hang, pendent,
and will tend to hold the valve seated until the bottle is tipped to such an extent
that a line drawn vertically through the centre of gravity of the cup passes inside
of its fulcruming point. But without the ball, and with the cup pendent, a quick
end wise jerk will throw both the cup and valve upward, and thus unseat the valve.
With the ball present, however, this movement will tend to hold the valve seated
all the more tightly, because the force of the ball will be directed against the cup
outside of its fulcruming point and will be transmitted to the valve through the
connections. By using this ball and maintaining it normally in such position that
a line that is parallel with the neck of the bottle and that passes through the centre
of gravity of the ball is at one side of a line that is parallel with it and that passes
through the centre of gravity of the ball when the latter is in position to permit the
valve to unseat, the chances of throwing the valve from its seat by the jigging
motion described are reduced to a minimum.
Although I have called the part lettered I a cup, still it is in fact and in effect a
continuous lever, or in other words, a lever having a circular surface for receiving
the power, a circular fulcruming surface within the surface for receiving the power,
and a point for attaching the load within the fulcruming surface, and any device
having these characteristics, whether it be truly a cup or not, is within the scope of
that term as used in this Specification.
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. The combination of a valve-seat, a valve, an inverted cup located below the
valve, means connecting them and permitting the cup to tilt, a loose ball located
beneath the cup, a support holding the ball in contact with the cup, a bearing with
which the ball causes the cup to engage at a point between its centre and its
periphery, and means holding the ball normally with its centre of gravity in a
vertical line that is at one side of a vertical line passing through the centre of
the cup.
2. The combination of a perforated part having on its top side a valve-seat, ab
valve located above said part, an inverted cup located below said part, means
connecting the valve and cup and permitting the cup to tilt, said connecting means
being of such length that when the cup is tilted it will come in contact with the
.under side of the part first aforesaid, the point of contact being between the centre
and the periphery of the cup, a loose ball located beneath the cup, and a support
holding the ball in contact with the cup and the cup tilted and in contact with the
under side of the part first aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 3. The improvement in bottle stoppers, substantially
described.
Dated this 25th day of January 1895.
as herein shown and
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.