Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 12th Dec., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
I CARL MEYER of Rhens-on-the-Rhine in the German Empire 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:-
This invention relates to that class of bottle stoppers and fasteners which employ,
essentially ordinary corks with the well known advantages resulting from their use
by avoiding the drawbacks of the rubber washer used with the known stoppers and
providing convenient attachments as well as possibility of easily changing the
cork by which the same may be operated combined with a plate or protector for
the top part of the cork.
With this and other objects in view my invention consists in the special con-
struction and form of the stopper and the fastening means and in the construction,
combination and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth
and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 shows a sectional view in elevation of the bottle stopper affixed to an
aerated water bottle of the ordinary character the stopper being closed down.
Figure 2 is a plan.
Figure 3 shows in a vertical elevation an exterior view of the device.
Figure 4, 5 and 6 show modifications of the arrangements of mounting the
stopper on the fastenings means.
Referring to Figures 1 to 3 in the said drawing A denotes a bottle of ordinary
form and material having secured at its neck the fastening means of partly known
construction, bis the stopper which is constructed as a plate of rectangular section
and has an oblong shaped exterior in plane. It is provided with a central hole c
which is suitably made somewhat conically, d is a bottle cork of ordinary form,
size and texture which fits closely into the hole c of the stopper thereby being
flush joint with the upper level of the same and extending underneath the stopper.
This free piece of the cork fits closely into the bottle mouth and forms a perfect
seal for the bottle containing soda or carbonated liquid. For this purpose the
stopper must be pressed tightly down on the bottle which is done by the fastening
device in the following manner.
Such means consists of a wire angle e bent rectangular in front, its vertical
shanks are fixed to the bottle neck by the hook shaped ends of said angle_shank
which fit into corresponding mortises in the bottle neck so that the angle wire
piece e may be turned on the neck whereby the horizontal shank of said piece, half
surrounding the bottle may be used as a handle to manipulate the device. Both
shanks of the wire piece e form at their meeting point a loopf serving
for a wire loop g which extends to its bottom part conically.
as fulcrum
The stopper 6 is mounted to the loop by means of holes h through which pass the
vertical stems of the loop g which are underneath the stopper plate bent somewhat
inwardly so that the plate is prevented to slide down on the stems.
The horizontal shank of the loop is provided with a protector or shield plate p
of somewhat smaller diameter than the cork which when the stopper has been
placed in position in the mouth of the bottle secures the cork firmly into the
stopper providing thus a hermetically closing of the bottle.

page_text: In order to change the cork, when being damaged, I proceed as follows.
As described before, the stopper plate b has two holes h, one of this hole is cut
off after a circle having its centre in the second hole so that the loop with the
protector plate p may be turned out of said hole as will be understood from the
dotted line portion in Figure 2. The cork has then no further connection with
the loop g or its plate p respectively and may then easily driven out and changed
to a new one after which operation the loop is placed into its former position and
the device is ready for use.
Fig. 4 to 6 show a modified construction of mounting the stopper to the fastening
means.
Here the vertical stems of the loop g pass likewise through holes of the stopper b
which now on the loop may be moved up and down as may be seen from Figures 4
and 6. When the stopper is pushed upwards to the top of the loop the bottle may
be closed by putting the cork into the bottle mouth and turning the handle down
as is shown in Figure 1. The cork is then secured in the stopper by the horizontal
stem of the loop which fits for the sake of a better connection into a chamfered
edge i running from one hole r through the top level of the cork to the other hole
in the stopper.
When the bottle is opened the cork may be easily changed by pushing the
stopper on the loop downwards till the space between the horizontal stem of the
loop and the upper part of the stopper is large enough to allow the cork, which is
tossed out of the stopper to leave the same and allow at the same time the entranc
of a new one which is treated in the manner described.
Instead of providing the chamfered edge in stopper and cork I may fix to the
horizontal stem of the loop in any convenient manner a plate or shield in the
same arrangement as before described. In closing the bottle the shield / covers
the cork and presses the same firmly into the stopper hole securing thus also
perfect closing and a compact keeping of the different parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
b
1. As an improved article of manufacture the stopper 6 with the central hole c
for the cork d and the lateral holes h for the fastening means, adapted for use as
described.
2. The combination substantially as herein before described, of the stopper b
having a central hole c for the cork d, and two lateral holes h, the one of which
being cut off, the angle handle e pivotted to the bottle neck, the loop g pivotted to
said handle having an inwardly bent portion and a cap shield P.
3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the stopper b
having a central hole c for the cork d, and two lateral holes, the angle handle e
pivotted to the bottle neck, the loop g with long vertical stems pivotted to said
handle and the cap shield attached to the horizontal stem of the loop engaging
with the top part of the cork as set forth.
This 7th day of November in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and