Improvements in Corking or Stoppering Bottles Containing Beer, Aërated Waters, and other Aërated or Gaseous Liquids, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 28th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1888
LLOYD
Improvements in Corking or Stoppering Bottles Containing Beer,
Aërated Waters, and other Aërated or Gaseous Liquids, and
Apparatus therefor.
I, ALFRED KEMPSON, of 11 and 12 Clements Lane, Lombard Street, in the city of
London, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The objects of my invention are to use less than half the usual quantity of cork
and at the same time to allow of the bottle being opened without the necessity of
using a corkscrew and in a very expeditious and easy manner.
In carrying out my invention I use a bottle having a short recess at the top of the
neck such as those in general use for sauce bottles and having two indents one on
either side of the ring of the neck outside; into these indents I place the ends of a
wire hoop or bail which is previously bent into suitable shape and dimensions. The
hoop is passed through a hole in the elongated top of a knob of suitable material such
as wood or porcelain. This knob is made flat at its base with rounded sides so as to
present a rounded surface to the cork when pushed up against it by revolving the
wire hoop.
The cork (the top edge of which is preferably rounded to allow of the side of the
knob being easily rolled onto it) is cut to the required length and pressed so far into
the bottle neck as to allow the bottom edge of the knob to reach nearly to its top ;
the wire hoop is then pushed up and the knob will roll onto the cork and force it
tightly into the bottle neck and against the ledge at the bottom of the recess; the
flat base of the knob will now rest on the top of the cork and hold it fast against any
pressure from within.
To open the bottle the knob is pushed off the cork and the cork will generally fly
out at once and if not can be easily started by inserting any sharp instrument such as
the point of a fork and lifting it slightly.
It will be obvious from this arrangement that only a very short cork is required
compared with the ordinary length of corks.
Dated the 30th day of April 1887.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Corking or Stoppering Bottles Containing Beer,
Aërated Waters, and other Aërated or Gaseous Liquids, and
Apparatus therefor.
I, ALFRED KEMPSON, of 11 and 12, Clements Lane, Lombard Street, in the City
of London, Merchant, 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 objects of my invention are to use less than the usual quantity of cork and at
the same time to allow of the bottle being opened without the necessity of using a
corkscrew and in a very expeditious and easy manner.
In carrying out my invention I use a bottle having a short recess at the top of the
neck and two indents one on either side of the ring of the neck outside; into these
indents I place the ends of a wire hoop or bail which is previously bent into suitable
shape and dimensions.
In some cases the hoop is passed through a hole in a knob of suitable material such
as wood or porcelain. This knob is made flat or nearly flat at its base with rounded
edges so as to present a rounded surface to the cork when pushed up against it by
revolving the wire hoop.
The cork (the top edge of which is advantageously rounded to allow of the side of
the knob being easily rolled onto it) is cut to such a length that when pressed as far
as it will go into the bottle neck the bottom edge of the knob will if the bail be held
horizontally, reach nearly to its top; the wire hoop is then pushed up and the knob
rolled onto the cork thereby forcing it tightly into the bottle neck and against the
ledge at the bottom of the recess; the base of the knob will now rest on the top of
the cork and hold it fast against any pressure from within.
To open the bottle the knob is pushed off the cork and the cork will generally fly
out at once and if not can be easily started by inserting any sharp instrument such as
the point of a fork and lifting it slightly.
It will be obvious from this arrangement that only, a short cork is required com-
pared with the ordinary length of corks and also that the bail may be arranged to act
directly on the top of the cork without using a knob, or the required pressure on the
cork can be produced by any other suitable mechanical means.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 represents an elevation, and
Figure 2 a vertical section of the neck of a bottle showing my invention applied
thereto, the bail carrying a knob acting on the top of the cork.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views to figures 1 and 2 but showing the bail arranged
to act directly on the top of the cork.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to figures 1 and 2.
a is the bottle neck and b is the short recess which I form at the top thereof.
c, c are the two indents one on either side of the ring d of the neck.
e is the wire hoop or bail the ends of which are turned inwards and inserted in the
indents c, c as clearly shown in figure 2.
f, indicate the knob and is the hole in the same through which the hoop or
bail e is passed the knob being made flat or nearly flat at its base with rounded
edges as shown for the purpose hereinbefore referred to.

page_text: h is the cork which as will be seen from the drawing need only be of short length
in comparison with the length of corks ordinarily in use.
To cork or stopper a bottle provided with my improvements the short cork / is first
pressed by hand or by other suitable means as far as it will go into the bottle neck and
the wire hoop e and knob f, f being in their open position as indicated by the dot
and dash lines in figure 1, if the knob f,f' be levered or moved up into the position
shown in dotted lines, it can then be rolled onto the cork h and will thereby force
it tightly into the bottle neck a and against the ledge at the bottom of the recess b
as shown the base of the knob will now rest on the top of the cork h and
hold it fast against any pressure from within.
To open the bottle the knob f, f¹ is levered or moved off the cork h and the
cork will, if the bottle contain beer or aërated or gaseous liquid, generally fly out
at once and if not it can be easily started by inserting therein any sharp instrument
such as the point of a fork and lifting the cork slightly.
It will be obvious from this arrangement that only a very short cork is required
compared with the ordinary length of corks and that the bottom of the recess b
forms a seating for the cork by which when pressure is applied thereto a secure
and hermetical closing of the bottle is effected, such closing not depending upon the
pressure of the sides of the cork upon the sides of the bottle mouth as is usually
the case.
In the arrangement shown in figures 3 and 4 the use of a knob is dispensed with
and the required pressure is produced on the short cork directly by the hoop or
baile the shape of which is slightly modified to adapt it to act in this way. In other
respects the arrangement is similar to that shown in figures 1 and 2 and its operation
will be easily comprehended without further description.
In cases where the contents are likely to remain in bottle for a long time and the
pressure would consequently be liable to become relaxed I find it advantageous to place
a bar between the cork and the bail at a right angle to the latter. The ends of the
bar are preferably curved downwards to assist the passage of the bail in rising.
I have described and shown two means of producing the required pressure on the
short cork, these being arrangements which I have found to answer well in practice
but I do not confine myself to these methods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination with a bottle having a recess such as 6 formed in the mouth
thereof, of a short cork which is caused by suitable means such as those herein
described, to press upon the bottom of the said recess and thereby effect a hermetical
closing of the bottle.
2. The combination with a bottle adapted to be corked or stoppered by a short cork
inserted in a recess formed in the bottle-mouth, of a pivotted bale or hoop carrying a
knob so constructed as to allow of it being rolled onto the cork and produce pressure
thereon substantially as bereinbefore described and represented in figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawing.
3. The modified arrangement in which the knob is dispensed with the pressure on
the top of the cork being produced directly by the bail, substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawing.
D
ST10DO
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London
Agents for the Applicant.