IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING LIQUID BLACKING OR OTHER LIQUIDS AND STOPPERS THEREFOR
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Merrill Bixby of the city county and State of
New York in the United States of America, Manufacturer of Bixby's
Blacking for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING
LIQUID BLACKING OR OTHER LIQUIDS AND STOPPERS THEREFOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Merrill Bixby at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th November 1882.
SAMUEL MERRILL BIXBY of the City, County and State of New York in the
United States of America, Manufacturer of Bixby's Blacking." IMPROVE-
MENTS IN "BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING LIQUID BLACKING OR OTHER LIQUIDS
AND STOPPERS THEREFOR,"
My invention relates to that class of bottles which are especially designed for
holding liquid blacking in the use of which a porous compressible vehicle is
employed that is also contained in the bottle and whose diameter is larger than
that of the neck of said bottle.
Bottles that contain liquid blacking have heretofore generally been made of a
polygonal shape terminating in a cylindrical neck of considerable extent in con-
junction with which a vehicle of a porous and compressible nature chiefly sponge
attached by wire to a cork has been used the diameter of said sponge being greater
than that of the neck.
These bottles presént various defects which are a source of great annoyance and
inconvenience to those using the blacking and these defects may be enumerated as
follows:
1st The liability of the bottles to be upset which arises from their shape being
long and of a small diameter as compared with their length.
2nd and chiefly the certainty of the overflow of the liquid blacking contained in
such bottles either on withdrawing the sponge or to a still greater extent on
returning it to the bottle soiling the hand that holds the bottle and the object
upon which said bottle may stand or over which it is held and it is absolutely.
necessary to hold the bottle both on withdrawing and returning the sponge as
some degree of power has to be applied in both operations in the first to force or
LD027

page_text: draw the sponge through the narrow neck and in the second to force it back again,
the sponge being of a greater diameter than said neck.
This overflow in the two operations of withdrawing and returning the sponge
are due to defects in the construction of the bottle in which the nature of the
liquid that it is to contain, which liquid is slightly effervescent as well as the
nature of the vehicle by means of which the liquid is used which is a porous and
compressible substance, seem to have been entirely overlooked.
Thus on withdrawing the sponge the moment it is compressed a portion of the
liquid expressed therefrom rises above the sponge and as the neck is a com-
paratively long one, which is necessary to effect a tight closure by means of a
comparatively long cork, the quantity of the liquid expressed from the sponge
increases above the latter as it passes upward.
Contact with the atmosphere causes the liquid to foam and rise above the
mouth of the bottle while that portion of the liquid not so affected is carried out
of the neck by the compressed sponge which here acts as a piston.
On the other hand on returning the sponge to the bottle the moment it is forced
into the neck it is compressed and a portion of the liquid held thereby expressed
and caused to flow down along the bottle while the sponge as soon as it is entirely
in the neck expels the air from the bottle which air under pressure causes the
remaining liquid or a great portion thereof to violently foam and rise up and flow
over the mouth of the bottle.
This foaming is so violent that it takes quite long before it subsides to an extent
;sufficient to insert the cork without forcing the foam contained in the neck over
the bottle.
Another inconvenience lies in the fact that when the cork is attached to a handle
the latter is generally provided with a cylindrical teat or projection upon which
the cork is attached this necessitates the coring of the cork and a comparatively
great portion of its flexible or yielding substance is thus removed and the
unyielding wood takes its place.
The object of my invention is to remedy these defects and the further object is
to provide a handle for the cork that is so constructed as to be firmly seated in the
mouth of the bottle and form a tight or practically tight closure at that point and
in combination therewith a cylindrical cork and the usual sponge or other analogous
vehicle by means of which the blacking is conveyed from the bottle for use and to
that end the invention consists,
1st In a bottle for bolding liquid blacking provided with a flaring mouth;
a downwardly tapering neck and an air chamber between the neck and the body of
the bottle in combination with a porous compressible vehicle for such blacking the
diameter of which is greater than that of the narrowest part of the neck.
2nd In a bottle for holding liquid blacking provided with a flaring mouth a
downwardly tapering neck an upward tapering body and an air chamber located
between the two in combination with a porous and compressible vehicle for such
blacking.
3rd In a bottle for holding liquid blacking provided with a flaring mouth and a
downwardly tapering neck in combination with a cylindrical cork attached to a
handle said handle having a tapering base to fit the flaring mouth of the bottle
which thus forms a seat for said handle.
4th The invention further consists in seating the cork into a wooden handle and
in inserting the sponge wire diagonally into or through such handle.
In carrying out my invention form the bottle for holding the blacking
preferably with a large base and a body tapering upward from the base towards
the neck at which narrowest point of the body of the bottle I provide it with an
enlargement or swelling of a diameter equal to one half, more or less of the
diameter of the base that forms an air chamber upon which is formed a tapering
neck having a flaring or trumpet shaped mouth..
By means of this construction the narrowest parts of the body of the bottle and
its neck are on opposite sides of the air chamber or enlargement and I am thus

page_text: enabled to use a cylindrical cork that when inserted into the neck sufficiently far
to project slightly beyond its narrowest point, the liquid will cause it to swell out
and be firmly held against said neck..
"
It is evident that when the bottle is filled up to the air chamber on withdrawing
the cork and sponge no vacuum is created while the neck of the bottle being made
to taper upwardly from said chamber the fluid expressed from the sponge will at
once be taken up again by the latter and neither foam nor be wasted.
To avoid the soiling of the hands I attach the cork to a handle that is provided
with a seat therefor, within which the cork is firmly held and I preferably insert
the wire that holds the sponge diagonally into said wooden handle to prevent its
being drawn out on pulling the cork.
The handle is also constructed so as to fit the flaring mouth of the bottle which
mouth forms a seat for the base of said handle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Samuel Merrill Bixby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th April 1883.
- :
SAMUEL MERRILL BIXBY of the City County and State of New York in the
United States of America IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLES FOR CONTAINING
LIQUID BLACKING AND OTHER LIQUIDS AND STOPPERS THEREFOR
:
My invention relates to that class of bottles which are especially designed for
holding liquid blacking in the use of which a porous compressible vehicle is
employed whose diameter is greater than that of the neck of the bottle so as to
express therefrom any excess of blacking when said vehicle is drawn through such
neck Bottles for holding liquid blacking are generally made of an elongated form
provided with a neck of considerable length and of uniform interior diameter In
conjunction with such bottles, a sponge is used of greater diameter than that of the
neck for the purpose of expressing therefrom any excess of blacking when said
sponge is drawn through the neck for which purpose it is attached to a wire and
the latter to the cork that closes the bottle and serves at the same time as a handle
for the sponge carrier and to avoid the soiling of the fingers by contact with the
cork a handle has been attached thereto.
The described form of bottle for holding liquid blacking and the combination
therewith of a sponge of greater diameter than the neck of such bottle for the
purpose stated embody disadvantages that are the cause of great annoyance and
inconvenience to those using the blacking which may be enumerated as follows:
First. The liability of such bottles to upset. Second, And chiefly the certainty of
the overflow of the liquid blacking contained in such bottles either on withdrawing
the sponge, or to a still greater extent on returning it to the bottle thereby soiling the
hand that holds the bottle and the object upon which said bottle may stand or over

page_text: which it is held, it being absolutely necessary to hold the bottle both on with-
drawing and returning the sponge, as a certain amount of power is required to
withdraw the same and return it to the bottle when said sponge is of a greater
diameter than the neck of such bottle.
This overflow in the two operations of withdrawing and returning the sponge is
due to the construction of the bottle wherein the nature of the liquid (which is
slightly effervescent), as well as that of the vehicle for using the same (which is a
porous and compressible substance) seem to have been overlooked. Thus on
withdrawing the sponge, the moment it is compressed a portion of the liquid
expressed therefrom rises above the sponge. As contact with the atmosphere
causes it to foam and overflow that portion of the liquid not so affected is carried
out of the neck by the compressed sponge which here acts as a piston. On
returning the sponge to the bottle, the moment it is forced into the neck it is
compressed and a portion of the liquid held thereby expressed and caused to flow
down the outside of the bottle while the sponge as soon as it is entirely in the
neck expels the air from the bottle which air under pressure causes the remaining
liquid or a great portion thereof to violently foam and rise up and flow over the
mouth of the bottle.
This foaming is so violent that it is.some time before it subsides to an extent
sufficient to insert the cork without forcing the foam contained in the neck over
the bottle The object of my invention is to remedy these disadvantages. The
further object is to provide a handle for the cork that is so constructed as to be
firmly seated on the mouth of the bottle and form a tight or practically tight
closure at that point and in combining therewith a cylindrical cork and the usual
sponge or other analogous vehicle by means of which the blacking is conveyed
from the bottle for use. The further object of the invention is to so construct the
bottle as to provide a convenient space within which the end of the cork when
forced into and slightly through the neck of such bottle to expand and form a swell
or shoulder that will hold it tightly in its seat whereby a cylindrical cork may be
employed in combination with a conical neck; and the further object of this
invention is to provide a better attachment for the sponge carrier whereby it is
less liable to become detached from the cork and handle or knob. To these ends
my invention consists :-
In forming between the neck of the bottle and its body an enlargement or air
chamber having its points of junction with the neck formed of curved lines that
will allow the cork when forced into the narrow part of the neck to be expanded
and form a shoulder or enlargement below such neck whereby a cylindrical cork
may be employed in conjunction with the conical or outwardly flaring neck.
And lastly the invention consists in providing a better attachment for the sponge
carrier or wire and thereby lessen its liability of becoming detached from the cork
and handle
In the accompanying drawings my invention is clearly illustrated by a vertical
section of a bottle, its stopper and bandle therefor, the vehicle for the blacking its
carrier and the manner of attaching the latter to the cork and handle
In remedying the disadvantages described, I found that to avoid the overflow of
the liquid blacking on withdrawing the sponge it was absolutely necessary that
means should be provided whereby the sponge S may be enabled to expand
sufficiently previous to reaching the mouth of the bottle to take up any liquid that
may have been forced above the sponge by the compression of the latter on entering
the narrowest part n' of the neck n of the bottle A. This I have accomplished by
giving said neck the shape of an inverted truncated cone having its narrowest point
at n' and gradually widening upward.
It will be seen that by this construction the greatest pressure is only upon a
very limited area of the sponge which is girdled by the narrowest part of the necks.
Below the point n' the sponge can expand as fully as it is possible to expand
under the circumstances and above said point it (the sponge) can slight expand
which expansion gradually increases as said sponge is drawn upward through the

page_text: neck. It is evident therefor that any blacking forced by the compression above
the point n' or above the neck is immediately taken up by the expanding sponge
causing but little effervescence in the liquid and no overflow is possible. In the
usual form of liquid blacking bottles the excess of the blacking above the sponge
in the neck is wasted by overflow; with my construction of bottle, it is again taken
up by the sponge and as this may under some conditions increase, the quantity of
blacking held by the sponge beyond that actually needed at the time, I provide
means for stripping it from the sponge without soiling the outside of the bottle,
To this end I form the tapering neck from about the point p³ flaring outward
to present a wide mouth m the diameter of which exceeds that of the sponge 80
that when any surplus liquid is to be removed from the latter all that is necessary
to do is to place the sponge in the cup shaped mouth m, rotate it therein applying
any required or desired degree of pressure to express the excess of liquid.
The violent foaming and overflow of the liquid on returning the sponge to the
bottle is avoided by making the mouth of the neck of greater diameter than the
vehicle and such result is assisted by forming below said neck a considerable bulge
or air chamber e in the bottle as shown. As the mouth m of the bottle is of
greater diameter than the sponge no compression of the latter takes place at that
point when it is returned to the bottle and when said sponge reaches the narrowest
part of the neck and is compressed the blacking expressed therefrom flows into the
bottle. To avoid the liability of a bottle of this character to upset, I give its
body A the form of a truncated cone having a base a of great diameter as compared
with its hight and when provided with the flaring mouth m and tapering neck n
the sponge may be returned to the bottle without holding such bottle or without
liability to upset the same. It has been found that it is almost impossible to handle
the usual cork to which the sponge is attached without soiling the hands when
using the blacking and to avoid this, handles of wood or other suitable material are
connected with the cork. To avoid the increased expense of using corks of the
same shape as the neck and mouth of the bottle above described and to enable me
to employ a cylindrical cork in combination with the handle H, I form the base of
the latter below the annular projection, flaring inwardly as shown to conform to the
outwardly flaring mouth of the bottle to adapt said handle to be seated thereon
To avoid the liability of the cork and handle from becoming detached from the
tapering neck of the bottle which presents but a limited seat or bearing to a
cylindrical cork when inserted I form the line of junction n' of the enlargement or
air chamber with the neck n of the bottle of a gradual curve and employ a straight
or cylindrical cork of such a length that when the handle H is seated upon the
mouth of the bottle the end of the cork will project slightly beyond the narrowest
part or line n¹ of the neck and when saturated with the blacking expands against
the downwardly widening wall of the air chamber and is firmly held in position.
To provide a better attachment for the cork and wire to the handle H and also to
avoid the coring of the cork and destroy its flexibility to a great extent when such
cork is mounted upon a cylindrical projection or bearing formed on the knob or
handle H as is usually the case, I form an annular recess h in the base of the knob or
handle H within which the cork C is seated and within which it is either cemented
or glued. The wire that carries the sponge is passed centrally through the cork C
and then centrally and diagonally into or through the handle as shown. It is
evident that when the end w of the wire lies at an angle to the body thereof
within the handle it will offer a greater resistance to longitudinal strain than would
be the case were said wire passed centrally through said handle thus lessening its
liability to draw out therefrom. Of course it will be understood that any other
suitable porous and compressible vehicle and means to handle said vehicle to
convey the blacking from the bottle for use may be employed. I bowever prefer
that described namely the usual sponge. I do not desire to claim broadly a bottle
having a tapering body and flaring neck or a bottle having such a body and neck
and an intermediate swell, but what I do claim is :-
1st A liquid blacking holder consisting of a bottle having a conical neck in

page_text: combination with a compressible vehicle for the blacking of greater diameter than
the least diameter of the neck and of less diameter than the greatest diameter of
said neck and a carrier for said vehicle arranged for operation substantially as
described for the purposes specified.
.
2nd A liquid blacking holder consisting of a bottle having a conical body, a
conical neck and an enlargement or air chamber connecting the same at their
extremities of least diameter in combination with a compressible vehicle for the
blacking of greater diameter than the least diameter of the neck and of less
diameter than the greatest diameter of said neck and a carrier for said vehicle
arranged for operation substantially as described for the purposes specified.
3rd A liquid blacking holder consisting of a bottle having a conical body, a
conical neck provided with a seat at its mouth and an enlargement or air chamber
connecting the neck and body at their extremities of least diameter in combination
with a compressible vehicle of greater diameter than the least diameter of the
neck and of a less diameter than the greatest diameter of said neck, a carrier for
said vehicle, a straight cork for sealing the neck at its extremity of least diameter
and a handle for said cork provided with a seat and adapted to be seated upon
the mouth of the neck, the parts being arranged for cooperation, substantially as
described for the purposes-specified:
4th The combination of a cork, a handle provided with a recessed seat 6 within
which one end of said cork is secured and a sponge supporting wire driven centrally
through the cork into or through the handle on a line at an angle to the vertical
axis of said handle substantially as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof I the said Samuel Merrill Bixby have hereunto set.my
hand and seal this 17th day of February in the year of our Lord, One
thousand Eight hundred and Eighty three.