Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by KARL HUTTER, Manufacturer, of corner
38th Street and Broadway, New York, United States of America.]
Improvements in Bottle Stoppers.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 object of the present invention is to provide a bottle stopper with a plug
so constructed that the bent ends of the bail wire can be passed through it, and
also to provide such a plug with means for hermetically sealing the bottle.
The invention consists more especially in providing the tapering plug with an
elongated slot, through which the inwardly bent ends of the bail wire can be
inserted. The invention also consists in combining the plug having such an
elongated slot, with an elastic ring, as hereinafter described and set forth.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts,
Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved plug.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the plug and its elastic ring showing same
within the neck of the bottle ;
Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, the elastic ring being replaced by an
elastic washer ;
Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of Fig. 3, the plug with its elastic washer
being drawn down the neck of the bottle;
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 show side views of modified forms of plug;
Fig. 10 is a cross section of Fig. 1, on line 10-10 showing the mode of passing
the bent end of the bail through the elongated slot of the plug;
Fig. 11 is an underside view of my improved plug.
In said drawings a represents the neck of a bottle provided with a neck wire b to
which is pivotally connected a lever c and to this lever is pivotted a bail wire d,
having its ends bent inwardly for pivotal connection with the lever.
A conical plug e, adapted to fit the bottle neck and recessed or grooved
horizontally, as shewn at f, receives in said groove an elastic ring g, as in Figure 5,
or an elastic band or washer 1, as shewn in Figure 3.
The upper part of this plug e is provided with an elongated slot i in which is
contained the upper part of the bail wire, as shewn more clearly in Figure 4. The
slot i is of such length that the inwardly bent ends of the bail wire can be passed
through it, as in Figure 10. Rigid plugs as heretofore made for the combination
of bail and lever had round holes to admit the bail, and therefore, if the plug had a
diameter, where perforated, considerably in excess of the diameter of the bail wire,
the latter had to have its ends d² bent after passing through the plug. By the aid
of my elongated slot the bail wire having its ends d' already bent can be easily
passed through and connected with the plug:
The ring g when forced into the bottle, as in Figure 2 will be pressed upwardly
into the neck of the bottle, as in Figure 2, thus hermetically sealing the contents of
the bottle, while the lever is down in the position shown in said figure.
When an elastic plate or washer his used and the plug drawn down into the
neck of the bottle, the lower portion of this elastic washer will be pressed against
the inner sides of the neck of the bottle, while the upper or flanging portions will
be projected out over or towards the top of the bottle, as shewn in Fig. 4.
The elongated slot in the upper part of the plug to receive the bail wire can be

page_text: made in any desired shape or angle, as shown in Figs. 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, but must
be longer than the bend d' of the bail wire.
It may be of heart shape as shewn in Fig. 5 the bail wire in that case, when
holding down the stopper, occupying the deepest part of the slot.
It is
This plug can be made of wood, porcelain or any analogous material.
easily applied to the ordinary mechanism of the bottle stopper, and can be made
to present an upper surface of considerable extent, for the application of trade
marks or other inscriptions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The bottle stopper plug e having elongated slot i, combined with the bail
wire d, having bent ends d', and with means for connecting said bail wire to the
bottle, the slot i heing longer than the bend 2, substantially as herein shewn and
described.
2. The combination of the lever c, bail wire d having bent ends d², with the
plug e, provided near its upper end with an elongated slot i, which is longer than
the bend d², and near its lower end with an annular groove f, and with the elastic
ring g held in said groove, all arranged substantially as described.
3. The bottle stopper plug e having a heart shaped slot i such as shewn in Figure 5
combined with the bail wire d in order to cause the bail wire d when holding down
the stopper plug, to be contained in the deepest part of the said slot, substantially
as described.
Dated this 16th day of August 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.