Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE WOLFGANG STEFFENS, of 123 Boylston
Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, Gentleman.]
Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 stoppers adapted to prevent the re-filling of a bottle
without destruction of the stopper itself or the neck of the bottle, and the invention
consists in a device of this character comprising a shell of absorbent and expansive
material, such as wood, which is locked in position in the bottle-neck by the
swelling of a previously compressed portion of the shell. The invention also
consists in other improvements incidental to the purposes of my invention, all as
hereinafter described and claimed.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,-
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the stopper, in connection with a portion
of the neck of a bottle.
Figure 2 represents a perspective view of a stopper before its insertion in the
neck of a bottle.
Figure 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1, the bottle-neck being
omitted.
Figure 4 represents a section on line 4-4, Figure 1.
Figures 5 and 6 represent sectional views of the blank from which the stopper
is made.
Figure 7 represents a sectional view of the shell of the stopper before its
compressed portion is expanded.
Similar reference letters indicate the same parts throughout the several views.
In the drawings-
a represents a portion of the neck of a bottle, having an internal groove or
enlargement a'. 6 indicates the shell of the stopper, which is made of wood, a
portion of said shell being formed, in the process of manufacturing it, with a
swell or enlargement (Figure 5), which enlargement is compressed before the shell
is bored out, as indicated by the shaded portions 62 (Figure 6), so that said
enlargement will be flush with the rest of the shell externally, and adapted when
the stopper is in the bottle-neck, to be swelled by the action of the liquid so as to
expand into the grove a' of the bottle-neck, as shown in Figure 1. The blank
shown in Figures 5 and 6 is bored out, as shown in Figure 7, to complete the shell
after the compression of the part 6¹.
The upper end of the shell is provided with a pouring nipple c, preferably of
porcelain or similar material, which is secured in place in the shell by suitable
means, such as pins c', or it may be held by friction and by the inward expansion
of the surrounding portion of the casing. A band of metal, as at d, surrounds the
shoulder 6 at the upper end of the shell, said metal band serving to prevent the
said shoulder from being knocked or broken off when resting upon the top of

page_text: the bottle-neck, and also to prevent the enlargement of the diameter of the shell
by the absorption of liquid, the swelling of the wood being therefore caused to
contract the opening which receives the nipple e, so that the nipple is firmly
secured to the shell.
Between the shoulder 62 and the enlargement &', the shell is cut away to form
narrow connecting webs or necks e, which webs or necks will break if it should be
attempted to remove the stopper from the bottle-neck. Below the nipple c is n
guard, preferably of porcelain or similar material, having arms which are
secured to the webs or necks e by means of pins f2. Or if preferred, the arms f¹
may rest on a seat or shoulder formed on the interior of the shell.
The lower end of the shell is provided with a convex valve-seat g, and
h represents a concave valve, preferably of vulcanized rubber, the rubber compound
being of such nature that it will not be affected by wines and liquors and other
liquids which are put upon the market in large quantities in bottles. From the
centre of the valve h a cord 2 depends, said cord being preferably of silk and
having a weight which is free to slide on its lower end. The cord is provided
with a series of separate loose collars j, such as glass beads, interposed between
the bottom of the valve and the top of the weight. The weight is preferably
composed of a metal body 2, having a central orifice to receive the cord, and a
covering 3 of rubber to prevent injurious contact between the weight and the
bottle when the latter is tipped. The cord being flexible, holds the valve to its
seat without having a tendency to tip the valve and partially open it when the
bottle is moved from a vertical position. The loose beads or sections j, while not
interfering with the flexibility of the cord, constitute a connection between the
valve and weight which transmits the force of the weight to the valve.
k represents pins projecting inward from the lower portions of the webs or
necks e, which pins may be and preferably are of wood, these pins serving to limit
the upward movement of the valve h. These pins may be omitted, however, if
desired.
In operation, after the bottle has been filled, the stopper is inserted in the
bottle-neck, the shell being in the condition shown in Figure 7, after which the
compressed portion is subjected to the action of a liquid, which may be
the contents of the bottle. The compressed portion of the shell is thus caused to
assume its original form, the swell & being thus restored and caused to engage the
groove a' of the bottle.
When the bottle is tilted to pour out its contents, the valve readily yields, as
will be understood. If the contents of the bottle are of such nature as to cause
the valve to stick or adhere to its seat, the weight i may be caused to act as a
hammer, through the medium of the collars j, so as to start the valve from its seat.
If it be attempted to refill the bottle through the nipple c in any manner, the
valve, aided by the weight i, will quickly seat itself and prevent the inflow of any
liquid.
As will be readily understood, since the hollow shell or casing b is made of
wood, as above stated, which is an absorbent and expansive material, the said shell
serves as a conduit through which the liquid finds exit and into which a portion of
said liquid may be passed immediately after the bottle has been filled and the
stopper inserted. The absorption of some of the liquid causes the compressed
portion to expand to its original form and form a shoulder, which co-acts with the
corresponding groove or locking member of the bottle-neck to prevent the removal
of the stopper from the bottle, the said shoulder remaining on the shell without
being affected by any subsequent shrinkage of the shell, so that the shell is
permanently locked to the bottle.
It will be seen that the valve-seat and the shell or casing are made in one piece,
so that the attachment is applied as a whole to the bottle, no adjustment of the
parts relatively to each other being required within the bottle-neck.
When the bottle is closed, a cork or other detachable stopper is inserted in the
nipple c.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A bottle-stopper comprising a hollow casing of absorbent and expansive
material and formed to serve as a conduit and provided with suitable closing means
and with a neck of substantially uniform diameter which is compressed and
adapted after its insertion in a bottle to expand and form a shoulder caused by the
absorption of the liquid.
2. A bottle-stopper comprising a hollow wooden casing provided with a valve-
Beat, a valve, and a valve-guard, and having at its lower end a neck of substan-
tially uniform diameter which is compressed and adapted after its insertion
in a bottle to expand and form a shoulder caused by the absorption of the
liquid.
3. A bottle-stopper comprising in its construction a shell or casing of absorbent
and expansive material having a compressed portion adapted to lock said shell in a
bottle-neck, a valve-seat, a suitable guard, and a weakened portion above the
locking portion.
4. The combination with the shell 6 having a compressed shoulder b', and
provided with the shoulder at its upper end, of the metal band b enclosing said
shoulder, and the pouring nipple c within the said shoulder.
5. In a bottle-stopper, the combination with an absorbent and expansive shell
having a locking portion, a weakened portion, and a valve and valve-seat,
of a nipple and guard of vitreous material secured in the upper end of said
shell.
6. In a bottle-stopper, the combination with a valve-seat and a valve, of a
weight having a flexible connection with said valve, and a plurality of loose
collars embracing said flexible connection between the valve and the weight.
Dated this 18th day of Mar 1896
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.