IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OF CLOSING BOTTLES, FLASKS, CASKS, OR OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brewer Silverlock, of 92, Blackfriars
Road, in the Borough of Southwark, Printer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OF CLOSING BOTTLES, FLASKS, CASKS, OR OTHER
VESSELS."
Sealed the 31st December 1872, and dated the 16th October 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brewer
Silverlock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 16th October 1872.
I, WILLIAM BREWER SILVERLOCK, of 92, Blackfriars Road, in the
Borough of Southwark, Printer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OF CLOSING BOTTLES, FLASKS,
CASES, OR OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to enable small quantities of the
liquid contained in bottles, flasks, casks, or similar vessels to be
taken out of such vessels without removing the cork, bush, or other
kind of stopper by which such vessels are hermetically or otherwise
closed. To this end I so perforate the cork, bush, or stopper as to make
therein a straight, or by preference a bevelled aperture, the cross section

page_text: of which may be either circular, square, elliptic, or have any other
suitable shape. I provide a second stopper or plug, made either of wood,
metal, glass, or other appropriate material, either straight or bevelled, so
as to suit the shape of the aperture made in the cork or stopper, and of
a length likewise corresponding to that of the cork or stopper, and
having at its lower or inside end as a continuation a thin spindle or rod
of cylindrical or other shape, to the extremity of which I fit a pin, thin
plate, curb, or washer of circular, elliptic, polygonal, or other suitable
shape, the length or diameter of which exceeds the diameter or greatest
width of the inside aperture of the cork, bush, or stopper. To the upper
or outside extremity of the plug I fit or attach a knob or head of any
suitable ornamental or other shape. The whole of the parts of the second
stopper or plug described may either be made of one and the same piece
of wood, glass, metal, or other material, or else consist of several or
separate pieces, made either of the same material or of different materials,
and the component parts be fitted together or connected with one
another by screws, pins, joints, or any other suitable means. When the
body of the second stopper or plug is inserted in the aperture provided
for it in the cork, bush, or stopper of the bottle, flask, cask, or other
vessel, it may be raised or partly withdrawn, the pin or washer at its
inside end preventing it from slipping out or being withdrawn entirely,
and the requisite quantity of liquid may then be taken out of the vessel
without removing the cork or other stopper itself, and the second stopper
or plug may then be replaced in its original position.
By a modification in the application of my Invention I prefer in somo
cases to insert the plug or stopper herein-before described in the neck of
the bottle or flask directly and thus dispense with any other perforated

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Brewer Silverlock, Her special
licence that I, the said William Brewer Silverlock, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Brewer Silverlock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OF CLOSING BOTTLES, FLASKS, CASKS, OR OTHER
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Brewer Silverlock, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Brewer Silverlock, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying Sheet of
|Drawings:-
This Invention has for its object to enable small quantities of the
liquid contained in bottles, flasks, casks, or similar vessels to be taken
out of such vessels without removing the cork, bush, shive, or other
kind of stopper by which such vessels are hermetically or otherwise
closed. To this end I so perforate the cork, shive, or stopper.as to make
therein a straight, or by preference a bevelled aperture, the cross section
of which may be either circular, square, elliptic, or of any other suitable
shape. I provide a second stopper or plug, made either of wood, metal,
glass, or other appropriate material, either straight or bevelled, so as to
suit the shape of the aperture made in the cork or stopper, and of a
length likewise corresponding to that of the cork or stopper, and having
at its lower or inside end as a continuation a thin spindle or rod of
cylindrical or other shape, to the extremity of which I fit a pin, thin

page_text: plate, curb, cap, or washer of circular, elliptic, polygonal, or other
suitable shape, the length or diameter of which exceeds the diameter or
greatest width of the inside aperture of the cork, shive, or stopper. To
the upper or outside extremity of the plug I fit or attach a knob or head
of any suitable ornamental or other shape. The whole of the parts of
the second stopper or plug described may either be made of one and the
same piece of wood, glass, metal, or other material, or else consist of
several or separate pieces made either of the same material or of different
materials and the component parts be fitted together or connected with
one another by means of screws, pins, joints, or in any other suitable
manner. When the body of the second stopper or plug is inserted in
the aperture provided for it in the cork, bush, shive, or stopper of the
bottle, flask, cask, or other vessel it may be raised or partly withdrawn,
the pin or washer at its inside end preventing it from slipping out or
being withdrawn entirely, and the requisite quantity of liquid may then
be taken out of the vessel without removing the cork or other stopper
itself, and the second stopper or plug may then be replaced in its original

page_text: Figure 1 is a front view of a bottle or flask fitted with a stopper con-
structed in accordance with my Invention; Figure 2 is part of a
longitudinal section of the same; Figure 3 and Figure 4 are horizontal
sections through the neck of the bottle and through the stopper. In
this case the bottle or flask is fitted with a perforated cork in which the
stopper is inserted in the manner herein-before described.
In Figure 5 the stopper is shewn in its extreme position, that is to
say, drawn out as far as it can be done in order to allow a small quantity
of the liquid contained in the bottle to flow out. In this case the rod or
spindle is flattened on two sides, and the cap of the stopper is made
entirely flat.
In Figures 6, 7, and 8 are shewn a front view, a longitudinal and a
cross section of a bottle furnished with a stopper fitted thereto in a
different manner. Instead of a perforated cork within the neck of such
bottle a cap made of glass or metal is here fitted around it by means of
screw threads, and a packing ring of cork or other suitable material is
placed between the top of the neck of the bottle and the part of the
screw cap fitting thereto. The interior diameter of the ring being mado
somewhat smaller than that of the neck the extremity of the stopper
which in this case is made semi-spherical and grooved or flooted will
bear on this packing ring on being drawn out, and the small quantity of
liquid required will escape through the grooves or channels I, I, made
in the extremity of the stopper.
In Figures 9, 10, and 11 a similar arrangement to the previous one is
shewn in front view, longitudinal, and cross section. The cap, packing
ring, spindle, and extremity of the stopper are in this case designed like
those shewn in Figures 6 and 7, but instead of making the part G of the
stopper which is held within the aperture of the screw cap conic, as in
the previous instance, I furnish the same with screw threads, so as to
allow of its being screwed in and out instead of being pushed in and
pulled out.
In Figures 12 and 13 I have shewn in longitudinal and cross section
a similar screw tap arrangment to the previous one; only instead of
inserting the stopper into the cap directly I here fit it to a tube, made of
cork or other material, and this tube B I fit into the aperture of the
cap. The remainder is similar to the arrangement shewn in Figure 7.

page_text: The arrangement illustrated in Figures 14 and 15, in longitudinal and
cross section, corresponds to the one just described, with this difference
however, that the spindle and cap of the stopper are not made all round
but partly or wholly flat, as in the arrangement, Figure 2.
In Figures 16 and 17 I have shown a longitudinal section of the neck
of a larger bottle, and a plan of the stopper fitted to it, in accordanco
with my Invention. The working of this stopper is similar to that shewn
in Figures 1 and 2. The cap F is clongated so as to allow the requisito
quantity of liquor to flow out freely between its sides and the inside of
the perforated cork.
A different kind of stopper is shown in Figures 18 and 19, in clevation
and plan, where a portion of the neck piece of the stopper forms a
square, the sides of which are made slightly convex so as to allow a
larger quantity of liquor to escape than in the arrangement shewn in
Figure 16; also to enable the stopper to work even without being pulled
out as far as in the case illustrated in Figure 16.
In the stopper shewn in Figure 20 the cap F, shewn in plan in
Figure 21, is made of metal plate, and of such a shape as to bear
upon the perforated cork and overlap its aperture in three or four places,
allowing the liquid to pass through the gorges f, ƒ.
In Figures 22 and 23 I have shewn a front view and longitudinal
section of a vent peg fitted with a stopper constructed in accordance
with my Invention. In this case a perforated tube B, made of cork, is
fitted to the vent peg, and the stopper is constructed upon the same
principle and furnished with such an elongated cap as in Figure 16. In
some cases, illustrated in Figure 25, I prefer to furnish the stopper with
a round cap F and the body of the vent peg with two pins K, K, by
which tho stopper is prevented from coming out entirely.
In Figure 24 I have given a plan of the stopper shewn in the arrange-
ment Figure 23; and in Figure 26 a plan of Figure 25.
Although the diagrams shown in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
embody the whole of the leading features of my Invention I do not mean
to confine myself to the modes of applying the Invention illustrated in
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, but reserve to myself to embody

page_text: or clothe theso features in different forms from those illustrated in the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, as well as to apply the same
Invention to all kindred purposes; for instance, to adapt it directly or
indirectly to the bushes or shives of casks, and generally wherever an
aperture is to be opened up or stopped by an easy motion of the hand.
In all the illustrations shewn in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
identical letters of reference denote identical parts or organs of the
appliance, that is to say :-
A, the body of the bottle, flask, vessel, or vent peg to be closed;
B, the perforated cork or other tube fitted thereto; C, the cap screwed
on to the necks of bottles or flasks; D, the 'top, head, or knob of the
stopper; E, the rod or spindle of the stopper; F, the cap or inside
extremity of the stopper, made in the shape of a semi-spherical cap, an
elongated or flat piece, a washer, plate, or curb; G, the cylindrical,
conic, or threaded part of the stopper, fitted within the perforated cork
or corresponding part of the bottle or vessel; H, the packing ring; I, the
grooves or channels in the cap of the stopper; K, the pius in the vent
peg, Figure 25; f, the gorges in the cap plate, Figure 21.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and illustrated
the same in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not claim as my Invention the fitting of a stopper within
a perforated cork or other kind of tube inserted in the neck of a bottle
or other vessel; neither do I claim the application of a stopper to vent
pegs, which has been known and practised heretofore; but what I do
claim is,-
First. The use or employment of a stopper furnished with a washer,
thin plate, curb, cap, or pin, so connected with a tube of cork or other
material, and fitted to a bottle, flask, or other vessel as to permit of a
small quantity of the liquid contained in such vessel to be withdrawn, in
the manner described in the foregoing, and illustrated in the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
Secondly. The use or employment of a stopper furnished with such a
cap, curb, pin, or thin plate as a means of closing bottles directly without
on intermediate norforated cork or other tube in the mannan and

page_text: purpose herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
Thirdly. The application of a stopper similarly fitted with a washer,
curb, or cap to vent pegs, in the manner herein-before described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brewer Silverlock, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
WILLIAM BREWER SILVERLOCK. (L.S.)
J. T. DANN,
43, Cowley Road,
Brixton, S.W.