IMPROVE- MENTS IN STOPPING BOTTLES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOPPING BOTTLES."-A communication from abroad by Henry
Bateman Goodyear, of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, United
States of Amerion
Sealed the 15th August 1865, and dated the 4th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th March 1865.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPING BOTTLES," a communication to me from abroad
by Henry Bateman Goodyear, of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut,
United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved mode of and apparatus for stopping
or closing bottles containing still liquids, namely liquids which are not charged
with fixed air or gases, and consists in the employment, in combination. with a

page_text: bottle of suitable form and a ball (of larger diameter than the inside of the
bottle neck) made of india-rubber or other suitable elastic material contained
inside the bottle, and capable of floating upon the liquid therein, of an instru-
ment composed of three or more diverging elastic wires firmly secured to a
handle to be held in the hand of the operator, or to a vertical slide carried in
a bracket or support and worked by a lever. The ball, which serves as a
stopper, is contained inside the bottle, and the free ends of the wires of the
instrument above referred to are to be introduced into the bottle through
the neck, their object being to engage with the ball and pull it up into the
contracted neck of the bottle. The wires of this instrument may either be
made perfectly straight, or they may be curved slightly either outwards or
inwards, the latter form being preferred when more resistance or a firmer hold
on the ball, which is to be grasped by the wires whilst it is floating on the
liquid inside the bottle, is required for the purpose of pulling the ball higher
up the neck and for wedging it into its seat with increased power. The ball
will thus be compressed and held more firmly than when the wires are straight
or curved outwardly. The neck of the bottle may be so contracted or lipped
inwardly as to prevent the ball, which is of larger diameter than the neck,
from being drawn out by the force necessary to pull out the instrument and
yet hold the ball when drawn up by as large a surface as possible, giving such
frictional hold as to prevent the ball from springing back and dropping into
the liquid. This mode of constructing bottles with an inner projecting lip in
the neck is particularly recommended for bottles intended to contain beer and
other fermentable liquids, which after bottling are liable to generate expansive
gases. Another mode of preventing the accidental withdrawal of the stopper
when extracting the wires consists in the employment of a check piece
contained inside a fixed metal collar, which fits over the top of the neck, such
check piece consisting of a cross bar extending diametrically across the collar
and made to enter slightly inside the neck of the bottle. When the ball or
stopper is drawn up into the neck by the action of the wires it will be
arrested by coming in contact with the check piece, and consequently the
wires may be withdrawn without fear of extracting at the same time the
stopper. The bottle is placed upon a spring platform, which allows it to be
depressed sufficiently to pass under the check piece, and when adjusted to be
held firmly against the collar with the check piece inside the neck The
wires which pass through the collar are then brought down by the action of a
spring on the lever before referred to, and so soon as they have seized the ball
or stopper they are drawn upwards by depressing a foot treadle and thereby

page_text: draw the stopper into the bottle neck and close the same. The bottle is then
depressed again to allow of its removal from the machine, and a fresh one is
supplied to take its place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the City of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the 28th year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 STOPPING
BOTTLES," a communication to me from abroad by Henry Bateman Goodyear,
of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
.
The said Invention relates to an improved mode of and apparatus for
stopping or closing bottles containing still liquids, namely liquids which are not

page_text: charged with fixed air or gases, and consists in the employment, in combina-
tion with a bottle of suitable form and a ball (of larger diameter than the
inside of the bottle neck) made of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
material contained inside the bottle, and capable of floating upon the liquid
therein, of an instrument composed of three or more diverging elastic wires
firmly secured to a handle to be held in the hand of the operator, or to a
verticle slide carried in a bracket or support and worked by a lever. The
ball, which serves as a stopper, is contained inside the bottle, and the free ends
of the wires of the instrument above referred to are to be introduced into the
bottle through the neck, their object being to engage with the ball and pull it
up into the contracted neck of the bottle. The wires of this instrument may
either be made perfectly straight, or they may be curved slightly either
outwards or inwards, the latter form being preferred when more resistance or
a firmer hold on the ball, which is to be grasped by the wires whilst it is
floating on the liquid inside the bottle, is required for the purpose of pulling
the ball higher up the neck and for wedging it into its seat with increased
power. The ball will thus be compressed and held more firmly than when
the wires are straight or curved outwardly. The neck of the bottle may be so
contracted or lipped inwardly as to prevent the ball, which is of larger diameter
than the neck, from being drawn out by the force necessary to pull out the
instrument and yet hold the ball when drawn up by as large a surface as
possible, giving such frictional hold as to prevent the ball from springing back
and dropping into the liquid. This mode of constructing bottles with an inner
projecting lip in the neck is particularly recommended for bottles intended to
contain beer and other fermentable liquids, which after bottling are liable to
generate expansive gases. Another mode of preventing the accidental with-
drawal of the stopper when extracting the wires consists in the employment of
a check piece contained inside a fixed metal collar, which fits over the top of
the neck, such check piece consisting of a cross bar extending diametrically
across the collar and made to enter slightly inside the neck of the bottle.
When the ball or stopper is drawn up with the neck by the action of the wires
it will be arrested by coming in contact with the check piece, and consequently
the wires may be withdrawn without fear of extracting at the same time the
stopper. The bottle is placed upon a spring platform, which allows it to be
depressed sufficiently to pass under the check piece, and when adjusted to be
held firmly against the collar with the check piece inside the neck. The wires,
which pass through the collar are then brought down by the action of a spring
on the lever before referred to, and so soon as they have seized the ball or

page_text: stopper they are drawn upwards by depressing a foot treadle and thereby draw
the stopper into the bottle neck and close the same. The bottle is then
depressed again to allow of its removal from the machine, and a fresh one is
supplied to take its place.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer
to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a sectional elevation of a bottle in the
act of being stoppered by the improved instrument hercin-before referred to;
Figure 2 is a perspective elevation of a more perfect arrangement of apparatus
for stoppering bottles according to this Invention; Figure 3 is a vertical
section of a portion thereof; and Figure 4 is a sectional detail of the collar
and check piece herein-after more particularly referred to. In the simple
arrangement shown at Figure 1 it is necessary that the neck of the bottle A
should be so contracted as to prevent the ball B from being drawn out by the
force necessary to pull out the instrument C, yet hold the ball when drawn up
by as large a surface as possible, giving such frictional hold as to prevent the
ball from springing back and dropping into the liquid. The Drawings
exhibit a form of bottle which produces good results. In some cases it may
be necessary to give at the part most contracted an additional and more
sudden contraction in order to more effectually retain the ball. For bottling
beer or other fermentable substance which when bottled are liable to generate
expansive gases, this mode of constructing bottles is particularly recommended.
The ball is very elastic and of a diameter somewhat larger than that of the
contraction in the neck, and although no positive rule can be given for the
degree of elasticity of the ball or the relative dimension of the ball and the
neck, it will suffice to say that the ball must be such as to admit of its entering
the neck from within the bottle by gradual compression, and when compressed,
as shewn in Figure 3, of being elongated, without, however, such diminution of
its diameter as will allow of its being thrown out. The mode of making the
balls as required for the purpose of the Invention, i.e. impervious and elastic,
is well known to those acquainted with the manufacture of india-rubber. I
prefer to make them hollow, i.e, in two parts united and vulcanized in the
mould.
The instrument used to pull up the stopper or ball is composed of three or
more diverging, springing, or elastic wires firmly secured in a handle. The
form of the wires may be varied according to circumstances; they may be

page_text: straight or curved, to flare at their under sides, or curved inwardly in the form
of a claw; the latter mode is adopted when more resistance or firmer hold on
the ball is required for the purpose of pulling the ball higher up the neck and
for wedging it into its seat with increased power, the ball will thus be
compressed and held more firmly than when the wires are straight or curved
outwardly. The bottle being filled the ball will float upon the surface of the
liquid, the wire instrument C is then introduced by bringing the ends together.
On passing the neck the wires are allowed to open or expand, and are then
directed over the floating ball. On further descending the wires the ball
engaged among them will be forced in between the wires with a force
proportionate to the bouyancy of the ball, which is sufficient to maintain it
therein. The wires are now withdrawn, and in so doing the ball is drawn up,
compressed and wedged into its seat with a force equal to the frictional hold
of the compressed wires on the ball. When the ball is brought down the
wires will slip off. With a little practice bottles may be filled and stopped
with great celerity. As the balls, however, will sometimes vary in elasticity, and
the wires seize the ball higher up or lower down amongst the wires, and thus
hold the ball with greater or less force than calculated, for it may sometimes
happen that however perfect the instrument may be the balls are drawn out
from the bottle. To remedy this objection the operation of bottling may be
effected by a machine constructed and operated in the manner shown by
Figures 2, 3, and 4, and herein-after described. Upon a table D is firmly
established the frame or standard E, the lower part of which is curved
corresponding with the outlines of the bottle A to be stopped. To a bracket
projecting towards the rear is hung or pivoted a lever F, the front end of
which is jointed to a plunger G, whilst its rear end is connected with a rod H,
which traverses the table and is attached to a treadle or pedal arranged
conveniently for the operator to work the lever. A spiral spring I or a weight
is attached to the forward end of the lever in such manner as to tend to
depress the plunger. The upper portion and front side of the standard is
provided with two guides K and L, within which the plunger is caused to
travel up and down when actuated by the pedal. In this plunger are secured
the diverging wires C, of which there are six, or more or less, and they are
passed through a collar or ring M, cast on to the bracket. With the collar.
M is combined a check piece or blade N (Figures 3 and 4) arranged
diametrically across the collar M, and projecting from the under surface of the
said collar so as to enter the neck of the bottle when the latter is applied
against the collar, thus serving the double purpose of guiding and holding the

page_text: bottle centrally in relation to the collar and the wires, and of preventing the
ball from being drawn out of the neck by the wires.. To facilitate the placing
the bottle in the proper position for the wires, I adapt a platform O, supported
in a pedestal P by means of a spring Q, upon which platform the bottle is
accurately placed by means of a gauge R. A horse or clamp or guide S is
provided for holding the upper part of the bottle. Such being the construction
of the apparatus, its operation will be readily understood from the following
description of the modus operandi:-The filled bottle, with the ball B
floating on top of the liquid, is placed on the platform while the wires
are drawn up. The bottle is thus placed with slight pressure, so that
the platform yielding the bottle will clear the projecting cheek N and
adapt itself to both guides or gauges R and S. The bottle is then
released and the pressure on the treadle removed. The plunger, actuated
by tho spring, will then push down into the bottle the wires C, which expand
with the form of the bottle, as shown in Figure 2, surrounding the ball. The
foot now presses the lever and plunger actuating pedal, and the wires are
drawn up along the contracted neck of the bottle, whereby they are caused
to close in on the ball, seize it and draw it up with them into the neck until
its further upward movement is arrested by the check N. It will be under-
stood that the wires may seize the ball with greater force and wedge it more
tightly into the neck without danger of its being drawn out.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st, the application and use of the wire instrument C for seizing and
drawing up and forcing internal elastic ball valves or stoppers into the necks
of bottles for the purpose of closing and stopping the same as herein-before
described.
Second, the combination with the wire instrument C, for seizing and
drawing up and forcing internal elastic ball valves into the necks of bottles
for the purposes of closing or stopping the same, of a check piece N, operating
iu combination with the said wire instrument, substantially in the manner and
for the purpose set forth.
Third, the general construction and arrangement of machine or apparatus
herein described for closing bottles by means of internal elastic valves in the
manner shown and set forth.

page_text: Fourth, the forming an internal lip or contraction in bottle necks when
combined with an internal elastic ball valve or stopper for the purpose of
preventing the stopper from being forced outwards therefrom, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)