AN IMPROVED STOPPER FOR BOTTLES, DECANTERS. JARS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of the Loughborough
Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
STOPPER FOR BOTTLES, DECANTERS. JARS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES."-A com-
munication from abroad by William Augustus Shaw, residing at Boston,
in the United States of America.
Sealed the 14th February 1862, and dated the 3rd December 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd December 1861.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of the Loughborough Park, Brixton, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN
IMPROVED STOPPER FOR BOTTLES, DECANTERS, JARS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to produce a stopper or cork for bottles,
decanters, and similar articles to replace the ordinary perishable stoppers of
cork wood that shall be easily inserted into the bottle, and as easily withdrawn
therefrom, without the necessity of employing a corkscrew or other instrument;
that shall be capable of being employed again and again an indefinite number
of times, and that shall close the bottle perfectly tight, and prevent the
escape of gas from within the bottle, and at the same time shall not be thrown
out by any pressure exerted by the gas within the bottle. These are the
characteristics of a perfect bottle stopper, and they are all attained by the
present Invention, which consists of a hollow stopper of elastic gum, baving

page_text: shoulders adopted to corresponding shoulders in the neck of the bottle, so that
pressure from within the bottle shall not drive out the stopper," but only force
it more tightly against the sides of the neck. The stopper is, by preference,
made of vulcanized rubber with. an. upper shoulder which rests beneath a
corresponding shoulder in the neck of the bottle, and, also with a lower
shoulder, which rests upon another corresponding shoulder in the bottle.
The stopper is made hollow, and at its bottom end has a solid portion which
fits tightly in the neck of the bottle beneath the lower shoulder; the top of
the stopper, or that portion which projects from the mouth of the bottle, is
flaring to facilitate its withdrawal from the bottle by hand. When the stopper
is to be inserted in the bottle, it is first to be moistened by dipping it into
water; an instrument made of wood, metal, or other suitable material, is
then inserted into the hole in the stopper, which is placed over the mouth of
the bottle, and on pressure being applied to the instrument, the stopper is so
elongated, and consequently reduced in diameter, that it enters the bottle
freely. On withdrawing the instrument, however, the stopper again expands,
and fills the neck of the bottle, and when, by the expansion of the gases
within the bottle, pressure is applied to the lower end of the stopper;-its
body is forced more tightly against the neck of the bottle, and the upper
shoulder is pressed more firmly up beneath the upper shoulder on the neck of
the bottle so that the stopper is perfectly air-tight under all circumstances.
To withdraw the stopper it is simply necessary to pull the flaring portion by
the hand, by which its body is elongated, and is easily withdrawn through the
mouth of the bottle. Depressions are made in the rubber near the lower end
for the purpose of making the cork more flexible at this point, that it may be
more readily elongated when the cork is inserted, and to facilitate the packing
of the joint around the stopper when pressure is applied to its lower end-by
the expansion of gas within the bottle.
It is obvious that the improved stopper is applicable to other articles
besides bottles and decanters, such as jugs, jars, preserving cans, and other
-vessels,-it-being-necessary simply to form the mouth of the article to suit the
cork, and make the latter of suitable proportions to resist the pressure within
without being thrown out.. It is also evident that the exterior form of the
cork may be varied without departing from the Invention, so long as it be
made hollow to permit of its being elongated, and be so enlarged at its body
or central portion that it shall not be thrown from the bottle by pressure from
within the bottle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd June 1862.
11
TO ALL TO WHOM, THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE,
5 TOMLINSON: BOUSFIELD,. of the Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey; send greeting:
WHEREAS Her. most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
O reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special license that I; the said
George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or.
súch others as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield; my executors, admi-
nistrators; and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
5 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 "AN IMPROVED STOPPER FOR BOTTLES, DECANTERS, JARS,
"AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," a communication to me from abroad by the Inventor,,
o William Augustus Shaw, residing, at Boston, in the United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Tomlinson.
Bousfield,, 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
5 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 George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby,
déclare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
0 is to be performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by;
the following statement. thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-.
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say)
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the stopper; Fig. 2, a section through a.
5 bottle having the stopper inserted; Fig. 3, a view of the instrument by means
of which it is inserted into the bottle.
This Invention has for its object to produce a stopper or "cork" for bottles,
decanters, and similar articles to replace the ordinary perishable stoppers of

page_text: cork wood, that shall be easily inserted into the bottle and as easily withdrawn
therefrom without the necessity of employing a corkscrew or other instrument,
that shall be capable of being employed again and again an indefinite number
of times, and that shall close the bottle perfectly tight, and prevent the escape
of gas from within the bottle, and at the same time shall.not be thrown out
bý any pressure exerted by the gas within the bottle. These are the cha-
racteristics of a perfect bottle stopper, and they are all attained by the present.
Invention, which consists of a hollow stopper of elastic gum, having shoulders
adapted to corresponding shoulders in the neck of the bottle, as will now be
more fully described, so that pressure from within the bottle shall not drive
out the stopper, but only force it more tightly against the sides of the neck.
To enable others skilled in the art to understand the Invention, I will
proceed to describe the manner in which it is carried out..
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the stopper, which is
nrade of vulcanized rubber, with an upper shoulder a, which rests beneath a
corresponding shoulder 1 in the neck of the bottle and a lower shoulder b, which
rests upon a corresponding shoulder 2 in the bottle. The stopper is made
hollow, as seen in Fig. 2, and at its bottom end has a solid portion f
which fits tightly in the neck of the bottle beneath the shoulder 2; the top of
the stopper, or that portion which projects from the mouth of the bottle, is.
Baring (as at g) to facilitate its withdrawal from the. bottle by hand. When
the stopper, is to be inserted in the bottle it is first to be moistened by dipping
it into water. An instrument (D, Fig. 3), made of wood, metal, or other
suitable material, is then inserted into the hole (C, Fig. 2) in the stopper,
which is placed over the mouth of the bottle, and on pressure being applied to
the handle h of the instrument D the stopper is so elongated, and consequently
reduced in diameter, that it enters the bottle freely; on withdrawing the
instrument D, however, the stopper again expands and fills the neck of the
bottle, as seen in Fig. 2; and when by the expansion of the gases within
the bottle pressure is applied to the lower end of the stopper, its body at i-is-
forced more tightly against-the-neck-of-the-bottle-and-the-shoulder a is pressed
more firmly up beneath the shoulder 1, so that the stopper is perfectly air-
tight under all circumstances. To withdraw the stopper it is simply necessary
to pull the portion 9 by the hand, by which the body i is elongated and is
easily withdrawn through the mouth of the bottle; n are depressions in the
rubber near the lower end for the purpose of making the cork more flexible at
this point that it may be more readily elongated when the cork is inserted,
and to facilitate the packing of the joint around the stopper when pressure is
applied. to its lower end by the expansion of gas within the bottle. Amongst

page_text: the advantages which this stopper offers over all those heretofore employed
may be enumerated the following:-1st, it is perfectly impervious to air and
will not suffer the smallest escape of gas; 2nd, it may be drawn and used
again and again an indefinite number of times; 3rd, it may be quickly inserted
by hand, the mallet and breaker, which are necessary where the ordinary cork-
wood stopper is employed, being dispensed with; 4th, it may be easily with-
drawn by hand without the use of corkscrew or other instrument, and without
the necessity of perforating or otherwise injuring it; 5th, as the stopper
becomes only the more firm in its place when pressure is applied to its bottoni
end, neither wire nor strings are required to enable it to resist a pressuro
within; 6th, as the material of which it is made is itself impervious to air, the
wax at times required to seal an ordinary cork is dispensed with. These
characteristics render it far more economical than the ordinary corkwood
stopper, and it is particularly applicable to those bottles used to contain soda
and mineral waters, ale, and cider, which require to be frequently refilled, and
in which-the cork must be held in place against the pressure of expansive gas
within the bottle. As the expense of frequently replacing the corks is saved
as well as that of the wires or strings required where stoppers of corkwood
are used, it is obvious that the improved stopper is applicable to other
articles besides bottles and decanters, such as jugs, jars, preserving cans, and
other vessels, it being necessary simply to form the mouth of the article to suit
the cork and make the latter of suitable proportions to resist the pressuro
within without being thrown out. It is also evident that the exterior form of
the cork may be varied without departing from the Invention so long as it be
made hollow to permit of its being elongated, and be so enlarged at its body
or central portion that it shall not be thrown from the bottle by pressure from
within the bottle.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above-recited Letters Patent I claim a hollow elastic stopper operating in
the manner substantially herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this 2nd day of June 1862.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)