Improvements in Decanter and Bottle Stoppers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 8th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Decanter and Bottle Stoppers.
I, JANET JANE COLEMAN of 35 Camden Grove Peckham in the County of Surrey
Spinster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
1
The object of this invention is to afford a suitable convenient and secure means
for stoppering decanters and bottles so as to prevent tampering with their contents.
The body of the stopper consists by preference of cork but may also be made of
rubber or other suitable yielding substances. The body is in its upper part provided
with a screw situated in a recess for enabling a key to be inserted "and screwed on.
The key is used as a handle for withdrawing the stopper by. The upper end of the
screw does not protrude. A suitable form of stopper is as follows. Through the
body I pass a central stem by preference made of iron wire. This stem is at
the lower end of the stopper screwed or secured to a washer say of brass which
washer rests on the bottom of the body of the stopper. The upper end of the stem
is screwed for securing a socket say of brass which enters a recess formed in the upper
end of the body of the stopper and which is formed with a flango resting on the
upper end of the stopper. The upper end of the flange socket is slightly recessed
for the purpose of enabling a key to be inserted which can screw onto the end of
the stem.
The body of the cork is by preference bellied the largest diameter being a little
way down from the top.
The application of the stopper is as follows:-
The stopper is pushed so far into the neck of the decanter or bottle as to be
well below the top of the neck say from half an inch to an inch. To withdraw the
stopper the key has to be inserted into the recess and screwed onto the upper end of
the stem thus securing it thereto, so that the stopper can be withdrawn, by taking
hold of the key as a handle.
It will be understood that the key is kept by the master or mistress of the house,
and that the contents of the bottles cannot be tampered with by anyone else not
possessing the key. The same key may morcover fit a number of stoppers of various
sizes.
The invention is especially applicable to spirit and wine decanters and bottles and
to scent bottles.
The screw thread for the key to fit on is by preference left handed
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Decanter and Bottle Stoppers.
I, JANET JANE COLEMAN of 35 Camden Grove, Peckham, in the County of Surrey,
Spinster, 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 this invention is to afford a suitable convenient and secure means for
stoppering decanters bottles jars and other receptacles so as to prevent tampering with
their contents by an unauthorized person.
The body of the stopper consists by preference of cork but may also be made of a
ID 077

page_text: suitable composition, of rubber or other suitable yielding substance. The body is in
its upper part provided with a screw situated in a recess for enabling the end of a
key provided with corresponding female screw thread to be inserted into the recess
and screwed on to the screw. The key having been thus secured to the stopper is
used as a handle for withdrawing the stopper. The upper end of the screw does not
protrude beyond the top of the stopper. It is evident however that any other suitable
device may be employed whereby the key may be temporarily locked in the stopper
so as to allow the latter to be drawn out or pushed into the neck of the bottle or other
receptacle.
.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents one form of my invention' and
is a vertical longitudinal section through a stopper of suitable form; it is shewn in
its place in the neck of a decanter and with the key handle fixed on. Through the.
body A of the stopper is passed a central stem B by preference made of iron wire.
This stem is at the lower end of the stopper screwed or secured to a washer ( say of
brass which washer rests on the bottom of the body A of the stopper. The stem B may
also be soldered to the washer C in addition to being screwed. The upper end of the
stem B is screwed far enough down to secure thereto a socket D say of brass, to
which it may also for further security be soldered. The socket D enters a recess
on the
formed in the upper end of the body A and is formed with a flange D¹ resting
upper end of the body A. The upper end of the flange socket D D' is somewhat
recessed for the purpose of enabling a key E to be inserted which can screw on to
the end of the stem B.
The body A is by preference bellied as shown the largest diameter being a little way
down from the top.
Figure 2 is a side view of another form of stem B having a shank square all the
way as shewn (or it may be just under the head and passed through a washer C shown
in plan at Figure 3 which has two pointed cut out and turned up wings or flaps
which enter the body A and keep the washer from turning. Figures 4 show a
modification in elevation and plan in which the wings are formed radially.
The application of the stopper is as follows:-
The stopper is pushed so far into the neck of the decanter or bottle as to be well
below the top of the neck, say from ono eighth of an inch to an inch. To withdraw
the stopper the key E has to be inserted into the recess and screwed on to the upper
end of the stem B thus securing it thereto, so that the stopper can be withdrawn by
taking hold of the key as a handle. The screw thread for the key to fit on is by
preference left-handed.
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through a stopper only differing
essentially from that shown in Figure 1 in that the socket D is screwed on to the
stem B and then soldered at 6' whereupon the cork or its equivalent A is put on.
The washer is now screwed on and soldered at c¹.
Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal section of another form of stopper in which the
stem B is made tapering and the socket or flange is partly turned down (by spinning
or otherwise) over the outside of the cork, the lower washer C being soldered to the
stem as before described. The upper part of the stem B is here provided with part
concentric flanges with two longitudinal slots therein as shown also in Figure 7 in plan
into which the key takes. The lower part of the key is made flat and a quarter of s
turn or less suffices to lock the key and stopper and permit of the withdrawal of same
The hole for insertion of the key is not necessarily round although shown so here in
order not to render the drawing intricate.
It will be understood that the key is kept by the master or mistress of the house
and that the contents of the bottles cannot be tampered with by any one else no
possessing the key.
The same key may moreover fit a number of stoppers of various outward sizes
The stoppers are especially applicable to spirit and wine decanters or bottles and
scent bottles but they may unquestionably be applied to many other purposes withou
departing from the invention.

page_text: aving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
First. Providing stoppers with a screw or other device in a recess therein and a
key corresponding thereto serving to withdraw the stopper substantially as set forth
for preventing the contents of the receptacle from being interfered with by an
unauthorized person.
Second. The constructions of stopper and key, as described and shown.
nuary 1889.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.