Improvements in Non-refilling Bottles, Jars, and like Vessels.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1899
Complete Specification Left 25th Nov. 1899 Accepted 30th Dec. 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Non-refilling Bottles, Jars, and like Vessels..
WALTER LEAVER, Engineer, 29, York Road, Stepney, E., in the County of
Middlesex, and ROBERT SAMUEL RELF, 6, Victoria Dock Road, Canning Town,
Borough of West Ham, County of Essex, Licensed Victualler, we do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of an apparatus made of grain tin or any other material
containing an internal valve, to be placed in the neck of a bottle, jar, and like
vessels. The top part to be expanded into a cavity in the neck of the bottle, jar,
and like vessels, so designed for our apparatus to prevent the refilling of such
bottle, jar, and like vessels, when once emptied thus preventing fraudulent
refilling.
L
"
1000
Improvements in Non-refilling Bottles, Jars, and like Vessels.
We, WALTER LEAVER, of 29, York Road, Stepney, London, E., Engineer, and
ROBERT SAMUEL RELF, of 6, Victoria Dock Road, West Ham, Essex, Licensed
Victualler, 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:-
Our invention relates to bottles, jars, and like vessels, so constructed and
arranged as to be incapable of being refilled when once emptied, and consists of
a specially formed neck provided upon the said vessel, and an apparatus adapted
to fit thereinto, the framework of which said apparatus is composed of tin or
other metal or material, and encloses a ball which operates as a valve, the top
portion of the said apparatus being provided with projecting pieces or lugs
adapted to expand and contract or in other words to project and recede beyond
and within the outer periphery of the same, the said lugs or pieces being adapted
to engage with a groove or other cavity formed in the neck of the vessel, and so
prevent the possibility of the removal of the apparatus from the vessel, and thus
frustrating the possibility of the bottle or the like being again refilled in fraud
of the original packer.
In order that our invention and the manner of its operation may be fully
understood reference is hereinafter made to the accompanying drawings, of
which

page_text: Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are elevation, top plan, and under plan views respectively of
the said apparatus, to be placed within the neck of the vessel.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a wine or other bottle constructed according to
our invention for the reception of Fig. 1, and which will suffice to make clear the
· general formation of the neck or mouth of jars and other vessels, for the recep-
tion of the said apparatus Fig. 1 for the purposes of our invention.
"
Fig. 5 is a like view of Fig. 4 showing the position of Fig. 1 when first in-
serted therein, while Fig. 6 is a like view shewing the position of Fig. I when
fully inserted into Fig. 5 and surmounted by a cork.
Fig. 7 is a view illustrating how the liquor in Fig. 6 may be withdrawn, after
the cork is removed, without removing the apparatus Fig. 1.
In carrying our invention into effect we construct of any suitable metal or
other material, the frame work of the apparatus to be fixed into the containing
vessel, the said frame consisting of a circular plate A at its upper end in which
is formed a hole B, the said plate being provided with a suitable number (pre-
ferably four) of members C, in which is placed and fitted two lugs D. D', that
normally protrude beyond and beneath the outer periphery of the plate A, and are
held so protruding by the means of any suitable expansive, or elastic material;
preferably by the means of a metallic spring E. The members C are arranged
to converge and become, or are attached to, a circular plate F, to which is con-
nected a like number of members G, which diverge from their point of connection
with F and have their free ends connected to a circular frame H, having a rim J
and a circular passage K (Fig. 3) the upper edge of the said circular passage
forming a seating for a glass or other ball or marble L to operate as a valve for
closing the same as hereinafter explained.
The neck of the vessel M to which the device Fig. 1 is to be, applied, has upon
its outer surface, and at a suitable distance from its mouth, a ridge a, and at or
about level with this an annular ridge or groove b is formed upon the inner
surface of the neck, the said neck being narrowed at c to form a seating for the
rim J.
The vessel M when filled with some particular or special brand of wine, brandy,
or other liquor, would have the apparatus Fig. 1 placed therein, the mouth of M
being of such dimensions as to permit this, and allow the projecting lugs D D¹ to
rest thereon, as at Fig. 5. If now force be imparted to the plate Fin the direction
of the arrow Fig. 5 sufficient to overcome the expansive force of the spring E,
the lugs DD, (being tapered upon their under surfaces) would recede within the
diameter of the plate A, and such force continuing would push the entire
apparatus down into the neck of the bottle, until the rim J becomes seated in
the narrowest part c of the vessel, at which moment the lugs D D will have
arrived at the annular groove or ridge b, and would spring out and engage there-
with as shewn in Fig. 6, and thereby render it impossible to remove the apparatus
from the vessel. The space left in the neck of the vessel above the plate A may
now be occupied by a cork N, and if necessary such cork may be tied down by a
wire or string d, the ridges a being provided upon the neck of the vessel for that
purpose.
In order that the rim J may make an air-tight seating in the narrowest por-
tion c af the vessel, the said rim may be of soft metal, or be coated with rubber.
or other resilient material to effect the same end, and when the whole or a
portion of the contents of the bottle is to be removed the cork N may be with-
drawn, when, by tilting the bottle the ball L would leave its seating and roll
into the enclosure formed by the members G, so that such of the contents of the
vessel as desired may be poured out, the said contents passing through the
passage K in J, around the ball L and between the members G and C and out
through the passage B in A, as illustrated in Fig. 7, the ball L operating as a
valve for closing the passage K when the vessel is again placed upright.
The vessel having been emptied it would be impossible to again refill the same,
for the reason that when the vessel is placed upright for refilling the ball L

page_text: would, by the action of gravity, close the passage K, and if the intended refilling
of the vessel be by force, such force would also operate to place L more closely
down upon K, and by reason of the presence of the plate it would be impos-
sible to reach the ball L from the mouth of the vessel, while the smallness of
the hole B in the plate A renders it impossible to reach the lugs D D', or the
spring E, thereof with a view to removing the former from the ridge or groove b,
hence the attainment of the objects of our invention.
In cases where our invention is applied in connection with vessels containing
jam, pickles, and other condiments, or other solid or semi-solid substances, the
same can only be withdrawn by breaking the neck of the vessel, which would
render such vessel incapable of being refilled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1st. The herein described apparatus and the construction of the neck of a
bottle, jar, or other vessel for the reception of the said apparatus, as a means
for preventing the surrepticious refilling of the said vessel when once emptied,
substantially as herein set forth and shewn.
2nd. As a means for preventing the surrepticious refilling of bottles, jars, and
like vessels, the combination of such a vessel M, the neck of which has an
internal groove or ridge b, and narrowed portion e, in combination with an
apparatus consisting of a plate A, with hole B3, and connected by members C with
a circular plate F, the latter connected by members G with a frame H, having
a rim J and central passage K, and enclosing a glass or other ball or marble L,
the said plate A carrying two or more protruding lugs 1 D¹, operated by a
spring E or other elastic medium, the said lugs being adapted to make contact
with the said groove or ridge in M, and the rim J with the narrowest portion c,
when the said apparatus is forced into the neck of the said vessel, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by the appended drawings.
Dated this 25th day of November 1899.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.