Improvements in or relating to Stoppers for Bottles or other Receptacles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1.899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Stoppers for Bottles or other
Receptacles.
A communication from CHARLES NATHAN BRISCO, of 153, La Salle Street,
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in stoppers for bottles or other recep-
tacles of the class employed more especially as original receptacles or packages
for special kinds of liquid merchandise to render the bottle non-refillable, and
thus prevent such second or repeated use thereof, by unauthorized persons, as
would enable them to refill the bottle and, on the strength of the known
guarantee of the bottle itself, deceive users into the belief that the substitute
contents were supplied by the original bottlers.
The object is to provide a simple and inexpensive bottle-stopper which, while
permitting original contents to be readily poured from the bottle, will, by pre-
venting refilling of the bottle, operate as an effective safeguard against use of the
bottle a second time without such injury to the parts of the stopper as will lead
to easy detection.
In the drawing-
Figure 1 is a sectional view of the neck-portion of a bottle with the improve-
ments in place and showing the stopper closed; Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. 1,
but showing the stopper open to permit pouring of contents from the bottle;
Fig. 3, a top plan view of the valve; Fig. 4, a perspective view, on a reduced
scale, of a housing piece forming one of the details of construction; Fig. 5, a
view in elevation of a spring and spring-holder; Fig. 6, an elevation of the
parts shown in Fig. 5 taken from another side; Fig. 7, a bottom plan view of a
shield for the mouth of the bottle, forming part of the stopper-construction;
Fig. 8, a side elevation of the part shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a wire locking piece
employed to secure the stopper against opening in transit; Fig. 10, a bottom
plan view of the handle for opening and closing the valve; Fig. 11, a broken
and partly sectional elevation of the upper part of the stopper; and Fig. 12, a
plan view of a blank or seal employed with the stopper as an additional safe-
guard.
A is the mouth or neck-portion of a bottle. Crowded into, and preferably
cemented in place in the neck A, in the position shown, is a ring B, which may
be of cork, provided with the central opening & surrounded by a valve-seat t¹.
C is a shield or cap having a flat upper face s, and provided on its under side
with a downward projecting tubular portion or sleeves having preferably three
radial projections or lugs . The under face of the cap-piece C is formed with

page_text: radial serrations presenting attaching parts 3, and an annular series of outlets 4.
In practice, the shield or cap-piece rests at the parts 3 upon the upper end of
the bottle, the parts 3 being recessed, as indicated at 5, to fit snugly over the
annular end at the mouth of the bottle. The lugs or projections fit closely
against the inner wall of the neck-portion of the bottle as shown. To secure
the shield or cap-piece in place a cement is provided which will be unaffected
by moisture, and which will secure the parts firmly together. For bottles of
different sizes cap-pieces Care provided to correspond and fit snugly in place.
Extending through the sleeve-portion s' is the central opening 6, flanked by
vertical grooves or recesses si. The upper face-portion of the cap-piece is
recessed around the openings, to produce an annular shallow socket. The
lower end of the sleeve-portion is shaped to form a pair of segmental cams »
which commence at and are deepest at the grooves s.
stem
r
D is a disk or handle having a flat under surface to fit closely against the
upper surface of the cap-piece C and having a central stem r which passes down-
ward through the opening in the sleeve s¹. In the socket 8, and confined
between the cap C and disk D around the stem r, is a spring . On the lower
end-portion of the stem r are radially extending pins or lugs 2 which, when the
stem is inserted through the openings, enter and pass through the grooves s.
The stem r is of such length that when inserted to a position where the disk D
is close to but out of contact with the top of the cap-piece C, as shown in Fig. 2,
the pins are just below the lower ends of the sockets s7. Turning of the
disk D causes the pins 3 to slide upon the cams and draw the disk D to the
surface of the cap-piece C against the resistance of the spring ri, as shown in
Fig. 1. D is a valve shaped at its under side to fit the valve-seat t and pro-
vided at its upper side with a circumferential recess q, and preferably three
upward projecting guide-lugs_g'. 12 is a housing-piece having an enlarged
lower end-portion p to fit closely the annular groove g of the valve, and having
an upward extending reduced sleeve-portion pl fitting over the lower end of the
in an
inner annular socket
the
$10 in
lower end portion
of the sleeve $¹. In the sleeve-portion p¹ of the housing-piece
are bayonet sockets 22, which receive the pins 72 on the stem r, whereby
the parts D2D are held together. In the top of the part p of the housing-piece,
around the sleeve portion p, is a series of openings ; and in the sleeve ¹, just
above the part 2, is an internal annular shoulder or socket p. In the upper
side of the valve D' is a central socket q². D³ is a spring-lock or holder formed
preferably of a strip of flat springy metal, and bent to produce the base n,
shoulders n¹², inner sockets and shoulders n¹. Surrounding the spring-
holder D³, between the shoulders n¹n², is a confined helical spring D', and held
in the sockets is a tablet, disk or body D³ of a solvent material. The
tablet D holds the jaws of the spring-holder D³ apart, whereby the shoulders n*
fit the annular groove pt in the housing-piece Dª. On removal or disintegration
of the tablet 15 the jaws of the spring-holder tend by their resilience to
approach each other, release the shoulders from the annular sockets 14, and
release the spring 14 from confinement by the shoulders n², whereby it will
expand upward against the lower end of the stem r and press the valve D' to
the seat t¹.
The parts are placed in position in a bottle after the latter has been filled with
the liquid. The ring or cork B is first passed into the neck of the, bottle
positioned and preferably cemented in place. The disk or handle D and cap-
piece Care put together by passing the stem r through the opening with the
spring between them. The spring-holder D³ is cemented, or otherwise secured,
in the socket 2 of the valve, and the housing-piece D2 placed upon the valve
and secured thereto by springing the shoulders n of the spring-holder into the
socket . The housing, with the valve thus attached thereto, is then fastened
at its bayonet sockets to the pins 2 and held thereby securely.

page_text: In practice the stem r should be cemented or otherwise rigidly fastened to the
sleeve-portion p¹ of the housing-piece, so that they will always turn together,
and whereby they will be held against separation. The cap-piece C, with the
valve and disk D carried thereby, is then passed into the mouth of the bottle
and cemented in place at the surfaces $5 and surfaces of the lugs 2, the parts
being in such relation that when the handle is turned to press the valve D¹ down,
the latter will seat upon the cork B, and form a liquid-tight closure for the
bottle. When it is desired to withdraw liquid contents from the bottle the
handle or disk D is turned whereby the pins 2 slide up the cams 59, under the
resilient action of the spring r¹, to raise the disk D from the cap-piece C, and
thus raise the valve D' from its seat. As the bottle is upset the liquid runs
through the opening and passage about the valve, housing-piece and sleeve s¹
and out through the openings 4 between the cap-piece and the upper end of the
bottle.
The housing-piece D³ with the valve D' together form a housing-chamber p5
closed against the passage of liquid at all parts except at the openings p³, which
are purposely small. None of the liquid escaping from the bottle as it is poured
will enter through the openings p³, so that the tablet or body D5, of soluble
material, will be shielded against contact therewith of the liquid. When any
attempt is made to refill the bottle either by immersing it in liquid, or pumping
it in, the back pressure of air in the bottle will cause liquid to rise around the
housing-piece and work its way into the chamber 5, and by contacting with
the soluble material D³ disintegrate the same, thereby releasing the spring-holder
and spring D, and causing the latter to expand against the lower surface of the
stem and press the valve D¹ permanently to its seat. When this has occurred
the raising and lowering of the disk D and stem r will not affect the valve, which,
by remaining closed, will prevent any more liquid from being passed into the
bottle, or any that may have entered the bottle from being poured therefrom.
The gist of this invention lies in providing within the passage through the
neck of the bottle a chamber containing a valve closing spring and held out of
its valve closing position by the tablet, block or body of solvent material, the
chamber being in open communication with the passage through one or more
ports which are out of the path of the liquid as it escapes from the bottle, but
in position to receive liquid when the same is poured into the mouth of the
bottle. As liquid is poured it exerts no pressure against the ports 73, so that
the air confined in the chamber 5 will tend to prevent any of the liquid from
entering the chamber and wetting the tablet. On the other hand, when liquid
is poured into the mouth of the bottle the pressure, as before stated, of the air
in the neck and body-portion of the bottle causes the liquid to force its way
into the chamber 25, and thus wet and disintegrate the tablet and release the
spring to permanently close the valve.
The body or tablet D5 is compressed preferably into the disk form shown, and
the material or compound of which it is formed should be one that will remain
hard and intact while dry and disintegrate quickly when subjected to moisture.
If desired the material employed for the tablet may be such that it will not
affect, deleteriously, the liquid which the bottle is designed to contain, or, if
desired, it may have chemical properties which will tend to change the color or
appearance of the liquid with which it contacts.
The disk D, stem r, cap-piece C, and valve D¹ may be formed of glass The
housing-piece D2 may be of glass, or it may be formed of celluloid or other suit-
able material which will be readily injured by heat to destroy 'its use or form.
The cement employed for securing the cap-piece in place, is one that will effec-
tively withstand the action of moisture; and by employing material for the
housing-piece D2 which would be injured or destroyed by heat, it would be
impossible to. remove and replace the cap-piece and attendant parts without
doing such damage thereto as would lead to ready detection.

page_text: As a further safeguard against. removal of the cap-piece, a seal E. is provided,
of metal foil or other suitable material, consisting of a strip, having a central
portion m to fit upon the cap-piece and provided with an opening m¹ of the size
of and registering with the socket to extend around the spring r, openings m
to register with openings and leg portions m³. The central part m is cemented
to the cap-piece C, and the legs m³ are cemented to the neck of the bottle; and
while the seal will not interfere with the turning of the disk or handle D, or
with the pouring of the liquid, it will be broken in any attempt to remove the
cap-piece from the bottle. As is customary, where seals are employed, it may
be stamped or marked with the private trade-mark or the like of the bottler...
To prevent danger of accidental turning of the disk 1) to open the bottle
during shipment, sockets are provided in opposite sides of the disk, and corre-
sponding sockets in opposite sides of the cap-piece C to register with the
sockets when the valve is closed. There is also provided a wire locking
piece F, having a body-portion k and legs k. When passed or sprung over the
disk C the legs k¹ will enter the sockets 11 in the disk and cap-piece and thus
lock the disk against turning.
While it is preferred to construct the improvements throughout as shown and
described, they may be modified without departing from the spirit of the inven-
tion as defined by the claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention (as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent) I declare that
what I claim is:-
1-In a bottle-stopper, a valve, a valve-closing spring, a housing provided with
ports admitting liquid thereinto when it is attempted to refill the bottle, and a
solvent body or its equivalent within said housing normally holding said spring
against action and protected by the housing against liquid contact while the
bottle-contents are being poured out, said body being exposed to liquid contact
when an effort is made to refill the bottle and serving when disintegrated to
release said spring to permit it to act to close the valve, substantially as
described.
2-In a bottle-stopper, the combination with a valve-seat and valve at the
base-portion of the stopper, means for opening and closing the valve, an oulet
for liquid toward the outer end of the stopper, and a passage for the liquid
extending from the valve-seat to said outlet, of a chamber communicating with
.said passage, a valve-closing spring, a body of solvent material in said chamber
holding the spring out of its valve-closing position and operating when disinte-
grated by contact with liquid to release the spring to seat the valvė, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
3-In a bottle-stopper, the combination of a cap-piece, to fit the mouth of
the bottle, having a sleeve-portion to extend into the neck of the
bottle and form an outlet passage for liquid about the sleeve-portion, a valve-
operating handle having a stem passing through said sleeve-portion, a valye
scat in the neck of the bottle, a valve at the valve-seat, a housing-piece between
the valve and stem forming a chamber communicating with said outlet-passage,
a removable valve-attaching piece in said chamber securing the valve to the said
stem, a valve-closing spring in said chamber, a body of solvent material in the
chamber operating to hold the valve-attaching piece in valve-attaching position
and the spring out of valve-closing position, whereby when the solvent material
is disintegrated by contact with liquid the valve-closing spring is released and
the valve-attaching piece is disconnected, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
4-in a bottle-stopper, the combination of a cap-piece, to fit the mouth of the
bottle, having a sleeve-portion to extend into the neck of the bottle and forin
an outlet passage for liquid about the sleeve-portion, a valve-operating handle

page_text: having a stem passing through said sleeve-portion, a valve seat in the neck! of
the bottle, a valve at the valve-seat, a housing-piece between the valve and stem,
of material readily susceptible to injury by heat, forming a chamber communi-
cating with said outlet-passage, a removable valve-attaching piece in said cham-
ber securing the valve to the said stem, a valve-closing spring in said chamber,
a body of solvent material in the chamber operating to hold the valve-attaching
piece in valve-attaching position and the spring out of valve-closing position,
whereby when the solvent material, is disintegrated by contact with liquid the
valve-closing spring is released and the valve-attaching piece is disconnected,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5-in a bottle-stopper, the combination of a cap-piece, to fit the mouth of the
bottle having an opening through it, and having discharge ports whereby liquid
may pass from the mouth, a handle having a stem passing through said opening
in the cap-piece, a valve-seat in the bottle, a valve, and means connecting_said
valve rigidly to said stem to cause the valve to move positively up and down
with the stem, said means being capable of disconnecting the valve from the
stem under the conditions specified and for the purpose set forth.
DL
ሳስበ
1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.