Preserving Liquids, and Stoppers for the same.
Year: 1884

page_text: Preserving Liquids, and Stoppers for the same.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO VESSELS
FOR CONTAINING AND PRESERVING LIQUIDS AND STOPPERS FOR THE SAME to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for preventing the air which enters a vessel
when liquid is drawn therefrom from coming into contact with the liquid in the
Baid vessel thereby causing the same to deteriorate.
In the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to me and dated
20th December A.D. 1882 N° 6092 I have described a mode of drawing a portion
or the whole of a liquid from a vessel containing the same, the said vessel being
provided internally with a movable portion which yields as the liquid decreases
in volume so as to permit the outflow thereof, the necessary pressure being exerted
by the atmosphere without the same coming into contact with the said liquid.
The present invention is an improvement upon that described in the said former
specification, and consists partly in providing a supple and impermeable bag, of size
and shape approximate to that of the vessel into which it is introduced. The said
bag being arranged to expand gradually in proportion to the decrease of liquid, thus
preserving the same from contact with the air.
In order that the action of this bag should be very efficient and that it should
expand quite regularly, it is generally advisable that the said bag should extend
down to the bottom of the vessel or cask into which it is inserted.
This result is obtained by maintaining the bag in a vertical position by means of
an internal rod. Jointed rods are sometimes provided which ensure the gradual
development of the bag in the portions of the vessel which become empty, and
support the same.
I also employ with the bag which may be considered as forming a part of the
stopper a bung or stopper proper, which prevents the passage of air around the
bag to the liquid and which is provided with an aperture for the admission of air
into the interior of the bag and with apertures serving for the escape of carbonic or
other gases which aro disengaged from the liquid.
The bag is generally provided with projecting ribs which radiate from the bung
or stopper and which have for their obiect, when the bag is in its proper position.

page_text: in the interior of the vessel, to form small passages which terminate at the snid
apertures for the escape of the gases. The egress of these gases is therefore
ensured and the development of the bag is certain.
According to the present invention the bag is composed of some supple material
impervious to liquid and is of such size as to substantially fill, when distended,
the interior of the vessel to which it is applied."
The bung or stopper proper is composed of a hollow body of glass or other
suitable material provided with a caoutchouc collar and with a covering likewise
of caoutchouc.
In the interior of this body is fitted a cylinder of copper or other suitable metal
having a flange, between which and the underside of the bung or stopper the bag
is held. This cylinder is tightened by means of a nut.
To the upper portion of the said cylinder is screwed a plug which receives a tubo
fitting hermetically and filled with cotton. This cotton serves as a purifying agent
for the air which enters the bag by passing a valve or caoutchouc ball suspended
from a cross-pin and held to its sent by a caoutchouc band.
The body of the bung or stopper is perforated with holes or aperturos serving for
the escape of the gases which are developed by the liquid. These holes are closed
at their upper ends by balls or valves held in place by caoutchouc bands.
A metal cap is placed upon the central opening of the body of the bung or
stopper and carries a knob in which a slot is formed.
Lugs, formed integral with the cylinder; serve for carrying the radiating movable
rods and they converge at the centre for supporting the fixed vertical rod.
.
When the improved apparatus is applied to a large bottle the fixed central rod
alone supports the bag. A cord or wire passing through the slot in the cap of the
bung or stopper prevents the latter from becoming loose.
When the apparatus is applied to a cask the bung is not inserted so far as would
otherwise be the case and tightness is obtained by means of the caoutchouc
covering. In this case the jointed rods are used. When the cask is full the bag is
drawn together and occupies little space; as liquid is withdrawn, the bag expands
gradually and uniformly, being held by the vertical rod and directed and sustained
by the radiating rods which operate similarly to the ribs of an umbrella.
The caoutchouc ribs fastened to the elastic bags, and which radiate around the
openings of the said bags may have the form of an inverted T, or a U-shape, or bo
of any other suitable form. The object of the said ribs is to provide, as the bag
expands against the wall of the vessel, channels for conducting the gases which are
disengaged from the liquid, to the orifices provided in the bung or stopper for their
escape.
These elastic ribs can vary in number according to the arrangement of tho
vessels, the nature of the liquids, the larger or smaller quantity of gas required
to be disengaged, or other causes.
Oue conducting rib on each side of the bung would generally be sufficient for a
cask. For a bottle, a flask or the like, a larger number of ribs radiating around
the bung or stopper may be used.
In certain cases these ribs can, without losing their clasticity, have sufficient
stiffness and resistance to allow the movable metal rods to be dispensed with.
It is obvious that 1 may vary the construction of the stopper without departing
from the nature of my invention, for instance it may be provided with a plain
opening for the admission of air and may be secured in a bottle or other vessel by
screw threads, or may be ground to fit the neck.

page_text: Preserving Liquids, and Stoppers for the same.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO VESSELS FOR
CONTAINING AND PRESERVING LIQUIDS, AND STOPPERS FOR THE SAME
" 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 vessels for containing liquids and preventing contact of
the air with the same and to stoppers for the said vessels.
It has already been proposed to arrange within a vessel for containing liquid
a bag which expands and fills the space caused by the withdrawal of liquid from
the said vessel and thus prevents the contact of the air with the liquid which air
deleterious to the preservation of such liquids.
In order that the action of this bag should be very efficient and that it should
expand quite regularly it is generally advisable that the said bag should extend
down to the bottom of the vessel or cask into which it is inserted. This result is
obtained by maintaining the bag in a vertical position by means of an internal rod.
Jointed rods may also be employed which ensure the gradual development of the
bag in the portions of the vessel which become empty, and support the bag.
I also employ with the bag which may be considered as forming a part of the
stopper or bung or stopper proper which prevents the passage of air around the bag
to the liquid and which is provided with an aperture for the admission of air into
the interior of the bag and with apertures serving for the escape of carbonic or
other gases which are disengaged from the liquid.
The bag is generally provided with projecting ribs which radiate from the bung
or stopper and which have for their object, when the bag is in its proper position
in the interior of the vessel, to form small passages which terminate at the said
apertures for the escape of the gases. The egress of these gases and the development
of the bag is therefore ensured.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a stopper constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a vessel provided with the improved stopper,
and
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the arrangement of jointed arms for supporting
the bag.
A is the bag which is composed of some supple material impervious to liquid, and
is of such size as to substantially fill, when distended, the interior of the vessel to
which it is applied.
The bung or stopper proper is composed of a hollow body B of glass or other
suitable material provided with a caoutchouc collar g adapted to form a joint around.
the neck of the bottle.

page_text: In the interior of this body is fitted a cylinder C of copper or other suitable metal
having a flange a between which and the underside of the bung or stopper tho bag
is held. This cylinder C is tightly held in the body B by means of a nut D bearing
against a flange in the said body.
In the upper portion of the said cylinder C is screwed a plug E the lower portion
of which is tubular and is filled with cotton F. This cotton serves for filtering the
air which enters the bag A by passing the valve or caoutchouc ball G attached to
an india rubber band & suspended from a cross-pin e.
The body of the bung or stopper is provided with holes or aperturos b, b serving
for the escape of the gases which are developed by the liquid. These holes are
closed at their upper ends by india-rubber balls or valves M M held in place by
caoutchouc bands c c.
'
A cord K attached to hooks L upon the vessel, is secured tightly over the body
of the bung or stopper in order to prevent the admission of air between the vessel
and the collar J.
Attached to the flange a of the cylinder C is a piece H provided with lugs ff for
carrying the jointod rods jj and also carrying at the centre the fixed vertical rod I.
The lower.end 'K' of this rod is preferably provided with an enlargement or disc f¹
to prevent the bag from being damaged by the end of the rod.
Having explained the construction of the bung or stopper I will proceed to
describe its application to vessels having elastic bags.
Figure 2 shows the stopper applied to a bottle. In this case the fixed central
rod I alone maintains the bag in its proper position.
Figure 3 shows the application of. the present improvements to a cask. In this
case the bung or stopper may be provided with an india rubber covering or a
collar B may be screwed into the bung hole of the cask, into which collar the
stopper is inserted. Laterally jointed rods j aro also shown. When the cask is full
the bag is drawn together and occupies little space; as liquid is withdrawn, the
bag expands gradually and uniformly, being held by the vertical rod I and directed
and sustained by the radiating, rods jj which operate similarly to the ribs of an
umbrella.
The caoutchouc ribs upon the exterior of the expansible bag and which radiate
from the body A of the stopper may have the form of an inverted T or U-shape,
or bo of any other suitable form the object of the said ribs being to provide, as the
bag expands against the wall of the vessel, channels for conducting the gases, which
are disengaged from the liquid, to the passages b provided in the bung or stopper
for their escape..
Those elastic ribs can vary in number according to the shape of the vessels, the
nature of the liquids and the larger or smaller quantity of gas disengaged by the
said liquids. One conducting rib on each side of the bung or stopper is generally
Bufficient for a cask. For a bottle, a flask or the like, a larger number of ribs may
be used.
•
In some cases these ribs can without losing their elasticity, have a sufficient
stiffness and strength to allow the movable metal'rods to be dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First. A bung or stopper for hermetically closing a cask or other vessel, provided
with an elastic bag, with means for filtering the air passing to the interior of the
said bag, and with valved passages for permitting the escape of the gases which
the liquid contained in the vessel produces.
Second. The method of hermetically attaching the bag to the body of the
stopper.

page_text: Third. The rod I which maintains the bag in a vertical position and the jointed
rods j which direct and sustain the bag in proportion as it expands.
Fourth. The employment of ribs upon the exterior of the bag, which ribs radinto
from the body of the bung or stopper proper and form the channels to conduct the
gases escaping from the liquid to the passages in the stopper through which they
escape when the bag is fastened in the interior of a vessel.