Improvements in Stoppering Bottles and like Vessels and in Appliances therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1887
Complete Left, 21st Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 25th May, 1888
Improvements in Stoppering Bottles and like Vessels and in
Appliances therefor.
We THOMAS BROOKE and JOHN BROOKE both of Holly Street, Sheffield, in the
County of York, Ivory turners do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to stopper bottles and other like vessels in such a
manner that only a face of cork is presented to the contents, that only a very small
piece of cork need be used, thus reducing the cost; and to construct a stopper that
will hold the cork in position, and also draw it out when the contents of the bottle
are required...
14
We form the bottle neck with an internal screw or its equivalent, and at the bottom
of the screw we construct a shoulder or annular face.
The cork is a disc, of a suitable diameter to pass down the neck of the bottle, and
rest upon the shoulder or annular face before mentioned.
The stopper is made of any suitable material, having a head to turn it by, a thread
to fit into the corresponding threads of the neck, and a face suitable for pressing the
cork firmly upon the shoulder or annular face.
Upon the end of the stopper we fix a cap, plate, or other device carrying a number
of teeth, sharp and undercut, and projecting downwards; these teeth are much
inclined and point in the direction of the unscrewing movement of the stopper.
When the cork disc, which for example may be quarter of an inch thick is dropped
into the neck of the bottle, and rests on the shoulder, the stopper is screwed down;
when the teeth come in contact with the cork, the inclined backs indent the elastic
cork, until the end of the stopper beds firmly against the cork and holds it against
the said shoulder.
When the stopper is turned in the opposite direction the undercut teeth penetrate
the cork and carry it out of the bottle.

page_text: Improvements in Stoppering Bottles and like vessels and in
Appliances therefor.
We THOMAS BROOKE and JOHN BROOKE both of Holly Street, Sheffield, in the
County of York, Ivory turners, 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 :-
a
The object of our invention is to stopper bottles and other like vessels in such
manner, that only a face of pure cork is presented to, or can come in contact with the
contents of the bottle or other vessel; to greatly reduce the cost of corking by reason
of the small piece of cork required; and to construct a stopper that will hold the
piece of cork in position in the neck of the bottle, and will also extract it when
required.
The annexed sheet of drawings illustrates our invention, showing the manner in
which it can be carried into practice.
Fig. 1, represents the stopper with the "grip" complete.
Fig. 2, two views of the "grip."
Fig. 3, shows a modified construction of the grip.
Fig. 4, represents a disc of cork.
Fig. 5, section of a bottle neck, showing the stopper, grip, and cork.
According to our invention the neck of the bottle is formed with an internal screw
thread (or its equivalent) shown in Fig. 5, such as are used for the ordinary screw
stoppers, and below the screw threads there is a shoulder or annular seat for the cork
to rest upon; A is the shoulder, B the disc of cork; but we wish it to be distinctly
understood that we do not claim either the screw thread or the said shoulder in
themselves.
The Cork we use is simply a comparatively thin disc of that material as shown
in Fig. 4, and is dropped or otherwise placed upon the shoulder A when the bottle
is filled.
The Stopper as illustrated in Fig. 1 & 3, may be made of any suitable
material, having a head convenient to turn it by, a thread to engage with the corre
sponding threads in the neck of the bottle, and a face C, to which is attached in any
suitable manner the "grip" D.
The grip is preferably made of non-corrodible metal or of a metal covered or coated
with a non-corrodible metal or alloy (but it may be made of any suitable material, or
the grips may be of the same material and be solid with the stopper,) in practice
the grip shown in Fig. 2, can be made of tin by punching it complete out of sheet
material and bending the claws E, from the flat to the position shown, this can be
done with great rapidity. The Grip can have any desired number of Claws E, and
although we prefer to make them hooked as shown in Figs. 1 & 2, they may be varied
in form as seen in Fig. 3-F; the said teeth or claws E project downwards, and

page_text: incline in the direction of the unscrewing movement of the stopper. The grip may
be secured to the flat end of the Stopper by any suitable method, such as a shank
attached to, or passed through the grip into a recess made in the end of the stopper,
and fastened by cement.
The disc of cork is dropped into the neck of the bottle, or pushed down until it
rests upon the annular seat A; the stopper is then secured down, and the inclined
backs of the claws E are gradually imbedded into the cork, until the flat part of the
grip presses the Cork firmly against the annular seat A, which securely stoppers
the bottle.
On turning the stopper in the contrary direction to unstopper or uncork the bottle,
the points of the claws penetrate and grip the cork, and draw it out of the bottle; the
cork may be used again when desirable as it will remain attached to the end of the
stopper, but it is readily removed by the thumb and finger.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1-For the purpose of stoppering and unstoppering bottles; the general con-
struction and arrangement of the various parts and appliances in combination,
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
2-A Stopper for Bottles and other like vessels provided with claws or their
equivalents and so constructed that it will hold down a block of cork in position, and
withdraw the same; substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicants.