Improvements in Bottles to Prevent them being Refilled.”
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in Bottles to Prevent them being Refilled.”
I, JOSEPH SUMMERS WOOD, of 179 Duffield St. in the City of Brooklyn, in the
County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer, 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 a non-refillable bottle, and the object of the invention is
to provide effective and reliable devices for preventing the bottle, after having once
been filled with liquid and emptied, from being refilled, thus preventing the fraudulen t
use of the original bottle for a spurious liquid.
My invention embraces, as essential features, a bottle having an annular channel and
an annular shoulder, forming a valve-seat, in the neck; a valve-disk with stem; a
guide and protector for the valve, having passages for liquid, and rods passing through
the protector and having lucking hooks projecting into the channel.
The details of construction of my improved devices are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which,―
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the upper portion of a bottle and neck, and
my improved devices in operative position.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the same inverted.
Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the valve guide and protector.
Fig. 4 represents a side elevation thereof.
Fig. 5 represents a vertical section thereof.
Fig. 6 represents an elevation of the disk-valve.
.
The neck of the bottle, A, is moulded with an annular shoulder, a, to form a valve-
seat and an annular recess or channel, a¹, for outflowing liquid, and for receiving the
locking hooks. Upon the annular shoulder a, is seated the disk-valve F, having an
upwardly extending guide stem, f, and an annular bead, f, at the top, and a short
stem or stud, f, at the bottom. To the under face of the valve-disk, there is applied
a thin flexible packing-disk, g, or washer, of larger diameter than the disk, and,
preferably, extending about one-sixteenth (1/16) of an inch beyond the outer edge of
the same, as shown. This packing-disk may be made of fibre-paper, or other suitable
flexible material. A retaining-disk or washer, h, is tightly fitted over the stud, f¹¹,
and up against packing-disk g.
The guide and protector, B, for the valve, is, preferably, made of glass, and is
provided with a circle of longitudinal passages b, and in the bottom with a central
guide socket, 61, for the valve stem. It is also, preferably, provided at its outer
surface with three or four vertical ribs, 6111, having sharp edges, as shown. These
vertical ribs may be readily ground down to adapt the guide and protector B, to fit
into necks of different diameters. They are convenient, but not essential, since the
part B, may be made of the required diameter to fit in the neck of the bottle which
is to be used. The protector, B, is also provided at the bottom, on opposite sides,
with two downwardly extending inclined lugs, 61, having notches or slots e, Fig. 4,
to form bearings for the locking hooks c. The guide and protector, B, is, preferably
moulded of glass, with the various features of construction above described, all in one
piece.

page_text: For the purpose of holding the guide and protector, B, in place, and yet permitting
it to have a short, sliding motion, I provide the longitudinal rods, C, having at their
lower ends, the locking hooks, c. Two or more of these rods may be inserted in two
or more of the passages, b, and, when fixed in place, the hooks, c, project into the
channel a, and lock the protector, so that the valve F, cannot be tampered with.
The rods and hooks, C, c, are, preferably, made of pure tin, but other suitable metal,
such as aluminum may be used; strong glass may also be used.
The parts having been constructed as above described, and substantially as shown
in the drawings, they are put in place as follows: The bottle having been filled with
liquid, up to the neck, in the usual manner, the valve F, is dropped on to its seat a.
The rods, C, are now inserted into the passages b, at the lower end of the protector B,
with the hooks c, turned inward, and the protector is slid into the neck of the bottle.
By means of a small pair of pliers, the rods, C, are grasped and turned, causing the
hooks to slide over the inclined lugs, 61, into the notches, e, so that they will project
into the channels a¹, as shown in Fig. 1. Both of the hooks, c, being turned into
the notches, e, the protector B.. will rest upon the bead f¹, of the valve F, and the
stem, f, of the valve will project up into the guide socket b¹. A small soldering iron,
properly heated, is now applied to the upper ends of the tin rods C, and will instantly
melt and form a head on them, so that the hooks cannot be turned, or the protector B,
drawn out by any contrivance without destroying the valve or breaking the bottle at
the neck. If glass hooks are used, they will be cemented in the passages b. The
bottle can now be corked in the usual manner.
When it is desired to pour out the liquid, the cork is drawn, and the bottle is
inverted, as shown in Fig. 4, when the protector B, will slide a short distance
outward, and the valve F, will follow it, the movement being limited by the hooks
resting upon the upper wall of the channel; the liquid can now freely flow out around
the edge of the valve, through the channel, and thence through the passages b, in the
protector. If an attempt is now made to refill the bottle, by turning it upon its side,
or in other position, the inflowing liquid will strike upon the projecting edges of the
washer g, which will be carried forward, taking the valve with it, and tightly forcing
it to its seat, preventing any liquid from passing into the bottle. Should an attempt
be made to exhaust the air and produce a partial vacuum, the valve will be tightly
closed upon its seat by pressure of the external air. This bottle has been subjected
to thorough tests, but all efforts to refill it have failed, and it has been found to be a
perfect non-refillable bottle.
Having 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 :-
1, The combination with a bottle having an annular valve-seat and a recess or
channel, of a valve, a protector above the valve, and means, projecting into said recess
or channel, for locking the protector, so that it will have a short sliding motion to
permit the valve to open, but will prevent it from being tampered with.
2, The combination with the bottle having an annular valve-seat, and a recess or
channel for receiving locking hooks, of a valve having a stem, a guide and protector
above the valve, and having a guide socket for the stem, and passages for liquid, and
rods having locking hooks, adapted to be secured in the protector, with said hooks
projecting into the recess, all constructed so that the valve will open for outflowing
liquid, but will tightly close to prevent refilling the bottle.
3, In a non-refillable bottle, the valve-guide and protector constructed with a
Bocket for the valve-stem, passages for liquid, and adapted to receive rods having
locking hooks for holding it in the neck of the bottle.
4, In a non-refillable bottle, the valve-guide and protector, B, constructed with
sockets, 61, for the valve-stem, passages b, for liquid, ribs 6111, two inclined lugs, 611,
at its lower end, and having notches or slots, e, for the locking hooks, substantially as
described.
5,-In a non-refillable bottle, the disk-valve F, having a stem, f, and a packing or

page_text: washer, g, of thin flexible material, applied to its under surface, and projecting beyond
the outer edges of the disk, and suitably held in place, substantially as described.
6. A non-refillable bottle, comprising an annular valve-seat a, and channel a¹, in
the neck, a disk-valve F, having a flexible washer, g, the protector B, having
passages, b, for liquid, the rods C, passing through protector B, and having hooks, c,
adapted to be turned into the channel a³, as shown and described.
Dated this 17th dow of a
1005
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C. Agents for the Applicant.