Year: 1898

page_text: I, FREDERICK OSCAR MABEY, of 196, Amhurst Road, Hackney, in the County of
London, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to bottles, jars and similar receptacles and to their stoppers
corks or other closures, hereinafter generally referred to as stoppers. My invention
has for its object to provide a convenient and effective device for securely retain-
ing the stoppers in position in their receptacles so as to preserve the contents
thereof from accidental loss or deterioration.
According to my said invention I provide a spring clip so formed that it can
readily be placed in position upon and caused to tightly clasp the neck or other
portion of the receptacle adjacent to the stopper.
The said clip has one or more projecting members which may be slightly flexible
and are so-arranged as to press firmly upon the upper surface of the stopper when
the clip is in position, thereby preventing the said stopper from becoming acciden
tally displaced.
The said members may be rigidly attached to the spring clip or may be-mounted
thereon in such a way as to admit of their sliding on the said clip, in which case I
preferably, provide the said clip with stops to limit their sliding movement.
When it is desired to take the stopper from the receptacle the clip with.its,pro-
jecting members is first detached therefrom. In some cases, however, I provide
the said members with spring hinges to admit of their being raised so that the
stopper may be taken out without removing the clip.
When the stopper has a projecting thumbpiece I cause the retaining members
to extend on one or either side of the saine so as to prevent the stopper from being
turned, or I may substitute for the said members a bridge piece passing over the
top of the stopper.
Instead of the projecting members above described. I may provide the spring clip
with a flange so formed that its edges press upon the upper surface of the stopper.
Or again, my improved device may take the form of a ring piece adapted to lie
closely upon the upper surface of the stopper and provided with clips which can
be slipped over the neck or similar portion of the receptacle so as to hold the device
securely in position.
in
1

page_text: Improved Retaining Device for Bottle-stoppers, Corks and the like.
I, FREDERICK OSCAR MABEY, of 196, Amhurst Road, Hackney, in the County of
London, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object to provide a convenient and effective device for
securely retaining in position the stoppers of bottles, jars, and similar receptacles
so as to preserve the contents of the said receptacles from accidental loss or deterior-
ation by reason of the stopper becoming unintentionally removed.
According to my invention I provide a spring clip that is capable of being readily
applied to the neck or other portion of the receptacle adjacent to the stopper, the
said clip having one or more projecting members or fingers, so arranged as to lie
upon or immediately above the upper surface of the stopper when the clip is in
position.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my device detached from the
receptacle, and
Figure 2 an elevation shewing the said device applied to the receptacle.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of a modified form of the device.
A is the clip portion. of the device and B B are the fingers which lie upon or
immediately above the stopper.
In Figures 1 and 2 the said fingers are composed of steel or other thin flexible
material, which are joined to the clip portion A by rivets, such portion being like-
wise composed of thin steel or other flexible material. When the device is being
applied to a bottle, the open ends of the portion A are forced laterally against the
neck of the bottle, care being taken that the fingers B B occupy a position to lie
on opposite sides of the head C of the stopper. The lateral pressure causes the clip
by reason of its flexibility to open and to afterwards grip the bottle-neck and retain
the device in place. At the same time the flexible fingers B, B, will adapt them-
selves to any slight inequality of the stopper and by pressing thereon will effect-
ually restrain it from unintentionally becoming removed from the bottle.
Instead of making the said fingers in one piece with or rigidly connecting them
to the clip portion A as above explained, I may form the said clip portion with
guides to carry the fingers so that the latter will be capable of sliding longitudinally
in such guides to release the stopper, without detaching the clip from the neck
of the bottle, the extent of movement of the said fingers being limited by stops.
Or the said fingers may be hinged to the clip so as to be capable of turning upward
against the resistance of a spring, when it is desired to release the bottle-stopper.
In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the aforesaid fingers B B are
disposed edgewise instead of flatwise as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. This construc-
tion enables the fingers to occupy a position high enough above the level of the
stopper to ensure that in the event of the stopper's not being level with the mouth of
the bottle, they shall not be prevented from easily slipping into place above the
stopper when the device is being applied to the bottle.
I do not wish to confine myself to the precise forms of the device illustrated in
the drawings, as various modifications thereof are obvious. For instance instead
of the fingers above described I may provide the clip with a curved flange formed
to lie upon the marginal edge of the bottle-mouth and overlap the stopper. Or

page_text: again, it may take the form of an annular piece adapted to lie upon the upper sur-
face of the stopper and may be provided with vertically arranged clips which can
be slipped over the neck of the receptacle to grip the latter and retain the device
in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A bottle-stopper retaining device comprising a spring clip for gripping the
neck of the bottle and one or more members adapted to lie upon the bottle-stopper
substantially as described.
2. A bottle-stopper retaining device constructed and operating substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of December 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.