AN IMPROVED STOPPER FOR BOTTLES. JARS. CASKS, AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Howard Busby Fox, of Oxton, in the County of
Chester, Gentleman, and James Turner Hall, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED STOPPER
FOR BOTTLES. JARS. CASKS, AND OTHER VESSELS."
Sealed the 7th January 1868, and dated the 10th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Howard Busby Fox and
James Turner Hall at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 10th July 1867.
We, HOWARD BUSBY Fox, of Oxton, in the County of Chester, Gentleman,.
and JAMES TURNER HALL, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Gas
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IM-
PROVED STOPPER FOR BOTTLES, JARS, CASKS, AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
We make stoppers for bottles, jars, casks, and other vessels, the mouths of
which are of the ordinary or any desired construction, of wood and an elastic
material such as cork or india-rubber in combination. The central or middle
part of each stopper is made of wood and the periphery or outer edges which
come into contact with the vessels to be closed of rings or pieces of cork or

page_text: other flexible material, so that when in position closing a vessel the elastic
agent is squeezed tightly between two rigid bodies, that is to say, between the
vessel and the wood.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Howard Busby Fox and James Turner Hall in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HOWARD
BUSBY Fox, of Oxton, in the County of Chester, Gentleman, and JAMES
TURNER HALL, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Howard Busby Fox and James Turner Hull, Her special license that we,
the said Howard Busby Fox and James Turner Hall, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Howard Busby Fox and
James Turner Hall, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED STOPPER FOR BOTTLES, JARS, CASKS, AND OTHER VESSELS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Howard Busby Fox and
James Turner Hall, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Howard Busby Fox and James
Turner Hall, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :—
We make stoppers for bottles, jars, casks and other vessels, the mouths of
which are of the ordinary or any desired construction, of certain novel

page_text: combinations of wood and an elastic material, such as cork or india-rubber.
The central or middle part of each stopper is made of wood, and the periphery
or outer edges which come into contact with the inside of the neck or opening
in the bottle or vessel to be closed of a ring or piece, hereafter called a
ferrule, of cork or other flexible material, the object being to place the ferrule.
between two rigid bodies, that is to say, between the central or middle part
of wood and the bottle or vessel, and thereby cause such stopper to fit tightly.
The said central or middle part is made with an uncovered stem smaller in
diameter or cross section than the ferrule, and the end of such central or
middle part is formed with angular grooves; by these means less cork.or other'
flexible material is used than hitherto, and the projections hereafter called
"fish-hook rings" between the said angular grooves prevent the ferrule
from separating from the wood; washers of an elastic or flexible material:
are sometimes placed over the stem above mentioned and under the cap.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which we have attached that our
Invention may be readily seen and understood, and that others acquainted with.
like manufactures may be enabled to carry the same into effect, we have,
illustrated several modifications of stoppers circular in cross section. It will
be obvious our said stoppers can be made oval, polygonal, or of other desired
shape.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a vertical
section all of a stopper suitable for closing ordinary wine and aerated water
bottles. The central or middle part is made of one piece of wood turned into
three lengths of different diameters. a is the cap part, this projects above
the lip of the bottle, and forms an ornamental termination which can be
caught by a person's hand and the stopper withdrawn without the employ-
ment of any instrument; 6 the stem, this enters the neck of the bottle; c
the part of smallest diameter; d the ferrule, this is secured to c by shell-lac,
marine glue, or other cement.
Fig. 4 represents a vertical section of a stopper, the central or middle part
of which, here marked e, is formed with fish-hook rings f to better secure the
ferrule g. In most cases we prefer to use cement in addition to these
rings as means for securing g to e.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent vertical sections of stoppers similar respectively to
Figs. 3 and 4.
In both of these views h is the wood part and i the ferrule,
j is a flexible or elastic ring to fit over the lip of the bottle or vessel and act as
a cushion when the bottle or vessel to be closed is of a fragile character.
Fig. 7 is also a vertical section of a bung substitute stopper; here k is
the wood part and the ferrule. Some of the advantages secured by our

page_text: stoppers, which as is implied above we propose to use in the place of ordinary
corks and bungs and for general purposes are, (a) they can be forced in by
percussion or by pressure; (b) they can be withdrawn by hand without a
corkscrew or other instrument without being damaged; (c) they can be
used many times; (d) they can be used for closing bottles containing aerated
waters without the employment of metal caps, the wires being simply led
over the cap part; and (e) they are efficient closers and are not costly. We
prefer to use a close grained wood, but it will be obvious a soft wood can be
made serviceable by being impregnated in the ordinary manner with any of
the well known innocuous liquid preparations or compositions, and we prefer
to employ cork as the flexible material.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and particularized
same by various modifications, we would have it understood that we do
confine ourselves to making the wood part of three or of any other number
.diameters or sizes so long as the general features mentioned are retained;
hat we claim is, the combinations of rigid and flexible or elastic materials
substances substantially as herein set forth and shewn on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Turner Hall, have hereunto set
my band and seal, this Eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness to the signature of the
said James Turner Hall,
JOHN T. KING,
Patent Agent,
JAMES TURNER HALL. (L.S.)
JAMES TURNER HALL. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of the
said James Turner Hall,
JOHN T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
And in witness whereof, I, the said Howard Busby Fox, have hereunt
Witness to the signature of the
said Howard Busby Fox,
HENRY J. ROGERS,
123, Chancery Lane,
London.
HOWARD BUSBY FOX. (L.S.)