Improvements in the Manufacture of Pepper Castors and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Pepper Castors and the like.
I, HENRY THACKER of 109 Ferme Park Road, Hornsey, in the County of
Middlesex, Ink Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
bat manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
scertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists, first, of a pepper castor or box that will keep or retain
all the aroma, flavour, or virtue of the pepper, spice, sugar, salt or other powder,
keeping them dry, air-tight and free from dust, by means of an automatic drop
spindle with a stop end; or with a drop spindle arranged as described, or with a
Irop valve, with wire guide turned up at end as described, or with a wire acting as
guide for a bead, ball, or valve of any shape, acting as a valve, moving up and
down; or by means of a loose or fixed ball, marble, or other shape acting as a
drop valve or by a drop spindle with an intermediate stop or other arrangement as
described, combined with a single or double cone, cup or other arrangement as
described-when at rest, and allowing only a certain quantity of pepper, spice,
sugar, salt or other powder to be discharged at the time of sprinkling, thus
preventing more pepper, spice, sugar, salt or other powder coming out than is
required. The second portion of my invention relates more particularly to a new
bottom or top to the pepper or other castor or box, which can be put on and fixed
by the person filling the castor or box, by simply pressing the same on to the castor
or box. To accomplish this I use one or other of the following means :—
I insert in the top part of the castor or box, a single or double cone or cup,
with open ends attached, which can be joined, or only resting on one another, the
small opening being of such a size that when shaken, only a sufficient quantity of
pepper, spice, sugar, salt or other powder would pass through at a time. Figure 1.
The top or cap is perforated, and attached to the top or cap is a drop spindle
with a stop end, having a plug, plate, ball or stopper which can be of any shape
and which fits down on the small part of the cone or cup, when at rest, acting as
a drop valve, but when turned over in the act of sprinkling, it falls back, thus
allowing the escape of the pepper, spice, sugar, salt, or other powder; the spindle
passes through a guide attached to the top or cap, which prevents it from falling
back too far. Figure 2.
Or, I have the drop spindle made long enough with an intermediate stop-boss, to
prevent it falling back too far, and instead of the guide, the point or stop-end is
extended and tapered off, so that it does not at any time leave the small hole at the
bottom of the cone, it is of such a size, to allow the pepper, spice, sugar, salt or
other powder passing in sufficient quantity through the hole, thus acting as a
guide. Figure 3.
Or, I have the drop spindle or valve, made to fit in the top of the castor or box,
without a guide as I. I. I. I. I. Figure 2. or without an intermediate stop
O as L. L. L. L. L. Figure 3. by having the wire or stop end extended, so that it
passes through the small hole at the bottom of the cone, where it is turned up like
a hook or with any of the shapes as Q. Q. Q. Q. Figure 4. and having a head or
top to it, which passes through the perforated top of the castor or box, or the
wire can be simply bent over to any desired shape or pattern. Figure 9.
Or, the castor or box is made with the single or double cone or cup, loose
or fixed, and the drop spindle or drop valve with wire guide fixed in the
small opening of the cone or cup, by being turned up like a hook, or having a
pin put through the end of it, or in any other way so as to keep it from leaving
the small hole, the wire being of such a size as to allow the pepper, spice, sugar,

page_text: sait or other powder to pass through the hole. The drop spindle or valve can be
of any shape desired, so that the head or valve, should fit in the small end of the
cone or cup, so as to close it. Figure 4.
Or, I have a wire guide or rod fixed in the top of the castor or box, acting as
a guide, but long enough to pass through the small end of the cone or cup, and on
this wire or rod, I put a bead, ball, marble, or other shape valve or stopper, which
moves up and down the wire guide or rod easily, and which acts as a valve or drop
spindle to close the small opening when at rest, or the wire guide or rod may
come down nearly to the small hole, but sufficiently long, so that the bead or
other shape valve does not come off the wire, or the wire guide can be fixed to the
side of the cone, or put through the top of the castor or box, with a knob or hook
at either end to prevent it leaving the cone or cup, or it can be arranged in
any way, so long as the head or otber shaped valve or stopper will move easily up
and down. Figure 5.
Or, I use a loose marble, ball, or other shape valve, simply placed in the top of
the castor or box, so that when at rest, it will always lie on the small part of
the cone or cup, thus acting as a valve or stopper and closing the small hole
in the cone or cup. Fig. 6.
The castor or box can be made of any shape; the cone or cup can be conical,
domed, flat or other shape according to taste, the cone or cup can be single or
double, combined cone and cup, or cone or cup with the bottom portion straight,
curved, or slightly domed, see Figure 1. The cone or cup, single or double can
be fixed in or simply placed in, one on the other, the small ends attached-by
any of the ordinary means, such as, by the upper cone having a flange to rest
on the top of the body of the castor or box; by a headed body on the inside of
the castor or box; or by raised stops in the side of the castor or box, but I
do not bind myself to any one way in particular. The cores or cups can be
made in one or two or more pieces and may be fixed in a tube to go into the
castor or box, or be separate. Figure 7.
The castor or box can also be made with the cone forming a part of it, and
can be made for the top (including the cone and dome) to come off in one or two
pieces that is the perforated top can be fixed or made to take off, and the
cone and dome with the perforated top, fixed or loose to take off, or the whole
may be fixed so as not to take off at all, and arranged with any of the aforesaid
spindles, plugs, valves, balls, or other action. Figure 8.
The arrangement of the cone or cup can be attached to the top of the castor
or box, having the perforated cover and can be made fixed, or to take off, and
can be of any desired pattern or design. Figure 10.
The castor, box, spindles, plugs, valves, balls, or other portions can be made
either in glass, china, earthenware, brass, copper, tin, nickel, Britannia or other
metal, or other material, or a combination of any or all of them, and the cones
or cups and top or cap, can be made movable or fixed.
Instead of the ordinary plan of wheeling or soldering on the bottom or top of
the castor or box, I use a bottom pressed up and outward, so as to form a saucer,
as in Figure 11. I make a beaded body, or raised stops of any shape on the
outside of the castor or box within a certain distance of the bottom, so that, when
the bottom is pressed on the beaded body, it springs over it, and closes on the
outside of the body of the castor or box above the beaded body, the opening of
the saucer or bottom being the exact size of the body of the castor or box, the
bead round the castor or box, keeps the bottom from coming off and thus it is
fastened on the bottom of the castor or box touches the well or sunk portion
of the bottom or saucer, so that it prevents any of the contents from percolating
through; the distance of the upper part of the beaded body from the bottom of
the castor or box, being exactly the same as the distance from the inside of the
top portion or rim of the bottom or saucer to the inside of the well or sunk
portion. The same arrangement is suitable for fixing on the top of the castor
or box, the object of this plan being that the castor or box can be filled with

page_text: without the aid of any spring or other complication, closing itself when not in
use and only opening in the act of sprinkling out the contents, substantially as
described.
4. The arrangement and formation of a bottom or top to be fixed on the castor
or box and the like-simply by pressing or springing the same over the beaded
body or raised stops of any shape, substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of September 1893.
HENRY THACKER.