Year: 1885

page_text: I, THOMAS HILL, of 4 Regents Terrace, Carr Lane, Kingston-upon-Hull, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention, to be as follows:-
"Heretofore bottles containing aerated water have each been stopped either by
a ball of glass, porcelain, or other suitable material pressing upon the underside
of a flexible india-rubber washer retained within a groove formed within the
neck of the bottle or lying under an annular seat or projection within the neck
of the bottle, or they have each been stopped by a plug stopper or stud stopper or
their equivalent, each being provided with a flexible india-rubber washer on its
outside, such washer pressing upon the interior of the neck of the bottle. The
whole surface of such washers have been plain, instead of such plain surfaced
washers, I employ flexible india rubber washers, or washers of other suitable
material, each washer having one or more grooves of equal depth, in the upper
or lower face of the washer, or in both faces. Or each groove may be deepest on
the inner circumference of the washer and gradually decrease in depth until it
terminates a short distance from the outer circumference. When a grooved washer
is employed in a bottle provided with a ball stopper or when a grooved washer is
placed upon a plug stopper or a stud stopper, or their equivalent, instead of having
to employ an opening instrument to depress the ball or other stopper. It is only
necessary to employ a slight pressure of the finger upon the ball or other stopper
for the gas to gently escape through the grooves, and allow the ball or other
stopper to fall without causing the liquid to be forcibly ejected from the bottle.
Or instead of employing grooved washers as above described, I employ washers
each having one or more perforations through its side, each perforation being
horizontal or at any suitable angle varying with the shape of the washer, each
perforation may be round, square, oval, or other suitable shape.
Or I employ washers each having one or more grooves, and one or more per-
forations. In either case, the unstopping of the bottle is as easily effected, and
forcible ejection of the liquid prevented as when employing a grooved washer first
described.

page_text: Improvements in FlexiDie washers 10 Acraton
I, THOMAS HILL of 4 Regents Terrace, Carr Lane, Kingston-upon-Hull, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Heretofore bottles containing aerated water have each been stopped either by
a ball of glass, porcelain or other suitable material pressing upon the underside
of a flexible india-rubber washer retained within a groove formed inside the neck
of the bottle or lying under an annular seat or projection within the neck of the
bottle, or they have each been stopped by a plug stopper, a stud stopper or their
equivalent, each being provided with a flexible india-rubber washer on its outside,
such washer pressing upon the interior of the neck of the bottle.
The whole surface of such washers have been plain. Instead of such plain
'surfaced washers, I employ flexible india-rubber washers, or washers of other
suitable material, each washer having a number of vertical grooves shown in plan
at Figures 1 and 2, and in section at Figure 3, extending from the upper to the
lower face, the grooves being either V shaped as shown at Figure 1, or parallel
with their inner ends rounded as shown at Figure 2.
Or each groove may be made deepest on the inner circumference of the washer
and gradually decrease in depth until it terminates a short distance from the outer
circumference as shown in plan at Figure 4, and in section at Figure 5. Or instead
of employing grooved washers as above described I employ washers each having a
number of horizontal perforations through its side as shown in plan at Figure 6,
and in section at Figure 7, or the perforations may be at any suitable angle varying
with the shape or thickness of the washer, each alternate perforation pointing from
the outer circumference upwards to the inner circumference and each other alternate
perforation pointing from the outer circumference downwards to the inner circum-
ference as shown in' section at Figure 8. Or I employ washers each having one or
more grooves and one or more perforations placed alternately. When either of the
above described washers is employed in a bottle provided with a ball stopper or
if a washer is placed upon a plug stopper or a stud stopper or their equivalent,
instead of having to employ an opening instrument to depress the ball or other
stopper. It is only necessary to employ a slight pressure of the finger upon the
ball or other stopper for the gas to gently escape and allow the ball or other stopper
to fall without causing the liquid to be forcibly ejected from the bottle.
•
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 :-
The construction and employment of grooved and perforated washers, substan-
tially as described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.