Improvements in and relating to Bottles, to Prevent them from being Fraudulently Refilled.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bottles, to Prevent them from
being Fraudulently Refilled.
I, GEORGE PERRY CLARK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
at 629 South Fairfax Street, in the City and County of Alexandria, and State of
Virginia, one of the United States of America, Mechanic, 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:-
The invention relates to bottles, and the principal object is to produce a bottle
having a non-removable stopper, so constructed as to prevent fraudulent refilling of
the bottle after the same has been once filled and emptied of its contents; and
another object of the invention is to provide means whereby undue tampering with
the stopper is prevented.
With these objects in viow my invention consists essentially in providing a
peculiarly constructed sleeve or bushing which is adapted to be securely seated in
the neck of the bottle, after the same has been filled, and a floatable valve provided
with certain novel attachments whereby the valve is caused to be firmly held to
its seat in the upper end of the sleeve or bushing should an attempt be made to
refill the bottle, whether in an upright, inverted, or an inclined position.
The invention further consists in providing a shell with a tortuous passage and
securely senting said shell immediately above or in front of the valved-stopper,
whereby the valve is protected from being unduly tampered with.
The invention further consists in the combination and general arrangement of the
various parts, as will be hereinafter more fully explained and specifically set forth
in the claim.
In the accompanying drawing-
Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a bottle, showing my improved
stopper applied thereto;
Figure 2 a bottom view of the sleeve or bushing;
Figure 3 a perspective sectional view of the same, with the valve removed;
Figure 4 a vertical sectional view of the neck of the bottle showing a modified.
form of guard protector for the valve, and
Figure 5, plan views of the respective discs seated within the guard.
Referring particularly to the several views :-
The numeral indicates a bottle provided, preferably, with a straight neck
having two annular interior grooves, 2, the bottom one of which is formed with au
offset, 3, for the purpose to be hereinafter explained.
The numeral 4 indicates a sleeve or bushing provided with a flanged bottom, 5,
baring a central aperture, 6, and four air-vents, 7, arranged at equi-distant intervals
around the central aperture. Rising from the central aperture is a short tube 8,
which forms an exit passage for the contents of the bottle. Secured to the outer
face of the flanged bottom is one end of a wire 9, which is bent to form an eye 10,
directly below the central aperture 6, and extending downwards said wire terminates
in an eye, 11, for the purpose to be hereinafter explained.
The numeral 12 indicates a hollow-ball-valve, which is adapted to be seated in
the upper end of the sleeve or bushing 4, the inner side edge of which is slightly
beveled to facilitate the seating of the valve. Attached to said valve is one end
of a chain or cord 13, the other end of said chain passes through the eyo 10 aud
is secured in the eye 11 of the wire 9. The chain is of sufficient length to permit

page_text: the valve to recede from its seat a sufficient distance to allow the contents of the
bottle to be discharged through the tubular passage or exit. Although a chain is
shown to better illustrate the flexible character of the means for limiting the
action of the valve, it will be evident that a fine wire may be used with equally as
good, if not better results. Secured to the chain, about midway its length, is a
weight, 14, which serves to hold the valve firmly onto ita seat. The sleeve or
bushing, with its valve and attachmente, is inserted in the neck of the bottle, after
filling, with its flanged bottom resting upon the annular shoulder or offset 3, and is
therein secured by means of a liquid cement, or plaster of Paris, poured into the
space formed between the sleeve or bushing and neck of the bottle, and filling
the lower annular groove, a key is thereby formed which firmly holds said
sleeve or bushing against any attempt to remove the same without breaking the
bottle.
To guard and protect the valve from being tampered with, I provide a shell, 15,
which is fitted snugly within the neck of the bottle just above the valved stopper,
and is provided with exterior vertical grooves 16 which extend down to the upper
annular groove 2. Said shell is securely held in place by filling said groove with
liquid cement, or plaster of Paris, which is poured into the groove through the
grooves 16. The interior of the shell is provided with a tortuous passage which is
formed by a series of inclined shelves 17, which project alteruately, about two-thirds
of the diameter of the shell from opposite sides thereof, as shown in Figure 1.
Any attempt to reach the valve with an implement will be frustrated, as it will be
impossible to insert such implement around the projecting ends of the alternately
arranged shelves.
When it is desired to empty the bottle of its contents, the bottle is first inverted
and then held in a slightly tilted position, when the contents will flow out through
the short tubular passage, the flow being greatly facilitated by the inrush of air
through the air-vents in the bottom of the sleeve or bushing, which filling the vacuum
being created by the liberation of the contents, acts as a pressure upon the outflowing
contents.
When the bottle is inverted the position assumed by the valve is shown in dotted
lines, Figure 1, and when held in tilted position, after the contents have been
discharged, the position of the valve will be as indicated in full lines with the weight
in position as shown in dotted lines.
Should an attempt be made to refill the bottle, after its contents have been
discharged, by pouring liquids through the tortuous passage, the valve will
immediately seat itself, whether the bottle is in an upright or inclined position.
If the bottle should be inverted and an attempt be made to refill it by pressure, the
instaut sufficient liquid entered the mouth of the bottle the valve would be floated
to its seat, and any further pressure of the fluid would force the valve into the.
sleeve or bushing to such an extent that the entrance to the bottle would
become permanently closed, thereby rendering useless any further attempt at
refilling.
I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any particular form of
valve, or to any particular material, so long as it is constructed of floatable material,
as it is evident that various changes or modifications may be made without departing
from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing the principle thereof, though I prefer
to make the valve of a hollow rubber ball.
The bushing
or sleeve and tortuous-passage shell may be constructed of any.
suitable material, preferably of aluminium, and two or more inclined shelves may
be arranged to form the tortuous passage.
In the modification shown in Figure 4, the valve-guard or protector consists of
a thin shell, 18, having interior seats 19 in which are seated a series of liquid passage
discs 20 and 21. The discs 20 are solid and are provided with lugs 22 which are
seated in the seat 19, leaving a circular space 23 between the edge of the disc and
the interior wall of the bottle, and between each lug, for the passage of the liquid.
The disc 21 is provided with a central opening for the passage of the liquid.

page_text: The shell at top and bottom, is provided with openings for the passage of the
liquid. The outside of the shell is provided with a series of annular corrugations
and the inside of the neck of the bottlo is correspondingly corrugated. The
shell is inserted in the neck of the bottle, and cement is employed to fasten the shell
firmly in place, or the shell may be seated in cork and the whole forced into the
neck of the 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 the neck of a bottle, of a non-removable stopper
comprising a sleeve or bushing having a tubular passage for the discharge of the
contents of the bottle, a rod or wire projecting from said sleeve or bushing, and a
valve connected to the lower end of said rod or wire by a flexible weighted
connection, whereby said valve is caused to open and permit the contents of the
bottle to be discharged and to close and prevent refilling of the same.
2. The combination, with a non-removable bottle stopper comprising a sleeve
having a tubular passage for the discharge of the contents of the bottle, a wire
projecting. from said sleeve, and a valve connected to the lower end of said wire by
a flexible weighted connection, of suitable means arranged above said stopper,
whereby tampering with the stopper is prevented.
3. The combination, with the neck of a bottle, of a non-removable stopper com-
prising a sleeve or bushing having a tubular passage, through which the contents of
the bottle may be discharged, and a series of air-vents, a rod or wire having one
end attached to said sleeve or bushing, and a valve connected to the other end of
said rod or wire by a flexible weighted-connection, whereby said valve is caused to
open and permit the contents of the bottle to be discharged and to close and prevent.
the refilling of the same.
Dated this "let den of April 1908
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.