Improvements in and relating to Bottles and similar Vessels.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bottles and similar Vessels.
1. JAMES PHILIP ERIE, of No. 1900 East 5th Street, in the City and County
of Los Angeles, and State of California, United States of America, Engineer,
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 :-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bottles or analogous
vessels and seals or stoppers therefor, and it is the object of the invention to
provide a bottle with inaccessible means to indicate when a portion of the contents
of the bottle has been withdrawn; it is a further object of the invention to provide
the bottle with a non-accessible self-closing stopper or seal adapted normally to be
actuated from the exterior of the bottle to open and close the outlet thereof, and
with means for automatically operating the stopper to close the outlet at a
predetermined time and for locking the stopper against further movement; and a
still further object of the invention is to provide means for accurately measuring
and separating the quantity of liquid which it is desired to withdraw from the
bottle before such liquid is poured from the bottle. With these objects in view,
the invention consists in such features of construction, arrangement and combination
of the parts as will be hereinafter more particularly referred to.
In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which
like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts;
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a bottle constructed in accordance with
the invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view on the line - of Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line y-y, of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention; and
Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the combined stopper-lock and registering
disk.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, A, designates a suitable vessel or
closure of glass, pottery, or other suitable material adapted to contain a fluid, and
this vessel may be of any desired capacity and of any suitable shape. In the
present instance, the vessel A is in the shape of a bottle, communicating with which
at or near its lower end through an opening 1, is a vertical closed casing B of glass
or other suitable material preferably transparent, and coincident in height with the
bottle or with the main body thereof. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this casing is
cylindrical and is arranged within the bottle to extend from the mouth thereof
through the neck into a depression or recess 2 in the bottom of the bottle, and the
lower end of said casing is left open to constitute the opening 1.
Communicating with the chamber b of the casing B near the lower end thereof,
through an opening 3, is a vertical tube C which is preferably transparent and
coincident with or of greater height than the bottle. This tube preferably extends
parallel to the casing B through the neck of the bottle, and its outer end is left
open for reception of a suitable stopper 4. In the interest of cheapness and
convenience in assembling, the bottle, casing B and tube C are each formed
separately, the tube and casing being subsequently connected together by fusion,
while they may be secured within the neck of the bottle by fusion or by cementing

page_text: them thereto. A flange or filling piece 5 is inserted into the neck of the bottle to
completely fill the spaces not occupied by the casing B and tube C thereby
preventing any communication with the interior of the bottle through its mouth.
Upon the exterior of the tube C are formed a series of gradations 6 to indicate
spoonfuls, drachms, ounces, etc., by means of which the quantity of fluid which
enters the tube may be accurately measured before it is poured therefrom.
The interior of the casing B at its lower end for a distance both above and below
the opening 3 is smooth, and within this space is a cork or stopper 7 which is adapted
to be reciprocated therein to close said opening and to be raised above it to permit
the contents of the bottle to flow through the opening 1 into the chamber band
opening 3 into the tube C. Upon the interior of the casing B above the opening 3
are stops 8 which serve to limit the upward movement of the stopper 7. Connected
to the stopper and extending centrally and longitudinally through the chamber b
and through an opening 8" in the upper closed end thereof is a r d or bar 9 having
at its upper end a ring or knob by means of which it may be lifted, and preferably,
the bar is formed rectangular in cross section and the opening 8ª in the upper end of
the casing is correspondingly formed to prevent rotation of the bar in the chamber b.
Within this chamber is a spring 10 preferably bearing upon the end wall of the
casing B and connected to the rod 9 in such manner as to move the rod and its
attached stopper to automatically close the opening 3 whenever the rod has been
released by the operator after having been lifted to uncover the opening 3.
Upon opposite sides of the rod 9 and extending practically the whole length
thereof are series of teeth or projections 12 the lower faces of the teeth of the
opposite series being oppositely inclined and the upper faces constituting shoulders
or bearings 13. Loosely mounted upon the toothed rod 9, is a disk 14, which is
adapted to be moved step by step through the chamber of casing B. This disk
serves both as an indicator or tell-tale to indicate when a portion of the contents of
the bottle has been removed, and as a lock to hold the stopper 7 permanently
closed after the disk has been moved to a predetermined point, and said disk is
provided with a central rectangular opening 14 for reception of the rod 9, and
with spring catches 15, the ends of which engage the bearings or shoulders 13 of
the rod 9.
Upon the interior of the casing B at opposite sides and extending longitudinally
thereof from points just above the stops 8 to near the top of the casing, are series
of teeth 16, the upper faces of which constitute bearings or shoulders, and preferably
these series of teeth are arranged out of transverse alignment with the teeth 12 of
the rod 9.
Arranged to engage with the teeth 16 are spring catches 17 carried upon the
indicating disk at its periphery and adapted to slide freely over the teeth when the
disk is being lifted, and to spring into engagement with the shoulders or bearings
of the teeth to prevent a retrograde movement of said disk. It will be seen from
the above that the relative arrangement and construction of the teeth 12 and 16 of
the rod 9 and casing B and the engaging spring catches 15 and 17 of the disk 14
is such that when the operator lifts the rod 9 to draw the stopper 7 above the
opening 3, the disk will also be lifted by reason of the engagement of the
catches 15 with the bearings of the teeth 12. This lifting of the rod 9 causes
the catches 17 to slide freely over one or more successive teeth of the series 16
according to the extent to which the rod is moved, and to spring into engagement
with the bearings of the said teeth 16. As the rod 9 is lifted the spring 10 is put
under sufficient tension to automatically lower the rod and the stopper when the
rod is released by the operator, and thereby close the opening 3.
The spring catches 15 and 17 may be formed separately from the indicating
disk 14 and secured thereto, but preferably said catches are integral with the disk
and are formed by providing the disk with parallel slits 19, 20, which extend from
the central opening 14 and from the periphery thereof, respectively, and then
bending down the portions of the disk between said slits as iudicated in Fig. 5
The disk is also provided at its periphery with recesses 21 which coincide with and

page_text: permit the free passage therethrough of the stops 8 when the disk is being inserted
into the chamber b.
Projecting upon the interior of the casing B immediately above and in alignment
with the ends of the series of teeth 16 are segmental stops 22 which are of greater
width than the teeth of said series. The function and arrangement of these stops
is such that when the indicating disk has been lifted through the chamber and
the catches 17 thereof brought to engage with the bearings of the extreme upper
teeth of the series 16, further upward movement of the disk will be prevented by
reason of the said stops 22 coming into contact with the non-yielding edge of the
disk, and when the rod 9 has been lifted, to bring the disk to this position and to
simultaneously draw up the stopper 7, and then released, the spring 10 will
depress the rod and stopper and the catches 15 will spring into engagement with
the bearings of the teeth 16 After this, the rod and stopper cannot be lifted
again for the reason that further upward movement of the indicating disk is
impossible and such movement is necessary in effecting the raising of the rod and
stopper.
Preferably, although it need not necessarily be the case, the discharge end of
the tube C is provided with the cork or stopper 4 in order that when the stopper 7
is lifted above the opening but a small quantity, if any, of the liquid will enter
the tube C, the entrance of the liquid into the tube being resisted by the air confined
therein, and by gradually, removing the stopper 4, the flow of the liquid into the
tube may be increased. This is especially desirable when the liquid is to be with-
drawn in small regulated quantities.
In the modification of the invention illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, the
construction is substantially identical with that shown in the remaining figures
except that the casing B and tube C are arranged upon the exterior of a closed
vessel of somewhat different shape and the casing is provided with a nipple 26
which is secured in an opening in the lower end of the vessel, as by fusing it to
the vessel. In this modification, the end of the casing is extended below the
opening 1 for reception of a stopper 27 which is inserted into the casing to close it
at its lower end after the vessel A has been filled and the parts assembled. This
stopper is provided with a transverse opening 28 into the opposite ends of which are
inserted pins 29 and between the inner ends of these pins, a spring 30 is interposed
to press the pins outwardly into engagement with recesses 31 formed in the interior
of the casing. It will thus be seen that after the stopper 27 has once been seated,
it is impossible to remove it without first breaking the casing, thereby rendering
the bottle or vessel incapable of further use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
--
1. A bottle provided with a discharge tube or passage communicating with the
interior of the bottle at or near the lower end thereof, and a stopper at the lower
end of said tube adapted to be operated from the exterior of the bottle to open
and close communication between the tube and the bottle, substantially as
described.
2. A bottle provided with a discharge tube or passage communicating with the
interior of the bottle at or near the lower end thereof, and a self-seating stopper at
the lower end of said tube adapted to be operated from the exterior of the bottle
to open and close communication between the tube and the bottle, substantially as
described.
3. A bottle provided with a graduated discharge tube or passage communicating
with the interior of the bottle at or near the lower end thereof, and a stopper at
the lower end of said tube adapted to be operated from the exterior of the bottle
to open and close communication between the tube and the bottle, substantially as
described.
4. A bottle provided with a discharge tube or passage communicating with the

page_text: .
interior of the bottle at or near the lower end thereof, a stopper at the lower end
of said tube adapted to be operated from the exterior of the bottle to open and
close communication between the tube and bottle, and a second stopper in the upper
end of the tube, substantially as described.
5. A bottle provided with a discharge opening and a stopper controlling the
same, of an inaccessible indicating device operated with the stopper to indicate
when the bottle has been opened, substantially as described.
6. A bottle provided with a discharge opening and a stopper controlling the same,
of a visible inaccessible intermittently movable indicating device adapted to be
operated by the stopper to indicate when the bottle has been opened, substantially
as described.
7. A bottle provided with a discharge opening and an inaccessible stopper for
-controlling the discharge opening, means for operating the stopper from the exterior
of the bottle, and devices for automatically locking the stopper to close the
discharge opening at a predetermined time, substantially as described.
8. A bottle provided with a discharge, and an inaccessible stopper, adapted to be
moved from the exterior of the bottle to open and close the discharge opening, and
inaccessible means for automatically locking the stopper to close the discharge
opening after the stopper has been moved a number of times, substantially as
.described.
9. A bottle provided with a discharge opening, and an inaccessible self-closing
stopper, adapted to be moved from the exterior of the bottle to open the discharge
opening, and inaccessible means for automatically locking the stopper in its closed
position, substantially as described.
Dated the 8th day of April, A.D. 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.