Improvements in the Method of and Means for Closing Bottles, Jars, and other Receptacles of a similar or like Nature.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 4th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Closing Bottles, Jars,
and other Receptacles of a similar or like Nature.
We, GURDON PENDLETON, Junior, Factory Superintendent, of Carbondale,
Pennsylvania, and CORNELIUS SMITH MITCHILL, Manufacturer, of 545, West 22nd
Street, New York, both in the United States of America, do hereby declare the
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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in the method of and means for closing
bottles, jars and other receptacles of a similar or like nature, and it is more
particularly, but not exclusively, intended for such receptacles as are used for
holding paint preserves, fruit, and other articles which require an air-tight
closure the said receptacles being usually made of glass with a glass cover-
plate secured to the glass body by an external metallic sleeve, to avoid corrosion
by the contents.
In one style of jar in common use the glass cover plates are secured to the glass
body by a metallic sleeve, (separable from the cover plate,) screwing on the neck
of the body. The glass cover plates, however, being separable from the sleeve,
often fall and break when the cover is removed, and the sleeve being unyielding
does not adapt itself to the inequalities of the joint, and thus makes an imperfect
closure. Furthermore, the sleeve being round, it is difficult to screw it on tightly,
and also to unscrew it when it binds or sticks.
In another and older type of fruit jar, a glass or porcelain plate is held loosely
in a capped sleeve screwing on the body, but the sealing joint is between the
bottom of the sleeve and an external shoulder on the body, so that the contents
can gain access to and corrode the metallic cap, between the glass plate and the
mouth of the body, where the opening is variable.
Our invention consists briefly, of a cover plate adapted to make a tight joint
with the mouth of the jar or other receptacle, and locked vertically but rotatably
in an external cover cap of a preferably yielding construction adapted to be coupled
by screwing to the body and provided with a folding handle or carrying bail to
serve also as a convenient means for screwing it to and unscrewing it from the
body. By our invention we gain among other advantages a tight joint between
the cover plate and body and thus prevent corrosion of the sleeve, at the same
time making the cover plate a permanent part of the cover cap, and greatly
facilitating the opening and closing of the jar or other receptacle.
In order that our invention may be fully ascertained, we make reference to the
accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which the same
parts are designated by like letters in all the figures.
Fig. 1, is a part sectional side view of a portion of a covered fruit jar embodying
our invention.
Fig. 2, is a part sectional side view of the cover taken at right angles to that
shewn in Fig. 1, and
T. 2 inlan

page_text: In practice we form the body A of the receptacle (which is here represented
as a glass preserve jar) with an annular joint bearing B, around its mouth, usually
having a compressible packing ring B¹ to make a tight joint, and with an external
coupler, by preference a screw thread C, below the joint bearing B, on which
coupler is screwed the corresponding coupler D of a cover cap E.
The mouth of the body A is closed by a cover plate F, by preference of glass,
porcelain, or other suitable material, formed with an annular ridge bearing G,
to make a tight joint with the body joint bearing B, and an annular tongue H,
which we prefer to form with an undercut or upwardly flaring bottom bearing H¹,
and an annular top bearing H². The cover plate F is enclosed in the cover
cap E, which we prefer to draw, press and roll out of or otherwise form from a
single piece of sheet zine or other metal.
We form the cover cap E above its coupler D with an annular internal groove J,
by preference with an upwardly flaring lower bearing to correspond with and
receive the tongue H of the cover plate F, which is thus, held against vertical
displacement in and separation from the cover cap, while the latter can rotate
freely on the cover plate, so that by screwing the cover cap to the body coupler C,
the cover plate is brought down to its bearing on the body-joint-bearing B, and
will not rotate thereon while the cover cap is screwed down to make the cover
plate joint tight. Likewise in unscrewing the cover cap E, the cover plate will
not rotate on the body-joint-bearing B, until lifted therefrom with the cover cap.
Thus the cover plate will not wear the packing by turning thereon, while the
cover plate will always remain in the cover cap. To make the cover cap E
more elastic and thus perfect the joint between the cover plate and the body, and
also to stiffen and strengthen the cover cap, we prefer to form it with an upward
peripheral annular fold K, the outer ply of which fold forms the groove J and
the body coupler D, and the inner ply of which fold rises from the outer edge of
an annular bearing L which holds down the annular cover plate bearing H2.
To the cover cap E we pivot transversely a handle or carrying bail M, to fold
down upon the cover cap within the fold K for convenience in packing, and also
to serve as an efficient means for screwing the cover cap on to the body, and thus
for removing or tightly screwing the cover, we prefer to pivot the ends of the
bail M to the upward fold K to gain greater strength and leverage, and we do
so by bending the upper part of the fold K inward to form an annular lip P,
and forming the cover cap with an upwardly projecting annular ridge N beneath
the said lip, and around the inner edge of the bearing L, interrupted on opposite
sides by sockets O, in which the ends of the bail are sprung beneath the lip P.
The bail is thus readily and firmly secured to the cover cap, and the latter and
especially the bearing L, is additionally strengthened and stiffened by the ridge N.
We may also use this novel cap cover and bail as a closure for receptacles without
the enclosed cover plate. F.
It is evident that our combined cover plate and cover cap may be used to great
advantage on receptacles of all kinds, as well as preserve jars, and that each
feature of the invention is valuable independent of the other features. The
cover is exceptionally simple and inexpensive to manufacture notwithstanding its
many advantages.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
CLAIMS.
1. In a cover for packages a sheet metal cover cap formed with an annular
downholding shoulder L, an annular upholding shoulder around its side wall,
and a rotative body coupler therebelow, in combination with a rotatable cover
plate held loosely between the annular downholding and upholding shoulders,
but inseparably retained in the cover can thereby

page_text: 2. A sheet metal cover cap formed with a closed top, an annular downholding
shoulder L depressed below the said top, an annular upholding shoulder and a
rotative body coupler therebelow, in combination with a rotatable cover-plate
enclosed within the cover cap and held loosely between the annular downholding
and upholding shoulders, but inseparably retained to the cover cap thereby.
3. A sheet metal cover cap formed with an annular downholding shoulder L,
and an upward projecting fold K surrounding the shoulder L, the outer ply of
the fold K being formed with an annular upholding shoulder and a rotative body
coupler, in combination with a rotatable cover plate held between the down-
holding shoulder L and the upholding shoulder.
4. A sheet metal cover cap formed with an annular downholding shoulder L, an
annular upward projecting ridge N, interrupted at opposite points to form handle or
bail sockets O, and an upward projecting peripheral fold K, the outer ply of
which forms the body coupler and the top of which fold is bent inward as a lip P
over the bail sockets 0, to retain the ends of a bail therein.
Dated this 7th day of October 1897.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C. Agents for Applicants.