Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles and Machine for Closing same.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles and Machine for Closing
same.
I BENJAMIN CROCKER CROSS of Wakefield Road Tingley in the West Riding
of the County of York Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
I have a disc of iron or other suitable material with two or more prongs or clips
attached to same, which said prongs or clips are turned in nearly square at the ends.
Between these prongs or clips, and close up to the underside of disc, is fixed a disc
of cork, or other suitable material.
The metal disc is placed on the top of a suitably shaped bottle and a great
pressure is applied on same by means of the bottling machine. When the requisite
pressure has been applied, the turned in portions of the prongs or clips, recede into
a projection on the neck of the bottle which keeps the stopper perfectly fast and
tight. The machine is constructed with a lever with counterweight, which when
depressed forces a piston on to the stopper. Attached to the lower end of piston
are springs, so arranged as to push the prongs or clips, into the projection on
bottle.
Dated this 12th day
ΟΙ
September 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles and Machine for Closing
same.
I, BENJAMIN CROCKER CROSS, of Wakefield Road, Tingley, in the County of
York, Civil 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 :-
My invention relates to the stoppering of bottles, jars and like vessels and to
apparatus or machinery therefor, and it consists essentially in providing a stopper
composed of a piece of sheet metal stamped into the form of a capsule having two
or more lugs or clips adapted to engage with an undercut moulding formed on the
neck of the bottle, and two or more teeth or points adapted to hold a disc of cork
or other suitable material placed in the said capsule. To apply stoppers of this
construction to bottles made as described I provide a machine carrying a cylindrical
tool in which works a spring piston and which is fitted with springs so arranged as
to force the lugs or clips of the stopper into the undercut moulding of the bottle.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a plan.
Figure 2 an elevation, and
:―
Figure 3 a section of a bottle stopper constructed according to my invention.
Figure 4 is an elevation partly in section of a bottle stoppered according to my
invention.
Figure 5 is an elevation.
Figure 6 a section, and,
Figure 7 a plan of the underside of the tool for applying the stoppers to the
bottles.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the lower end of such tool shewing a stopper embraced
thereby.

page_text: a, Figures 1 to 4, is the capsule portion of the stopper and b, bare the lugs or
clips adapted to engage in the undercut moulding c on the neck d of the bottle,
Figure 4. e is the disc of cork or other suitable material which I place in the
capsule a, and ff are the teeth or points serving to hold the disc e in the
capsule.
I will now describe the tool I employ for stoppering bottles according to my
invention by reference to Figures 5 to 8.
is the cylinder or body of the tool which is adapted to be fitted to a lever press
of any suitable construction. h is the piston working in the cylinder g, and i is the
spring, by the pressure of which the piston is normally forced outwards. j, are
the springs for forcing the lugs or clips of the stopper into engagement with the
undercut moulding on the neck of the bottle. k, kare springs for holding the
stopper in a central position prior to its being acted upon by the springs j,j.
1, l'are springs for guiding the bottle mouth to a central position relatively to the
stopper.
The action is as follows:-
The stopper, with its lugs or clips b in the position shewn in Figures 1, 2 and 3,
is first placed between the springs k, k of the tool as shewn in Figure 8 and the
bottle to be stoppered is placed on the machine beneath the said tool. The lever
of the machine is then depressed whereupon the tool with the stopper in it will
descend, the springs I will guide the bottle mouth to a proper central position, the
disc e of the stopper will come upon the bottle mouth, the cylinder y will slide over
the piston of the tool whereby the spring i will be compressed and will con-
sequently cause a heavy pressure on the stopper. Meanwhile, the springs j, j will
press down the lugs or clips band force them into engagement with the undercut
moulding on the neck d of the bottle as shewn in Figure 4. The lever of the
machine is then raised when the tool will be withdrawn from the neck of the bottle
which latter, properly stoppered, can then be removed from the machine.
To unstopper the bottle it is only necessary to remove the lugs or clips b, b from
the undercut moulding c on the bottle neck which can be very easily effected
without the aid of a special tool.
I thus provide a stopper which can be easily and quickly applied and removed
and which serves the combined purposes of a cork and a capsule.
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. A stopper for bottles, jars and like vessels consisting of a piece of sheet metal
in the form of a capsule having two or more lugs or clips adapted to engage with
an undercut moulding on the neck of the said vessel, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawing.
2. In combination with a stopper such as is claimed in the preceding claiming
clause, a disc of cork or other suitable material inserted and held in the capsule,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 of the
accompanying drawing.
3. The manufacture and use of bottles with an undercut moulding formed on the
neck for the purpose of securing stoppers made in accordance with the first claiming
clause substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the
accompanying drawing.
4. The improved tool for use in combination with a suitable machine, for the
purpose hereinbefore described, and substantially as set forth and illustrated in
Figures 5 to 8 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 12th day of June 1891
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.