IMPROVEMENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, GUNS, TUBES, AND OTHER OPEN-MOUTHED ARTICLES, IN TAPS, AND IN FIXING THEM IN CASKS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter John Bossard, of Kennington Road, in the
County of Surrey, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, GUNS, TUBES, AND OTHER OPEN-MOUTHED
ARTICLES, IN TAPS, AND IN FIXING THEM IN CASKS AND OTHER VESSELS."-A
communication from abroad by Louis Alexandre Karion of Paris Kmnes.
Sealed the 27th February 1863, and dated the 3rd September 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter John Bossard at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd September 1862.
I, PETER JOHN BOSSARD, of Kennington Road, in the County of Surrey,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, GUNS, TUBES, AND OTHER OPEN-MOUTHED
ARTICLES, IN TAPS, AND IN FIXING THEM IN CASKS AID OTHER VESSELE,"
(communicated to me from abroad by Louis Alexandre Farjon, of Paris,
France,) to be as follows:-
This Invention is partly for improvements upon an Invention communicated
to Richard Archibald Brooman and for which Letters Patent were granted
him the 20th November 1800, No. 2842. In the stoppera described in the
Specification of that Patent no provision is made for preventing the separation
of the two parts of which the stoppers are composed,and from this separation
Pries 8d.1

page_text: much inconvenience has arisen; now to prevent the screw becoming
separated from the socket I form a stop, which, while allowing of the two
parts being separated to the greatest extent necessary, prevents their
becoming entirely separated, and thus the lower part can never fall inside
the article to which the stopper is applied.
My stoppers for earthenware and other jars formed with a projecting flange
or rim at top are made as follows:-I grind or form the seat for the stopper
conical, and I place therein a plate of earthenware with a conical edge to fit
the conical seat. I then secure the stopper by bringing a plate formed with
hooked arms which take a bearing against the bottom of the rim on the jar,
and I turn down a screw by means of a handle which fits on the head of the
screw, or by means of a screw lock and key on to the plate inserted in the
mouth of the jar. In some cases, instead of the hooked arms being slidden
under the flange on the top of the jar, I make apertures in or cut away parts
from the flange to allow of the arms passing, and I then give them a partial
turn to secure them under the flange. Again, in some cases I secure a metal
cover to a metal upright affixed to a collar secured on the jar, the upright is
made with a hinge to allow of the cover being turned to either side, while the
strap by which the cover is connected to the upright is itself hinged to allow
of the cover being turned upright; to lock this fastening the strap is continued
over in front, and by means of a link is secured to a pin projecting from the
neck, a screw or screw lock is fitted in the centre of the strap,and on the screw
being turned down the stopper is securely closed and locked. In some cases
instead of a conical seat and a plate with a conical edge to fit into the same I
employ a flat plate,and interpose between it and the rim of the jar a caoutchouc
ring, or I grind the surfaces and dispense wth the ring. I secure the plate as
before described. Again, I sometimes secure the flat or the conical edged plate
to the metal strap by pins. Again, for stopping the mouths of jars and other
open-mouthed articles, I employ a metal collar formed at bottom with a flange,
into which I insert the edges of a ring of caoutchouc, I then place this collar
and ring on the article to be stoppered and force the upper part of the ring
between the article and the collar. I bring a plate to bear on the upper edge
of the ring all round, and by forcing it down by a screw obtain the hermetic
closing of the mouth of the article; instead of a loose ring I secure a ring
between flanges at top and bottom of a collar and act on the upper flange
all round, or on the upper edge of the ring, and by compressing it against the
sides of the neck or mouth of the article obtain the closing of the article. In
both cases last described, I employ a hood or cover, within which the plate is
made to act on the edges of the rings. For stoppering bottles and other

page_text: articles formed with a flange or rim round the mouth, I fix a metal collar with
two or four projections, which take into and hold one or two stirrups which
pass over the top of a cap, inside of which is a plate carrying a caoutchouc or
cork disc, a screw passing through the stirrup and cap bears upon the plate
and pressing the disc down upon the mouth of the bottle effectually closes it.
For stoppers for guns I make them in two parts, which are capable by a screw
connection (formed with astop so that they cannot become detached) of being
brought nearer together and of thereby compressing a caoutchouc rim so as to
cause it to be expanded against the bore and of thus being tightly fixed therein.
Where required I cover the caoutchouc with felt or textile fabric. On turning
the screw in a reverse direction the ring is released from compression and is
readily withdrawn from the gun. I either use this stopper in its simple state,
or I combine with it a bayonet or cleaning pin, a whistle, or any other tool
which can be conveniently carried inside the barrel of the gun. For cocks and
taps I form them with a ring or band of caoutchouc, which when the tap is
in place lodges in the thickness of the staves or material of which the cask or
vessel to which the tap is applied is made. On turning the body of the tap
a flange presses against the caoutchouc ring and expands the caoutchouc
so as to secure the tap tightly in place.
Although I have described caoutchouc as the material of which my elastic
compressible ring is formed, yet I reserve to myself the right to use felt or
other suitable elastic material, although I prefer caoutchouc.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter John Bossard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
JOHN BOSSARD, of Kennington Road, in the County of Surrey, Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
of Her
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Peter John Bossard, Her special licence that I, the said Peter John
Bossard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Peter John Bossard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: thereafter during the term therein expressed,shouldand lawfully might make.
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOPPERS FOR BOTTLES, JARS, GUNS, TUBES, AND OTHER OPEN-MOUTHED
ARTICLES, IN TAPS. AND IN FIXING THEM IN CASES AND OTHER VESSELS,"
(communicated to me from abroad by Louis Alexandre Farjon, of Paris,
France,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter
John Bossard, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter John Bossard, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention is partly for improvements upon an Invention communicated
to Richard Archibald Brooman, and for which Letters Patent were granted
him the Twentieth November, One thousand eight hundred aud sixty,
No. 2:42. In the stoppers described in the Specification of that Patent no
provision is made for preventing the separation of the two parts of which the
stoppers are composed, and from this separation much inconvenience has
arisen; now to prevent the screw becoming separated from the socket I form
a stop, which, while allowing of the two parts being separated to the greatest
extent necessary, prevents their becoming entirely separated, and thus the
lower part can never fall inside the article to which the stopper is applied
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a stopper formed with a stop according
to my Invention. A is the lower and B the upper portion of the stopper;
C is the india-rubber ring, capable of being expanded between the upper and
lower parts; a is a male screw working into a female screw b, on the inside of
the lower part A of the stopper. The male screw is tapped at its lower end to
receive a screw c, the head of which is so large as to be unable to be passed
through the female screw b; a disc is soldered over the head of the screw c.
The parts are thus stopped from becoming entirely separated, but I do not
limit myself to forming the stop only as described.
My stoppers for earthenware and other jars are formed with a projecting
Hauge or rim a at top, as shewn at Figure 1ª, and are made as follows:-1

page_text: Again, in some
grind or form the seat for the stopper conical, and I place therein a plate of
earthenware b, with a conical edge to fit the conical seat, I then secure the
stopper by bringing a plate formed with hooked arms e, e, which take a
bearing against the bottom of the rim on the jar, and I turn down a screwf
by means of handle g, which fits on the head of the screw or by means
of a screw lock and key on to the plate inserted in the mouth of the jar.
In some cases instead of the hooked arms being slidden under the flange on
the top of the jar I make apertures in or cut away parts from the flange to
allow of the arms passing, and I then give them a partial turn to secure
them under the flange, as represented at Figures 2, 3, and 4.
cases I secure a metal cover h, as shewn at Figure 5, to a metal upright i,
affixed to a collar j, secured on the jar; the upright is made with a hinge to
allow of the cover being turned to either side, while the strap by which the
cover is connected to the upright is itself hinged to allow of the cover being
turned upright. To lock this fastening the strap is continued over in front,
and by means of a link k is secured to a pin 4 projecting from the neck; a screw
or screw lock is fitted in the centre of the strap, and on the screw being turned
down the stopper is securely closed and locked. The strup may have flaps
hinged at each end, and secured as shewn at Figure 6. In some cases instead
of a conical seat and a plate with a conical edge to fit into the same, I employ
a flat plate, and interpose between it and the rim of the jar a caoutchouc ring,
or I grind the surfaces and dispense with the ring. I secure the plate as
before described. Again, I sometimes secure the flat or the conical-edged
plate to the metal strap by pins. Again, for stoppering the mouths of jars and
other open-mouthed articles, I employ a metal collar m, as illustrated at
Figure 8, formed at bottom with a flange, into which I insert the edges of a
ring of caoutchouc n, I then place this collar and ring on the article to be
stoppered, and force the upper part of the ring between the article and the
collar. I bring a plate o to bear on the upper edge of the ring all round, and
by forcing it down by a screw obtain the hermetic closing of the mouth of the
article. Instead of a loose ring I secure a ring p between flanges at top and
bottom of a collar, as shewn at Figures 9 and 10, and act on the upper flange
all round or on the upper edge of the ring, and by compressing it against the
sides of the neck or mouth of the article obtain the closing of the article. In
both cases last described I employ a hood or cover, within which the plate is
made to act on the edges of the rings. Sometimes I employ two rings of
caoutchouc, as represented at q, r, Figures 11 and 12. For stoppering bottles
and other articles formed with a flange or rim round the mouth, I fix a metal
collars, Figures 18, 14, and 1-, with two or four projections, which take into

page_text: and hold one or two stirrups, which pass over the top of a cap u, inside of
which is a plate v, shewn at Figure. 14, carrying a caoutchouc or cork disc w
a screw passing through the stirrup and cup bears upon the plate,and pressing
the disc down upon the mouth of the bottle effectually closes it. For stoppers
for guns I make them in two parts x, y, Figure 16, which are capable, by a
screw connection (formed with a stop so that they cannot become detached),
of being brought nearer together and of thereby compressing a caoutchouc
ring so as to cause it to be expanded against the bore, and of thus being
tightly fixed therein. Where required, I cover the caoutchouc with felt or
textile fabric; on turning the screw in a reverse direction the ring is released
from compression, and is readily withdrawn from the gun. I either use this
stopper in its simple state or I combine with it a bayonet, a cleaning pin,a
whistle, or any other tool which can be conveniently carried inside the barrel
of the gun. For cocks and taps I form them with a ring or band of caout-
chouc, as shewn at Figure 17, which, when the tap is in place lodges in the
thickness of the staves or material of which the cask or vessel to which the
tap is applied is made. On turning the body of the tap a flange a presscs
against the caoutchouc ring b, and expands the caoutchouc so as to secure
the tap tightly in place.
Although I have described caoutchouc as the material of which my elastic
compressible ring is formed, yet I reserve to myself the right to use felt or
other suitable elastic material, though I prefer caoutchouc.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter John Bossard, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.