A New or Improved Stopper for Bottles Containing Aërated Liquids or Liquids under Gaseous Pressure.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Stopper for Bottles Containing Aërated Liquids
or Liquids under Gaseous Pressure.
I EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE of "The Retreat" Selly Park near Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
My invention consists of a new or improved stopper for bottles containing
aërated liquids or liquids under gaseous pressure the parts of the said stopper
being constructed and combined and operating in the manner hereinafter described.
My invention has reference to that class of stoppers which are pressed to and
close the mouth of the bottle by the gaseous pressure within the bottle, the stopper
seating itself against a vulcanized india rubber seat or shoulder in the mouth of
the bottle.
By the use of a stopper constructed according to my invention, the bottle is
opened with great facility and without the employment of the ordinary opener.
In constructing a stopper according to my invention I make the body of the
stopper of a hemispherical figure and either of glass, china porcelain, ebonite or
other hard non-metallic material, the said hemi-spherical body being pressed to and
held against an elastic seat or shoulder in the mouth of the bottle so as to form a
gas tight joint, by the gaseous contents of the bottle, the said elastic seat consisting
preferably of an india rubber ring fitted in a groove in the mouth of the bottle.
In the hemi-spherical body of the stopper is a cylindrical axial hole or passage
opening at bottom into an enlargement or conical depression at the base of the
stopper and crossing the said base and opening into the said depression are two or
more cross passages or vents. In the axial hole or passage in the stopper a
cylindrical piece of vulcanized india rubber is fitted which I will hereinafter call
the "opener." The bottom of the "opener" carries a disc of ebonite which bears
against the flat base of the hemi-spherical body and closes the depression at the
said base. The upper end of the " opener is taper and projects from the body of
the stopper and when the stopper is pressed to its elastic seat at the mouth of the
bottle, the said taper end of the "opener" is situated a short distance above the
said mouth so that it can be grasped between the thumb and finger. The cylindrical
part of the elastic "opener" has such a diameter that when in its normal state it
completely fills and closes gas tight the cylindrical axial hole in the stopper and
thereby cuts off communication between the said hole and the cross passages or
vents in the flat base of the stopper, the said cross passages or vents, when the
stopper is pressed to its seat, being open to the interior of the bottle, but are cut off
from the external air.
33
By pulling upwards the taper projecting end of the india rubber "opener," the
said "
opener is elongated and its diameter thereby reduced and it consequently
no longer fills the axial hole in the stopper. An annular space being thus left
between the axial hole in the stopper and the "opener" communication is established
between the interior of the bottle and the external air, through the depression and
cross passages or vents at the base of the stopper, and a portion of the gaseous
contents of the bottle escaping through the said open cross passages or vents and
the axial hole in the stopper, the gaseous pressure within the bottle is so reduce!!
that on loosing the stopper it falls and opens the bottle. The bottle is thus opened
by the simple elongation of the india rubber "opener" in the axis of and forming
an integral part of the stopper.
DL:
AZ ambon 1000
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Stopper for Bottles Containing Aërated Liquids
or Liquids under Gaseous Pressure.
I EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE, of "The Retreat" Selly Park, near Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
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 consists of a new or improved stopper for bottles containing
aërated liquids or liquids under gaseous pressure, the parts of the said stopper
being constructed and combined and operating in the manner hereinafter described.
My invention has reference to that class of stoppers which are pressed to and
close the mouth of the bottle by the gaseous pressure within the bottle; the stopper
seating itself against a vulcanized india rubber ring or washer fitted into a groove
in the mouth of the bottle.
By the use of a stopper constructed according to my invention the bottle is
opened with great facility and without the employment of the ordinary opener.
In constructing a stopper according to my invention I make the body of the
stopper of a hemi-spherical figure and either of glass, china porcelain, ebonite or
other hard non-metallic material, the said hemispherical body being pressed to and
held against an elastic seat or shoulder in the mouth of the bottle so as to form a
gas tight joint, by the gaseous contents of the bottle, the said elastic seat
consisting preferably of an india rubber ring fitted in a groove in the mouth of the
bottle.
In the hemispherical body of the stopper is a cylindrical axial hole or passage,
opening at bottom into an enlargement or conical depression at the base of the
stopper and crossing the said base and opening into the said depression are two or.
more cross passages or vents.
In the axial hole or passage in the stopper a cylindrical piece of vulcanized india
rubber is fitted which I will hereinafter call the "opener."
"
The bottom of the "opener" carries a disc preferably of ebonite which bears
against the flat base of the hemispherical body and closes the depression at the
said base. The upper end of the "opener" is taper and projects from the body of
the stopper and when the stopper is pressed to its elastic seat at the mouth of the
bottle, the said taper end of the "opener" is situated a short distance above the
said mouth so that it can be grasped between the thumb and finger. The cylindrical
part of the elastic "opener" has such a diameter that when in its normal state it
completely fills and closes gas tight the cylindrical axial hole in the stopper and
thereby cuts off communication between the said hole and the cross passages or
vents in the flat base of the stopper, the said cross passages or vents when the
stopper is pressed to its seat, being open to the interior of the bottle, but are cut off
from the external air.
By pulling upwards the taper projecting end of the india rubber "opener" the
said "opener" is elongated and its diameter thereby reduced and it consequently no
longer fills the axial hole in the stopper. An annular space being thus left between
the axial hole in the stopper and the "
between the interior of the bottle and the external air, through the depression and
'opener," communication is established
cross passages or vents at the base of the stopper, and a portion of the gaseous
contents of the bottle escaping through the said open cross passages or vents and
the axial hole in the stopper, the gaseous pressure within the bottle is so reduced
that on loosing the stopper it falls and opens the bottle.
The bottle is thus opened by the simple elongation of the india rubber "
in the axis of and forming an integral part of the stopper.
opener"
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing represent partly in vertical section
and partly in elevation the upper portion of a bottle provided with a stopper

page_text: constructed according to my invention; Figures 3 and 4 represent the two parts
of the said stopper separated as hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a is the bottle having near its mouth the ordinary india rubber ring or washer b
against which the stopper is forced by the compressed gas within the bottle in the
ordinary way.
The stopper consists of the hemi-spherical body c preferably of porcelain or
other hard non-metallic material having in it an axial hole c³ (see the sectional view.
elevation and plan of underside of the said body of the stopper represented in
Figure 3). The said hole is preferably slightly conical as represented but it may
be cylindrical through the greater part of its length and terminate at bottom in a
conical expansion of the said hole. Crossing the base of the body c of the said
stopper as a diameter is a V or other shaped groove or depression 3 (see Figure 3)
the said groove or depression e constituting a vent when the bottle is being opened
as hereinafter described. In place of the diametrical groove or depression c³ one,
three or more radial grooves or depressions may be employed.
In the axial hole of the body of the stopper a cylindrical plug of vulcanized
india rubber d is fitted; the said plug of india rubber in its normal condition is of
a slightly greater diameter than the hole in the body c of the stopper. The said
plug d fills and closes the hole c2 gas tight. The bottom of the said plug dis
provided with a disc preferably of ebonite d² which bears against the flat base of
the hemi-spherical body c. The upper end of the said plug d is taper or conical
(see the separate views Figure 4) and is of such a length that when the said
stopper is in its normal position in the mouth of the bottle the said taper end of
the plug d stands above the top or mouth of the bottle a (see Figure 1) so that
it can be easily grasped between the thumb and finger of the person opening the
bottle.
When it is desired to open the bottle a the taper end of the india rubber plug d,
which constitutes the opener of the bottle, is grasped between the thumb and
finger and pulled upwards. The diameter of the said plug or opener d is thereby
reduced and it consequently no longer fills the axial hole in the body cof the
stopper as represented in Figure 2. There is thereby left an unoccupied annular
space e between the axial hole ce and the plug or opener d; a passage is thereby
made between the said space e and the interior of the bottle a and the compressed
gas in the interior of the bottle consequently escapes by the said grooves or vents e³
and axial hole c² into the external air. On the release of the plug or opener d the
stopper being no longer supported falls from the mouth of the bottle and the liquid
contents of the said bottle may be poured out. Thus it will be seen that the bottle
is opened by simply pulling and elongating the india rubber plug or opener d in the
axis of and forming an integral part of the stopper, no detached or separate opener
being required.
On inverting the empty bottle for refilling the stopper seats itself on the ring or
washer the plug d of the stopper having near its taper end a weight which
causes it to fall in the required position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of;"A new or improved stopper for bottles containing aĕrated
liquids or liquids under gaseous pressure";-
A stopper consisting of a hemi-spherical body having a slightly conical axial hole
or a cylindrical hole terminating in a conical expansion at bottom, the said body also
having in its base a diametrical groove or depression or one, three or more radial
grooves or depressions, the said axial hole in the body being filled and closed gas
tight by an india rubber plug or opener having at its bottom a disc of ebonite, the
top of the said plug or opener being taper or conical and standing when in its

page_text: normal position above the top of the mouth of the bottle so as to be easily grasped
between the thumb and finger substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 18th day of September 1893.
'
EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE.