An Improved Device for Automatically Opening and Shutting the Lids of Beer Glasses.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Device for Automatically Opening and Shutting the
Lids of Beer Glasses.
A communication by ADOLF HILSBERG, of 20, Schwertener Allee, Lübeck, in the
Empire of Germany, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, 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:-
This invention has for its object a device to be attached to beer glasses, which,
on the glass being lifted from the table, and raised, causes the same to be
automatically opened, and afterwards closed.
The invention is shown on the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 being a view of the beer glass fitted with the improved device, when
the lid is closed:
Figure 2, a view with the lid open and folded down and
Figure 3, a top plan view of Figure 1.
The beer glass A, which is provided, with a handle H, and in the neighbourhood
of the edge, with a groove i running all round, has in this groove a wire loop or
ring m whose ends are bent to form pins or pivots d d¹.
Elbow levers n n' are movably arranged on these pins, and carry on their longer
arms a lid a, which is movable on pins or pivots c c formed at the end of the said
arms, whilst, in the eyelets of the shorter arms, bars ff, which revolve on pivots
or pins e e, are arranged, these bars being connected with a weight k or bottom
piece B. The bottom piece B fits over the bottom part of the beer glass, and
carries the weight on its bottom, so that, on the insertion of the glass into the
bottom piece B, this weight fits into the hollowed-out part of the bottom which is
common in most beer glasses. The lid a is further provided with an opening which
may be closed by means of a second cover (lid) g. This second cover renders it
possible to open the glass at any desired time, even when the glass is placed on the
table.
On the other hand, the device generally acts in such a way that the lid of the
beer glass is kept closed when the glass is set down, whilst, on the glass being lifted,
the lid automatically opens and hangs at the side of the glass.
The working of this improved arrangement is as follows:-
Assuming that the beer glass has been set down and inserted in the under piece B,
the lever arrangement has assumed the position shown in Figure 1, so that the lid
is kept closed. As the loop or ring m is firmly forced into the groove i, the lever
mechanism can revolve on the fixed pins d d. If the glass be then raised aloft, the
under part B, in consequence of its weight k, has a tendency to sink downwards, by
which means a
pull is exerted on the bars ff. These bars ff' then draw the
elbow levers nn, by means of the pins e e¹ on their shorter arms, round, so that
these levers asume the position shown in Figure 2. By this turning of the elbow
levers, the lid of the glass, which is supported on the pins cc' of the elbow levers,
is raised from the glass and suspended at the side of the glass on the above
mentioned pins, so that the mouth of the glass is left perfectly free.
If the glass
be then set down, the bottom part of the same inserts itself by its own weight in
the under part B, by which means the elbow lever is again turned round, and is

page_text: forced to assume its original position (Figure 1) by which the lid a closes the beer
glass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An improved device for automatically opening and closing the lids of beer
glasses, consisting of an arrangement of elbow levers, revolving on fixed points and
connected by their longer arms with the lid of the beer glass, and by their shorter
arms with carrying bars which are connected with a loaded under-piece, embracing
the bottom of the glass; substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 5th day of February 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.