Improvements in Apparatus and Appliances for Opening Bottles containing Fermented, Gasified, or Aerated Liquid or Mineral Waters, and which are fitted with Internal Stoppers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus and Appliances for Opening Bottles
containing Fermented, Gasified, or Aerated Liquid or Mineral
Waters, and which are fitted with Internal Stoppers.
I, WILLIAM HALLAM, of the Eckington Colliery, Eckington, near Sheffield, in the
County of Derby, Colliery Sub-Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
Bottles having Internal Stoppers are usually opened by means of a plunger or plug
being pressed down on to the top of the internal stopper or by the reverse operation
of the neck of the bottle being pressed towards a fixed plug or plunger, either of
which operations are attended with danger resulting from the bursting of the bottle
or in any case in the waste of the liquid which is forced out by the escaping gas.
The object of my Invention is to obviate these defects and provide an appliance by
which such a bottle may be opened in ordinary circumstances without waste and
in the event of a bottle bursting, without the risk of the danger which frequently
results by the use of the ordinary appliances.
I effect this, by employing an apparatus comprising a cone-shaped shield which
fit over the neck and shoulders of the bottle to be opened. In the top of the shield
I fit and secure a hollow plunger or plug, the nose of the plug being long enough
to enter the neck of a bottle for the purpose of forcing inwards the internal stopper.
Round the back of the plug I provide an india-rubber washer so that when the
plug is driven into the bottle the india-rubber washer acts as a cushioning medium
between the shoulder of the plug and the neck of the bottle. The upper part
or cap of the plug behind the shoulder last mentioned, I likewise form hollow but
closed at it's extremity and I provide several vents near the top of the cap such
vents being formed at an angle so that any air, gas, or liquid, escaping therefrom,
will be forced in a downward direction towards the back of the shoulder of the
plug. Immediately above the shoulder of the plug I provide several inlets into
the cavity of the cap of the plug, such inlets having an inclination downwards
towards the centre of the plug. When the plug herein described is fitted in position
in the upper part of the cone the lower part of the shoulder with the india-rubber
washer and the nose of the plug with it's central gas vent project downwards into
the cone or shield and the back of the shoulder with the cap of the plug project
upwards above the apex of the cone. Around the cap of the plug I provide a
chamber or gas space in the form of an inverted cone so that the upper part of the
said chamber may have a cover of increased area and so rounded and shaped as
to adapt it to receive the blow or pressure from the palm of the hand when the
appliance is being used for un-stoppering a bottle. The cover to the chamber or
gas space here described I provide with small ornamental perforations for the
escape of gas or air. The joint between the shoulder of the plug and the upper
and lower cones are made gas and water-tight.
The action of the apparatus here described is as follows.-When the cone-shaped
shield is placed over the neck of a bottle with the hollow plug or plunger down the

page_text: neck of the bottle into which position it is always guided by the shape of the cone
which is concentric with the plug, a pressure or a blow is given to the appliance so
that the plug forces the stopper into the bottle and the india-rubber washer coming
into contact with the lips of the bottle neck the air, gas, or liquid can only escape
up the hollow portion of the plunger or plug into the cap, whence it is discharged
downwards into the conical shaped gas chamber. Any liquid which may escape
with the gas is returned by means of the inlets into the cavity of the cap
which are so placed and inclined that the liquid is drained from the upper or gas
chamber of the apparatus back into the bottle through the central cavity of the
stopper. and in this way waste is prevented:
I am aware that plungers with annular shields for opening internally stoppered
bottles have been previously employed and I lay no claim to novelty in that respect
the essential features of my Invention consisting in the employment of a hollow
or vented plunger or plug in combination with an upper or gas chamber, so placed
and arranged in conjunction with a conical shield that the waste of liquor may
be prevented in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein described
and set forth.
Dated this 21+ day of D
han 1000
Improvements in Apparatus and Appliances for Opening Bottles
containing Fermented, Gasified, or Aerated Liquid or Mineral
Waters, and which are fitted with Internal Stoppers.
I; WILLIAM HALLAM, of Eckington Colliery, Eckington, near Sheffield, in the County
of Derby, Colliery Sub-Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and
in what manner the same is to be. performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Bottles having internal stoppers are usually opened by means of a plunger or plug
being pressed down on to the top of the internal stopper or by the reverse operation
of the neck of the bottle being pressed towards a fixed plug or plunger, either of which
operations are attended with danger resulting from the bursting of the bottle or in
any case in the waste of the liquid which is forced out by the escaping gas. The object
of my invention is to obviate these defects and provide an appliance by which such a
bottle may be opened in the ordinary circumstances without waste and in the event of
a bottle bursting, without the risk of the danger which frequently results by the use
of the ordinary appliances.
My invention will be better understood on reference to the accompanying sheet of
Drawings, in which,
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of my improved appliance.
Fig. 2. is a section of the same.
Fig. 3. is a plan looking on the Top.
Fig. 4. is a plan looking inside the bottom.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
I carry out my invention by employing an apparatus comprising a cone shaped
shield, a, which fits over the neck and shoulders of the bottle to be opened. In the
top of the shield a, I fit and secure a hollow plunger or plug, b, the nose of the plug
being long enough to enter the neck of the bottle for the purpose of forcing inwards
the internal stopper. Round the back of the plug I provide an india-rubber washer, c,

page_text: so that when the plug is driven into the bottle the india-rubber acts as a cushioning
medium between the shoulder, d, of the plug and the neck of the bottle.
The upper
part or cap, e, of the plug behind the shoulder last mentioned, I likewise form hollow
but closed at its extremity and I provide several vents, f, f, near the top of the cap
such vents being formed at an angle so that any air, gas, or liquid, escaping therefrom
will be forced in a downward direction towards the back of the shoulder of the plug.
Immediately above the shoulder of the plug I provide several inlets, g, g, into the
cavity, h, of the plug, such inlets having an inclination downwards towards the centre
of the plug.
When the plug herein described is fitted in position in the
upper part of the cone the lower part of the shoulder with the india-
rubber washer and the nose of the plug' with its central gas vent, h,
project downwards into the cone or shield, a, and the back of the shoulder with the
cap, e, of the plug project upwards above the apex of the cone. Around the cap of the
plug I provide a chamber or gas space in the form of an inverted cone, i, so that the
upper part of the said chamber may have a cover, j, of increased area and so rounded
and shaped as to adapt it to receive the blow or pressure from the palm of the hand
when the appliance is being used for unstoppering a bottle. The chamber or gas space
here described I provide with small ornamental perforations, k, k, for the escape of
gas or air.
The joint, 1, between the shoulder of the plug and the upper and lower
cones are made gas and water tight. The material of which the gas chamber is made
being so formed as to enter inside the upper portion of the cone, u, and I utilize some
portion of this material to form strips, m, m, which can be utilized for securing the
hollow plunger or plug, b, in position within the cone. This I effect by turning
the strips or nibs, m, m, over the shoulder of the cone as shewn in the illustrations
Figs. 2 & 4.
The action of the apparatus here described is as follows;
When the cone shaped shield, a, is placed over the neck of a bottle with the
hollow plug or plunger, b, down the neck of the bottle into which position it is
always guided by the shape of the cone which is concentric with the plug, a
pressure or a blow is given to the appliance so that the plug forces the stopper
into the bottle and the india-rubber washer, c, coming into contact with the lips of
the bottle neck, the air, gas, or liquid can only escape up the hollow portion, h, of the
plunger or plug, b, into the cap, e, whence it is discharged downwards through
the openings, f,f, into the conical shaped gas chamber, i. Any liquid which may
escape with the gas is returned by means of the inlets, g, g, into the cavity of the
cap which inlets are so placed and inclined that the liquid is drained from the upper
or gas chamber of the apparatus back into the bottle through the central cavity, h,
of the stopper, and in this way waste is prevented.
I am aware that plungers with annular shields for opening internally stoppered
bottles have been previously employed and I lay no claim to novelty in that
respect.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
1. In apparatus and appliances for opening internal stoppered bottles containing
liquids under pressure, the arrangement and combination of parts and appliances
comprising a hollow vented plunger or plug, b, with an upper or gas chamber, i,
and a lower or conical shield, a, together with an india-rubber ring or washer, c,
for use in the manner and for the purpose as herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicant.