Improvements in or relating to Hot Water Bottles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 3rd May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Hot Water Bottles.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of The Indiarubber, Guttapercha, and
Telegraph Works Company Limited, of Silvertown in the County of Essex,
Indiarubber Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the well known indiarubber "hot water bottles" made
usually in the form of a bag with or without a handle and provided with a funnel
and stopper generally at the centre of one end; it has been found however that in
filling these with boiling water the air in escaping from the bag is apt to cause
slight explosions as the water enters which commonly results in the water flying
over on to the hand of the person filling the bag and thus causing scalds an
inconvenience. To avoid these drawbacks an escape valve has been before now
arranged in the end of the bag outside the funnel and closed by a separate stopper,
but I provide an air vent inside the filling funnel and preferably though not
necessarily so as to be closed by the stopper when screwed home. The general
shape and construction may be as usual with the stopper in the centre of one of
the ends and a funnel surrounding it. The stopper may be of ordinary construction
but I connect it with a short pipe extending into the interior of the bag and
provide an air vent in connection with this pipe either in the stopper or the pipe
itself, the pipe being long enough to allow the stopper to be pulled out sufficiently
far for the bag to be conveniently filled. The result is that as the water enters the
bag the air escapes by the pipe and stopper and the explosions are thus prevented.
The tube may be provided upon its inner end with a flange head or equivalent of any
suitable description to keep the pipe from being withdrawn from the bag and thus
lost and it is desirable to make this flange or head of irregular shape so as to allow
of the free passage of the water past it when drawn into the neck of the socket or
filling device; this head is preferably conical so that it can be forced in after the
bag is made but cannot be readily pulled out. Other suitable means may however
be employed to prevent the withdrawal of the tube. The tube is preferably
made of flexible rubber and canvas but may be of metal or other inflexible
material.
Although I find that connecting the tube to the stopper in the manner described
gives satisfactory results it will be understood that the air escape may be provided
in some other manner as for example by a tube passing up outside the stopper
and socket but still inside the funnel so as to be closed by the stopper when
screwed home.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Hot Water Bottles.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of The Indiarubber, Guttapercha, aud
Telegraph Works Company Limited, of Silvertown in the County of Essex
Indiarubber Manufacturer, 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 relates to the well known india rubber "hot water bottles" made
usually in the form of a bag with or without a handle and provided with a funnel
and stopper generally at the centre of one end; it has been found however that in
filling these with boiling water the air in escaping from the bag is apt to cause
slight explosions as the water enters, which commonly results in the water flying
over on to the hand of the person filling the bag and thus causing scalds and
inconveniences. To avoid these drawbacks an escape valve has been before now
arranged in the end of the bag outside the funnel and closed by a separate stopper,
but I provide an air vent inside the filling funnel and preferably though not
necessarily so as to be closed by the stopper when screwed home.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
n which ;-
Fig. 1 is a section of portion of a hot water bottle with my improvements applied
thereto.
Fig. 2 is a view of the stopper.
Figs. 3 and 4 are sections of different parts of the appliance taken respectively
on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 1., and Fig. 5 is a section showing a modification
of my invention.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The general shape and construction of the hot water bottle or bag A, (a portion
of which is shown in Figs. 1 & 5) may be as usual, with the stopper B in the centre
of one of the ends and a funnel C surrounding it. The stopper B may be of ordinary
construction but I connect it with a short pipe D extending into the interior of the
bag and provide an air vent in connection with this pipe either in the stopper B
as shown at B' Figs. 1 and 2, or in the pipe D itself, the pipe being long enough to
allow the stopper B to be pulled out sufficiently far for the bottle or bag A to be
conveniently filled as shown in Fig. 1. The result is that as the water enters the
bag A the air escapes by the pipe D and stopper B and the explosions are thus
prevented. The pipe D may be provided upon its inner end with a flange, head or
equivalent D' of any suitable description to keep the pipe from being withdrawn
from the bag and thus lost, and it is desirable to make this flange or head of
irregular or other suitable shape as shown for example in Fig. 4, so as to allow of
the free passage of the water past it when drawn into the neck of or against the
socket or filling device as will be obvious by reference to Fig. 1; this head D¹ is
preferably conical so that it can be forced in after the bag A is made but cannot be
readily pulled out. Other suitable means may however be employed to prevent the
withdrawal of the tube. The tube D is preferably made of flexible rubber and
canvas but may be of metal or other inflexible material.
Although I find that connecting the tube D to the stopper B in the manner
described gives satisfactory results it will be understood that the air escape may be
provided in some other manner as for example as shown in Figure 5 by a tube or
passage D extending up outside the stopper B and in the wall of the socket E into
which the stopper screws or fits, but still inside the funnel C so as to be closed by
the stopper B (conveniently the flange B³ thereof as shown) when the latter is
screwed home.

page_text: In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings I have
represented;-
1. The air-vent B' in the stopper B as extending radially towards the centre of
the stopper and then centrally through the stopper and a nipple-extension B*
thereof, provided as a convenient means for attaching the pipe D to the
stopper.
2. The lower part or stem E' of the socket E grooved and of oblong form at its
exterior as shown in Figure 3, to give it a good hold and prevent it from being
turned within the bottle-neck A' when the stopper is being screwed into or removed
from the socket E and
3. The bead D¹ as composed of a number of radial gills of triangular form.
I wish it understood however that I do not bind myself to these precise details
as they may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. For,
example instead of the head D¹ being in the form illustrated it may be in the form
of a perforated flange or collar or equivalent.
I am aware that before now it has been proposed to place an air escape pipe in
the socket into which the stopper screws but such arrangement necessitated the use
of a tube in the passage of the socket, the tube projecting beyond the socket, and
requiring a long stopper or cap to cover it, and had nothing to do with the cap
which during the filling operation was entirely removed from the bottle; I make no
claim to such an arrangement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a hot water bottle the combination with the stopper itself of an
air vent.
2. In a hot water bottle the combination with the stopper of a tube connected
thereto and penetrating into the interior of the bottle to serve as an air vent.
3. In a hot water bottle the combination with the stopper of a flexible tube
connected thereto and penetrating into the interior of the bottle to serve as an air
vent and having a head or equivalent means to prevent it from escaping from the
bottle whereby the stopper can be drawn out of the filling funnel and hang over
the edge out of the way during the filling process.
4. In a hot water bottle a stopper such as B having an air vent such as B'a pipe
such as D and pipe head such as D' substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete hot water
bottle-stoppering and filling device substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of January 1895.
C. H. GRAY.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.