Improvements in Bottle Caps and Fasteners.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1897-Accepted, 18th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottle Caps and Fasteners.
I, ALFRED LOUIS BERNARDIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evans-
ville, in the County of Vanderburgh and State of Indiana, U.S.A. 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 follow-
ing statement:-
This invention relates to combined metallic cap and fastener for bottles, but
more particularly to cork retainers employed to fit upon the top of corks applied
to bottles where a pressure exists, such, for instance, as on export bottled beer,
mineral waters and soft carbonated drinks.
The primary object of my invention is to provide a bottle cap and fastener
adapted to fit and rigidly hold a stopper in the mouth of bottles having heads of
various sizes.
A further object is to provide a simple, efficient and inexpensive bottle cap
and fastener, which may be readily formed and assembled and expeditiously applied
to bottles, and which is made to conform to the contour of the bottle heads.
The invention will be hereinafter more particularly described and then pointed
out in the claims at the end of the description.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,
Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a bottle having one form of cap and
fastener for holding the stopper in the bottle mouth.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a bottle, on a larger scale, of the
cap and fastener prior to being locked so as to rigidly hold the stopper.
Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the cap and fastener in the position shown
in Figure 1, illustrating how the parts may be locked to the bottle.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cap and fastener assembled and in position
to be secured to the bottle.
Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the fastener.
Figure 6 is a detail plan of a preferred form of cap looking at the underneath or
reverse side.
Figures 7 and 8 are detail views of a modified form of fastener; and
Figure 9 is an elevation of the parts shown in Figures 7 and 8 assembled but
before being struck up or formed as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 10 represents a plan of the reverse side, and a vertical sectional view,
respectively, of a modified form of cap.
Figure 11 is a detail side elevation of a modified form of fastener; and
Figure 12 represents a plan view of the reverse side, and a vertical sectional
view, respectively, of another slightly modified form of cap.
In the drawings A may designate a bottle having the usual or any preferred
form of head a, to which a fastener B and a cap B₁ is adapted to be secured. The
fastener preferably comprises a neck-band b provided with a loop-end b¹ and an
eye or opening 2 adapted to be engaged by the loop-end for removably securing
the fastener to the neck of the bottle in the usual manner, and arms 3 extending
upwardly from the band, which are either secured to or formed integrally with

page_text: said band. These arms may be of any desired number and disposed in any suitable
way around the neck-band b, though I prefer to employ two arms arranged so
as to be opposed to each other when the fastener is struck up or formed as shown
in Figure 5. The arms 63 are preferably curved outwardly from the neck-band
for a portion of their length and then inclined inwardly to or near their upper
ends, in order that said arms may conform approximately to the bulge or shoulder
of the head of the bottle and lie flat against or fit the bottle head snugly, as shown
in Figures 1, 2 and 3, so as to cause the upper edge of the neck-band to abut
against the lower surface of said bulge or shoulder and prevent distortion or
unnecessary strain upon said band. Each arm may be provided with a rib or
depressed portion 6, which preferably extends from the upper edge of the band
along the outwardly curved portion thereof for a portion of its length, so as to
strengthen and retain said arms in their proper shape; and each arm may have
its upper end curved outwardly so as to readily engage eyes or openings in pendent
ears or projections of the cap B. This cap is preferably in, the form of a
disk and has the ears 65 preferably formed integrally therewith; said ears being
adapted to be bent or forced inwardly or outwardly, in order to increase or decrease
the distance between the same according to the size of the bottle head. A conical
protuberance is preferably provided centrally of the cap, adapted to fit into a
similarly formed depression in the bottle stopper, in order to spread the cork,
so as to fit tightly against the walls of the bottle mouth and to rigidly hold the
stopper in the bottle mouth when the outer ends of the arms are forced or bent
downwardly as shown in Figures 1 and 3. By this means the fastener is materially
strengthened and the fastener and cap adapted to fit bottles having heads of
various sizes.
The construction and manner of using the invention will be readily understood
from the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings. The parts, in use, may be assembled and applied to the bottle head,
or separately applied so as to be in the position shown in Figure 2, and when
thus assembled, it will be seen that the arms will approximately conform to
the contour of the bottle head. The upper ends of the arms may now be simul-
taneously bent or forced downwardly to the position shown in Figures 1 and 3, so
as to lock the cap and fastener together. This bending of the arms draws or forces
the band 6 so that its upper edge abuts against the under surface of the shoulder
or bulge of the bottle head and forces or draws the cap downward against the
bottle stopper so as to rigidly hold the same in the bottle mouth.
I thus provide a neat, simple, strong and efficient bottle cap and fastener which
may be readily applied to bottle heads of various sizes, and at the same time
provide a fastener which will readily conform to the contour of the bottle head.
It may be preferable in some instances to make the arms and neck-band separate
so as to avoid the loss of material incident to making the arms and néck-band
integral. In Figures 7 to 9 inclusive is shown a preferred construction of fastener
to accomplish this purpose, though slight changes may be made if desired. Here
the neck-band is provided with the usual eye. and loop-end, and has two or more
additional eyes or slits & intermediate its ends and preferably located near the
upper edge of said band. The arms d¹ may have enlarged lower ends bent upwardly
so as to engage the lower edge and embrace the opposite sides of the band when
the body portion of said arms are slipped or passed through the eyes or slits d,
as shown in Figure 9. When thus assembled the blank may be struck up or
formed to the shape shown in Figure 5, which will rigidly hold the arms and
neck-band together.
I may if desired, provide a cap E with a conical protuberance and a peripheral
flange e, having pendent ears e¹ thereon, as shown in Figure 10; or the cap may
be made without the conical protuberance and provided with a peripheral flange
having pendent ears or projections, as shown in Figure 12. I prefer, however, to
make the cap in the form of a disk so as to adapt the cap to fit various sizes of
bottle heads, which is not the case when a pendent flange is used, for, should

page_text: the bottle head be larger than the pendent flange cap, the pendent flange would
necessarily rest on the outer edge of the bottle lip instead of on the cork, in which
case the cork would be allowed to be pushed up by the inward pressure to the
extent of the depth of the pendent flange of the cap.
In Figure 11 the arms of the fastener F are provided with eyes or openings f¹
adapted to be engaged by ears or projections arranged on the cap.
It is obvious that the outward edges of the ears or projections immediately to
the side of the eyes or openings may be bent slightly inwardly so as to bear
against the bottle head, in order that the ends of the arms of the fastener may
have sufficient room to pass freely between the ear and the bottle head without
binding when the ends of the arms are pulled or forced downwardly to fasten the
cap to the band. Other changes may be made and some of the parts may be
dispensed with or others substituted therefor without departing from the spirit
of my invention.
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. A combined bottle cap and fastener comprising a band adapted to be removably
secured to the bottle neck and provided with arms projecting upwardly therefrom,
O together with a cap adapted to fit over the bottle mouth and provided with pendant
ears adapted to engage with the aforesaid arms; one of said engaging portions
being provided with an eye and the other with a tongue fitting said eye and
forming therewith a telescopic connection adapting the cap and band to be drawn
toward each other when the arms and ears are locked together, whereby the device
may be used with bottle necks of different sizes for securing and holding a stopper
within the bottle mouth, substantially as described.
2. A bottle cap and fastener, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the mouth
of a bottle, and a band adapted to be removably secured to the bottle neck and
provided with upwardly projecting arms having their upper ends adapted to engage
portions of the cap and be locked thereto; said arms being curved outwardly from
the band so as to conform approximately to the curvature of the bulge or shoulder
of the bottle-head and provided with ribs extending a portion of their length so
as to strengthen the arms and retain them in their proper shape, whereby the arms
may fit snugly against the bottle head and the fastener rigidly held to the bottle,
5 substantially as described.
3. A bottle cap and fastener, comprising a cap adapted to fit over a bottle mouth
and provided with pendent ears or projections having eyes therein, a band provided
with a loop-end and an eye or opening adapted to be engaged by said loop-end
so as to be removably held to a bottle neck, and arms extending upwardly from
said band and engaging the eyes of the pendant cars so as to draw the band and
cap toward each other when the ends of said arms are bent or forced over so as
to lock the arms and ears together; whereby the cap and fastener may be made
to fit bottle necks of various sizes and rigidly hold a stopper in the bottle mouth,
substantially as described.
4. A stopper fastener comprising a disk-shaped cap adapted to fit over the mouth
of a bottle and provided with pendent ears or projections having eyes or openings
therein, a band provided with a loop-end and an eye or opening adapted to be
engaged by said loop-end so as to be removably held to the neck of a bottle, and
arms extending upwardly from the band and engaging the eyes in the pendent
ears of the cap, said arms being curved outwardly from said band so as to conform
approximately to the curvature of the bulge or shoulder of the bottle head and
provided with ribs extending a portion of their length so as to strengthen the
arms and retain them in their proper shape, whereby various adjustments may
be secured and the stopper rigidly held in the bottle mouth, substantially as
5 described.

page_text: 5. A bottle cap and fastener, comprising a band provided with a loop-end and
an eye or opening adapted to be engaged by said loop-end so as to be removably
held to the wreck of a bottle, arms extending upwardly from said band, and a
disk-shaped cap adapted to fit over the bottle mouth and having pendent ears or
projections thereon adapted to be engaged by the ends of said arms, said cap
being provided with a conical protuberance adapted to spread the upper portion
of the stopper tightly against the walls of the bottle mouth, whereby various
adjustments may be secured and the cap and fastener rigidly held to the bottle
so as to retain the stopper in the mouth thereof, substantially as described.
6. A stopper fastener comprising a disk-shaped cap having a conical protuber-
ance adapted to fit over the mouth of a bottle and engage a depression in the
bottle-stopper so as to spread its upper portion tightly against the walls of the
bottle mouth, said cap being provided with pendent ears or projections extending
outwardly from the periphery of the cap and having openings therein, a band
provided with a loop-end and an eye or opening adapted to be engaged by said
loop-end so as to be removably held to the neck of a bottle, and arms having
outwardly curved outer ends extending upwardly from the band and adapted to
engage the eyes in the pendent ears of the cap, said arms being curved outwardly
from said band so as to conform approximately to the curvature of the bulge or
shoulder of the bottle-head and provided with ribs extending a portion of their
length so as to strengthen the armis and retain them in their proper shape, whereby
various adjustments may be secured and the stopper rigidly held in the bottle
mouth, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of June A.D., 1897.
ALFRED LOUIS BERNARDIN,
F. Wise Howorth,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.