US429482A - Bottle-stopper - Google Patents

Description

(No-Model.)

' W. L. ROORBACH &-G.IW. TUCKER.

BOTTLE S'IGPPER.

Patented June 3 /ff/f//V//Wm portion d of the form shown in Fig. 2

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

PENNsYLvANIA.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,482, dated J' une 3, 1890..

Application tiled October 14, 1889. Renewed May 6, 1890. Serial No. 350,796. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM L. ROOR- BACH and GEORGE W. TUCKER, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers, ot' Which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of bottle-Stoppers known as internal Stoppers, the object of our invention being to so construct the stopper that it will be light and tioat upon the liquid in the bottle during the process of filling, and that it will quickly seat itself as soon as the filling-tube isv removed.

A further object of our invention is to provide a bottle-stopper that can be used with an upright filling-machine now in common use in bottling with the common cork and Wire bail.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective View of our, improved bottlestopper. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line l 2, Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are diagram Views, illustrating the process of filling bottles in which our improved stopper is used. Figs. 7 and S are views illustrating the emptying of the bottle.

A is the bottle, having a neck of the form shown, the portion a of the neck being of a certain size to correspond with a certain size of stopper.

B is the stopper, having an oblong portion b, which is cylindrical in form and hollow, as shown in Fig. 2. This portion b is reduced at c for a purpose described hereinafter.

Connected to the portion b by a neck c is a This portion is also made hollow.

Around the neck is awasher or sealing-disk D, made preferably of flexible rubber.

In order to make the stopper as light as possible, we make it out of vulcanized rubber, it being very light and buoyant, iioatin g upon the surface of the liquid in the bottle during the process of iillin g and of emptying, as clearly shown in the diagrams, Figs. 4 to 8. Theportion fof the stopper is of a size to snugly pass through the neck of the bottle at the point a, and commencing directly under this portion f of the stopper are two or more longitudinal grooves g, extending to the cutaway space c, although in some instances one groove may be used. The object'of this cut-y away space c is that when the stopper is forced into the bottle' in the first place the sealing-disk will be turned into this space and allow the stopper to pass through the neck. By having the portion f ofthe stopper -to snugly pass through the neck of the bottle and having the grooves extending only to this portion the portion f acts as a plunger for the stopper during the illing of the bottle, so as to insure the proper seating of the sealing-disk.

YVire will now explain the operation of iilling the bottle: As shown in Fig. 4, the nipple of the ordinary bottle-filling machine is placed in-position on the head of the bottle, and the liquid with the gas is turned into the bottle. The force of this liquid and gas tends to right the stopper, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, the stopper being prevented from reversing, owing to the fact that it is longer than the-bottle vis wide. When the bottle is iilled and the flow of liquid and gas cut off, the stopper iioats partly immersed in the liquid, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and remains in this position until the nipple of the illing-machine has been removed, and as soon as this nipple is removed the stopper is forced out of the liquid into the mouth of the bottle, as shown by full lines in Fig.'5, the headf of the St0pper fitting snugly but sliding freely through the portion A of Athe neck, thus preventing for a moment the escape of liquid or gas past the stopper. The pressure, however, continues, and immediately the stopper is forced from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, sealing the bottle. The stopper is forced into this position by the gases acting upon the undercut portion of the head at the end of the grooves g and the exposed portion of the stopper, the sealing-disks D, making a complete seal, preventing the escape of liquid or gas. This action, from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 6, is instantaneous, and we have found by eX- periment that it matters little whether the bottle is partially filled with liquid or com- IOO pletely filled, as the stopper does not float into position in the mouth of the bottle, as in many Stoppers, but is forced by the gas into the mouth of the bottle, owing to its peculiar shapel and buoyancy. The amount of gas that escapes during the progress of the stopper from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6 is a very small percentage of that contained in the bottle, and is of practically no moment. Therefore, the percentage of breakage in the filling of a bottle with our improved stopper is small in comparison to the breakage in filling bottles by the method usually employed.

Then it is wished to empty the bottles of the contents, the stopper is depressed, as shown in Fig. 7, so that the gas can escape around the sealing-disk through the grooves in the stopper and around the head until sufficient gas escapes to allow the stopper to fall from the mouth of the bottle to the surface of the liquid contained therein. At the same time the bottle is turned as shown in Fig. 8, in order to pour the contents out, and the stopper being buoyant will iioat on the surface of the liquid clear of the mouth of the bottle, not obstructing the mouth in any Way. The objection to a light stopper of this class is that upon opening the bottle the stopper will be forced back to its seat by the pressure of gas within the bottle, there being no way for the gas to escape quickly; but by having the stopper grooved, as above mentioned,this objection is entirely overcome.

Another advantage of our improved stopper is that the bottle can be readily cleaned by the usual brush mechanism now used in cleaning bottles with detachable or exterior Stoppers, the mechanism cleaning the stopper at the same time that it cleans the bottle.

The stopper can be removed from the bottle by first removing the sealingdisk from the stem but this is not necessary, as the stopper after on'ce inserted into the bottle need never be removed therefrom.

XVe prefer to make the stopper of vnlcanized rubber, as itis comparatively light, strong, and has an even surface. The Stoppers can be blown in molds, so that they will be exactly alike, and in order to insure their accurate fit in the bottles the necks of the bottles at the point a are all gaged, those of one gage being fitted with Stoppers of one size and those of the other gage being fitted with stop pers of another size, so that accuracy is insured in the stoppering of the bottles after filling'.

XVe claim as our invention" l. A bottle-stopper composed of a hollow cylindrical portion b, having grooved sides, and a head j', with a sealing-disk secured to the lower end of said stopper, said head fitting snugly, but so as to slide freely through the neck of the bottle, substantially as specified.

2. A bottle-stopper having the elongated hollow and cylindrical portion b, with a hollow cylindrical portion d, a neck e, connecting said portions, a sealing-disk on said neck, the elongated portion l), having grooves g, anda head f, said head fitting snugly, but so as to slide freely through the neck of the bottle, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

XVILLIAM L. ROORBACH. GEORGE W. TUCKER.

NVitnesses:

WILLIAM D. CONNER, HENRY I'lowsoN.

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