US986516A - Non-refillable bottle. - Google Patents

Description

P. A. 'STEPHENSON vlIOII-REFILLABLE BOTTLE. APPLIATloN FILED Nov. 22,1909.

Patented Mar. 14,1911.l

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UNED STATES PATENT FICE.

FRED A. STEPHENSON, F GREEN RIVER, WYOMING.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. STEPHENSON, citizen of the United States, residing at Green River, in the county of Sweetwater and State of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non- Beillable Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for preventing the unauthorized refilling of bottles, and particularly to a device adapted to be inserted in a bottle neck, said device comprising, generally speaking, a casing within which is located a valve mechanism, said valve being adapted to open toward the mouth of the bottle, when the bottle is inverted, but, except when the full pressure of liquid bears thereon, to remain closed so as to prevent the refilling` of the bottle, the invent-ion further including a slightly magnetic valve seat and a metal valve held in place by the magnetism of the seat.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, and to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a section of the upper portion of a bottle showing my improved valve in place; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the improved valve; Fig. 3 is a like view, but taken at right angles to Fig. 2; and, Fig. t is a horizontal transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

Referring to these figures, A designates the body of the bottle, and B the neck thereof of any suitable character, the neck, slightly above its junction with the upper portion, being provided with the annular groove or channel C.

Insertible into the neck of the bottle, previous to 'its being filled, is the valve casing 2 which may be made of metal, glass or any other suitable material. This casing is open at both ends, and the upper end of the casing is contracted, as at 3. Supported upon the contracted end of the casing is the baffle hood l, concave-convex in section, and supported upon the upper end of the casing 2 by the legs 5. The baffle hood is larger than Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led November 22, 1909.

Patented Mar. la, 1911.

sei-iai ivo. 529,501.

the opening of the casing 2 so as to prevent the insertion of any instrument into the valve casing. Mounted within the valve casing is the annular valve seat 6, and crossing the casing is the bridge 7 Below the valve seat is located the bridge strip 8, and passing through both strips 7 and S is the valve spindle 9 which carries upon it the concavo-conveX valve l0 adapted to rest upon the seat 6 and being held in position upon the seat by magnetism in the seat 6 and also by a spring 1l which surrounds the valve spindle.

In order to hold the valve casing in place, I provide detents l2 which project through diametrically opposed openings in the lower end of the valve casing 2 and which are freely movable radially in these openings. Attached to these detents is the bowed spring 13 which acts to force the detents outward and the detents into engagement with the recesses D in the base of the bottle neck. Surrounding the casing is a packing 14; of any suitable character which will prevent any liquid from passing outside of the valve casing.

lThe operation of my invention is obvious. After the bottle is initially filled, the bowedV spring 13 is contracted so as to permit the valve casing to be forced into the mouth of the bottle. The valve casing is then forced downward until its detents engage in the recesses D. It will now be obvious that upon an inversion of the bottle, the contents thereof will press upon the valve and will force it open against the force of the spring 1l and against the attraction resident in the magnetic seat 6. Upon a return of the bottle to its upright position, or immediatelywhen the full weight of the liquid is taken oif the valve, the valve will close against the seat. By using a magnetic seat, it is possible to very much reduce the strength of the spring 11. If a magnetic seat were not used, the spring 11, if strong enough to hold the valve to its seat when the bottle was turned upon its side, would be too strong to permit the valve to open when the bottle was inverted, particularly if most of the liquid in the bottle had been poured out so that comparatively little remained. By using the magnetic seat, however, the spring may be made very light, and yet the valve will not leave its seat until the bottle is oompletely inverted. The spring, in combina- Y casing and bearing against the angularends tion with the magnetic seat, acts to return the valve to its seat, and not to hold it inV lace.

Y It will be seen that my construction is very simple, easily assembled, and quickly placed inside the bottle neck. It will also be seen that it is entirely effective in use, the projecting, rounded hood l preventing any tampering with the valve mechanism, and the valve mechanism positively preventing any refilling of the bottle. Y

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is l. A device for preventing the refilling of bottles, comprising a cylindrical valve casing rounded and contracted at its upper end and open at both ends, a concavo-convex hood larger than the contracted upper end Y t of the casing and supported thereon in spaced relation thereto, a bridge piece having angular extremities, equal in length to the diametery of the casing and inserted within the casing and held in place by the ycontracted upper end thereof, an annular magnetic valve seat located interiorly of the of the firstl named bridge piece, a second bridge piece also having angular ends, equal in length to the diameter of the casing, said second bridge piece being inserted within f Y the casing and having its angular ends bearing against the annular valve seat, ar'valve stem passing through both bridge pieces, a Y metallic valve supported upon the valve stem and resting uponthe valve sea-t, a'coil spring surrounding the valve stem and bearing at its upper end against the upper bridge piece and at its lower end against the valve and forcing the valve down into engagement with the seat, and means for holding the casing within abottle neck and preventing its detachment therefrom.

2. A device for preventing the refilling of bottles, comprising a cylindrical valve casing rounded and contracted at its upper end and open atboth ends, a concavo-convex Copies of `this patent may be obtained for hood larger than the contracted upper end of the casing and supported thereon iny spaced' relation thereto, a bridge piecek having angular extremities, equalin length to ythe diameter of the casing and inserted withinthe casing and held in place by the contracted upper end thereof, an annular magnetic valve seatl'ocated interiorly of the casing and bearing against the angular ends ofthe first named bridge'piece, a second bridge piece also having angular ends, equal in length to the diameterv of the casing, said second bridge piece being .inserted within the casing and having its angular ends bearing against the annular valve seat, a valve stem passing through both bridge pieces, a metallic valve supported upon the valve stem and resting upon the valve seat, a coil spring surrounding the valve stem and bearing at its upper end against the upper bridge piece' and at its lower end against the valve and forcing the valve down into engagement with the seat, and a bow-shaped detent spring located at the lower end of the casing and extending transversely across the same immediately beneath the valve spindle and limiting the downward movement of the valve spindle, said spring having outwardly turned ends extending through slots in the casing` and engaging the wall of a bottle to prevent the removal of the casing but adapted to be pressed inward to permit the insertion of the casing into a bottle.

l 3. A non-refillable bottle having a neck provided at its base with an annular groove, a cylindrical casing insertible into the neck and provided on its exterior with a packing ring fitting the neck, said casing having a rounded and contracted upper end, the upper end of the casing being bent and the lower end being provided with lateral perforaptions, an upper bridgevpiece disposed within the casing and extending transverselyV across the same and having downwardly extending ends, said bridge piece being .held in place by the contracted upperfend of the casing, an annular magnetic valve seat disposed within the casing and against the angular ends of the upper bridge "piece, aV lower bridge piece extending transversely across the casing and bearing against the valve seat and holding it in place, a valve spindle passing through both of the bridge pieces, a valve'on said spindle adapted to normally rest upon said seat, a spring located between the upper bridge piece and the valve and holding them in place, and a bow-shaped spring inserted in the casing but depending below the same andA extending transversely across the casing immediately beneath the lower extremity of the valve stem and preventing any downward movement of the Yvalve stem, the extremities of said spring in presence of two witnesses.

FRED A. STEPHENSON.A [Ls] Witnesses:

i KENNETH SCOTT,-

Jnssn L. HARDIN.

ve cents each, by addressing theA Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. Y

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