US2507680A - Bottle stopper - Google Patents

Description

A. A. RHEUDE BOTTLE STOPPER May 16, 1950 Filed Jan. 18, 1949 INVENTOR. Andrew A. Rheude Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES TENT orFics 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle stoppers.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a bottle stopper for use in bottles containing carbonated beverages and the like, whereby the bottle may be sealed after opening and before the contents of the bottle have been entirely used.

A further object is to provide a bottle stopper which will be automatically locked to the neck of the bottle so as to prevent the same from being blown out of the bottle from pressure within the bottle.

A further object is to produce a bottle stopper which is easy to use, economical to manufacture, and one which conforms with the standard practice of inserting and removing a stopper from a bottle.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my stopper,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my stopper, taken at an angle of 90 from that shown in Fig. 1, and showing the stopper during the act of inserting the same in the bottle, and

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the stopper in expanded position and gripping the bead of the bottle neck.

The ordinary expansible type of bottle stopper. consists of a plunger element and a plug element, whereby, when the plug element is elongated through the pressing of the plunger, the same may be inserted in a bottle and when released, the plug expands so as to effect a stopper within the bottle. This type of stopper depends entirely upon its friction to the sides of the bottle to remain within the bottle. Therefore, if excessive pressure is created within the bottle, as often occurs when the bottle contains a carbonated or eiiervescent liquid, the stopper will blow out of the bottle, thus relieving the gases, and oftentimes the entire contents of the bottle will be expelled therefrom.

Applicant has, therefore, devised a stopper of this character with a combined gripping clamp which has hooks that engage the outer surface of the bottle in such a manner that they come to rest against the bead formed about the top of the bottle, thus locking the stopper to the bottle.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein, for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a hollow rubber plug or stopper, into which extends a pusher rod 6, having a thumb piece 1.

Finger pieces 8 and 9, are secured to the top of the plug 5, so that downward pressure upon the thumb piece I and upward pressure on the finger pieces 8 and S, will cause the plug 5, to be elongated, as shown in Fig. 2.

The construction thus far described is that of the ordinary stopper which is often expelled from the bottle through excess pressure developing therein.

My improvement consists in forming integral with the finger pieces 8 and Q, and their connection to the plug 5, a pair of diverging side pieces II and I2, which act as cams, as will be herein after noted.

Attached to the thumb piece 1, are spring members l3 and it, which have their free ends passing downwardly through the plate i i, to which the fingers 8 and 9 are attached, and have their lower ends terminating in hooks, as shown at ll and E8.

The result of this construction is that, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the hooked ends ll and it, will be spread apart so that, as the plug is inserted in the neck of the bottle, the hooks will straddle the neck of the bottle and then, upon release of the thumb piece and finger pieces, the plug 5, in contracting, will force the pusher rod 6, upwardly, thus causing the ends of the spring members to be forced inwardly against the under-side of the bead A of the bottle B, as shown in Fig. 3. This will eiiectively lock the stopper as a whole, to the bottle in such a manner that the plug cannot blow out and can only be removed by releasing the same, as above described.

It will thus be seen that I have devised a bottle stopper which will accomplish all the objects above set forth.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim,

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A bottle stopper comprising a hollow resilient rubber stopper capable of being elongated, a pair of rigid finger pieces secured to the top of said stopper, a pusher rod extending into said stopper, whereby said stopper may be elongated, a thumb piece carried by said pusher rod, a pair of spring 3 members secured to said thumb piece and extending downwardly, the ends of said spring members terminating in hooked ends adapted to engage the head of the neck of a bottle and a pair of diverging side pieces formed integral with said finger pieces and overlying the hooked ends of said spring members, said diverging pieces acting as cams to contract said spring members against the bottle neck when said stopper is in retracted position.

ANDREW A. RHEUDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Spriegel Aug. 15, 1893 Kilbourn Sept. 5, 1899 Noble Dec. 1, 1931 Magnuson Nov. 19, 1935 Krasberg July 6, 1948 Murdock Aug. 10, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Mar. 29, 1892 Germany Apr. 2, 1907

Images