UATT^£W^ V, SHONEBESaSB. ^41 �of the same, (with ihe lower portion ofthebottlebrokenout,) Bhowiog the position of the stopper after opening or unstop- ping the bottle to empty it. * * A is the bottle, (of any shape or design,) on the interior of the neck of whioh I pro- pose to form a shoulder, as seen at x. The stopper is fprmed of a stem or rod, b, having a suitable knob portion, B, ^nd having secured (or formed) on it a gutta percha or other elastio or yielding valve or cork, c. I have represented the stem, h, as made of metal, and with a thimble or cover, e, of soft material, such as gutta percha, at its lower end, the object of which is to avoid any possibility of injuring the bot- tle by the sudden contact with the glass of the hard stem, when the latter is forced or drops down into the bottle in 'opening.' The valve portion, c, I have shown secured to the stem, h, by means of a band or coUar, d, and an an- nular depression in the stem, h, into which the yielding stock of c isforced and held by the encircling coUar, d; but, in lieu of this mode of construction, the entire stopper may be formed, if found practicable and expedient, of rubber; the stem portion 'hard,' with its lower end 'soft,' and the con- ical valve portion, c, of the proper flexibility. The position of the valve portion, c, on the stem, h, is such as to allow the knob or upper end of the stopper to protrude a short distance beyond the mouth of the bottle when the valve, c, is in its seat — that is, when the bottle is closed — in order that the stopper may be readily forced down into the bottle by pressure or a blow with the hand, to open the bottle. The entire length of the stopper (its stem) is such that, when resting in the empty bottle, as shown at figure 2, it cannot turn over and get wrong end towards the mouth of the bottle. At figure 2 1 have shown in dotted lines ';he position of the projecting end of th§ stopper before the Dottle is unclosed. I prefer to màke the valve, c, as shown, conical, with upper end hollow, and provide the interior of the neck with a shoulder, x; for in this form of valve and seat the stopper is readily forced down through the neck, but, in being forced up against its seat or shoulder, the valve, c, will be bulged or upset, and cannot be forced out, which is a desideratum where the contents of the v.4,no.7 — 41 ����
