US1155947A - Lock for bottle and jars. - Google Patents

Description

L. M. MILLS.

LOCK FOR BOTTLES AND JARS.

APPLICATION FILED on. 21. 1914.

L 1,155,947. Patented 001;. 5, 1915.

[120 4 M Mum.

LLOYD M- M L QM BPL I N W NSlt LOCK non BOTTLES nn Jens.

Application filed October 21, 1914. Serial No. 867,805.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, LLOYD M. MILLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Appleton, in the county of Outagamie, and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Looks for Bottles, and Jars, of which the following is a specifi- I cation.

- An object of the invention is to provide a lock for use on bottlesor jars and which, when applied to a bottle or jar, will prevent the removal of the contents ofthe bottle and will constitute an effective seal to prevent fraudulently tampering with the bottle and its contents.

The invention contemplates, among other features, the provision of a. locking device which can be quickly applied to a bottle or jar to not only hold and seal the stopper in the neck of the bottle but also prevent removal thereof until the locking device is unlocked and removed from connection with the bottle or jar.

Still further objects of the invention reside in a lock which can be used for bottles or jars of various sizes, particularly in connection with bottles having the lips on the necks thereof of different lengths.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a partof this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a bottle, showing my device applied thereto; Fig; 2 is a vertical sectional view of the structure shown in 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the lock, parts being broken away to disclose the underlying structure. I

Referring more particularly to the views, I disclose a bottle 10 having a neck 11 provided with a lip 12 at the mouth of the neck, the usual stopper or cork 13 being provided for insertion in the neck to close the same and seal the bottle.

A plurality of hingedly connected semicircular plates 14 each have an integral top extension 15, with the extensions adapted to overlap across the top of the bottle when the plates 14 are arranged to encircle the neck,-

each one of said extensions being adapted to bear against the cork or stopper 13, as

Specification of Letters Patent.

P n ed 5, i 15.-

shown. Each of the plates 14 is provided with a series of semi-circular recesses 15 formed on the inner face of each plate,--with each recess in one plate adaptedto aline with each'recess in the other plate so as to form a continuous recess when the plates are in encircling position on the bottle.

A locking ring 16 consisting substantially of a plurality of hingedly connected" sections 17 is adapted to encircle the neck 11 of the bottle, and when the plates 14 are arranged to encircle the neck,"said locking ring is adapted to extend into one of the continuous recesses formed by theplates when they are'in encircling position on the bottle, the arrangement of said ring into one f said recessesdepending upon the length of the lip 12 so that if the lip is ashort lip the ring is arranged in the uppermost recess whereas if the lip is a long one the ring is arranged in the lowermost recess formed by said plates. It will be seen that the ring will closely encircle the neck and when fitted into one of the recesses will, upon an upward movement of the encircling plates, engage the under side of the lip and prevent removal-of the plates and angle an upward direction fromthe bottle.

In order to lock the pivotally connected plates 14 after they have been arranged to encircle the neck of the bottle, there is provided a locking element 18 which is mounted to swing upon one of the plates 14 and which has a shank 19 provided with a series of teeth 20. The shank 19 is adapted to pass through an opening 21 formed in a casing 22 upon the other plate 14, a suitable key operated lock member 23 being arranged in the casing 22 to cooperate with the shank 19 and lock the same in the casing, said lock member 23 consisting substantially of a pawl 24 pivoted in the casing to engage the teeth 20 of the shank 19,-said pawl being operated by a key-actuated member 25 preferably engaged by a spring 26 and whereby said pawl 24 will normally engage the teeth 20 and lock the shank 19 in the casing to hold said plate 14 against relative movement. The shank 19 is preferably made pivoted and in applying the device to a bottle, after the cork13 has been arranged to close the mouth of the bottle, and the ring 16 has been arranged to encircle the neck of the bottle and fit into one of the recesses of the pivotally connected plates, said shank is arranged to pass through the opening 21 in Cit the casing 22 as the plates are swung into encircling position on the neck, thus causing the pawl 24: to engage the teeth of the shank and lock the shank in the casing until the member 25 is actuated by a key to remove the pawl 24: from engagement with the shank and thus permit of removing the shank from the locked casing.

With a simple structure of the character described it will be seen that the bottle will be securely locked so that persons cannot tamper with its contents and whereby the contents of the bottle cannot be removed until the locking device is first removed from the bottle. It will also be seen that the locking device can be used with bottles having lips of various sizes so that the looking device can be used with a bottle having a small or large lip, it being simply necessary to arrange the locking ring in accordance with the length of lip so that the locking ring will abut against the under part of the lip and thus prevent upward removal of the hingedly connected plates from the neck of the bottle.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A lock for bottles comprising a plurality of hingedly connected plates adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle, said plates having formed on their inner faces a series of semi-circular recesses, with each recess in one plate adapted to aline with each recess in the other plate to form a continuous recess when the plates are in active position, a locking ring consisting of a plurality of hingedly connected sections, said locking ring being adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle and bear against an enlarged portion thereof, with said locking ring fitting into the semi-circular recesses of the plate, a locking element on one of said plates, and a casing on the other plate and provided with an opening through which said locking element is adapted to eXtend whereby to hold said plate against relative movement.

2. A lock for bottles comprising a plurality of plates adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle, said plates having recesses therein, a locking ring encircling the neck and received in the recesses of the plates, extensions on said plates and adapted to extend across the top of the bottle, a locking element on one of said plates, an apertured casing on the other plate and adapted to have the locking element extend therethrough, and an eccentrically mounted spring pressed locking means in said casing and adapted to cooperate with the said locking element to hold said plates against relative movement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LLOYD M. MILLS,

Witnesses R. E. Comvcnoss, MABEL SIBLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

Images