Today in 1981, US Patent 4253878 A was issued, an invention of Robert L. Weaver and Alastair M. Jamieson, assigned to The Molson Companies Limited, for their “Light Protective Bottle Glass.” Here’s the Abstract:
A light protective bottle glass for use in beer bottles to prevent or reduce flavor deterioration by exposure to light is prepared by adding 0.065 percent by weight of nickel oxide to the Ultraviolet Absorbing Green glass usually used in green beer bottles.
Today in 1933, US Patent 1899784 A was issued, an invention of Albin H. Warth, assigned to the Crown Cork & Seal Co., for his “Bottle Cap.” This crown was patented shortly before the repeal of Prohibition, which took place several months later, in December, although by April some lower-strength beer became available. There’s no Abstract, but the description provides some insight in the why it was a more modern crown.
This invention relates to bottle caps and more particularly to a cap consisting of ametallic’shell containing a cushion disc having what is known as a protecting facing. In its preferred form, the invention relates to that type of cap having a protecting facing in the form of a center-disc or center-spot which is of smaller diameter than the cushion disc.
In closures of this character, the cushion or compressible disc is ordinarily formed of sheet cork or of a composition of granular cork, the particles of which are united by a binder which is resistant to gas and acids.
It is desirable to protect the cushion disc from the contents of the bottle, since the cork or other material of the disc becomes discolored and imparts an undesirable flavor or taint to the contents.
The facing discs have ordinarily been fornied either of metal foil, such as aluminum or tin, or of fibrous material, such as paper.
The present invention relates to the latter type in which the facing is of paper.
Today in 1950, US Patent 2497870 A was issued, an invention of Stanley W. Dennis, assigned to the Crown Cork & Seal Co., for his “Container Closure.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “The present invention relates to closures.” Happily, they expound upon that somewhat:
More particularly, the closure of the present invention is an improvement on closures of the type shown, described and claimed in a number of prior patents to G. W. Booth, owned by the assignee of the present application, such as Patents 1,956,209, Reissue 19,422, 1,956,213, 1,956,214, 1,956,215 and 1,956,217. Certain features of the invention, however, as regards cap structures, have utility and may be used in connection with caps of other types, as will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
Today in 1951, US Patent D162082 S was issued, an invention of Carl G. Preis, for his “Combination Can and Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, but the rather short application states simply that Preis has “invented a new, original, and ornamental Design for a Combination Can and Bottle Opener.”
Today in 1960, US Patent 2925237 A was issued, an invention of John L. Fox, for his “Can and Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, but the application states that his ” invention relates to a can and bottle opener, and more particularly to a can and bottle opener which can be moved to an out-of-the-way position when it is not being used.
An object of the invention is to provide a can and bottle opener which includes a novel mounting means so that for example with the opener mounted beneath a kitchen cabinet or shelf, the device can be kept in an out-of-the-way position until it is being used, and wherein when the device is being used it can be readily moved to an operative position, and wherein the opener of the present invention is provided with a magnetic means.
Today in 1894, US Patent 514200 A was issued, an invention of William Painter, for his “Capped-Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, but in the introduction of his application, Painter states his “bottle opener essentially embodies a handle, having at one end thereof, a cap centering gage, and also a cap engaging lip, and however these three elements may be formed and combined, the centering gage should also afford a fulcrum, with respect of the handle and the cap engaging lip, and the latter should be substantially in line with the handle, so that when the opener is applied to a capped bottle, the gage will assure an appropriate bearing or fulcrum on top of the cap, with the lip located beneath or underlying a portion of the cap, and so enable the handle to serve as a lever for removing the cap from the bottle. Although without departure from my invention these three essential elements may be separately constructed and combined to form my bottle opener, they are more economically constructed integrally of iron or other suitably strong metal, as by molding or casting the opener in one piece, and it is in this form that my opener will be more particularly described.” After having patented the crown two years earlier, I guess he needed to invent a way to open the bottles, too.
Well here’s a strange one. The Drinks Business is reporting that Carlsberg has created a new bottle made of “sustainably sourced wood-fiber” and “all materials used in the bottle, including the cap, will be developed using bio-based and biodegradable materials.” Known as the “Green Fiber Bottle,” it was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “as part of a three-year project with packaging company ecoXpac, and in partnership with Innovation Fund Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark.”
From the Drinks Business article:
Andraea Dawson-Shepherd, senior vice president for corporate affairs, said: “At Carlsberg we are firm believers in the importance of a circular economy in ensuring sustainable future growth and development on our planet, and today’s announcement is excellent news. If the project comes to fruition, as we think it will, it will mark a sea-change in our options for packaging liquids, and will be another important step on our journey towards a circular, zero-waste economy.”
The article notes that “Carlsberg’s bottles are planned to be produced in one piece using an inner coating that will decompose naturally.” I can’t but help thinking this has about as much chance of catching on as the plastic bottle, something Carlsberg, along with several other larger beer companies, dabbled with over the last decade.
Today in 1900, US Patent 640860 A was issued, an invention of William Baum Jr., for a “Combination Beer Bottle and Glass.” There’s no Abstract, but it’s described in the application like this. “The invention consists of the combination, with a main body portion or bottle, of a top portion detachably mounted thereon and adapted to be used as a drinking cup or glass, and a base portion also detachable mounted on the body portion and adapted to act as a support for the detachable cup portion.” It seems like an interesting idea, perfect for travel since you wouldn’t have to pack a glass, but I don’t think it ever quite caught on.
This is a fun video that Ray Daniels tweeted about this morning. BJCP instructor Peter Campagna made a video showing bottles and cans representing each of the “76 Beer styles from the BJCP guide.”
Today’s infographic is a chart showing the steps on How to Clean Bottles for Your Homebrew, created by Mike’s Brew Review.
Click here to see the chart full size.