Flip-top

A flip-top, swing-top, or Quillfeldt stopper (after the inventor, Charles de Quillfeldt) is a type of closure frequently used for bottles containing carbonated beverages, such as beer or mineral water. The mouth of the bottle is sealed by a stopper, usually made of porcelain or plastic, fitted with a rubber gasket and held in place by a set of wires. The bottle can be opened and resealed repeatedly and without the use of a bottle opener, with the wires acting in the same way as a latch clamp. The flip-top was the dominant method of sealing beer and mineral water bottles prior to the invention of the crown cork.

This article is about the bottle closure. For the album by Ted Curson, see Flip Top.

The top of a flip-top bottle

Using a Flip-top

This is sometimes called a bail closure.

History

Prior to the creation of the flip-top bottle, bottles were often made from blown glass and sealed with a cork, which was difficult to open by hand and often unreliable, particularly for carbonated beverages such as mineral water or beer.

"Bail" closure

A precursor to the flip-top, the "bail" or "Kilner" closure was invented in 1859, where a lid with gasket was held by a wire harness and sealed by a separate set of wires.

Examples of flip-top bottles

The first flip-top closure was created by Charles de Quillfeldt in the United States, who filed for a patent on 30 November 1874, receiving patent number 158406.[1][2] The rights were purchased by Henry W. Putnam who adapted the design for use on fruit jars. He received a patent 25 April 1882, called "Trademark Lightning" and the jars became known as the lightning jars.[3] Several other varieties have been developed. [4]

Gallery

• Various flip-top closures
• 
  Preserving jar with bail closure, opened and closed
• 
  Flip-top seal used for crown cork bottles
• 
  Flip-top beer bottles
• 
  Mini bottle of herbal liqueur
• 
  Pottery jug with bail closure
• 
  Aluminum flip-top bottle
• 
  Large beer bottle with flip-top
• 
  Unopened Grolsch beer bottle

See also

• Screw cap
• Bung

References

1. 158406, Quillfedlt, "Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers", published 1875
2. Putnam and another v. von Hofe. 10 February 1881 in: Federal Reporter, Nr. 6, pp. 897-902
3. "Lightning jars"- Retrieved 2017-09-08
4. US603724A, Romme, "Improvement in Bottle-Stopper", published 1898

Further reading

• Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6