Flip-top
{{Short description|Bottle closure device}}
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A flip-top, swing-top, lightning toggle, or Quillfeldt stopper (after the inventor, Charles de Quillfeldt) is a type of bail 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 permanently attached wire bail. The bottle can be opened and resealed repeatedly 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.
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.
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.
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The first flip-top closure was created by Charles de Quillfeldt in the United States, who filed for a patent on 30 November 1874. {{cite patent|number=158406|title=Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers|country=US|pubdate=1875-01-05|inventor1-last=de Quillfedlt|inventor1-first=Charles}}[http://openjurist.org/6/f1d/897 Putnam and another v. von Hofe]. 10 February 1881 in: Federal Reporter, Nr. 6, pp. 897-902 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.[http://www.antiquetrader.com/features/collectible_fruit_jars_preserve_the_past/ "Lightning jars"]- Retrieved 2017-09-08
Several other varieties have been developed.{{cite patent|number=603724|title=Bottle-Stopper|country=US|pubdate=1898-05-10|inventor1-last=Broome|inventor1-first=Lewis H.}}
Many homebrewers prefer flip-top bottles, since they are easy to close after filling, and negate the need of a separate capping device.
Gallery
File:French kilner.jpg|Preserving jar with bail closure, opened and closed
File:Grolsch premium lager bottle unopened.jpg|Unopened Grolsch beer bottle
File:BierflaschenVerschliessBügel.jpg|Flip-top seal used for crown cork bottles
File:Wuppertaler Brauhaus 0001.jpg|Flip-top beer bottles
File:KraeuterBuegelFlascheSophie.JPG|Mini bottle of herbal liqueur
File:Red Wing Pottery 967HH 1.jpg|Pottery jug with bail closure
File:Metal Eis Weissbier Bügelflaschen.jpg|Aluminum flip-top bottle
See also
References
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Further reading
{{commonscat|Swing-top closures}}
- Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-470-08704-6}}
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