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This type of bottle takes its name from the inventor and patentee Hiram Codd, whom in
1872 patented a bottle for use in the aërated water trade. The bottle was unique; it would never need a cork inserted to form the closure because trapped in it's neck it had a glass ball or marble which could not leave the neck chamber, or perish. This allowed the bottle to be used many times without the expenditure of a cork. The bottle was filled under gas pressure forcing the marble into the lip where it met an India rubber washer retained in a groove. The marble was forced against the washer forming a perfect air tight seal.
This invention was a great success and was adopted by nearly all companies manufacturing mineral waters at the time. The patent gave Hiram Codd some protection from people stealing his ideas but many marble-in-the-neck bottles appeared as glassworks realised they had to manufacture this type of bottle due to increased demand.
This popularity and competition provides a rich legacy for the UK mineral water bottle collector. It has been estimated there are about 250 relevant patents registered between 1868 and 1907 but as well as variations of closures this includes lips, washer fittings, manufacturing tools, openers and filling methods. They were mainly manufactured in two sizes, capacity being 10oz and 6oz (splits) but you can find dumpy codds, jumbo codds, even giant codds whose capacities are all different.
Rylands, a Barnsley Glass Bottlemaker introduced the "anti-theft" codd. This was an aqua bottle whose top or lip was made of a coloured glass to identify one particular company. Thanks to Dan Rylands, bottle collectors can find codds with blue, amber, brown, green and even red lips ! Other manufacturers produced codds with coloured marbles, and yet others provided codds whose glass was a colour other than aqua.
The only real problems with this design were:
The bottles were costly to produce and were rarely recycled as children smashed them to get free marbles.
As legislation reared it's head hygiene became an issue. In the 1930’s Public Health Authorities complained that Codds and stoneware ginger-beer bottles were too difficult to clean and manufacturers were encouraged to produce simpler shaped bottles.
As a result the Crown Top and Internal Thread bottles were developed to address these problems, this hastened the demise of the globe-stoppered bottle.
In February 1887 Hiram Codd died but he left a lasting legacy in the form of his invention, The Codd Bottle and a phrase that is still used today "Codd's Wallop".
Different Variations of Codd's Globe Stoppered-Bottle and Stopper Systems
(including known Patents and Registered Designs).
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Bottles for ærated liquids are now sometimes constructed with an internal stopper of a globular or other form which by the pressure of the gas is held up to a seat of vulcanized india-rubber in the mouth of the bottle. Now my Invention consists in so constructing such bottles that when they are opened by forcing back the stopper the stopper may not fall down into and impede the water way or channel by which the liquid is poured from the bottle but may be sustained above it in the upper part of the neck and there retained. The liquid as it is poured out of the bottle then flows freely beneath the stopper and without coming in contact with it so that the escape of the liquid is unimpeded. For this purpose I form projecting ridges along the inside of the neck of the bottle one either side. The stopper is too large to fall between these ridges and they catch it when it is displaced so preventing it falling down into the water way which is beneath the ridges. The projections are so inclined that when the stopper has been rolled or slidden back along them in opening the bottle the bottle may be nearly inverted without causing the stopper to fall back to its seat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the said Hiram Codd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd March 1873.
HIRAM CODD of Grove Lane Camberwell in the County of Surrey.
“IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTTLES TO CONTAIN ÆRATED LIQUIDS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in bottles to contain ærated liquids. Bottles for ærated liquids are now sometimes constructed with an internal stopper of a globular or other form which by the pressure of the gas is held up to a seat at the mouth of the bottle. According to my Invention I form projecting ridges along the inside of the neck of the bottle one on either side - the stopper is too large to fall between these ridges and they catch it when it is displaced and guide it in its fall - the projections are so inclined that when in opening the bottle the stopper has been rolled or slidden back along them and has arrived at their lower end they form obstructions to impede the return of the stopper and the bottle may be inverted or nearly so without causing the stopper to fall back to its seat. By this means such bottles may if desired be so constructed that when opened by forcing back the stopper, the stopper shall not impede the water way or channel by which the liquid is poured from the bottle but may be sustained above it in the upper part of the neck and there retained whilst the liquid as it is poured from the bottle flows freely beneath it. In order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I have in the Drawings hereunto annexed shewn various examples of bottles formed according to my Invention - Figures l of the Drawings shew various views of a bottle furnished with an internal ball stopper ‘a’ which is to be held up by the pressure of air or gas within the bottle against an elastic ring ‘b’ placed in a groove formed around the interior of the head. The lower part of the neck of the bottle is also contracted at ‘c’ as described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me so as to prevent the ball stopper from falling into the bottle when it is pressed back from the elastic seat ‘d,d’ are the inclined projecting ridges formed along the inside of the neck of the bottle one on either side ; the moulds in which the bottles are blown have suitable projections formed in them to produce these internal projections in the neck at the time when a bottle is blown in the mould.
When the ball stopper is pressed back from its seat it rolls along these projecting ridges in the direction shewn by the arrow until it is arrested by the contraction ‘c’ it is then allowed to roll to the opposite side of the projecting ridges ‘d’ so that when the bottle is inclined to pour out its contents they impede the stopper from rolling back to the mouth of the bottle and no difficulty will be experienced in pouring out the contents in whatever position the bottle maybe held even if it be completely inverted or if it be held in a position to allow of the contents being poured out below the ball stopper as shewn in the Drawings. The body of the bottle may be of any form desired.
A modification of the above described arrangement is shewn at Figures 2. In this arrangement the lower part of the internal projecting ridges ‘d’ is curved in the manner shewn the stopper when pressed back from its seat rolls down these projections until it is arrested by the contraction ‘c’. If the bottle is then inclined in the direction shewn to pour out the contents the ball is retained by the curved portions of the internal projecting ridges ‘d’ from moving back to the mouth of the bottle and the contents may be poured out in the water way below the stopper.
At Figure 3 1 have shewn a bottle similarly formed with internal projecting ridges ‘d’ down the neck and provided with an internal stopper of glass carrying at its lower end an elastic cap of vulcanized india-rubber such as is in some cases now employed and which cap when the bottle is charged with ærated liquid is held up against the month of of the bottle by the internal pressure of the gas.
The lower part of the neck is contracted at ‘c’ as previously described to arrest the descent of the stopper when it is pressed back from the mouth of the bottle and when the bottle is inclined to pour out its contents the head of the stopper is caught by the internal projecting ridges ‘d’ and is retained from passing back to the mouth of the bottle. By this means the stem of such a stopper may be made much shorter than heretofore when the stopper was allowed to drop down to the bottom of the bottle as in that case the stem had to be made longer than the internal diameter of the bottle so that it should be unable to turn over therein whereas if the stopper is retained in the neck whilst at the same time it is hindered in the manner above described from moving back to the mouth of the bottle when the contents are being poured out - a much shorter stopper can be employed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the same I would have it understood that I claim I The manufacture of bottles to contain aerated liquids with projecting ridges along the inside of the neck substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
The manufacture of bottles to contain ærated liquids substantially as herein described and shewn by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof I the said Hiram Codd have hereunto set my hand and seal this First day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
H. CODD.