INVENTORS HALL OF FAME
Painter
Patent No. 468,226 Bottle-Sealing Device
William Painter was born in Triadelphia, Maryland on November 20, 1838. In 1892, he invented the crown bottle cap.
Although bottled carbonated beverages were already popular by the 1880s, there was a constant problem with stoppers and bottle caps. They lacked reliability because they did not seal the beverage sufficiently, causing liquids and carbonated gases to leak.
Determined to prevent beverages from being ruined, Painter invented the Crown Cork bottle cap. The Crown Cork had a corrugated-flange edge and was lined with a thin cork disc and a special paper backing to seal the bottle and prevent contract between the metal cap and the drink.
It was simple, economical to produce, and leakproof. After working with bottling manufacturers to develop a universal neck, Painter invented and patented all the machinery needed to manufacture the caps. He successfully launched the Crown Cork and Seal Company in 1892 to manufacture and market the cap.
As technology has advanced, the crown cap has been refined. The cork disc was replaced with PVC material, the cap's teeth were reduced from 24 to 21, and the skirt's height was shortened.
William Painter died on July 15, 1906. The crown cap is still the universal cap, in both pry-off and twist-off form, used for carbonated beverages in glass bottles today.
The above information was supplied by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., Room 1D01-Crystal Plaza 3, 2021 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202. Videotapes and printed materials are currently available. For more information, visit the Foundation's web site at: http://www.invent.org
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