AU674624B2

AU674624B2 - Improved cap seal

Info

Publication number: AU674624B2
Application number: AU14871/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Shirley Clarke; Trevor McGregor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-03-21
Filing date: 1995-03-14
Publication date: 1997-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 2015-03-14
Also published as: AU1487195A

Description

lom i- ~I II_ Regulation 3.2 -1-

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 aOJ 4PLhBTE SPEGI FIT A. r I Q1\T S T~A71r rATFCI ~T o r e o s r o

APPLICANT:

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: TREVOR MCGREGOR SHIRLEY CLARKE PM 4612/94 21/ 3/94 Invention Title: IMPROVED CAP SEAL The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: p I Il__i~l_ This invention relates to a cap seal and in particular to such seals for use with bottles such as wine bottles.

Historically cap seals were of lead, were often printed on their outer surface and were then c:.-imped around the corked end of a bottle and down the neck.

To open the bottle normally a knife is used to cut around the side of the neck adjacent the top and the top part of the cap seal is removed.

Other types of cap seals have also been adopted and used, for example cap seals made of a thermoplastics material which could be shrunk onto the neck of the bottle by means of heat. Similar cap seals to these but with a perforation around the exterior of the neck which enabled the upper portion to be readily removed; dipped cap seals in which a o plastics material or a wax was deposited on the neck and the end of the bottle after dipping into a solution of the material.

S All of the seals have a similar disadvantage. Should there be any weeping or deterioration of the cork this is not discovered until the cap seal is removed and, should the wine be corked then, the user only discovers this at the time.

It is an object of the invention to minimise this difficulty.

U oo o o•

L

In its broadest sense the invention is a bottle having a cap seal, which cap seal comprises a skirt portion and an end portion which extends over the lip and upper end of the bottle, in which at least a part of the seal is sufficiently transparent to allow inspection of a cork within the neck of the bottle and adjacent to the upper end of the bottle.

In the first form of the invention, the end portion is substantially transparent and the remainder of the cap seal may be made of an opaque material and in a second form the whole of the cap seal can be transparent.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood I shall describe one particular form of cap seal made in accordance with the invention and one modification thereof.

9*G The material of construction is not critical to the invention but would normally be a synthetic thermoplastics material and preferably one which is either transparent or only slightly opaque in its natural form.

0: 0. 0 oooe• In a first form of the invention the seal may be preformed, as by 0i.•90 injection moulding of a feed stock which will shrink on the addition of further heat.

*Qie In this arrangement the cap seal is adapted to be placed over the neck 0. of the bcttle and be brought into contact with a source of radiant heat, such as an electrical or gas element or transmitted heat such as a hot air gun under which it will shrink and take up a position closely abutting the neck of the bottle.

In a second aspect of the invention we may, by moulding or the like form a cap seal similar to the one described above but with the difference in that the end of the cap seal is transparent and the skirt is opaque, coloured or both.

In this embodiment the skirt can have printing or the like thereon whereby the normal, say, manufacturers logo can be provided on the cap seal.

S: In either of these types of cap seals we can arrange to have a tear strip ~around the upper portion of the skirt adjacent the end to enable the end 0 40 to be removed therefrom, as is known in the art.

Sa* I could also form the cap seal in different ways.

0 For example the seal could be a transparent latex type material and the seal could be applied by dipping, with the solvent from the material evaporating off it to leave a completed seal.

°i 0 II-- p IP -r IZ I L1 I Is II Also, the seal could be composite with the ends made of a transparent material and the skirt being initially in the form of a circular member which can be crimped around the neck of the bottle in the form of the lead cap seal which were historically used. In this case the surrounding material could be, say, thin aluminium foil and the end could be located in an aperture therein by an adhesive or possibly by a heat welding process.

It can be seen that in any of the preceding cases, should there be any leakage through the cork or should the cork be damaged or there be, say a mould growth on the cork these can be ascertained from the exterior and, say, the bottle which indicates possible damage can be returned or replaced.

•oeoo The cap seal also enables a person who is storing quantities of wine to o maintain surveillance over the wine so that if, over time, there appears to be deterioration or leakage then the particular bottle or bottles can be either used or recorked.

U

Whilst we have described herein certain physical embodiments of the cap seal of the invention, it is to be understood that variations can be made in these and different formations can be used and provided these encompass the basic concept of the invention they shall lie within the scope of the invention.

oU i cl r I i. L I

Claims

1. A cap seal which is applied to the neck of a bottle by shrinkage of the cap seal over the neck wherein the cap seal is made of transparent or semi-transparent material and covers the entire cork when the cork is in the bottle, which cap seal is adapted to allow the entire length and top of the cork to be viewed so as to enable examination of the cork and thereby determine the condition of the contents of the bottle.

2. A cap seal as described in claim 1, wherein the cap seal is made of a synthetic thermoplastic3 material.

3 A cap seal as described in claim 1, wherein the bottle described principally relates to a wine bottle. eo o C *o 0o oo go• L ABSTRACT A cap seal which is applied to the neck of a bottle by shrinkage of the cap seal over the neck wherein the cap seal is made of a transparent material and covers the entire cork when the cork is in the bottle, and through which cap seal, any weeping or deterioration of the cork can be seen. S** t II i