AU677372B2

AU677372B2 - A bottle-neck closure capsule

Info

Publication number: AU677372B2
Application number: AU57891/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Didier Milhomme
Original assignee: Alsacienne DAluminium
Current assignee: Amcor Flexibles Selestat SAS
Priority date: 1993-03-18
Filing date: 1994-03-17
Publication date: 1997-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-17
Also published as: EP0615915A2; DE69403525T2; EP0615915B1; ES2104297T3; ATE153955T1; GR3024159T3; CA2119092A1; FR2702754B1; EP0615915A3; DK0615915T3; FR2702754A1; AU5789194A; DE69403525D1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oversealing cap (1) for a bottle neck (3), of the type including a head pad (4) intended to cover over the end face (5) of the neck (3) and a skirt (6) joined to the periphery of the pad (4). The pad (4) has the shape of a small dish (4) with a rim (9), the skirt (6) and the pad (4) being joined at the level of the rim (9) of the small dish. The cap (1) also includes a tamperproof (tamper-evident) disc (11) which covers over at least a part of the bottom of the small dish (4). It is possible to write on the small dish (4) by means of embossing. <IMAGE>

Description

1 A Bottle-Neck Closure Capsule The present invention relates to a closure capsule for placing on a bottle-neck, and of the type comprising a top patch for covering the end face of said bottle-neck and a skirt connected to the periphery of said patch.

Such capsules are used in particular for covering the necks of conventional wine bottles or for covering bottles of spirits. The top patch, which may optionally be provided with a stamp representing tax or duty, and which is of a size that is a function of the type of bottle, carries various kinds of information, in particular the origin of the contents and the quality thereof. It may also serve for keeping track of alcohol duty for accounting purposes.

At present, the patch is in the form of a plane disk. The periphery of the disk overlies folds fcrmed at one of the open ends of the skirt, said folds themselves overlying the annular end face of the neck of the bottle. The patch is fixed onto the folded annular zone cf the skirt by means of fastening tools. As a result, information :ooo S 15 cannot be marked by embossing on the entire area of the patch since embossed information would be crushed when the patch is fastened onto the skirt.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved closure capsule.

.There is disclosed herein a closure capsule for placing over a sealed bottleneck of a bottle, said bottle neck having an end face and a ring disposed at a distance d from said end face, said closure comprising a top patch for covering said end face, wherein the top patch is in the form of a S cup having a rim, and a depth which is substantially equal to or less than the distance d, skirt bonded to the rim of the top patch, wherein a top zone of the skirt is narrowed with respect to a central body portion of the skirt, and wherein the skirt and 25 the cup include at least one material select from the group consisting of aluminium, OlO•• tin, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyester, coated paper, monocrystalline wax and polyolefin.

In a first variant embodiment, the cup overlies the adjacent end of the skirt.

In a second variant embodiment, the cup is engaged inside the adjacent end of the skirt.

By means of the above preferred embodiment, the operation of folding over an end ring of the skirt is omitted as is the need to apply axial force on the patch in order to bond it to the skirt.

As a result, the top face of the capsule is unencumbered in appearance and constitutes an ideal medium for receiving printing and/or embossing operations.

In addition, the presser wheels used for fixing the capsule onto the bottle-neck do not encounter obstacles in their go-and-return movement along the skirt while [N:\LIBLL]00532:CJS

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crimping the capsule on the bottle-neck, thereby ensuring that appearance remains undamaged.

The skirt is advantageously bonded to the rim of the cup by means of glue.

In another preferred embodiment the capsule further includes a tamperproofing disk that covers the inside face of the cup.

This disk is advantageously made of stainless steel. Its thickness is preferably in the range 0.01 mm to 1 mm.

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention appear on reading the following description of various embodiments given by way of non-limiting example 1o and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a closure capsule of the invention and a bottle-neck about to receive said capsule; Figure 2 is a view on a larger scale showing the bond between the cup and the skirt in a first variant embodiment;

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Figure 3 is a view on a larger scale showing the bond between the cup and the skirt in a second variant embodiments; Figures 4 and 5 show variants of Figures 2 and 3 in which the closure capsule of the invention does not include a tamperproofing disk; Figures 6 and 7 show variants of the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3 in which a capsule of the invention has a tamperproofing disk in the form of a substance cast in the bottom of the cup; Figure 8 is a diagram of the process whereby a cup of the invention as shown in Figures 2 and 3 is made; Figure 9 shows a tamperproofing disk being installed in a cup; and Figure 10 is a section on line X-X of Figure 9.

Reference 1 designates a closure capsule for applying to the top end 2 of the neck 3 of a wine bottle.

In conventional manner, the capsule 1 comprises a top patch 4 for covering the top face 5 of the bottleneck 3 and a skirt 6 bonded to the patch 4 and designed to be pressed against the side wall 7 of the bottle-neck 3 by crimping.

The dimensions of the capsule 1 match the dimensions of the bottle-neck 3 on which it is to be fitted.

eeoc :oo 25 In general, the neck 3 of the bottle has a ring 8 disposed at a distance from the top face 5 of the bottle-neck 3.

The skirt 6 is tapering in shape, and the patch 4 is in the form of a cup having a rim 9. The rim 9 of the 30 cup 4 is bonded to the top annular zone 10 of the skirt 6 by gluing.

In a first variant embodiment, the cup 4 covers the narrow end of the skirt 6.

In another variant embodiment, the cup 4 is engaged inside the adjacent end of the skirt 6.

The depth of the cup 4 is preferably substantially equal to or less than the above-defined distance C such I I I I that the rim 9 extends no further than to the vicinity of the ring 8 when the capsule 1 is in place on the neck 3 of the bottle.

A tamperproofing disk 11 is disposed on the inside of the bottom of the cup 4. This disk 11 is bonded to the cup 4 by a spot of glue 13. It covers at least the central portion of the inside face of the cup 4 such that when the capsule 1 is put into place on a bottle-neck 3, the disk 11 covers the top end of the cork 12. The disk 11 preferably also covers at least a portion of the annular end of the bottle-neck 3.

The characteristics of the disk 11, namely the material from which it is made and the thickness of the disk 11 are selected in such a manner as to prevent acts of malicious vandalism, and in particular to prevent a syringe being passed through the disk 11.

In a preferred embodiment, the disk 11 is made of stainless steel in the work-hardened state and its 0 thickness lies in the range 0.01 mm to 1 mm, and 20 preferably in the range 0.02 mm to 0.05 mm.

However, the disk 11 may be made of any other material that is difficult to pierce, e.g. ceramics, porcelain, polyamides, polyolefins, polyacetals, PVC, polystyrenes, polyesters, thermosetting resins, or 25 multicomponent resins.

The skirt 6 and the cup 4 are preferably made in conventional manner from a sheet or strip of a multilayer complex preferably including two sheets of aluminum disposed on either side of a sheet of polyethylene. The 30 weight of the sheet of polyethylene preferably lies in the range 30 grams per square meter (g/m 2 to 80 g/m 2 The thickness of the sheets of aluminum lies in the range 8 micrometers to 40 micrometers. The aluminum sheet on the inside of the capsule is preferably 12 micrometers thick, the weight of the polyethylene sheet is preferably g/m2 and the thickness of the outside aluminum sheet is preferably 25 micrometers. This type of ;omplex I M avoids folds while the capsule 1 is being crimped on the neck 3 of the bottle.

The strip of complex may also include a surface layer of adhesive.

The skirt 6 and the cup 4 may also be made either from a strip of a single material, e.g. aluminum, tin, PVC, polystyrene, polyproplyene, or polyester, or else from strips of composite materials, coated papers, or assemblages made using monocrystalline waxes or polyolefins.

Various designs or patterns may be depositei on the complex during manufacture of the cup 4 or of the skirt 6.

Figures 8 to 10 show a manufacturing line for making cups 4 from a strip 20 of multilayer complex or from a strip of generally preprinted capsule material which is wound out step-by-step from an unwinding device 21.

Reference 22 designates a station for hot transfer of printing onto the bottom face of the strip 20 reference 23 designates a station for forming relief by stamping; reference 24 represents a station for calibrating the relief; reference 25 designates a station for inking the relief; reference 26 designates precutting-out of the cup; reference 27 designates 25 stamping of the cup; reference 28 designates cutting out of the cup 4; reference 29 designates the winding up means for recovering the waste strip; reference designates the station for recovering the completed cup 4; reference 31 designates placing a spot of glue 13 30 inside the cup 4; reference 32 designates cutting out and *"Ga*i placing the tamperproofing disk 11; reference 33 designates ejecting the cup 4; and reference 34 designates the station for transferring it onto the spindle of a capsule-installing machine In a variant shown in Figures 6 and 7, the tamperproofing disk 11 may be implemented by casting a plastic into the bottom of the cup 4.

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Claims

1. A closure capsule for placing over a sealed bottle-neck of a bottle, said bottle neck having an end face and a ring disposed at a distance d from said end face, said closure comprising a top patch for covering said end face, wherein the top patch is in the form of a cup having a rim, and a depth which is substantially equal to or less than the distance d, a skirt bonded to the rim of the top patch, wherein a top zone of the skirt is narrowed with respect to a central body portion of the skirt, and wherein the skirt and the cup include at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminium, tin, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyester, coated paper, monocrystalline wax and polyolefin.

2. A closure capsule according to claim 1, further including a tamperproofing disk fixed within the cup.

3. A closure capsule according to claim 1, wherein the cup overlies the 15 top zone of the skirt.

4. A closure capsule according to claim 1, wherein the cup is engaged inside the top zone of the skirt.

5. A closure capsule according to claim 1, further including a stainless i steel tamperproofing disk fixed within the cup.

6. A closure capsule according to claim 1, wherein the skirt and the cup are made from a multilayer complex including a first sheet of aluminium, a second sheet of aluminium, and a sheet of polyethylene between the first and second sheets of aluminium.

7. A closure capsule according to claim 6, wherein the first and the second sheets of aluminium each have a thickness in the range of 8 to 40 micrometres, and the sheet of polyethylene has a density in the range of 30 to 80 g/m 2 S.

8. A closure capsule substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 31 January, 1997 Societe Alsacienne D'Aluminium Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [N:\LIBLL00532:CJS I II n_ _I A Bottle-Neck Closure Capsule ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a closure capsule for a bottle-neck of the type comprising a top patch for covering the end face of the bottle-neck and a skirt bonded to the periphery of the patch The patch is in the form of a cup (4) having a rim with the skirt and the patch being bonded together via the rim of the cup The capsule further includes a tamperproofing disk (11) which lies against at least a portion of the bottom of the cup It is possible to mark the cup by embossing. Figure 1 @:Goo: r* 0* 0e *0 o i 4 ee *~e *o *e KRS/1011W L