CN113573988A

CN113573988A - Closure system for wine bottles

Info

Publication number: CN113573988A
Application number: CN201980085504.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 古雷尔·库图鲁
Original assignee: Baili Bottle Cap Industry United Co ltd
Current assignee: Baili Bottle Cap Industry United Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-27
Filing date: 2019-12-10
Publication date: 2021-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-10
Also published as: EP3902752A1; EP3902752C0; WO2020139242A1; CN113573988B; ES2960284T3; EA202191240A1; TR201820664A2; PL3902752T3; EP3902752B1; HUE063468T2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closure system (1) which provides tamper evidence to the end purchaser by permanently deforming the top surface (31.1) of a plastic top shell (31) after the first unauthorized reclosing of the closure system (1) by means of a circumferential projection (21.2) on the flat top portion (21) of the closure cap (20). The invention makes it possible to cause the top surface (31.3) of the plastic shell (30) to undergo permanent deformation (31.5) during the first, unauthorized reclosing process, thanks to the reduction in the thickness of the plastic shell (30) of the invention by coincidence of the trajectories of the circumferential projections (21.2) located on the flat top portion (21) of the cap (20).

Description

Closure system for wine bottles

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tamper-evident closure system for determining whether a wine bottle has been opened. In particular, the present invention relates to a tamper-evident closure system that can be used to highlight whether or not the closure system has been previously opened by permanently deforming the top surface of a plastic upper sleeve by a circumferential projection on the top surface of a bottle cap when an attempt is made to reclose the bottle after unauthorized opening of the bottle.

Background

A user who spends a great deal of money purchasing high quality goods such as valuable beverages may want to know whether he or she is genuine using the contents. Since the sealing means of the valuable beverage may be broken to replace the contents of the bottle, a solution is needed that allows the end purchaser to easily identify whether the bottle has been opened at the time of purchase.

EP 2769927B 1 describes a closure system which prevents the closure from being rotated further to its first position before initial opening. In this patent, the support arms are released from their position of restraint once the closure is opened for the first time and rest on the annular support grooves by bending radially towards the inside of the closure. Thus, it may prevent the closure from being completely closed after the first opening.

Patent document EP 1981774B 1 mentions a closure system having a cap, a mouth fittingly connected to the cap and fastened to the neck of a bottle, and a covering liner comprising an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion. In a process for pressing the cover liner as close as possible to the liner bottom, the circumferential bulge of the top surface of the closure in the closure system protrudes into the flat top surface of the upper shell part. Thus, during reclosing, the protrusion formed on the top surface of the upper shell portion may clearly indicate that the closure system has been previously opened. In this patent, the covering liner is made of a thin aluminum layer for the purpose of making the circumferential projection of the top surface of the closure clearly stand out to show that the closure system has been opened. However, the tamper-evidencing feature of this invention cannot be applied directly to a plastic enclosure having a top wall thicker than the aluminum overlay liner. The top wall thickness of the plastic shell is about 1mm and the top wall thickness of the aluminium covering liner is about 0.25mm, so that the circumferential bulge of the top surface of the closure cannot protrude into the flat top surface of the plastic shell during the process for pressing the shell to bring the closure system as close as possible to the bottom of the liner.

Therefore, there is a need for a solution that allows the circumferential projection of the top surface of the closure to protrude above the top surface of the plastic shell during the process of pressing the shell part as close as possible to the bottom of the liner.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident closure system in which the circumferential projection of the top surface of the closure, during the process of pressing the upper shell portion as hard as possible against the liner bottom, permanently deforms the plastic shell to highlight to the purchaser whether the closure has been previously opened.

It is another object of the present invention to allow the end purchaser to know before that time whether or not there is unauthorized access to the contents of the bottle.

Another object of the present invention is that the tamper evident means using the aluminum liner can be applied to the plastic shell by the circumferential projection of the top surface of the closure.

Drawings

FIG. 1a is a front view of a plastic housing having an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion in an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1b is a top view of the plastic housing of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1c is a bottom view of the plastic housing of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1d is a perspective view of the plastic housing described above in an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2a is a cross-sectional view of the plastic housing described above in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2b is a cross-sectional view of a nested structure comprising the plastic shell and the bottle cap according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3a is a cross-sectional view of a closure system according to an embodiment of the invention and emphasizes the contact points between the top surface of the upper shell part and a circumferential projection provided on the top surface of the closure;

fig. 3b is a sectional view of the bottle cap according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4a is a top view of the bottle cap according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4b is a partial sectional view of the bottle cap according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5a is a partial cross-sectional view of the plastic housing described above in an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5b is a perspective view of the plastic enclosure of an embodiment of the present invention after a first unauthorized attempt to reclose the closure system;

FIG. 6a is a partial cross-sectional view of the closure system prior to a first unauthorized attempt to reclose in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6b is a partial cross-sectional view of the closure system after a first unauthorized attempt to reclose in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7a is a cross-sectional view of a conventional plastic housing;

FIG. 7b is a top view of the conventional plastic housing described above;

fig. 7c is a bottom view of the above-described conventional plastic case;

FIG. 7d is a perspective view of a conventional plastic housing;

fig. 8a is a perspective view of the above-described conventional plastic case in a transparent form;

fig. 8b is a perspective view of a plastic housing provided in accordance with the present invention in transparent form.

Reference numerals

1. Closure system

10. Wine nozzle

11. Non-drip lip

11.1. Annular supporting groove

11.2. Trap corner

20. Bottle cap

21. Flat top part

21.1 reduction in thickness

21.2. Circumferential projection

22. Tubular section

22.1. Security patch

22.2. Elastic flap

22.3. Internal threaded portion

22.4. Anti-dismantling sealing belt

23. Center pin

30. Plastic shell

31. An upper shell part

31.1. The top surface

31.2. Tubular surface

31.3. Circumferential groove

31.4. Circumferential projection

31.5. Deformation of

32. Tubular lower shell part

33. Parting line

34. Tamper evident gap

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

< example >

The invention relates to a closure system (1) which guarantees to the end consumer that the closure system (1) is opened for the first time by permanently deforming the top surface (31.1) of the plastic upper shell (31) by means of a circumferential projection (21.2) on the top surface (21) of the cap (20) after reclosing the closure system (1). Thus, the end purchaser can easily assess whether or not an event has occurred that does not allow access to the contents of the bottle.

Generally, a closure for a wine bottle includes a mouth having an internal thread for engaging a thread of a mouth, a cap having an internal thread for engaging an external thread of the mouth, and a shell for enclosing the mouth and the cap together. The housing includes an upper housing portion and a tubular lower housing portion separated by a severance line.

The circumferential projection of the top surface of the closure has been used as a means for proving the unsealing of bottles having an aluminum liner. During the process of pressing the covered liner hard to reclose the closure system in the pourer, the circumferential bulge causes the deformation of the aluminium liner of the inner top surface in contact with the circumferential bulge (31.5). However, the means of tamper evidence by a circumferential projection of the top surface of the closure cap in closure systems using an aluminium liner cannot be applied directly to closure systems having a plastic outer shell, since the top wall thickness of the plastic outer shell is thicker than the top wall thickness of the aluminium liner. Fig. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d show a cross-sectional view, a top view, a bottom view and a perspective view, respectively, of a conventional plastic housing. A transparent perspective view of the internal structure of a conventional plastic housing is shown in fig. 8 a.

Because the top wall thickness of the plastic outer shell is greater than the top wall thickness of the aluminum inner liner, the pressure required to deform the plastic material is also much greater than the pressure required to deform the aluminum material. Since the closing torque applied by a person attempting to reclose the bottle cannot be controlled, it is necessary to reduce the top wall thickness of the plastic housing.

In the present invention, the wall thickness of the top portion of the plastic shell (30) of the present invention is reduced by the tracks coinciding with the circumferential protrusions (21.2) on the flat top portion (21) of the cap (20) during the first unauthorized re-closing of the bottle, so that the top surface of the plastic shell (30) can be permanently deformed (31.5).

The closure system (1) of the invention comprises a drinking spout (10) provided with a non-dripping lip (11), a bottle cap (20) having a flat top portion (21) comprising at least one circumferential projection (21.2), a tubular portion (22) comprising at least one safety tab (22.1) corresponding to each circumferential projection (21.2), and a plastic shell (30), the plastic shell (30) having an upper shell portion (31) comprising at least one circumferential groove (31.3) and a circumferential projection (31.4) located between two of said circumferential grooves (31.3), a tubular lower shell portion (32), and a dividing line (33) dividing the plastic shell (30) into two separate portions, an upper shell portion (31) and a tubular lower shell portion (32).

Before the first opening, a security flap (22.1) associated with the resilient flap (22.2) structure is used to prevent the closure (20) from fully closing until it reaches the first position. As shown in fig. 6a, before the first opening, the tip of the security flap (22.1) is trapped at the trap corner (11.2) in the extended position. Fig. 6a shows a cross-sectional view of the closure system (1) of the invention before the first opening. As shown in fig. 6b, once the closure (20) is opened for the first time, the security flap (22.1) is released from the trapped position and bends radially towards the inside of the closure (20), which bending causes a radial displacement of the tip of the security flap (22.1). Therefore, after the bottle cap (20) is opened for the first time, the tip of the safety sheet (22.1) is abutted against the annular supporting groove (11.1) corresponding to the structure of the dripless lip (11). Thus, after the first opening, the upper shell part (31) and the tubular lower shell part (32) of the plastic housing (30) cannot merge again when the closure system is in the closed position. This results in a tamper-evident gap (34) being formed between the upper shell part (31) and the tubular lower shell part (32) in the closed position after the first opening, as shown in fig. 6 b. The tamper evident gap (34) may allow the purchaser to notice that the bottle has been opened by an unauthorized person. In a preferred embodiment of the present closure system (1), the closure cap (20) has a tamper evident band (22.4) which is easily visible after the formation of the tamper evident gap (34). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the closure (20) has a contrasting colour to the colour of the plastics shell (30) so that the tamper evident band (22.4) on the closure is readily detectable by the purchaser. When an unauthorized person pushes down the closure system (1) with force by applying a torque that closes the closure cap to reduce or completely eliminate the tamper evident gap (34) and cause the flat top portion (21) and the tubular portion (22) of the closure cap (20) to try to move downward, the tip of the security flap (22.1) will be forcibly held in place by the barrier formed by the annular support groove (11.1) and the trap corner (11.2). Due to such high torque applied by unauthorized persons, the security flap (22.1) causes the circumferential protrusion (21.2) to deform the top surface (31.1) of the upper shell portion (31) by moving it upwards relative to the rest of the closure (20).

Fig. 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d show a front view, a top view, a bottom view and a perspective view, respectively, of a plastic housing (30) of the invention. Fig. 2a shows a cross-sectional view of the plastic housing (30). In this figure, it can be seen that the above-mentioned dividing line (33) divides the plastic outer shell (30) into two parts, an upper shell part (31) and a tubular lower shell part (32). The position of the closure (20) within the plastic shell (30) of the present invention prior to initial opening is shown in fig. 2 b. Fig. 3a shows a cross-sectional view of the closure (20) within the plastic shell (30) of the present invention prior to initial opening.

The upper shell part (31) has a top surface (31.1) and a tubular surface (31.2). The circumferential groove (31.3) is located on the top surface (31.1) of the interior of the upper shell part (31) and coincides with the trajectory of the portion of the circumferential projection (21.2) located on the flat top part (21) of the closure (20). As can be clearly seen in fig. 5a and 8b, the circumferential projection (31.4) located between each two of the above-mentioned circumferential grooves (31.3) has the same wall thickness as the top surface (31.1) of the upper shell part (31). Thus, here, the top wall thickness of the plastic shell (30) is reduced by a trajectory corresponding to the trajectory of the circumferential projection (21.2) on the flat top portion (21) of the closure (20), so that the top surface (31.1) of the upper shell portion (31) is permanently deformed during the first unauthorized reclosing. Thus, as shown in fig. 5b, during the first unauthorized reclosing process, the circumferential bulge (21.2) on the flat top portion (21) of the closure (20) is permanently deformed by pressing down on the upper shell portion (31) by applying a torque to close the closure, at a position where the top surface (31.1) of the upper shell portion (31) coincides with the circumferential projection (31.4) on the inner top surface (31.1) of the upper shell portion (31).

The width of the circumferential groove (31.3) is smaller than the width of the circumferential projection (21.2) to prevent said circumferential projection (21.2) provided on the plateau portion (21) of the closure cap (20) from being embedded in said circumferential groove (31.3) provided on the inner top surface (31.1) of the upper shell portion (31) during a renewed attempt to close the closure system (1).

Optionally, but preferably, the number of the safety sheets (22.1) is equal to the number of the circumferential protrusions (21.2), and the circumferential protrusions (21.2) correspond to the safety sheets (22.1) one by one.

In a preferred embodiment of the closure system (1) of the present invention, as shown in fig. 4a, four circumferential protrusions (21.2) are equally spaced on the plateau portion (21) of the closure cap (20). Likewise, as shown in fig. 4b, the four security flaps (22.1) corresponding to these circumferential projections (21.2) are equally spaced on the tubular portion (22) of the closure (20). Each security flap (22.1) also has an outwardly extending resilient flap (22.2) on the outer surface thereof. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3b, each security flap (22.1) and the corresponding resilient flap (22.2) located on the security flap (22.1) are connected to the plateau portion (21) by a region of reduced thickness (21.1). The above-mentioned area of reduced thickness (21.1) prevents the rupture of the security flap (22.1) both in the initial trapped position and during upward movement by providing the flexibility of the security flap (22.1).

In a preferred embodiment of the closure system (1) of the invention, the top surface of the spout (10) may be provided with a spout outlet, the internal thread on the inner wall of the spout (10) engaging with a corresponding thread on the bottle mouth, and the external thread on the outer wall of the spout (10) engaging with a horizontal internal thread portion (22.3) inside the tubular portion (22) and inside the non-drip lip (11) portion of the cap (20).

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the mouthpiece (10) may have a claw structure around its inside surface for securing the mouthpiece to the bottle mouth, without providing an internal thread.

In a preferred embodiment of the closure system (1) of the present invention, said cap (20) is provided with a central pin (23) extending downwards from the centre of the plateau (21) inside it for interacting with the mouth outlet. In another embodiment of the invention, a diffuser and valve (or ball) at the bottom of the bottle can be associated with the mouthpiece (10) so that a central pin (23) on the cap (20) interacts with the mouthpiece outlet.

Claims

1. A closure system (1) comprising:

a spout (10) equipped with a dripless lip (11);

a cap (20) having a flat top portion (21) comprising at least one circumferential projection (21.2) and a tubular portion (22) comprising at least one security flap (22.1); and

-a plastic shell (30) comprising an upper shell portion (31), a tubular lower shell portion (32) and a parting line (33) dividing the plastic shell (30) into two separate parts, an upper shell portion (31) and a tubular lower shell portion (32), -a top surface (31.1) of the plastic upper shell portion (31) is permanently deformed by the circumferential protrusion (21.2) on the flat top portion (21) of the closure (20) after a first unauthorized reclosure attempt of the closure system (1), providing first opening assurance to an end purchaser,

it is characterized by also comprising:

-at least one circumferential groove (31.3) on the inner top surface (31.1) of said upper shell portion (31), said circumferential groove (31.3) coinciding with the trajectory of said portion of circumferential projection (21.2) on said plateau portion (21) of said cap (20); and

at least one circumferential projection (31.4) between any two circumferential grooves (31.3), which circumferential projection (31.4) has the same wall thickness as the top surface (31.1) of the upper shell part (31),

during the first unauthorized reclosing attempt, the upper shell part (31) is pressed, and the top surface (31.1) of the upper shell part (31) is permanently deformed (31.5) by the circumferential projection (21.2) to highlight whether the closure system (1) has been opened before.

2. A closure system (1) according to claim 1, wherein:

wherein the width of the circumferential groove (31.3) is smaller than the width of the circumferential protrusion (21.2) for preventing the circumferential protrusion (21.2) on the plateau portion (21) of the bottle cap (20) from embedding into the circumferential groove (31.3) on the inner top surface of the upper shell portion (31) during a first unauthorized attempt to reclose the closure system (1).

3. A closure system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

wherein, optionally but preferably, the circumferential protrusions (21.2) correspond one-to-one to the security tabs (21.1).

4. Closure system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that:

wherein, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottle cap (20) is provided with four equally-spaced circumferential protrusions (21.2), and each circumferential protrusion (21.2) corresponds to one safety sheet (21.1).