EP0166036B1 - Stopper for bottles, flasks and the like - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cap of a new type, intended to plug the neck of a bottle, a bottle or the like.

It has long been known to stop the neck of a bottle by forcing a cork into it. This technique is used in particular to ensure the corking of wine bottles.

• pour ouvrir la bouteille, on effectue habituellement 1 extraction du bouchon à l'aide d'un tire-bouchon; l'experience montre que le fil métallique hélicoïdal du tire-bouchon se positionnefréquem- ment de façon excentrée, si bien qu'en cours de vissage, il vient frotter contre la paroi interne du verre de la bouteille, tout en déchiquetant le liège du bouchon. Ainsi, à l'ouverture, des fragments de liège tombent à l'intérieur de la bouteille dont le contenu se trouve ainsi souillé;
• du fait des hétérogénéités inhérentes à la nature même du liège, il est fréquent que le bouchon se casse pendant qu'on tente de l'extraire. Une partie du bouchon reste donc coincée à l'intérieur du goulot, ce qui donne lieu en-suite à des manoeuvres de tâtonnement qui aboutissent le plus souvent à faire tomber des morceaux de liège dans le liquide que contient la bouteille;
• une fois extrait, le bouchon se trouve détruit, si bien qu'il est impossible de l'utiliser à nouveau.
• il est fréquent que son contact avec le liège du bouchon donne au vin contenu dans la bouteille, le "goût de bouchon" bien connu.

Used with the force of habit, this technique however has drawbacks which are also well known, in particular:

• to open the bottle, the cap is usually extracted 1 using a corkscrew; experience shows that the helical wire of the corkscrew is frequently positioned eccentrically, so that during screwing, it rubs against the internal wall of the glass of the bottle, while shredding the cork of the cork . Thus, at the opening, fragments of cork fall inside the bottle, the contents of which are thus soiled;
• due to the heterogeneities inherent in the very nature of cork, it is common for the cork to break while trying to extract it. Part of the stopper therefore remains stuck inside the neck, which gives rise to trial and error maneuvers which most often result in pieces of cork falling into the liquid contained in the bottle;
• once extracted, the plug is destroyed, so that it cannot be used again.
• it is frequent that its contact with the cork of the cork gives the wine contained in the bottle, the well-known "cork taste".

The object of the present invention is to avoid these drawbacks by producing a stopper of a new type, however having the same external appearance as a cork stopper, it being understood that this aspect is often preferred by the consumer, in particular for high-end products.

French patent No. 620.803 describes a stopper comprising a cylindrical cork body pierced with an axial longitudinal recess in which is housed an insert which itself has, in its center a longitudinal housing, blind towards the end of the stopper intended to be facing the inside of the bottle and open to the outside at the opposite end. The internal wall of said housing is provided with a female thread made at the same pitch as the threaded rod of a corkscrew similar to the usual corkscrews. One can therefore easily engage, by screwing such a rod in this housing. The insert has, at its blind end, an enlarged base capable of covering, in part, the corresponding end of the cork body. This base can optionally be masked by a washer fixed to the bottom of the plug.

A stopper of this type avoids the risk of untimely breaking of the stopper when the bottle is opened and it can possibly be reused. However, the assembly of the washer on the bottom of the stopper requires the use of an adhesive material which risks polluting the liquid contained in the bottle and the presence of which prevents good "breathing" of the liquid through the Cork. This last drawback is particularly troublesome in the case where this liquid is wine.

This is why the invention aims to also eliminate the drawbacks of the plug described in French patent No. 620.803, while taking advantage of its advantages.

To this end, to ole this etet of the technique which relates to a stopper include a cork body, of cylindrical or slightly frustoconical external shape, in a longitudinal recess of which there is an insert having itself in its center, a longitudinal housing , blind towards the end of the corresponding cap inside the bottle, and open towards the outside at the opposite end, the internal wall of this housing being provided with a female thread made at the same pitch as the male part of a known type of corkscrew, the insert having, at its blind end, an enlarged base partially covering the corresponding end of the cork body, the cork according to the invention is characterized in that a cup in cork is attached to the base that it covers by coming into contact with the end of the cork body projecting from the base.

Advantageously, the entire insert is made of a plastic part.

The entire insert can be put in place by simple forced insertion into the central bore of the cork body or else be directly cast in place by overmolding, in the longitudinal bore of the cork body.

• La figure 1 est une vue en coupe axiale du corps en liège d'un bouchon selon l'invention;
• La figure 2 en est une vue en bout suivant la direction de la flèche Il de la figure 1;
• La figure 3 est une coupe longitudinale de l'insert;
• La figure 4 est une coupe axiale d'une capsule d'extrémité, destinée à coiffer l'embase de l'insert;
• La figure 5 est une vue de la capsule suivant la direction de la flèche V de la figure 4;
• La figure 6 montre un tire-bouchon prêt à être présenté dans le bouchon terminé selon l'invention;
• La figure 7 montre l'assemblage de l'insert dans le bouchon.
• La figure 8 est une coupe axiale d'un goulot de bouteille bouché par le bouchon de la figure 7;
• La figure 9 est une vue montrant en cours de débouchage, le goulot d'une bouteille bouchée avec le bouchon des figures 7 et 8.

The appended drawing, given by way of nonlimiting example, will allow a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention.

• Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of the cork body of a plug according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is an end view in the direction of the arrow II of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the insert;
• Figure 4 is an axial section of an end capsule, intended to cover the base of the insert;
• Figure 5 is a view of the capsule in the direction of the arrow V in Figure 4;
• Figure 6 shows a corkscrew ready to be presented in the finished cap according to the invention;
• Figure 7 shows the assembly of the insert in the cap.
• Figure 8 is an axial section of a bottle neck blocked by the cap of Figure 7;
• FIG. 9 is a view showing, during uncorking, the neck of a bottle capped with the cap of FIGS. 7 and 8.

There is shown in the drawings, a stopper 1 according to the invention, which is intended to be inserted for the stopper, in the neck 2 of a bottle or a bottle of known type.

This plug is intended to be extracted using a corkscrew 3, also of known type, formed by a handle 4 and a threaded part 5.

The plug 1 according to the invention essentially comprises a body 6 and an insert 7.

This body 6 has a cylindrical or slightly frustoconical outer contour, as is common for cork stoppers. However, the body 6 is traversed in its center by a longitudinal housing 8, intended to receive the insert 7.

The latter comprises an externally cylindrical body 9, terminated at its end by a flat and enlarged base 10. In its central part, the body 9 of the insert 7 is hollowed out through a longitudinal hole 11 whose internal walls are threaded along a thread female 12, capable of receiving the male threaded part 5 of a corkscrew 3.

The body 6 of the plug 1 is preferably made of cork. Of course, it could also be made of any other known material, in particular synthetic foam.

The insert 7 is made in one piece, preferably in a hard plastic material.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7, the outside diameter 13 of the base 10 of the insert 7 is less than the diameter 14 of the adjacent part of the cork body 6. The plug 6, 7 can thus be provided, at its inner end, of a cork cup 15, attached to the plastic base 10 which it covers. The finished stopper 6, 7.15 is presented in the manner illustrated in FIG. 9, that is to say that the liquid contained in the bottle can only be in contact with cork, but nowhere with the insert material 7.

Thus, the arrangement of the stopper according to the invention has, compared to those of the prior art, the advantage of making it possible to avoid any contact of the liquid contained in the bottle with a material other than cork, while being suitable for the assembly of the stopper without requiring the use of an adhesive to fix the cork cup (15) on the bottom of the stopper. Thus, in addition to the simplification of the assembly operations, the risk of pollution of the liquid by the adhesive is avoided and good "breathing" of the liquid is obtained through the cork stopper. We therefore take full advantage of the well-known advantages of cork compared to other materials which can be used for the manufacture of corks, in particular for corking bottles containing wine.

The bottle is capped in the known manner, by forcibly inserting the cap 1 into the neck 2. The cap 1 according to the invention behaves exactly like a conventional cork made entirely of cork.

To open the bottle, simply screw the male threaded part 5 of the corkscrew 3, into the thread 12 of the insert 7. This screwing is carried out in the same way as if a screw was introduced into a nut . In other words, the operation is carried out with ease, without providing any effort, and by guaranteeing the positioning of the threaded part 5 well in the center of the plug 1 and of the neck 2.

Then, the extraction of the stopper 1 is carried out in the usual way, by pulling on the handle 4. Thus, it is certain that the uncorking of the bottle is carried out without damaging the stopper, and above all without particles of cork do not fall inside the neck 2.

Once the bottle is open, the stopper 1 can be reused indefinitely, since the introduction of the corkscrew 3 has not damaged it.

Of course, the insert 7 can be produced separately, and force-fitted into the body 6, as illustrated above. On the other hand, it could as well be produced on site, by overmolding, directly in the axial housing 8 of the cork body 6.

Claims (1)

1. Stopper (1), comprising a cork body (6), having a cylindrical or slightly frustoconical outer shape, in an axial longitudinal recess (8) of which is placed an insert (7) which is itself provided, in its center part, with a longitudinal lodging (11) which is closed towards the end part of the bottle and open towards the exterior at the opposite end, the inner wall of said lodging (11) being provided with a female threading (12) which is constructed with the same pitch as the male part (5) of a corkscrew (3) of known sort, the insert (7) having, at its closed end, a widened flange (10) which partly covers the corresponding end of the cork body (6), characterized in that a cork cap (15) is inserted over the flange (10) so as to cover it while contacting the end part of the cork body which overlaps the flange.

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