ES2368547B1 - WINE BOTTLE WITH PERMANENT CONTACT BETWEEN WINE AND CORK - Google Patents

Abstract

Bottle (1), comprising a main body (2) and a neck (3) housing a cap (4), where the neck (3) comprises inner walls (5) in contact with the cap (4) and some outer walls (6) not in contact with the cap (4), with the particularity that at least part of said outer walls (6) are located inside the bottle (1). Then, when the bottle (1) is filled with wine and the bottle (1) is upright, the wine filling level (7) reaches some point on the outer walls (6) of the neck (3) that are in the inside of the bottle (1), producing that the wine is permanently in contact with the cap (4). The invention therefore allows the bottle (1) does not have to be stored in a horizontal position to guarantee the correct preservation of the wine and the cork.

Description

aging of the wine, the bottles are usually packed

Wine bottle with permanent contact between the wine and the cork. Technical sector

The invention refers to a wine bottle whose design allows the wine housed inside the bottle to be in permanent contact with the cork, being the bottle in any position including the vertical position. State of the art

In the process of aging the wines, it is well known that the wine is at a time of the procedure introduced in bottles and stored a period of time for the aging of the certain type of wine to be obtained, and finally marketed in these bottles, properly labeled. These bottles are characterized by an essentially cylindrical body terminated at the top by a narrow neck or neck that houses the cork. The cork basically prevents the wine from getting out of the bottle and air entering it.

Inside these wine bottles, in addition to wine a small amount of air is housed, that is, they have an air chamber. Among other functions, said air chamber allows the temperature to change the volume of wine without pressing the cork towards the outside of the bottle. Also, being in contact with the wine, allows the wine to be micro-oxygenated, this phenomenon being an important part of the aging process.

With conventional bottles arranged in an upright position, the air chamber is located between the wine and the cork. That is, there is no direct contact between wine and cork, but these are separated by air. This fact gives rise to various problems: on the one hand, the cork becomes dehydrated and reduces the pressure it exerts against the neck of the bottle, which can lead to an entry of air into the bottle and an outlet of wine from it; on the other hand, if the wine cools and consequently contracts, there is a depression between the air inside the bottle and the air outside it, with the consequent entry of air into the bottle. It must be taken into account in both cases that the entry of air is an undesirable fact since the air can be accompanied by molds, pollutants or other substances harmful to the quality and conservation of the wine.

To avoid this, when the wine is stored in cellars it is necessary to do it by placing the bottles in a horizontal position. This ensures that the wine is in permanent contact with the cork, keeping the cork hydrated and minimizing the entry of air into the bottles.

In this sense, multiple studies and disclosures that emphasize the importance of permanent contact between cork and wine are known. For example, the Bordeaux Oenology School, Victor Segalen Bordeaux University, in its research entitled “The entry of oxygen into wine bottles through different stoppers,” literally says “this study provides results on the kinetics of the entrance of oxygen through different cylindrical and screw caps in horizontally stored wines ”and“ contact with the liquid is an important factor in the transmission of oxygen through the cork stoppers ”.

in boxes of six, twelve or other number of units, for transport or storage. In said boxes, the bottles are in an upright position, which allows, thanks to the resistance granted by the essentially cylindrical shape of the bottles, a vertical stacking of several boxes without thereby breaking the bottles stored therein. In other words, it is common practice that, after raising wine in bottles arranged in a horizontal position taking care that the wine contacts the cork, these bottles are subsequently stored in an upright position in boxes, even stacking some boxes on others. With the current design of bottles, it would not be possible to place the bottles horizontally inside the boxes and then stack the same number of boxes since the bottles would not resist the weight and break.

The present invention aims to provide a wine bottle design that, of course having an internal air chamber, is such that, being placed in an upright position, there is a permanent contact between the wine and the cork. Said bottle could therefore be stored in an upright position without cork deteriorating.

or the wine, obtaining important advantages especially coming from the reduction of time and cost of manipulation of the bottles to vary their position from vertical to horizontal and vice versa.

Brief Description of the Invention

The object of the invention is a bottle comprising a main body and comprising a neck for the location of a cap, where the neck comprises inner walls in contact with the cap and outer walls not in contact with the cap, with the particularity that at least part of the outer walls of the neck (i.e., all or some of the outer walls, completely or partially) are located inside the bottle. In this way, when the bottle is filled with wine in its entirety and up to a certain level of filling (above which an air chamber must be left to allow the expansion and retraction of the wine in case of temperature change) and the bottle being upright, the level of wine filling reaches some point of the outer walls of the neck which are inside the bottle. Consequently, the air chamber is not in contact with the cap but rather the cap is in direct contact with the wine.

The permanent contact of the cap and the wine, in the bottle of the invention, occurs with the bottle not only placed vertically but in any other position.

Thus, the invention provides a bottle that, without being placed in a horizontal position, that is, being placed in any position including the vertical, guarantees a permanent contact between the cap (generally a cork) and the wine. Therefore, by means of the invention, a series of important and interesting advantages are achieved. On the one hand, all manipulations aimed at placing the bottles in a horizontal position are eliminated in the cellar so that the cork is in contact with the wine, which reduces the time and cost of the process of handling and preparing the wine bottles. On the other hand, the attention to be paid is eliminated

3 EN 2368547A1 4

In storage processes until final consumption, keep the bottles in their horizontal position. Or, alternatively, the risk of deterioration of the wine is eliminated when the bottles are stored in an upright position, generally inside boxes to be able to stack a large number of boxes with each other, once the aging process is finished. In addition, the bottles of the invention, because of the magnitude of the volume of wine that is above the base of the cork, guarantee a contact between the wine and the cork of at least 50 years, that is, guarantee a long preservation of the cork and therefore of the wine stored in the bottle. There is also the advantage that, when the wine is served, the grounds of the bottle remain in the area of the air chamber, not falling into the glass or other container in which the wine is served.

Brief description of the fi gures

The details of the invention can be seen in the accompanying figures, not intended to be limiting of the scope of the invention:

-

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a first embodiment of the invention.

-

Figures 3 and 4 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention.

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Figures 5 and 6 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a third embodiment of the invention.

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Figures 7 and 8 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the invention. Detailed description of the invention

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a first embodiment of the invention. The section of Figure 1 is made according to the plane of section A-A of Figure 2. The figures show a bottle (1) comprising a main body (2) and a neck (3). The neck (3) serves as a housing area for a plug (4), and comprises inner walls (5) in contact with the plug (4) and outer walls (6) not in contact with the plug (4). Figure 1 shows the bottle (1) that is almost completely filled with wine, up to a filling level (7) Above said filling level (7) there is an air chamber (8), necessary to allow the expansion or compression of the wine in case of temperature change. In accordance with the invention and as can be seen, all of the outer walls (6) of the neck

(3) they are located inside the bottle (1), so that, when the bottle (1) is filled with wine in its entirety and the bottle (1) is upright, the filling level (7 ) of wine reaches some point (usually an intermediate point) of the outer walls (6) of the neck (3) that are inside the bottle (1), producing that the wine is in contact with the cap (4) and that the air chamber (8) is higher than the lower area of the cap (4).

This embodiment has, in addition to the general advantages associated with the invention, the additional advantage of providing a saving of glass and other materials, for the same amount of wine stored and compared to a conventional wine bottle. More specifically, it is estimated that 5% glass, 18% bottle packaging material and 18% storage volume are saved.

Figures 3 and 4 show respectively a sectional elevation and a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention. The section of Figure 3 is made according to the plane of section BB of Figure 4. In this case, the neck (3) housing the cap (4) is partially inside the bottle (1), that is, only part of the outer walls (6) of the neck (3) is located inside the bottle (1) - as can be seen, the part (6 ') is outside. Again, when the bottle (1) is completely filled with wine and the bottle (1) is in an upright position, the level of filling (7) of wine reaches some point of the outer walls (6) of the neck

(3)

that are inside the bottle (1), producing that the wine is in contact with the cap (4).

Figures 5 and 6 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a third embodiment of the invention. The section of Figure 5 is made according to the plane of section C-C of Figure 6. In this case, the neck (3) is fully located inside the bottle

(one)

and completely surrounded by an outer neck (10), the air chamber (8) and the filling level (7) being located between both necks (3, 10). This embodiment, seen externally, has an appearance similar to conventional bottles, but solving the problem that the wine does not come into contact with the cap (4) that occurs in conventional bottles.

Figures 7 and 8 respectively show a sectional elevation and a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the invention. The section of Figure 7 is made according to the plane of section DD of Figure 8. In this case, the neck (3) is partially surrounded by an outer neck (10) - remaining some outer wall (6 ') of the walls outside (6) of the neck (3) is not covered by the outer neck (10) -. The air chamber (8) and the filling level

(7)

they are located between the outer neck (10) and the outer walls (6) of the neck (3) that are covered by the outer neck (10). Therefore, the air chamber (8) is not in contact with the plug

(4)

but the lower part of it is submerged in the wine.

Some of the embodiments shown are symmetrical with respect to a vertical axis (9) of symmetry. However, this aspect is not relevant to the present invention, multiple variants being admitted in this regard.

The materials used in the manufacture of the bottles, shapes and dimensions thereof and all the details and accessories that may be presented are independent of the object of the invention, provided they do not affect their essentiality.

5 EN 2368547A1 6

Claims (4)

1. Bottle (1), which comprises a main body

(2)

and comprising a neck (3) for locating a plug (4), where the neck (3) comprises interior walls (5) in contact with the plug

(4)

and outer walls (6) not in contact with the cap (4), where the bottle (1) is capable of being filled with wine to a filling level (7) above which an air chamber (8) remains , which is characterized by at least part of the outer walls

(6)

of the neck (3) are located inside the bottle (1), so that when the bottle (1) is filled with wine in its entirety and the bottle (1) is upright, the filling level (7) wine reaches some point of the outer walls

(6) of the neck (3) inside the bottle (1), causing the wine to be in contact with the cap (4). 2. Bottle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottle (1) is symmetrical with respect to a vertical axis (9), the neck (3) being completely surrounded by an outer neck (10), leaving the air chamber (8) and the filling level (7) located between both necklaces (3, 10). 3. Bottle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the neck (3) is partially surrounded by an outer neck (10), the air chamber (8) and the filling level (7) being located between the outer neck (10) and the outer walls (6) of the neck (3) that are covered by the outer neck (10). ES 2 368 547 A1 ES 2 368 547 A1 SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 200900544 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 18.02.2009 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: See Additional Sheet RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

Documents cited Claims Affected

X

EP 1394052 A1 (L'OREAL) 03.03.2004, summary; Figures 4,5,8,10,12. 1.2

X

CH 380564 A (TOURNIER) 31.07.1964, figures 1.2; claim 1. 1.2

X

EP 0905333 A1 (L'OREAL) 31.03.1999, summary; figures. 1.2

TO

WO 2007058500 A1 (PARK) 24.05.2007, summary; figures. 1-3

TO

WO 03066455 A2 (BALL PACKAGING EUROPE) 14.08.2003, summary; figures. 1-3

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of realization of the report 29.09.2011

Examiner F. Monge Zamorano Page 1/4

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE Application number: 200900544 CLASSIFICATION OBJECT OF THE APPLICATION B65D39 / 00 (2006.01) B65D1 / 02 (2006.01) B65D21 / 02 (2006.01) Minimum documentation sought (classification system followed by classification symbols) B65D Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENTIONS, EPODOC State of the Art Report Page 2/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 200900544 Date of Written Opinion: 29.09.2011 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 3 1.2 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 3 1.2 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. State of the Art Report Page 3/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 200900544 1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

EP 1394052 A1 (L'OREAL) 03.03.2004

D02

CH 380564 A (TOURNIER) 31.07.1964

D03

EP 0905333 A1 (L'OREAL) 31.03.1999

D04

WO 2007058500 A1 (PARK) 05/24/2007

D05

WO 03066455 A2 (BALL PACKAGING EUROPE) 08/14/2003

2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement The object of the request is a bottle with a neck with walls that enter into the bottle so that the cap inserted in the neck is always in contact with the liquid, whatever the position of the bottle. In this way the cork of the cap does not dry out and does not lose the qualities that make it suitable for insulating the liquid from the outside atmosphere. The request contains three claims of which the first one is independent and the other two depend directly on it. The first claim characterizes the invention because at least part of the outer walls of the neck are located inside the bottle. The second claim characterizes it because the bottle is symmetrical with respect to a vertical axis. The third claim characterizes the invention because the neck is surrounded by an outer neck and the air chamber and the filling level are located between the outer neck and the outer walls of the neck. Documents D1 (L'Oreal), D2 (Tournier) and D3 (L'Oreal) disclose containers with necklaces that extend into the bottle and in symmetrical bottles with respect to the vertical axis, which anticipates the claimed technical solution in the first and second claims. The technical characteristics defining the invention according to the third claim have not been disclosed in the state of the art. Documents D4 (Park) and D5 (Ball) are cited with purely illustrative value. Thus, taking into account the foregoing considerations and in the opinion of the examiner, the attributes of novelty or inventive activity, within the meaning of articles 6 and 8 of the current Patent Law 11/1986, to the first claims or second and yes, however, to claim third of the application. State of the Art Report Page 4/4