ES2933755A1 - HERMETIC SEALING CAP FOR CONTAINERS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention consists of a stopper (1) to hermetically close containers containing pressurized and/or gasified products, where said containers comprise a mouth with an annular inlet. For this, the stopper (1) comprises a head (4), a protrusion (3) configured to be inserted through the annular inlet of the mouthpiece and fit, by tightening, to an interior cylindrical surface of said mouthpiece of the container and a wall of fixing (2), configured to fit by pressing, to an outer surface of the mouth of the container, where the head (4), the projection (3) and the fixing wall (2) are included in a single piece. The invention also includes the method for closing mouthpieces by means of the cap (1) described. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

HERMETIC SEALING CAP FOR CONTAINERS

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNIQUE SECTOR

The present invention consists of a stopper to hermetically close the mouths of packages or containers, such as bottles, that retain pressurized and/or gasified products, such as foamy drinks, being rigidly fixed to said mouth. Said stopper is specially adapted for use during the drawing of sparkling drinks, such as certain wines, since it can be inserted and extracted from mouthpieces by automatic means in a simpler, faster and more economical way than with existing stoppers on the market.

The invention falls within the field of packaging and closing containers suitable for retaining fluids, and more specifically in the field of caps for beverage bottles that require or are run.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, in the industry for the production of sparkling beverages, such as champagne or cava, a fermentation process can be carried out using the method known as "champenoise", called tirage, which is carried out in the bottle itself in the which said beverage is packaged.

To carry out this method, a mixture of sugar and yeast is added to the drink, which is known as tirage liquor.

This process consists of three clearly differentiated stages. A first stage of bottle capping, in which the bottles are filled with a beverage, such as a previously fermented wine, closing the bottles with a stopper for temporary use, preparing the bottles for the next phase; a second stage of fermentation, where the covered bottles are stored for a minimum of 9 months, reaching pressures of up to 8 kg inside; and a third stage of disgorging, in which the neck of the bottles is frozen, and later the stoppers are extracted automatically with disgorging machinery to place a final cork stopper, fixed with a metallic morion.

Being subjected to these pressures in the fermentation stage, a normal cork stopper, such as the one known to the general public, cannot withstand the hermetic closure of the bottles on its own, since it would be expelled due to the force of the pressure. of the gas.

Some stoppers suitable for use during this second fermentation are known on the market, which comprise at least two axially displaceable parts, one relative to the other, such as the stoppers included in documents ES1030658U, ES1044376U, and ES2566202B1.

These documents describe a stopper for temporary or provisional use, that is, not definitive, which are suitable to be used in the second fermentation of the drink carried out in the bottle, where said stoppers comprise an operation based on an inner part or lid, which can have legs or flanges, which fits inside and outside the mouth of a container, and an external retaining ring suitable for tightening the lid on the outside of the mouth of said container, specifically on the neck.

These caps have a series of problems or drawbacks that arise, especially, during the stage of closing and disgorging the containers. For example, the high total weight required for an adequate hermetic closure of a mouth causes the resulting price of the product to be high, making it difficult to scale it in large quantities. This high weight also conditions other aspects such as the number of caps that can be stored in each box as well as the weight of said boxes.

On the other hand, the outer ring system implies a connection system between it and the lid itself, which must be broken to lower the ring to its fitting position. This breakage generates small plastic waste and becomes a real problem when large quantities of containers are covered.

Another of the drawbacks of these caps is generated during their transport as well as during the handling phase between their production and the capping; and It consists of the generation of breaks in the ring-cap union, causing dimensional changes that affect the correct functioning of the capping machinery.

The diameter of the cap, with the outer ring, is also greater than that used in large-volume productions, a fact that prevents the industrialization of this specific process, resulting in a non-viable cap for large-volume customers.

Also in relation to the outer diameter, there is also a certain process where the cap must be fitted into rails of a certain width, and this is less than the total diameter of the cover, a fact that conditions and requires that customers must make modifications to their installations in case of using existing plugs.

In addition to these drawbacks, in caps that include legs or flanges, there is also the risk that they come off during the capping process, thus affecting a correct hermetic closure of the container.

Together with these design drawbacks, the problem of use is added, since this type of closure requires a closure in two stages, so that in a first stage the cover is placed on the sealing area of the mouthpiece and on the In the second stage, the ring is lowered to perform the tightening.

If the problems of design and use are added to the inconveniences related to its production, such as the need to require a complex production mold with a high cost, leading to a high production cost, with a slow injection process, it is necessary to design a new stopper whose characteristics solve these drawbacks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To solve these problems, the present invention consists of a hermetic closure cap, to close container containers for pressurized and/or gasified products, being especially suitable for closing bottles during the drawing of foamy drinks, where said containers comprise a mouth or crown , with an annular entry, that is, a circular cylindrical entry.

Said cap comprises a head, preferably flat and circular in shape, from which projects, in a normal direction, with respect to said head, a protrusion that is cylindrical in shape, where said protrusion is configured to be inserted through the annular inlet of the mouth and fit, by tightening, to an interior cylindrical surface of said mouth of the container.

In other words, the protrusion is a part of the stopper that remains hidden inside the mouth of the container when said stopper hermetically covers said container.

The fit by compression supposes the elastic deformation of the projection, so that it creates a sealed closure due to the friction generated with the internal surface of the mouthpiece, preventing the exchange of fluid with the outside of the container.

The stopper also comprises, projected in the same normal direction and direction with respect to the head, a cylindrical fixing wall, said fixing wall being concentric and with a greater diameter than said projection.

This fixing wall is configured to fit by pressing, to an outer surface of the mouth of the container, in the same way that the protrusion fits on the inside, that is, by elastically deforming. In this way, the adjustment between stopper and mouthpiece includes a greater contact surface and therefore a greater friction generated than that generated by a normal cork stopper that only fits inside the mouthpiece.

In order to be able to close the mouth of the container, the stopper is made of a material configured to deform elastically enough so that, when both the projection and the fixing wall of said stopper are adjusted, by tightening, to the mouth of the container, an adequate grip is produced that allows hermeticity, even when high pressures are generated inside.

Unlike the plugs described in the state of the art, the projection and the fixing wall are comprised of a single piece, like the head, thus avoiding having to tighten retaining rings on the external wall with flanges. , as well as the breaking of the joining means that connect the two axially displaceable parts of said stoppers existing on the market.

In other words, this plug is placed in a single phase, without the need for a complex head, but using standard heads on the market.

In one embodiment, the projection comprises a blind cylindrical recess, concentric with the cylindrical shape of said projection. This blind cylindrical hollowing means that it is not through, that is, it does not go through the head of the stopper. In this way, the central cylindrical protrusion is a hollow projection that allows it to be more easily deformed when inserted into the annular inlet of the mouthpiece, maintaining its tightness.

In one embodiment, the head of the stopper comprises a concave curved surface at a base of the cylindrical recess of the projection, that is to say, at the base of the head that is hidden when the stopper closes the mouth. This inverted dome design prevents excessive deformation of the cap under the pressure to which it is subjected during the pulling stage, since the load distribution is more adequate on a curved surface than on a completely flat one. With this embodiment, the surface of the outer side of the plug head can be curved convex.

In one embodiment, the fixing wall comprises a perimeter lip, located by an inner cylindrical surface of said fixing wall, said perimeter lip configured to fit into a perimeter groove of a neck of the mouth of the container, when said fixing wall is adjusted to said mouthpiece. That is to say, the lip is coupled, or inserted when adjusting the wall to the mouthpiece, adding a stopper retention element that increases the force of friction between the tampon and the mouthpiece.

In one embodiment, the perimeter lip comprises a plurality of grooves, arranged in a circular pattern, oriented radially with respect to the cylindrical shape of the fixing wall. These grooves facilitate the deformation of the lip when adjusting to the neck of the embouchure.

In one embodiment, the plug head comprises a smooth outer surface. Said surface is the one visible when the stopper is covering the mouthpiece. In the process for which this cap is used, that is, during the print run, it is required to make an impression on the upper part of the head, and this feature of the smooth surface greatly improves the design of the caps described in the state of the cap. art, which have a very small print surface.

In one embodiment, the fixing wall comprises a plurality of notches arranged in a circular pattern, oriented radially with respect to the cylindrical shape of the fixing wall, located, said notches, in an outer cylindrical surface of said wall. Said notches allow a greater grip on the stopper by providing a greater contact surface.

In one embodiment, the stopper is manufactured by means of a process by injection of material into a mold, since all the components of said stopper are manufactured in a single piece, with a material that is elastically deformable enough to be fitted to a mouth of a container. , and injection is a process that conforms to these characteristics.

In one embodiment, the plug is made of high-density polyethylene, since this material offers good thermal and chemical resistance as well as impact. It is solid, colorless, translucent, almost opaque, it has very good processability, that is, it can be processed by the forming methods used for thermoplastics, such as injection and extrusion, and it is flexible, even at low temperatures.

The invention also comprises the method for closing the mouths of containers for containers of pressurized and/or gasified products, which comprises the step of inserting a plug as defined in any of the previous embodiments, in a mouth with an annular inlet.

With the cap described, a means has been devised to integrate the two parts of the cap defined in the state of the art, into a single one, maintaining the hermetic characteristics, but resulting in a significant simplification of the product itself, the manufacturing process, the mold used for this process, the cap and its automatic extraction process, reducing its weight, so much so that, unlike the products indicated in the state of the art, it makes it an economically viable cap for sale to large-volume production customers .

In other words, the cap described allows a manufacturing process with a very simple production mould, obtaining a low manufacturing cost in a production process. fast injection. In the same way, the total volume of the cap is reduced, therefore the number of caps that enter per box is increased, saving a high percentage of boxes to supply the same number of caps. In addition, the possibility of breaking rings and/or legs/tabs during the process of transporting and handling the stopper is eliminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With the intention of helping to better understand the developed system and in relation to a practical example of its preferred embodiment, a series of drawings is offered where the following has been represented:

- Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of a stopper described in the state of the art, existing on the market, that is, a stopper that comprises two pieces, an inner lid with flanges and an outer retaining ring.

- Figure 2.- Shows a bottom perspective of a plug described in the description, in which you can see the head, the cylindrical projection with the concentric hollowing, the fixing wall of said plug with the notches, as well as the perimeter lip with grooves.

- Figure 3.- Shows a different perspective of the same stopper from that shown in figure 2, in which the concave curved surface on the internal base of the head of the stopper can be appreciated.

- Figure 4.- Shows a sectional view of the cap profile in which the shape of the concave curved surface and the perimeter lip can be seen.

- Figure 5.- Shows a top perspective of the stopper, in which the smooth outer surface of the head of the stopper can be appreciated.

- Figures 6, 7 and 8.- They show the bottom plan, elevation and top plan views of the stopper respectively.

The following is a list of the references used in the figures:

(1) Plug

(2) Fixing wall

(3) Outgoing

(4) Head

(5) Perimeter lip

(6) Concave curved surface

(7) Cylindrical casting

(8) grooves

(9) Notches

(10) Smooth surface

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

As can be seen in figures 2 to 8, the invention consists of a stopper (1) to hermetically close the mouths of liquid-retaining containers, specifically, bottles of sparkling drinks such as cava or champagne.

As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, said stopper (1) comprises a single piece or body, made of a material that is sufficiently deformable to be tightened to a bottle mouth, maintaining its airtightness or tightness.

The stopper (1) comprises a head (4) that has a flat circular surface, from which a cylindrical protrusion (3) projects, with an emptying that is also cylindrical (7) and blind, that is to say, that the protrusion ( 3) is hollow and comprises only a cylindrical wall, which is configured to be inserted through the annular inlet of the mouth of the bottle and fit by tightening to an interior cylindrical surface of said mouth, thus avoiding the exchange of fluid inside the bottle. the bottle with the outside.

The stopper (1) also includes a fixing wall (2), also cylindrical, projected in the same direction, normal, and sense as the projection (3), being concentric to it on the outside of said projection (3), that is In other words, the fixing wall (2) has an annular shape with a larger diameter than the projection (3).

In the same way that the projection (3) can be inserted through the annular inlet of the mouth of the bottle and fit by tightening to the inner cylindrical surface of said mouth, when closing the cap (1) the container, the fixing wall (2 ) is configured to fit, by compression, to an exterior surface of the mouth of the container.

In fact, the fixing wall (2) comprises a perimeter lip (5), located by an inner cylindrical surface of said fixing wall (2), whose section can be seen in figure 4. This perimeter lip (5 ) allows the adjustment between the fixing wall (2) and the neck of the mouth of a bottle to be more precise, so that the lip (5) can be placed in the groove of the neck thereby improving the adjustment between the stopper ( 1) and bottle.

This perimeter lip (5) comprises a plurality of grooves (8), separated by continuous spaces, arranged in a circular pattern. When the stopper (1) is inserted into the mouth of a bottle, the fixing wall (2) deforming to fit the neck, the grooves (8) facilitate said elastic deformation, maintaining the tightness of the closure.

As can be seen in figures 3 and 4, the stopper (1) comprises a concave curved surface (6) at the base of the cylindrical recess (7) of the projection (3). In other words, the internal surface of the head (4) of the stopper (1) has a curved surface towards the inside of the bottle, which allows the pressure generated inside it to distribute the loads generated in a better way than a straight surface would.

On the opposite side, that is, on the external or upper surface of the head (4) of the stopper (1), the head (4) comprises a smooth external surface (10) that allows the printing of information that may be relevant during the tirage process for which the stopper (1) is specially designed.

On the outside of the fixing wall (2), the stopper comprises a plurality of notches (9) equally distributed as the grooves (8), but on the outside of the stopper (1), where said grooves allow the stopper to be gripped (1) Be firmer and safer by providing a larger contact surface.

The stopper (1) described requires a material that can be elastically deformed enough and necessary to adjust to the mouth of a bottle, maintaining the tightness or airtightness, even though high pressures are generated inside said bottle. For this reason, the cap (1) is made of high-density polyethylene since it provides technical characteristics suitable for use indicated, and also allows a manufacturing process by injection in a mold, in a more economical way than by means of the procedures described in the state of the art.

Claims (10)

1. Cap (1) to hermetically close containers containing pressurized and/or gasified products, where said containers comprise a mouth with an annular inlet, and characterized in that the cap (1) comprises: - a head (4) of the stopper (1); - a protrusion (3) comprising a cylindrical shape, projected in a normal direction with respect to the head (4), wherein said protrusion (3) is configured to be inserted through the annular inlet of the mouthpiece and fit, by tightening, to a inner cylindrical surface of said mouth of the container; - a fixing wall (2), cylindrical, projected in the same direction, normal, and in the direction of the projection (3) with respect to the head (4), said fixing wall (2) being concentric and with a greater diameter than said overhang (3); where the fixing wall (2) is configured to fit by tightening, to an outer surface of the mouth of the container; where the stopper (1) is made of a material configured to deform elastically when the projection (3) and the fixing wall (2) of said stopper (1) are fitted, by tightening, to the mouth of the container; and where the head (4), the projection (3) and the fixing wall (2) are included in a single piece. Cap (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the projection (3) comprises a blind cylindrical opening (7), concentric with the cylindrical shape of said projection (3). Plug (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the head (4) of the plug (1) comprises a concave curved surface (6) at a base of the cylindrical opening (7) of the projection (3). 4. Cap (1), according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing wall (2) comprises a perimeter lip (5), located by an inner cylindrical surface of said fixing wall (2), configured with said perimeter lip ( 5) to fit into a perimeter slit of a neck of the mouth of the container, when said fixing wall (2) is fitted to said mouth. 5. Cap (1), according to the preceding claim, wherein the perimeter lip (5) comprises a plurality of grooves (8), arranged in a circular pattern, oriented radially with respect to the cylindrical shape of the fixing wall (2). Plug (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the head (4) of the plug (1) comprises a smooth outer surface (10). 7. Plug (1), according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing wall (2) comprises a plurality of notches (9) arranged in a circular pattern, oriented radially with respect to the cylindrical shape of the fixing wall (2). , located, said notches (9), in an outer cylindrical surface of said wall (2). 8. Cap (1), according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said cap (1) is manufactured by means of a process by injection of material into a mold. 9. Cap (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said cap (1) is made of high-density polyethylene. 10. Method for closing container mouths for containers of pressurized and/or gasified products comprising the step of inserting a plug (1) as defined in any of the preceding claims, in a mouth with an annular inlet.