FR2760881A1 - BOTTLE IDENTIFICATION DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

Bottle identification device (1) intended to be placed on a bottle (2) of axis (ZZ ') to identify its contents, characterized in that it comprises identification means (4) positioned on the bottom and / or on the neck of said bottle which consist of an information carrier (4), and bottle (2) equipped with such a device.

Description

BOTTLE IDENTIFICATION DEVICE

  The present invention relates to a bottle identification device, and in particular a wine bottle, intended to allow, for example, the identification of a bottle at first glance when

  it is in the supine, tilted or even standing position.

  In wine cellars, in order to allow the informed consumer to make his choice, it is necessary to identify the different bottles offered to him. The means of identification used today are first of all the shape of the bottle which allows connoisseurs to determine the region of production (Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy ...), but above all the label affixed on the periphery of the body of the bottle which allows to know all the characteristics of the wine it contains, such as the year of harvest, the appellation, the degree of alcohol, the place of production etc. These current means of identifying the bottles are not entirely satisfactory, particularly in the case of individuals whose cellars contain a multitude of different bottles. Keeping the bottles requires keeping them lying down, they are thus placed in racks and when the consumer wants to make his choice, he must take the bottle out of its location in order to be able to consult the label. Such manipulation is hardly practical for making a choice and, moreover, is not recommended for fragile wines which do not like

  neither temperature changes nor be shaken.

  Thus, the present invention proposes to resolve these drawbacks by simple, space-saving and practical means intended to allow immediate identification of a bottle whatever

either its position.

  Thus, according to its main characteristic, the bottle identification device according to the invention, intended to be placed on a bottle to identify its content comprises identification means positioned on the bottom and / or on the neck of said bottle. According to an additional characteristic, the means

  identification are made up of an information medium.

  Furthermore, said identification device comprises fixing means intended to hold the identification means in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the bottle or

  slightly inclined with respect to said longitudinal axis.

  According to one embodiment, the fixing means comprise positioning means allowing the positioning of the

  means of identification against the upper end of the neck.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the fixing means comprise positioning means allowing the

  positioning of the identification means against the bottom of the bottle.

  According to another characteristic of the identification device, the

  fixing means can be removable.

  According to another embodiment of the identification device, the fixing means comprise locking means intended to allow the locking of the identification means on the neck and / or

on the bottom of the bottle.

  According to an additional characteristic, the means of

  positioning consist of clips or clamping lugs.

  The invention also protects bottles provided with such a

device.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge

  of the description which will follow with regard to the appended drawings which are not

  given only by way of nonlimiting examples.

  Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a and 5b illustrate a first mode of

  realization of the device according to the invention and its variants.

  Figure 1 illustrates in perspective a lying bottle equipped

of the device.

  Figure 2 illustrates the neck of the bottle and the device in

longitudinal section AA.

  FIG. 3 represents the device in view in the direction F1.

  FIG. 4 illustrates a first variant of the device in perspective. Figures 5a and 5b illustrate a second variant

  respectively in perspective and in longitudinal section.

  Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment of the

device according to the invention.

  Figure 6 shows in longitudinal section along BB the neck

  of the bottle and the identification device.

  FIG. 7 represents the device according to F2.

  Figure 8 illustrates in perspective a third mode of

realization of the device.

  Figures 9a and 9b illustrate a fourth embodiment o

  the identification means are positioned on the bottom of the bottle.

  Figure 9a shows the device positioned on the bottle in perspective. FIG. 9b illustrates the device and the sectional bottle in a view similar to FIG. Z The bottle identification device according to the invention bearing the general reference (1) is intended to equip bottles (2) and more particularly bottles whose content is an alcoholic drink such as wine, cider, beer, champagne, spirits or spirits, for example. It goes without saying that such a device could equip bottles containing non-alcoholic beverages or chemicals, for example, without going outside the protective field of the invention. The bottles (2) are of the type comprising a longitudinal axis (ZZ ') connecting the bottom (2a) of said bottle to the neck (5), said axis (ZZ') can advantageously be a longitudinal axis of

  revolution, especially in the case of wine bottles.

  According to the invention, the identification device (1) comprises identification means (4) intended to be positioned on the neck (5) and / or on the bottom (16) of the bottle (2), said means identification (4)

  being intended to identify the contents of a bottle (2).

  According to the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the identification means consist of an information medium (4) on which the user or the merchant can carry the information (8) concerning the characteristics of the contents of the bottle (2) and in particular the year, the region of production and the vintage when it is a so-called aging wine that is kept in a cellar. The information carrier (4) has an advantageously flat identification face (7) intended to contain the information (8), said face being arranged on the neck (5) of the bottle (2) so that said information can be read by the user whatever

  the position of the bottle, lying, tilted or standing.

  According to this preferred embodiment, the device (1) comprises fixing means (6) making it possible to maintain the identification face (7) of the information medium (4) substantially in a plane (H) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (ZZ ') of the bottle (2). Thus, whatever the position of said bottle, the user has easy access

  and direct to the information (8) without the need to handle the bottle.

  Note that the identification face (7) is advantageously disposed against the upper end (5a) of the neck (5), as illustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore, the identification face (7) could be, for example , slightly inclined with respect to the orthogonal plane (H) so that, when the bottle (2) is placed lying down in the baskets of a cellar, said face can be oriented by positioning the device, or slightly towards the up, or slightly down so that the user does not have to get up to read the information (8) it carries. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the face (7) of the information medium (4) consists of a washable surface on which the consumer can, for example, carry the information he wishes using a felt-tip pen whose ink is washable. The device (1) can thus advantageously be fixed in a removable manner on the bottle (2) thanks to the fixing means (6), thus allowing it to be changed from bottle when the bottle which carries it is chosen to be drunk, l The user can therefore carry on the identification face (7) using the felt pen the characteristics corresponding to the new bottle. According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 4, the identification face (7) of the information carrier (4) consists of a transparent pocket (9) inside which the user can dispose of paper or cardboard (18 ) carrying the information (8) he desires. According to this variant, the device (1) also comprises removable fixing means (6) making it possible to reuse said device on another bottle by modifying the information carried on the cardboard placed in the pouch. According to the preferred embodiment and its variant, the fixing means (6) comprise positioning means (6a) constituted by clipping lugs (10a, 0lob, 10c), intended to cooperate with the projecting flange (11) located in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis

  (ZZ '), at the upper end (5a) of the neck (5) of the bottle (2).

  Said clipping tabs extend perpendicular to the surface or flat wall (12) constituting the information carrier (4) and are arranged on the perimeter of a circle whose diameter corresponds substantially to the external diameter of the neck. According to the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 3, the device (1) comprises three clipping tabs (10a, 10b, 10c). It goes without saying that the fixing means (6) could be obtained by other equivalent devices such as a pick intended to be planted directly in the stopper or include a different number of clipping lugs without however leaving the field of protection of the invention. The information carrier (4) consists of a flat wall from which extend the clipping lugs (10a, 10b, 10c) opposite the identification face (7) of said wall. The wall (12) constituting the support (4) can be of different geometric shapes such as square, triangular, round or of any figurative shape such as a bunch of grapes or the like. It is held by the fixing means (6) substantially in the transverse plane (H) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (ZZ ') of the bottle (2). Note that the fixing means (6) allow rigid support of the support (4) on the neck (5) of the

bottle (2).

  According to a second variant of the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5a and 5b, the fixing means (6) comprise a retaining ring (13) whose internal diameter is less than the external diameter of the flange (11) of the neck (5). Said ring is intended to be forcibly threaded around the neck (5) between the rim (11) and the body of the bottle so as to be able to abut against said rim. The flat wall (12) constituting the information carrier (4) is integral with the retaining ring (13) by means of connection means such as a connection tab (14) allowing said wall to be pivotally hinged on the ring. The connecting lug (14) thus achieves a hinge-type joint in a manner known per se. A clip tab (15) is disposed on the retaining ring (13) opposite the connecting tab (14) and extends towards the upper end (5a) of the neck (5) so as to cooperate with the wall (12) by clipping when the latter is placed in the transverse plane (H). Note that the ring (13) can be split as shown in Figure 5a or have primers

  notch to allow its installation around the neck (5).

  According to a second embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, constituting an improvement of the first mode, intended in particular to avoid fraud during the trade in bottles, the device (1), more particularly its fixing means (6), comprises means locking (6b) intended to allow the locking of said device on the neck once its installation has been carried out. Thus, the user or the buyer cannot change the device on the bottles if, for example, said device includes information such as the price or a corresponding bar code. According to this second embodiment, the locking means consist of a locking ring (6b) of a type known per se intended to block the clipping tabs (10a, 10b, 10c) once the device is in place, the ends clipping tabs folded inwards being held in abutment against the flange (11) of the upper end (5a) of the neck (5). According to this second embodiment, the flat wall (12) constituting the information carrier (4) can be provided with a central hole corresponding to at least part of the upper end of the neck (5) so as to allow the visualization of the leave sticker affixed to the neck, said central hole can advantageously be centered on the longitudinal axis (ZZ ') and have a diameter identical to that of the bottle cap (2) in order to be able to unclog the bottle without having to remove the device (1) by unlocking it, said hole being able to be closed by a label on which the information (8) is contained. Furthermore, the locking ring (6b) may advantageously include a breakthrough not shown in order to allow the user to remove

  said ring for unlocking the device.

  Note that according to this second embodiment, the locking ring (6b) or the information medium (4) can advantageously have a lower abutment surface (25) whose dimensions can be chosen, said surface advantageously making it possible to avoid the user to let the bottle escape by grasping it by the neck, his hand sliding until it is in support

against said abutment surface.

  According to a variant not shown of the two previous embodiments, the bottle identification device (1) comprises orientation means intended to allow an inclination of the information carrier, said orientation means being obtainable, for example , by plastic deformation or other. Thus, in front of a wall of bottles, the user will be able to have access to the information without having to successively position their gaze up to each

rows of bottles.

  Note that the information medium (4) could be maintained in a plane substantially parallel to the transverse plane (H) offset from the end (5a) of the neck (5) along the longitudinal axis (ZZ '); moreover, the information medium could be provided with a printed tablet comprising liquid crystals making it possible to determine the color of the room temperature by color and thus to be able to check the

  first look if the storage temperature is respected.

  According to a third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the fixing means (6) consist of a clip ring (20) intended to be positioned between the flange (11) of the neck (5) and the body of the bottle (2 ). The clip ring (20) has a slot (21) intended to allow its installation, a rigid connecting tab (22) makes it possible to connect said ring to the flat wall (12) constituting the information medium (4), said wall being advantageously arranged in the

  plane (H) against the upper end of the neck.

  According to a fourth embodiment of the device illustrated in FIGS. 9a and 9b, the identification means (4) are positioned on the bottom (16) of the bottle (2) in a plane (Hi) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (ZZ ') from the bottle. The fixing means (6) comprise three clamping lugs (23a, 23b, 23c) intended to allow the positioning of the device, it should be noted that the information carrier (4) is of round shape and is arranged in the recess (17) the bottom (16) of the bottle so as not to make the bottle unstable in its upright position. Furthermore, the three clamping tabs (23a, 23b, 23c) are arranged regularly on the periphery of the information carrier (4) and are therefore

  separated by an angle of about 120.

  It goes without saying that the bottle (2) could be equipped with a device positioned on the neck (5) such as those described in the first three embodiments and also with a device positioned on the bottom (16) of the bottle (2) without leaving the protective field

of the invention.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown by way of examples, but it also includes all the technical equivalents and their combinations.

Claims (9)

  1. Bottle identification device (1) intended to be placed on a bottle (2) with an axis (ZZ ') to identify its content, characterized in that it includes identification means (4) positioned on the   bottom (16) and / or on the neck (5) of said bottle.   2. Identification device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification means consist of a information carrier (4).   3. Identification device (1) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that it comprises means   fixing (6) intended to maintain the identification means in a plane (H, Hi) substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (ZZ ') of the bottle (2) or slightly inclined relative to said longitudinal axis (ZZ ').   4. Identification device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing means (6) comprise positioning means (6a) allowing the positioning of the means   identification (4) against the upper end (Sa) of the neck (5).   5. Identification device (1) according to 3 characterized in that the fixing means (6) comprise positioning means (6a) allowing the positioning of the identification means (4) against the bottom (16) of the bottle (2).   6. Identification device (1) according to any one of   Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the fixing means (6) are   removable. 7. Identification device (1) according to any one of   Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the fixing means (6)   include locking means (6b) intended to allow the locking of the identification means (4) on the neck (5) or on the bottom (16) of the bottle (2).   8. Identification device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the positioning means (6a) consist of clipping lugs (10a, 10b, 10c) or clamping lugs (23a, 23b, 23c).   9. Bottle (2) intended to be provided with at least one device   according to any one of the preceding claims.