FR2832983A1 - Cover for cork and neck of bottle, especially of sparkling wine, has truncated conical skirt with pressed aluminum cap glued to it - Google Patents

Abstract

The cover consists of a truncated conical skirt (11) and a preformed cap (6). The cap is pressed and cut from a strip (2) of aluminum, and the cover is fitted with a rapid opening system in the form of a tongue and a line of reduced resistance in the skirt. An Independent claim is also included for a method of making the bottle cork and neck cover.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a cap covering a cap and a neck of a bottle. The cap is intended to dress the upper part of a bottle and its closure type of cork and, in the case of a bottle for sparkling wine, a wire. The cap of the invention has an upper end of regular appearance practically free from creases or tears. Among other things, it has applications in the champagne wine industry. The invention also relates to a method for producing such a cap.

 The caps for covering the necks of bottles, corks and their possible wire caps have been known for a long time. They give a professional and traditional look to the bottles while providing a guarantee of closure to the consumer when the cap is intact. These caps are generally produced by cutting from a sheet, a developed form of a truncated cone, cut shape which is then wound on itself, generally on a mandrel or sleeve, and two of its lateral edges fixed together in order to form a skirt with wide lower base and open upper top. The narrow upper open end or top of the frustoconical skirt is then closed by folding its edge over the opening. During this folding, folds are formed since the surface of the folded skirt part is greater than the surface of the aperture of the top. In an alternative embodiment, and in order to avoid too conspicuous folds, V-shaped cuts are made along the edge corresponding to the opening and the remaining parts of the folded edge overlapping the opening.

 In all cases, the upper part of the cap has an irregular appearance caused by the presence of folds or overlaps of the edges of the V-shaped cutouts and it is therefore generally necessary to fix a camouflage patch over it. In addition to the higher production cost, the presence of such a camouflage patch is generally visible and does not mask all of the folds or overlaps.

 The present invention provides a cap whose closed upper end is regular and practically free of folds, cuts, tears or other irregularities of unsightly appearance.

 The invention therefore relates to a cap covering the cap and the neck of a bottle, in particular intended for sparkling wines, of the type

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 consisting of a skirt and a hat, the skirt being generally frustoconical with a wide base and a narrow open top and being obtained from a corresponding developed closed on itself by two of its lateral edges fixed between them, the hat closing the top of the skirt.

 According to the invention, the cap is an insert element preformed by stamping and cut and having a central zone in relief with respect to an initially planar circular peripheral crown, said preformed and cut element being applied by rolling the peripheral crown on the top of the skirt and fixed on said top, the upper part of the cap thus formed being practically free from creases or tears.

 It is understood here that the area which is free from creases or tears essentially corresponds to the region of connection of the hat on the top of the skirt and to the curved area of the hat. In particular, we do not consider voluntary deformations or cuts of the decorative pattern type (grooves for example), informational pattern (embossed mark for example) or functional pattern (tongue and zone of weakness for easy opening for example) arranged along the skirt and / or in the central area of the hat and which are normally arranged outside the connection region or curved. Finally, the term practically means that an observer, at least with the naked eye, does not detect any folds or tears. Finally, it is understood that the cap is generally intended to dress an upper end of the bottle, whether a wire cap is present, in particular in the case of sparkling wines, or not.

 In various embodiments of the invention, the following means which can be combined according to all the possibilities of technical implementation, are used: - the skirt and the hat are in the same material, - the skirt and the hat are in different materials, the material is a metallic film, the material is a laminate comprising at least one thickness of a metallic film and at least one thickness of a plastic film, the metallic film being chosen from aluminum, lead, tin or their alloys, the plastic film being chosen from polyethylene, polypropylene, or any other plastic film which can undergo deformation without breaking,

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 - the material is a sandwich of a plastic film caught between two metallic films, - the skirt material is an aluminum, polyethylene, aluminum laminate with a thickness of each aluminum sheet of between 10 and 30 μm, the polyethylene being is used at a rate of 30 to 60 grams per m2, - the material of the hat is an aluminum sheet of 60 to 100 pm thick, - the fixing of the hat on the top of the skirt corresponds to a hot bonding and the surface of the aluminum foil of the hat which is intended to come into contact with the top of the skirt is coated with a fusible varnish or hotmelt type glue, - the cap further comprises an opening means quick in the form of at least one gripping tab and at least one line of least resistance produced in the skirt, - the fixing of the lateral edges of the skirt corresponds to hot bonding and at least one of the surfaces in contact with the edges of the m side of the skirt is coated with a fusible varnish or hotmelt type glue, - the fixing by hot gluing of the hat on the top of the skirt and the fixing by hot gluing of the side edges of the skirt are made in the same step, - the added preformed element further comprises a relief pattern produced during stamping.

 The invention also relates to a method for producing a cap covering the cap and the neck of a bottle, in particular intended for sparkling wines, of the type constituted by a skirt and a hat, the skirt being generally frustoconical with a wide base. and narrow top open and being produced from a corresponding press which is closed on itself by two of its lateral edges which are fixed between them, the closure cap closing the top of the skirt.

 According to the method, in a first phase, the skirt is produced on the one hand and the cap on the other hand, the cap being obtained from a preformed element by stamping having a central zone in relief relative to a circular peripheral crown. initially plane, in a second phase, the preformed element is cut out and applied to the

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 top of the skirt by rolling the peripheral crown and, in a third phase, the cap is fixed on the top of the skirt in order to obtain an upper part of the cap practically free from creases or tears.

 In various embodiments of the cap, the following means, possibly combined, are used: - the preformed element is produced in a stamping station from a strip of material, the strip being held by a flank clamp during stamping which stretches the material, - the cap is obtained by cutting the preformed element, the cap initially having a flat peripheral crown, - the cap is presented on the top of the skirt disposed on a sleeve and the peripheral crown flat is folded down by rolling on the top of the skirt, - we use the same material for the skirt and the hat, - we use different materials for the skirt and the hat, - we use a material which is a metallic film, - a material is used which is a laminate comprising at least one thickness of a metallic film and at least one thickness of a plastic film, the metallic film being chosen from aluminum, lead, tin or their alloys, the plastic film being chosen from polyethylene, polypropylene, or any other plastic film which can undergo a deformation without breaking, - a material is used which is a sandwich of a film of material plastic caught between two metallic films, - an aluminum, polyethylene, aluminum laminate is used for the skirt with a thickness of each aluminum sheet of between 10 and 30 μm, the polyethylene being used at a rate of 30 to 60 grams per m2, - an aluminum sheet 60 to 100 µm thick is used for the hat, - the hat is fixed to the top of the skirt by hot gluing, the surface of the aluminum sheet of the hat which is intended to come into contact with the top of the skirt is coated with a fusible varnish or hotmelt type glue,

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 - a rapid opening means is also used on the cover in the form of at least one gripping tab and at least one line of least resistance produced in the skirt, - it is produced during stamping in in addition to an embossed pattern in the added preformed element.

 Finally, the invention relates to a hat as such, and having a central zone in relief with respect to a planar circular peripheral crown. This hat corresponding to a particular stage of production, may also include one or more of the characteristics previously listed.

 The invention by producing a preformed element which is then placed on one end of a skirt and then shaped on this end makes it possible to obtain a particularly aesthetic and attractive cap since it is practically free of folds or tears visible to a consumer. In fact, unlike other conventional methods, deformations of the materials are obtained by stretching both during stamping for producing the preformed element and for rolling the peripheral crown of the cap on the open upper end or top of the skirt.

 The present invention is now explained by an exemplary embodiment in which: FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show from the front and in section the step of presenting a metal strip in a station for stamping a preformed element, the Figures 2a and 2b show from the front and in section the step of axial displacement of the punch and the die in the stamping station, Figures 3a and 3b show from the front and in section the stamping step, Figure 4 represents a metal strip comprising preformed elements, FIGS. 5a and 5b represent from the front in section the step of presenting a preformed element on a metal strip in a cutting station,

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présentation du chapeau sur le sommet de la jupe et la Figure 8c le chapeau tel que découpé à cette étape, les Figures 9a et 9b représentent de face et en coupe l'étape d'application du chapeau sur le sommet d'une jupe par roulage de la couronne circulaire du chapeau et la Figure 9 c le chapeau tel que roulé à cette étape, les Figures 10a, 10b, 10c représentent de face, en coupe et latéralement la présentation au poste de collage d'une jupe portant un chapeau, les Figures 11 a, 11 b, 11 c représentent de face, en coupe et latéralement le collage d'un chapeau sur une jupe, la Figure 12 représente une coiffe. Figures 6a and 6b show from the front and in section the step of cutting a preformed element to form a cap, Figures 7a and 7b show from the front and in section the step of transferring the hat to a bearing sleeve a skirt, Figures 8a and 8b show seen from above and in section the step of

presentation of the hat on the top of the skirt and Figure 8c the hat as cut at this step, Figures 9a and 9b show in front and in section the step of applying the hat on the top of a skirt by rolling of the circular crown of the hat and Figure 9c the hat as rolled up at this stage, Figures 10a, 10b, 10c represent from the front, in section and laterally the presentation at the gluing station of a skirt wearing a hat, the Figures 11a, 11b, 11c show from the front, in section and laterally the bonding of a hat on a skirt, Figure 12 shows a cap.

 In FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, a strip 2, preferably an aluminum sheet 60 to 100 μm thick, passes through a stamping station. The strip is initially flat and at the outlet, after stamping, preformed elements 6 are produced and arranged along the strip. The arrangement of the preformed elements on the strip is such that it allows optimization of the use of material. In the stamping station, a sidewall clamp 4 is used in order to hold the strip. The stamping station comprises a punch 5 and a die 3 between which the strip passes. The punch 5 comprises at the periphery a sidewall clamp 4 mounted on springs and intended to hold the strip blocked between said sidewall clamp and a complementary edge of the matrix 3. The punch 5 and the matrix 3 have complementary shapes.

 In FIGS. 2a, 2b, the punch 5 and the matrix 3 have moved to come into contact with the strip and the sidewall clamp 4 blocks the strip against the complementary edge of the matrix substantially in the general plane of the strip. The matrix is at the end of its travel. The sidewall clamp is intended to immobilize the material of the strip at the periphery of the zone which is to undergo deformation during stamping.

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 In FIGS. 3a and 3b, the punch 5 is at the end of its travel and it has entrained the material of the strip by deforming it in the complementary shape of the die 3 to produce a preformed element 6 intended to make a cap. During this stamping operation, it is possible to produce in the apical part of the preformed element which is generally in relief relative to the initial plane of the strip and in the peripheral circular crown, one or more relief patterns, for example a brand (text, pattern) or any other form of representation.

 FIG. 4 makes it possible to view preformed elements 6 produced on a strip 2. As indicated previously, relief patterns can also be produced during this stamping step. It is likewise possible to use a strip which comprises on its surface which will ultimately be visible to the consumer, pre-printed patterns and / or having undergone a particular surface treatment. It is also possible to use a strip which is a complex material and in particular laminate. However, in a preferred embodiment, the material of the strip intended for making caps is aluminum foil 60 to 100 μm thick.

 In a step not shown, the aluminum sheet forming the strip 2 is coated with a fusible varnish or hotmelt type glue (hot glue) on its internal surface which will come into contact with the top of the skirt. The contact surface being essentially circular, an adhesive applicator device in the form of a crown can be used.

 For reasons of simplification, a stamping device has been shown making it possible to produce a single preformed element at each cycle. In a more advanced form, the swaging device can be made up of several punches, dies and flanks making it possible to produce several preformed elements on the strip at each cycle. We then understand that these elements are aligned along the strip in the case of a strip whose width does not allow to have several elements in width or staggered as in the case of a wider strip and in order to save of the material.

 As shown in Figures 5a and 5b, the strip 2 and with its preformed elements is brought into a cutting station 7 which is used to produce a cap which will be placed and shaped on the

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 top of a skirt. FIGS. 5a and 5b, a preformed element 6 is arranged in the axis of translation of a cutting member and of a sleeve 10 carrying a skirt 11. The skirt 11 is produced in a conventional manner by frustoconical winding and edge to edge fixing of a laminate which is an aluminum, polyethylene, aluminum complex with a thickness of each aluminum sheet of between 10 and 30 μm. Polyethylene is used at a rate of 30 to 60 grams per m2. Edge-to-edge fixing is preferably carried out by hot gluing in a previous step, not shown. The cutting member comprises a cutting head, for application and shaping with a cookie-cutter member 8, also called cutting punch, which is mobile and a base 9 which is fixed.

The cookie cutter member 8 can pass through an opening in the base 9 which is fixed.

 In FIGS. 6a and 6b, the cutting of the preformed element 6 is started by translation of the cookie cutter member 8 in order to obtain a cap 12 with a substantially planar peripheral edge.

 In FIGS. 7a and 7b, the cap 12 is transferred to the sleeve 10 by continuing the translation of the cookie cutter member 8 to bring it to the narrow open end of the skirt 11 corresponding to the top of said skirt.

 In FIGS. 8a and 8b, the cap 12 with its initially substantially planar peripheral edge is pushed towards the top of the skirt 11 and therefore on the sleeve 10. In FIG. 8c which represents the cap cut from the strip at this stage, we note the flat peripheral crown and the domed central part obtained previously during the stamping of the strip. As indicated, this central part may include a pattern.

 In FIGS. 9a and 9b, the peripheral crown of the cap 12 is shaped and, in particular, the peripheral edge is rolled against the top of the skirt 11, the cutter member 8 also forming a matrix in association with the sleeve 10, these two parts being complementary to each other at least in the part of shaping by rolling. Figure 9c shows the cap having undergone the rolling operation which allows by deformation to apply the peripheral ring initially flat on the top of the skirt. We have here represented the insulated hat of the skirt for

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 facilitate the explanation but, in practice, after rolling, the hat is applied to the top of the skirt.

sommet de la jupe, la base 9 reste fixe sensiblement dans le plan de la bande 2 et lui sert de support. Dans une variante, la base est une table de surface étendue comportant une ouverture pour le passage de l'organe emporte pièce. D'autre part, sur les Figures 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, on a supposé que l'on utilisait le premier élément préformé de la bande 2 car, dans le cas contraire, des ouvertures circulaires correspondant aux éléments préformés précédemment découpés auraient été visibles dans la bande en aval du poste de découpe. During these phases of cutting and applying the hat to the

top of the skirt, the base 9 remains substantially fixed in the plane of the strip 2 and serves as its support. In a variant, the base is an extended surface table comprising an opening for the passage of the cookie cutter member. On the other hand, in FIGS. 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, it has been assumed that the first preformed element of the strip 2 is used because, otherwise, circular openings corresponding to the preformed elements previously cut out would have been visible in the strip downstream of the cutting station.

 The next step is to attach the hat to the skirt. To this end, hot bonding is preferably used with hot-melt varnish or hotmelt. One of these bonding products is applied to the inner face of the hat on the contact surface with the top of the skirt as previously explained. In a variant, preferably an alternative to the previous one, one of the bonding products is applied to the top of the skirt on the surface which comes into contact with the rolled peripheral crown of the cap. It is understood here that the bonding product is arranged in such a way that after fixing it does not extend beyond the surfaces fixed to each other and, in particular, it is not visible from the outside of the cap, this also concerning fixing the side edges of the skirt as well as the hat on the top of the skirt.

 Regarding the fixing of the cap on the top of the skirt by hot gluing, in a first step shown in Figures 10a, 10b, 10c performed in a bonding station, the skirt 11 and its cap 12 are on the sleeve 10 and arranged opposite a heating head 13. In these Figures, a distinction is made between the control cable for the electric heating of the head 13.

 In a second step of fixing by hot gluing shown in FIGS. 11 a, 11 b, 11 c, the heating head 13 is brought into contact with the cap 12 and the top of the skirt 11 and the heat of said head causes the fusion of the bonding product between the two surfaces in contact with the top of the skirt and the hat. Although, as explained above, it is avoided that the bonding product overflows, it is nevertheless possible to provide a

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 means which prevents the cap from remaining stuck on the sleeve 10, this means being a non-adhesive coating on the sleeve.

 At the end of these steps consisting: - in drawing in a stamping station to form at least one preformed element on a strip, - in cutting a cap on the strip from a preformed element, in rolling the crown device of the hat and to put it on the top of a skirt in a cutting and rolling station, - to stick the hat on the top of the skirt in a gluing station, we obtain a cap whose presentation is particularly attractive because it has no folds or tears as shown in Figure 12 for application to champagne wines. The central apical zone of the cap may include a flat or substantially planar part in the center and on which a pattern can be printed or formed in relief, it can also be generally rounded.

 The three positions can be separated or share common means such as for example the skirt support sleeve 10, which makes it possible to move the parts necessary for producing the cover from one position to another. On the other hand, each of these stations can include several of the means described in order to work in parallel and, for example, produce several preformed elements at the same time. The stamping and cutting stations can be arranged in such a way that the punch and / or the sleeve are located below or above the strip or even laterally or inclined, and the same is true for the bonding station.

Claims (10)

1. Cap for covering the cap and the neck of a bottle, in particular intended for sparkling wines, of the type constituted by a skirt (11) and a hat (12), the skirt being generally frustoconical with a wide base and open narrow top and being obtained from a corresponding developed closed on itself by two of its lateral edges fixed between them, the cap closing the top of the skirt, characterized in that the cap is a preformed insert (6) by stamping and cut and having a central zone in relief with respect to an initially planar circular peripheral crown, said preformed and cut element being applied by rolling the peripheral crown on the top of the skirt and fixed on said top, the upper part of the cap thus formed being practically free from creases or tears.  2. Cap according to claim 1 characterized in that the material of the skirt is an aluminum, polyethylene, aluminum laminate with a thickness of each aluminum sheet of between 10 and 30 µm, the polyethylene being used at the rate of 30 to 60 grams per m2.  3. Cap according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the material of the cap is an aluminum sheet 60 to 100 µm thick.  4. Cap according to claim 1,2 or 3 characterized in that the fixing of the hat on the top of the skirt corresponds to a hot bonding and in that the surface of the aluminum sheet of the hat which is intended to come in contact with the top of the skirt is coated with a fusible varnish or hotmelt type glue.  5. Cap according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cap further comprises a rapid opening means in the form of at least one grip tab and at least one line of least resistance produced in the skirt .  6 cap according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the added preformed element further comprises a relief pattern produced during stamping.  7. Method for producing a cap covering the cap and the neck of a bottle, in particular intended for sparkling wines, of the type <Desc / Clms Page number 12>  consisting of a skirt (11) and a hat (12), the skirt being generally frustoconical with a wide base and a narrow apex open and being produced from a corresponding press which is closed on itself by two of its edges lateral which are fixed between them, the closure cap closing the top of the skirt, characterized in that in a first phase, the skirt is produced on the one hand and the hat on the other hand, the hat being obtained from of a preformed element (6) by stamping having a central zone in relief with respect to an initially planar circular peripheral crown, in a second phase, the preformed element is cut out and applied to the top of the skirt by rolling the peripheral crown and, in a third phase, the cap is fixed to the top of the skirt in order to obtain an upper part of the cap practically free from creases or tears.  8. Method according to claim 7 characterized in that the preformed element is produced in a stamping station from a strip of material, the strip being held by a sidewall during stamping which stretches the material.  9. Method according to claim 7 or 8 characterized in that one uses for the skirt an aluminum laminate, polyethylene, aluminum with a thickness of each aluminum sheet between 10 and 30 µm, the polyethylene being is used at a rate of 30 to 60 grams per m2.  10. The method of claim 7,8 or 9 characterized in that one uses for the hat an aluminum sheet of 60 to 100 µm thick and in that one fixes the hat on the top of the skirt by hot gluing, the surface of the aluminum sheet of the hat which is intended to come into contact with the top of the skirt is coated with a fusible varnish or hotmelt type glue.