GB2391545A

GB2391545A - Bottle neck ring for securing skirted and non-skirted caps

Info

Publication number: GB2391545A
Application number: GB0317776A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Collins Bissett
Original assignee: William Grant and Sons Ltd
Current assignee: William Grant and Sons Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-31
Filing date: 2003-07-30
Publication date: 2004-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-30
Also published as: GB0317776D0; GB2391545B; GB0217683D0

Abstract

A bottle neck ring 10 for accepting skirted and non-skirted caps, including a threaded portion 12, a circumferential groove 14 below the threaded portion 12 for accepting a tuck to secure a cap 50 on the ring 10, and a circumferential shoulder 16 below the groove 14 for supporting a cap skirt. The cap 50 is deformed to correspond with the shape of the bottle neck groove 14. The cap 50 may be deformed by a tuck roller (see fig 2).

Description

BOTTLE NECK RING

This invention relates to a bottle neck ring, and in particular to a bottle neck ring adapted for receiving bottle 5 caps of particular forms.

Bottles, particularly glass bottles for alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, are retailed with two main styles of closure - a ROPP cap and a stell cap. The ROPP (Roll-On Pilfer Proof) cap is secured by means of a "tuck" into a groove on the 10 bottle neck ring at the base of the cap. The stell cap design typically has the tuck further up the cap and incorporates a skirt below the tuck which may be used for branding purposes.

Often a single product, such as a particular whisky blend, will be produced in bottles having both cap forms, to take 15 account of different local market conditions and preferences.

Each form of cap requires a respective form of neck ring, and this has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, as the glass bottles are typically formed from three parts, a neck ring, a body mould and a base plate, the use of two different neck 20 rings requires bottle manufacturers to provide facilities to produce both designs and to unite different neck rings with the body moulds. Secondly, when the caps are fitted, different capping parts and machine settings are required for each cap type; in use a cap change involves a bottling line

! being shut down while the appropriate parts are changed and results in additional expense and lost production.

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate at least one of the aforementioned 5 disadvantages. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a bottle neck ring for accepting skirted and non-skirted caps, the neck ring including: a threaded portion, 10 a circumferential groove below the threaded portion for accepting a tuck to secure a cap on the ring, and a circumferential shoulder below the groove for supporting a cap skirt.

The neck ring may be provided with a cap wherein the cap 15 is deformed into the circumferential groove thereby securing the cap on the neck ring.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of fitting a cap to a bottle neck ring, the method comprising the steps of: 20 locating a skirted cap on a bottle having a neck ring defining a tuck groove and a shoulder below the groove, deforming a portion of the cap into the tuck groove while supporting a portion of the skirt on the shoulder.

! According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a tuck roller for deforming a portion of a cap sufficiently to secure the cap on a bottle, the tuck roller including: 5 a roller portion, and a circumferential ridge located above the roller portion.

The tuck roller may be used to secure a skirted or non skirted cap on a bottle whereby, in use, the circumferential ridge deforms or tucks a portion of the cap into a 10 corresponding circumferential groove on a bottle to a depth restricted by the roller portion coming to rest on a circumferential shoulder below the groove.

When used with skirted caps, the roller portion traps the skirt against the circumferential shoulder with a view to 15 preventing splitting of the cap and creasing of the skirt.

By virtue of embodiments of the present invention, skirted or non-skirted caps can be fitted to bottles without the need for different capping parts and machine settings, such that changing from skirted to non- skirted caps, or vice 20 versa, involves reduced bottling line downtime.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a bottle neck ring according to an embodiment of an aspect of the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view of a tuck roller according to an embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, and 5 Figures 3A and 3B are section views showing the deformation of a ROPP cap and a Stell cap, respectively, in accordance with embodiments of further aspects of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a side view of a 10 bottle neck ring, generally indicated by reference numeral 10, for accepting skirted and non-skirted caps (not shown). The neck ring 10 includes a threaded portion 12, a circumferential groove 14 below the threaded portion 12 for accepting a tuck to secure a cap (not shown) on the ring, and a circumferential 15 shoulder 16 below the groove 14 for supporting a cap skirt (not shown).

Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a side view of a tuck roller, generally indicated by reference numeral 20, for deforming a portion of cap sufficiently to secure the 20 cap on a bottle. The tuck roller 20 includes a rolling portion 22, and a circumferential ridge 24 located above the rolling portion 22.

Section views of the roller 20 deforming a ROPP cap and a Stell cap on a bottle provided with a neck ring as shown in

Figure 1 are shown in Figures 3A and 3B, respectively.

Looking firstly at Figure 3A, the lower free end of a ROPP cap 30 is deformed by the neck ring 10 and the tuck roller 20 being brought together, trapping the end of the ROPP cap 30 5 between them. The circumferential ridge 24 deforms the cap 30 to form a tuck extending into the corresponding circumferential groove 14 on the neck ring 10.

In Figure 3B a portion of a Stell cap 50 is deformed by the neck ring 10 and the tuck roller 20, being brought 10 together, trapping a portion of the Stell cap 50 between them.

The circumferential ridge 24 deforms the cap 50 to form a tuck extending into a corresponding circumferential groove 14 on the neck ring 10 to a depth restricted by the roller portion 22 which traps and rolls the skirt 52 of the Stell cap 50 15 against the circumferential shoulder 16 below the groove 14.

This engagement of the roller portion 22 and the shoulder 16, and the trapping of the skirt 52 therebetween, prevents the cap 50 splitting at the tuck, and prevents creasing of the skirt 52, the lower end of the skirt 52 resting on the 20 shoulder of the neck ring 10 at 54 (Figure 1).

It will be obvious to those of skill in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made to the embodiments hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention.

Those of skill in the art will also recognise that the above described embodiments of the invention provide a bottle neck ring which will accept troth ROPP and Stell caps, and a tuck roller 20 which may be utilized to create a tuck in both 5 the ROPP and Stell caps. Thus, a single bottling line provided with such a tuck roller and a single bottle form may be utilised, without modification, to provide bottled product fitted with either a ROPP cap or a Stell cap. This is, of course, a considerable advantage to bottle manufacturers as 10 only a single bottle form has to be produced to accommodate the two cap forms, and also to bottling plant operators, as a single bottling line may switch from one cap form to the other with minimum, if any, downtime.

Claims

1. A bottle neck ring for accepting skirted and non-skirted caps, the neck ring including: 5 a threaded portion, a circumferential groove below the threaded portion for accepting a tuck to secure a cap on the ring, and a circumferential shoulder below the groove for supporting a cap skirt.

2. The bottle neck ring of claim l in combination with a skirted cap, the skirt extending below the circumferential shoulder. 15

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein the cap skirt is dimensioned to provide a close fit with the neck ring below the shoulder.

4. A method of fitting a cap to a bottle, the method 20 comprising the steps of: locating a skirted cap on a bottle having a neck ring defining a tuck groove and a shoulder below the groove, deforming a portion of the cap into the tuck groove while supporting a portion of the skirt on the shoulder.

t 5. The method of claim 4 comprising deforming the portion of the cap into the tuck groove with a tuck roller.

5

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising trapping and rolling the portion of the skirt on the shoulder with a portion of the tuck roller.

7. A tuck roller for deforming a portion of a cap 10 sufficiently to secure the cap on a bottle, the tuck roller including: a roller portion, and a circumferential ridge located above the roller portion.

15

8. A bottle neck ring substantially as described herein and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. =

9. A method of fitting a cap to a bottle substantially as described herein.

10. A tuck roller substantially as described herein and as illustrated in Figure 2.