MXPA99007306A - Attachment for bottle neck - Google Patents

Abstract

A container (10) suitable for mounting on the neck of a bottle or other vessel having an annular abutment surface formed thereon and for containing a gift item consists of first and second wall sections (12, 14) which are fixed together to form a generally closed space containing the gift item. One of the wall sections (14) has formed in it an opening (17) having around its periphery a plurality of elongate resilient fingers (18) projecting into the interior of the container. The fingers (18) together define a substantially frusto-conical structure such that when the neck of the bottle or other vessel is inserted into the container (10) through the opening (17) the fingers (18) are forced apart to allow passage of the neck until they have moved over the abutment surface formed on it. The ends of the plurality of fingers (18) engaged with the abutment surface to oppose movement of the neck of the bottle or other vessel out of the container. The container thus provides a secure means for securing a gift item to the neck of the bottle or other vessel as part of a promotional exercise.

Description

BOTTLE NECK SUPPORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container, in particular, to a container for mounting on the neck of a bottle or other container having an annular protruding surface formed therein. As a promotional measure, it has become very common to offer gifts as an incentive to buyers of products of various types, including those supplied in bottles, for example, beverages and other liquid products. When the main purchase is stocked in a bottle, the difficulty arises in finding an adequate means to assemble the container or package containing the gift in the bottle. If the gift is secured to the body of the bottle, the entire circumference of the item is increased, making it more difficult to adapt an appropriate number of bottles on a shelf to display the buyers. Anywhere that is assured e! gift to the bottle, there is the difficulty of insuring it so that it simply can not be removed and taken without having been paid. According to the invention, a container characterized in that it comprises a wall defining a generally closed space is provided; an opening is formed in the wall to receive the neck of said bottle or other container; the container further comprises a flexible retaining structure having an opening, which is aligned with the opening in the wall of the container and is of selected dimensions to be slightly smaller than those of the annular surface projecting over the neck of the bottle , said structure being such that the neck of a bottle or other container is inserted into the container through the opening in its wall, an end portion of said neck can be forced through the opening of the retaining structure due to to its elastic nature, a lip of said structure around the opening engaging with the protruding surface opposing the movement of the neck of the bottle or other container outside the container and the neck of the bottle serving to close the container to prevent the removal of the contents of the container through said opening. Since the neck of the bottle closes the container, the gift, or other content, can not be moved easily. In addition, the retention means prevents the removal of the container from the neck of the bottle. To remove the gift from the container or container from the bottle, the container must essentially be destroyed, making it difficult to steal the gift. In a preferred embodiment, the container wall and the retaining means are formed of a vacuum sheet material, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the wall sections, which form the wall of the container, are secured jointly through welding. This construction is very robust and requires considerable force to remove the container resulting from the bottle or to open the container by breaking it to remove its contents. The embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a first container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view of the container of Figure 1, fully assembled; Figure 3 shows the container of figure 1 in position on the neck of a bottle; Figure 4 is a sectional view of a second container according to the invention; Figure 5 is a sectional view of a third container according to the invention; Figure 6 is a sectional view of a fourth container according to the invention; Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a fifth container according to the invention; and Figure 8 shows the container of Figure 7 mounted on the necks of a pair of bottles. The container 10 shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, is of a three part construction, comprising two wall sections 12 and 14 of plastic material box type and a generally conical insert 16, which acts as a holding means to retain the container on the neck of a bottle or similar, as will be described later. The upper box type section 12 is a hollow, inverted body, with a flange 11 projecting outwardly formed around the periphery of its free edge. As shown in the drawings, the box type section 12 is generally triangular or square, but its shape is chosen purely to facilitate the adaptation of a plurality of said containers contiguous to each other and other shapes may be selected in accordance with ios pleasures. In the center of the face 13 of the box type section 12 away from the flange 11 is a generally cylindrical projection, which contains a similarly configured depression 15, accessible from the inside of the box type wall section 12. The other wall section 14 of box type is of a total shape similar to the first, except that, instead of the cylindrical projection containing the depression 15 there is an opening 17 around which a generally frustoconical skirt 19 is placed, which projects into the interior of the box type section 14. The box type section 14 is provided with an outwardly projecting flange 21, which is similar to that provided in section 12. Both box type sections are preferably formed of a thin, semi-rigid plastic material , for example, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) formed in vacuum. The insert 16 is generally frustoconical with a semi-vertical angle similar to that of the skirt 19 formed around the opening in the second box type section 14. It has a flange 20 that extends outwardly at its widest end and the narrowest portion of the insert 16 is divided to define a plurality of finger-like ridges separated through molded grooves to give a full corrugated effect. These corrugations serve to reinforce the insert 16 to reduce the probability that the insert is damaged or deformed to allow the removal of the container from the bottle on which it is to be mounted. Ideally, the insert 16 is made by vacuum forming a suitable material, for example, PVC. At its innermost end, the insert 16 has an opening or access 18, which is selected to be of a dimension smaller than the annular surface projecting over the neck of a bottle, on which the container is intended to be fixed. The container 10 is assembled as follows. The insert 16 is placed in the second box type section 14, on the frustoconical skirt 19, which helps to support it. The flange 20 on the insert 16 is secured to the bottle type section 14, for example, by frequency welding. The gift (not shown), which is to be kept in the container 10 is placed inside the box type section 14 in the space between the insert 16 and the outer wall of the box type section and the container 10. then it is closed by placing the other box type section 12, so that its flange 11 projecting outwardly abuts the flange 21 on the section 14. The flanges 11 and 21 are secured to each other through frequency welding or any other suitable technique for closing the container 10. If desired, a printed insert 30, of cardboard or the like, carrying advertising or promotional information, may be added before the two box-type sections come together to close the container 10. It will be appreciated that at this stage, the container 10, with its enclosed gift article, forms a sealed unit, which is greatly theft-proof; the gift article can not be removed from the container without breaking the solder joints of the container 10 or, alternatively, cutting through the plastic material from which the container 10 is formed. The container 10 can then be mounted on the neck of a container 10. bottle or similar container with a relatively narrow neck, as shown in Figure 3. Simply by inserting the bottle 40 into the container through the opening 17 formed in the bottle type section 14. The bottle neck 14 passes through the opening 17 and the skirt 19, and as it continues to move towards the interior of the container 10 the insert 16 is deformed, which surrounds the opening 17, pushing the narrower opening 18 at the end innermost of the conical insert 16. The insert 16 can simply be elastic enough to allow it to stretch over the annular surface protruding over the bottleneck or, alternatively, if the insert 16 is of a less elastic material, then the corrugations can flattening to increase the diameter of the innermost opening 18 temporarily to allow the passage of the annular stop. The closed end of the bottle neck 40 is finally located in the depression 15 formed inside the cylindrical projection on the box type section 12, so that the container 10 is held relatively securely on the neck of the bottle and is not able to bend in relation to the neck of the bottle. The insert 16 is selected to be of such a length that, in this position, with the neck end of the bottle 40 within the depression 15, the free edge of the insert around the opening 18 abuts the annular bottom of the ring molded 42 usually found around the open end of the neck of a bottle to which the cap of the bottle is secured. The edge of the insert 16 is brought into this position through the natural flexibility of the material from which it is made, which causes the insert 16 to return to its original unstressed condition, to be pushed inward. Any attempt to remove the container 10 from the neck of the bottle 40 forces the edge of the insert around the opening 18 against the underside of the molded ring 42, opposing movement of the container 10 of the neck of the bottle 40. In practice, It is very difficult, but virtually impossible, due to the resistance of the plastic material used, to remove the container and its contents. The container, shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, has the retaining structure formed by the insert 16 mounted on the periphery of the wall of the container around the opening 17 in the container 10. However, the precise construction of the container, the placement of the retention structure and its dimensions can be selected to adapt bottles of any number of different configurations. The containers illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 show examples of containers 410, 510 and 610 adapted to accommodate bottles having necks of different shapes. (The views shown in Figures 4 through 6 are analogous to one another, to facilitate understanding, similar parts have been given similar reference numbers, differentiated by the first digit, which refers to the figure number ). The container shown in Figure 4 is similar to that of Figures 1 to 3 in that the retaining structure 416 is placed on the wall of the container 410 immediately surrounding the opening 417. However, the insert 416, which forms the structure The retainer is in a different manner from that of Figures 1 to 3, being generally cylindrical separated from a short conical section immediately adjacent to the innermost opening 418. The insert 416 is also considerably shorter in the axial direction than that of Figures 1 to 3, since the container of Figure 4 is intended to adapt a bottle having the annular surface protruding over its neck, which is, during use, engaged by the edge of the insert 416 around the opening 418, separated from the top of the bottleneck by a greater distance which could be the case in Figures 1 to 3. In Figures 5 and 6, the containers 510 and 610 differ from those described above, in that the retaining structure formed by the inserts 516 and 616 is secured to the container wall 510 and 610 in a position away from and opposite the opening 517 and 617 a through which the neck of the bottle is going to be inserted in the container. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the retaining structures surround the cylindrical depressions 515 and 615 formed in the walls of the containers 510 and 610, which, during use, receive the uppermost part of the bottle cap or stopper and serve to stabilize the container against tilting or capsizing. Although the retaining structures formed by the inserts 516 and 616 are positioned differently, they function very similarly to the inserts 16 and 416 of Figures 1 to 4, with the innermost, free end of the insert around the internal opening 518 and 618 housing the annular stop on the neck of the bottle behind. It will be noted that the area of the wall of the container around the opening 517 and 617 in the containers of Figures 5 and 6 is curved to accommodate a bottle having a curved shoulder and allowing the container to sit firmly on the shoulder of the container. said bottle. Containers 510 and 610 of Figures 5 and 6 differ from one another in that they again intend to be used with bottles having different gaps between the uppermost part of the cap of the bottle and cap and the annular surface protruding over the neck Of the bottle. The container 610 of figure 6 aims to fix a bottle where this separation is greater than that of the bottle where the container 510 of figure 5 will be fixed. Figures 7 and 8 show a container 710, which is in an absolutely different form to the generally rectangular box type shapes of the containers shown in Figures 1 to 6 and which, furthermore, is intended to be attached to the necks of a pair of bottles sold together as an individual promotional unit. The container 710 of Figure 7 in this manner has the additional advantage that it can be used to secure bottles together in a permanent and easy to obtain manner.

Although the container 710 has two inserts 716, which are the same, it will be appreciated that by using different inserts, the container can be adapted to jointly secure bottles of different types. It will be understood that the invention provides a secure means for attaching a gift item to a bottle as part of a promotional exercise. The container of the invention is cheap and easy to manufacture using conventional techniques. In addition, fixing the containers on the bottle necks is an operation which does not require any particular skill and can be carried out at any point in the movement of bottles from the initial packaging of the bottles to place the bottles on a shelf to exhibit at retail. Although the invention has been described with reference to bottles with relatively narrow necks, it will be appreciated that the container of the invention can be modified to be attached to any container or container having a protruding surface suitable for coupling by the retaining structure or structures.

Claims (9)

1. - A container (10; 410; 510; 610; 710) for mounting on the neck of a bottle or other container having an annular protruding surface formed therein, the container is characterized in that it comprises a wall, which defines a generally closed space; an opening (17; 417; 517; 617; 717) is formed in the wall to receive the neck of said bottle or other container; the container further comprises a flexible retaining structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) having an opening (18; 418; 518; 618; 718), which is aligned with the opening (17; 417; 517; 617; 717) on the wall of the container and is of selected dimensions to be slightly smaller than those of the annular surface projecting over the neck of the bottle, said structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) being such that when the neck of a bottle or container is inserted into the container (10; 410; 510; 610; 710) through the opening (17; 417; 517; 617; 717) in its wall, an end portion of said neck it can be forced through the opening of the retaining structure due to its elastic nature, a lip of the structure around the opening (18; 418; 518; 618; 718) thereon engaging with the protruding surface to oppose the movement of the neck of the bottle or other container outside the container and the neck of the bottle Irving to close the container to avoid the removal of the contents of the container through said opening.

2. - A container according to claim 1, wherein the retaining structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) is disposed inside the wall of the container around the opening (17; 417; 517; 617; 717) so that the opening defines an entry in the retaining structure.

3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the retaining structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) is disposed inside the wall of the container at a position away from the opening (17; 417).; 517; 617; 717) pro aligned with it.

4. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) is of a sufficiently elastic material to allow it to stretch temporarily to increase the size of the opening (18; 418; 518; 618; 718) and, therefore, allow the annular surface projecting over the neck of the bottle to pass therethrough.

5. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) is formed of a continuous sleeve of material, the sleeve having formed therein at least a longitudinally extended corrugation; the material of the sleeve being sufficiently elastic to allow, during use, that the or each corrugation be temporarily deformed to increase the size of the opening (18; 418; 518; 618; 718) therein and, therefore, to allow that the annular surface that protrudes over the neck of the bottle passes through it.

6. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining structure (16; 416; 516; 616; 716) is generally frusto-conical, tapering inwardly the opening (18; 418; 518; 618; 718) ) therein so that the retaining structure, during use, guides the neck of the bottle into alignment with its opening.

7. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said wall is formed of at least two wall sections fixed together through welding.

8. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining structure is formed under vacuum from a sheet material.

9. A container according to any of the preceding claims, which has two or more openings formed in its wall and two or more retaining structures, each of which is associated with one of the respective openings, so that the container can be mounted on the necks of two or more bottles and serve to secure them together.