US20110240589A1 - Reusable resilient bottle capsule - Google Patents
Reusable resilient bottle capsule Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110240589A1 US20110240589A1 US13/079,769 US201113079769A US2011240589A1 US 20110240589 A1 US20110240589 A1 US 20110240589A1 US 201113079769 A US201113079769 A US 201113079769A US 2011240589 A1 US2011240589 A1 US 2011240589A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- bottle
- capsule
- diameter
- resilient
- medial
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
- B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
- B65D41/16—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers
- B65D41/18—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers non-metallic, e.g. made of paper or plastics
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
- B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
- B65D41/22—Caps or cap-like covers with elastic parts adapted to be stretched over the container
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
- Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
- Y02W30/80—Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Closures For Containers (AREA)
Abstract
A reusable resilient bottle capsule having a top cap portion, a medial portion that extends downwardly from and is integral with the top cap portion, a lower sleeve portion extending downwardly from and integral with the medial portion. The interior wall of the capsule has a surface configuration dividing the interior wall into a generally cylindrical lower portion with a first diameter that tightly conforms to the neck of a bottle below the banded collar of a bottle, an annular medial channel with a second diameter, larger than that of the first diameter, that permits the medial channel to straddle and accommodate the banded collar of a bottle, and an upper cylindrical portion with a third diameter substantially the same as that of the first diameter and which tightly surrounds and engages the pouring spout portion of the bottle. An annular channel in the underside of the top cap portion may be provided to facilitate a tight seal around the bottle pour spout. The resilient material has a Shore rating that allows the capsule to be installed and removed repeatedly without losing its efficacy in preventing oxidation and spillage of bottle contents, even when the bottle is laid on its side or inverted.
Description
- The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/320,672, filed Apr. 2, 2010.
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to bottle seals, and more particularly to secondary wine bottle seals, and still more particularly to a resilient wine bottle capsule that may be reused after the bottle has been uncorked.
- 2. Discussion of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR §§1.97, 1.98
- Wine bottles are the most well known of bottles sealed with corks, though several other products also employ cork seals, including olive oils, vinegars, beer, spirits, perfumes, and so forth. The industry standard for sealing wine bottles is to insert a standard or synthetic cork in the bottle mouth and then to provide a secondary seal with a bottle capsule, typically fabricated from tin, polylaminate, or polyvinyl chloride. Until the 1990s, capsules were generally made from lead. Wine producers have also used wax as a secondary seal, as this provides significant enhanced protection from inadvertent oxygen contact with the wine.
- However, once a wine bottle has been opened, the quality of the wine quickly degrades due to exposure to oxygen. To retard the degradation, especially in the case of white wines, consumers will frequently reinsert the removed cork into the bottle and place it in a temperature controlled wine closet or a refrigerator. The problem with this approach is that the seal is imperfect and leaks are common, particularly when the bottle is laid on its side.
- Other solutions include the production of a vacuum and the insertion of a specialized stoppers using a system such as the VACU VIN® wine saver and bottle resealing system by Vacu-Products of As Delft Netherlands. Another solution is to introduce a blanket of inert gas over an open wine by squirting it into the bottle though an elongate tube connected to the nozzle of a pressurized can of nitrogen or argon, such as the WINE SAVER PRO® by Wine Gadgets, LLC of Allentown, Pa. The former has not held up well in tests (that is, the contained product suffers considerable oxidation), and the latter is prohibitively expensive for the ordinary consumer. [VACUVIN is a registered trademark of Vacu-Products B.V., of Delft, Netherlands; WINE SAVER PRO is a registered trademark of Timothy S. Fallon, of Center Valley, Pa.]
- The need remains for an inexpensive and easy-to-use device for resealing and temporarily preserving and preventing evaporation or spillage of products from open wine bottles, or from bottles containing other perishable or messy products, such as olive oil, soap, vinegar, and the like. The instant invention is directed to this objective and provides a resilient bottle capsule, installed contemporaneously or nearly contemporaneously with the initial cork insertion at bottling. This is especially well-suited for use as a wine bottle capsule, though use as a cap for preserving other perishable products is clearly contemplated. The resilient capsule is fabricated from silicon or synthetic rubber and is provided with interior dimensions, internal surface features and a cross-sectional profile that combine to make placement of the capsule over the open mouth of an open bottle easy and removal of the capsule also easy, while at the same time providing effective resealing of the bottle so as to prevent further exposure to oxygen from the atmosphere outside the bottle. When a bottle is resealed with the inventive capsule, spills are entirely prevented.
- The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wine bottle in an unopened state, showing the inventive resilient capsule installed over the bottle mouth (i.e., its pouring spout or “finish”); -
FIG. 2 is a closer detailed side view in elevation of the of the capsule installed on the bottle; -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the capsule installed on a wine bottle with its initially installed cork inside the bottle neck; -
FIG. 4 is a closer detailed side view in elevation showing how the resilient capsule conforms to the wine bottle upper neck and open mouth; and -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the capsule installed on a wine bottle with its initially installed cork removed. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 through 5 , wherein like reference numerals refer to like components in the various views, there is illustrated therein a new and improved resilient wine bottle capsule, generally denominated 10 herein. The capsule includes atop cap portion 12 with an enlargedrim 14 to facilitate gripping. When installed on awine bottle 16, the top cap portion circumscribes the upper portion of the banded collar finish characteristic of wine bottles. This is the upper pouringspout portion 18 immediately above thetop flange 20 of the bottle. - The capsule further includes a
medial portion 22, which tightly circumscribes the upper portion banded collar ortop flange 20, and alower sleeve portion 24 which tightly circumscribes thebottle neck 26 immediately below thebanded collar 20. - From the capsule rim 14 to the
bottom edge 28 of thelower sleeve portion 24, theexterior surface 30 of the capsule preferably tapers gently inward. The capsule is divided interiorly into three distinct portions, including an upper, medial, and lower portion, each defined by the surface configuration of theinterior wall 32 of the capsule. The interior wall thus includes a generally cylindricallower portion 34 having a first diameter that defines the lower sleeve portion; an annularmedial channel 36 has a second diameter larger than the first diameter and defines the medial portion that accommodates thetop flange 20; and a small uppercylindrical portion 38, having a third diameter substantially the same as that of the first diameter, defines the upper portion and closely surrounds and engages thepouring spout portion 18 of the bottle. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , the capsule is installed when the bottle is first corked during bottling, or shortly thereafter. As with conventional capsules, the inventive capsule enhances protection of thecork 40 and substantially prevents the cork from drying out and permitting oxygen to enter the bottle.FIG. 4 shows how the capsule conforms to the upper end of the bottle so as to seal the opening at the bottle mouth, which sealing is enhanced by the resilient material from which the capsule is fabricated, and by an optionalannular channel 42 in theinterior underside 44 of the top cap portion.FIG. 5 shows that the inventive capsule seals the bottle to prevent further oxidation of the bottle contents and to prevent spillage. - The resilient capsule of the present invention is preferably fabricated from pure gum rubber, synthetic rubber, or food grade silicone, and are sized such that they can be gently stretched to cover the top of the bottle when first installed, and gently peeled from the top of the bottle when the consumer wishes to remove the cork. The capsule is preferably fabricated from a resilient material having a shore durometer of approximately Shore A-50 (+/−5 points) under the ASTM D2240 testing standard. With appropriate sizing, a capsule fabricated from this material is sufficiently resilient to accept the stretch needed for removal and also the stretch required for replacement after cork removal. When so replaced, the resilient material again conforms to the surface features of the bottle to provide an airtight and watertight seal, such that liquid cannot escape from the bottle and air cannot get back in to the bottle. Thus, the open but resealed bottle may be laid on its side in a refrigerator for storage. Accordingly, the capsule may supplement the initial seal and thus replace it after the bottle is uncorked, or it may be employed exclusively as a seal for an opened bottle that is kept ready-at-hand for use as needed.
- Finally, the resilient capsule of the present invention lends itself to product branding and promotional programs. Whereas conventional capsules are generally discarded as rubbish after removal (thrown away and never to be used again), the inventive capsule may be reused nearly indefinitely. This provides producers with the motivation to mark the capsules with
names 44, either of goods, or services, or events, special occasions, product and company graphics, colors, logos, and the like, and such indicia will provide an enduring brand statement that will continue to complement labels on their own resealed bottles, and may even eclipse or compete with brand elements on other producer bottles resealed with the resilient capsule by consumers who keep them for future use after the original product is consumed. - As will be appreciated from the foregoing, in its most essential aspect, the resilient bottle capsule of the present invention includes a top cap portion, a medial portion that extends downwardly from and is integral with the top cap portion. Next, a lower sleeve portion extends downwardly from and is integral with said medial portion. Interiorly, the capsule includes an interior wall having a surface configuration that divides the interior wall into three regions, including a generally cylindrical lower portion with a first diameter that tightly conforms to the neck of a bottle below the banded collar of a bottle. It next includes an annular medial channel with a second diameter, larger than that of the first diameter and that permits the medial channel to straddle and accommodate the banded collar of a bottle of a predetermined size. Finally, the capsule includes an upper cylindrical portion with a third diameter substantially the same as that of the first diameter and which tightly surrounds and engages the pouring spout portion of the bottle. The resilient material with a carefully selected Shore rating allows the capsule to be installed and removed repeatedly without losing its efficacy in preventing oxidation and spillage of bottle contents, even when the bottle is laid on its side or inverted.
- The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like.
- Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
Claims (6)
1. A resilient reusable bottle capsule, comprising:
a top cap portion;
a medial portion integral with said top cap portion;
a lower sleeve portion integral with said medial portion; and
an interior wall having a surface configuration dividing said interior wall into a generally cylindrical lower portion having a first diameter, an annular medial channel having a second diameter larger than said first diameter that permits said medial channel to straddle and accommodate the banded collar of a bottle of a predetermined size, and an upper cylindrical portion having a third diameter substantially the same as that of said first diameter which tightly surrounds and engages the pouring spout portion of the bottle.
2. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim 1 , wherein when installed on a bottle having a banded collar finish, said top cap portion tightly circumscribes the upper portion of the bottle above the banded collar and said lower portion tightly circumscribes the neck of the bottle below the banded collar.
3. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim 1 , wherein said top cap portion includes an integral enlarged rim to facilitate gripping when installing or removing said capsule.
4. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim 1 , wherein said capsule includes an exterior surface that tapers inwardly from said top portion to a bottom edge of said lower sleeve portion.
5. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim 1 , wherein said capsule is fabricated from a material selected from pure gum rubber, synthetic rubber, and food grade silicone.
6. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim 5 , wherein said material has a shore durometer of about Shore A-50, +/−5 points, under the ASTM D2240 testing standard.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/079,769 US20110240589A1 (en) | 2010-04-02 | 2011-04-04 | Reusable resilient bottle capsule |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US32067210P | 2010-04-02 | 2010-04-02 | |
US13/079,769 US20110240589A1 (en) | 2010-04-02 | 2011-04-04 | Reusable resilient bottle capsule |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110240589A1 true US20110240589A1 (en) | 2011-10-06 |
Family
ID=44708391
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/079,769 Abandoned US20110240589A1 (en) | 2010-04-02 | 2011-04-04 | Reusable resilient bottle capsule |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20110240589A1 (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8328449B2 (en) | 2010-11-19 | 2012-12-11 | Msd Consumer Care, Inc. | Click pen applicator device and method of using same |
US20160051069A1 (en) * | 2013-03-24 | 2016-02-25 | Double Double Inc. | Universal Lid for Food and Drink Containers |
US9783348B1 (en) | 2017-03-24 | 2017-10-10 | Trong D Nguyen | Personal dispensing systems |
WO2018050626A1 (en) * | 2016-09-16 | 2018-03-22 | Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa | Bottle with metering cap, and metering cap with flexible side wall |
US20220024644A1 (en) * | 2020-07-24 | 2022-01-27 | Reyna Dayana Perez | Bottle-Top Adapter |
US20220063896A1 (en) * | 2020-08-26 | 2022-03-03 | John DALLAGER | Shaker System and Method |
ES2929148A1 (en) * | 2021-05-24 | 2022-11-24 | Dordella Cayuelas Andres | Stopper for wine and cava bottles (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US891109A (en) * | 1907-10-23 | 1908-06-16 | Edward H Speece | Bottle-stopper. |
US2461620A (en) * | 1946-11-01 | 1949-02-15 | Ray C Wright | Dispensing closure cap |
US3066820A (en) * | 1957-12-09 | 1962-12-04 | George W Faulstich | Plastic water bottle cap |
US3104681A (en) * | 1960-01-06 | 1963-09-24 | Mueller Brass Co | Plastic closures for protective use |
US3269581A (en) * | 1965-04-05 | 1966-08-30 | Joints Inc | Pipe stopper plug |
US3628542A (en) * | 1969-11-13 | 1971-12-21 | Harry Drew | Smoker{3 s pipe cover |
US5224515A (en) * | 1992-01-30 | 1993-07-06 | Porex Technologies Corp. | Tube closure |
US5740935A (en) * | 1995-01-05 | 1998-04-21 | Idaho Bung Co., Inc. | Bung hole plug |
-
2011
- 2011-04-04 US US13/079,769 patent/US20110240589A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US891109A (en) * | 1907-10-23 | 1908-06-16 | Edward H Speece | Bottle-stopper. |
US2461620A (en) * | 1946-11-01 | 1949-02-15 | Ray C Wright | Dispensing closure cap |
US3066820A (en) * | 1957-12-09 | 1962-12-04 | George W Faulstich | Plastic water bottle cap |
US3104681A (en) * | 1960-01-06 | 1963-09-24 | Mueller Brass Co | Plastic closures for protective use |
US3269581A (en) * | 1965-04-05 | 1966-08-30 | Joints Inc | Pipe stopper plug |
US3628542A (en) * | 1969-11-13 | 1971-12-21 | Harry Drew | Smoker{3 s pipe cover |
US5224515A (en) * | 1992-01-30 | 1993-07-06 | Porex Technologies Corp. | Tube closure |
US5740935A (en) * | 1995-01-05 | 1998-04-21 | Idaho Bung Co., Inc. | Bung hole plug |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8328449B2 (en) | 2010-11-19 | 2012-12-11 | Msd Consumer Care, Inc. | Click pen applicator device and method of using same |
US8333525B2 (en) | 2010-11-19 | 2012-12-18 | Msd Consumer Care, Inc. | Click pen applicator device and method of using same |
US20160051069A1 (en) * | 2013-03-24 | 2016-02-25 | Double Double Inc. | Universal Lid for Food and Drink Containers |
US9848721B2 (en) * | 2013-03-24 | 2017-12-26 | Double Double Inc. | Universal lid for food and drink containers |
WO2018050626A1 (en) * | 2016-09-16 | 2018-03-22 | Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa | Bottle with metering cap, and metering cap with flexible side wall |
US9783348B1 (en) | 2017-03-24 | 2017-10-10 | Trong D Nguyen | Personal dispensing systems |
US20220024644A1 (en) * | 2020-07-24 | 2022-01-27 | Reyna Dayana Perez | Bottle-Top Adapter |
US11794955B2 (en) * | 2020-07-24 | 2023-10-24 | Reyna Dayana Perez | Bottle-top adapter |
US20220063896A1 (en) * | 2020-08-26 | 2022-03-03 | John DALLAGER | Shaker System and Method |
ES2929148A1 (en) * | 2021-05-24 | 2022-11-24 | Dordella Cayuelas Andres | Stopper for wine and cava bottles (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |