WO2003045810A1

WO2003045810A1 - Closing device to be placed on a bottle

Info

Publication number: WO2003045810A1
Application number: PCT/CH2002/000478
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bruno Herren
Original assignee: Moha Moderne Haushaltwaren Ag
Priority date: 2001-11-28
Filing date: 2002-09-02
Publication date: 2003-06-05
Also published as: TW200424095A; AU2002322962A1; DE20280419U1; AT7936U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a closing device to be placed on a bottle. Said closing device comprises a tubular element (6) in which a closing body (3) is held in a positively locking and a force locking manner. Said closing body (3) has a diametrically penetrating pouring bore hole (4) and an actuating lever (5) by which means the closing body (3) can be pivoted from an open position to a closed position. The closing body comprises catches (31) which slot into longitudinal slits (63) of a cylindrical wall (60) and are held therein. A one-part or two-part sleeve housing (2) is placed over the tubular element (6) and is used to position the inventive closing device on a corresponding bottle neck.

Description

Cap that can be placed on a bottle

The present invention relates to a closure which can be placed on a bottle and which replaces a pin or a screw closure.

Many bottles are available on the market that have no or only partially resealable closures. This includes in particular wine and champagne bottles with a cork or bottles with a crown cap. Even bottles that are reclosable have closures that are not very convenient. Especially on bottles that contain carbonated drinks or drinks that release a certain amount of gases. For such bottles, screw caps are usually commercially available, the resealability of which is relatively complex.

Various closures available on the market also do not meet the desired aesthetic conditions. This applies in particular to the screw caps of wine bottles that are also common today. Although various attachable closures are known on the market which are suitable for replacing a pin or a screw closure, these are also often unwieldy to operate. Various closures are known in particular for champagne bottles, which in principle are equivalent to a spigot, but which are provided with a spreading mechanism in order to seal the bottle and which have a sufficient closing force due to a certain internal pressure in the container. However, such closures must be completely removed each time and subsequently replaced and sealed, which reduces the ease of use accordingly. Other closures of this type are essentially designed as adapters, which can then be closed again with a screw closure or a pin-like element. In fact, the mouths of glass bottles are largely standardized. This applies both to bottles whose bottle neck is shaped for crown cap closures and to bottles with a screw cap. In the case of bottles for crown cap closures, the bottle neck has a retaining bead in the area of the mouth and a thickened spherical collar underneath. Bottles for sparkling wine or champagne also have this shape. A cap which can be placed on a bottle and which is intended to replace a pin or a screw cap must be designed appropriately for these two types of bottle necks. The present invention offers a solution which works with the same design principle, essentially only the coupling housing having different coupling means for attachment to a respective bottle.

The object of the present invention is to create a closure which can be placed on a bottle and which can replace a pin or a screw closure, which is simple and safe to install and which is very easy to use and can also meet aesthetic requirements.

The present invention solves this problem by means of an attachable closure which has the features of patent claim 1. For use on a bottle that was previously provided with a screw cap, an attachable closure with the features of claim 2 is suitable. For bottles that have a thickened collar on the bottle neck, the attachable closure can be equipped with the features of claim 4 and is then suitable for appropriate bottles, such as champagne bottles. Further advantageous embodiments emerge from the remaining claims and their meaning and mode of action is explained in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing, the two basic types of the snap-on closure according to the invention are shown and explained below. It shows :

1 shows an attachable closure according to the invention for placement on a bottle with an external screw thread in the fully opened state and

Figure 2 the same closure in the fully closed state. Figure 3 shows the closure in the position of Figure 1 with the omission of the union housing.

Figure 4 is an exploded view in which all the elements in the assembly sequence are shown individually in vertical section with one another. Figure 5 shows the assembled closure in the

Opening position again in a diametrical vertical section.

Figure 6 shows a variant of the attachable closure, as it is suitable for use on bottles with a corresponding thickened

Collar, as it occurs for example with champagne bottles, here again in the fully open and

Figure 7 in the fully closed position. FIG. 8 shows the same closure according to FIGS. 6 and 7, again in a perspective view, with the union housing omitted. FIG. 9 shows the snap-on closure corresponding to FIGS. 6 and 7 with the cap housing in a position fastened to a bottle, the closure being shown in an open state in a side view.

FIG. 10 shows the individual elements of the closure according to the invention in accordance with the embodiment of FIGS. 6-9 in the disassembled state, in which all components are shown in a diametrical vertical section, and finally shows

11 shows the attachable closure according to FIGS. 6-9 in the assembled state in an open position of the locking body, again in a diametrical vertical section.

In the assembled state, and placed on a bottle F, only the union housing 2 can be seen from the attachable closure 1. Only part of the spherical locking body 3, which has a diametrically penetrating pouring hole 4, protrudes from the upper opening. Furthermore, one recognizes the actuating lever 5 formed on the blocking body 3. The socket 6 lying under the union housing 2 can only be recognized in the form of an outstanding edge. Since this is an attachable closure that is suitable for screwing onto a bottle F with a screw thread, this is accordingly Union housing 2 with a circumferential corrugation 7.

In the closed state, as shown in FIG. 2, the actuating lever 5 is pivoted into the other end position, the actuating lever 5 resting against the edge of the nozzle 6 in both end positions. Both for opening and for closing, the operating lever 5 can consequently simply be pivoted until it is in line. In the closed position according to FIG. 2, the spherical shape of the blocking body 3 can be clearly seen, the pouring opening 4 being pivoted completely into the nozzle 6 here.

In Figure 3, the attachable closure 1 according to Figures 1 and 2 is shown with the omission of the union housing 2. The union housing 2 is simply pluggable. This will be dealt with below. The nozzle 6 consists essentially of a cylindrical wall 60 which converges slightly spherically in the upper region 61 and thus forms a bearing seat for the locking body 3. Only at two diametrically opposite areas is the cylindrical wall 60 provided with a longitudinal recess 62, in which longitudinal slots 63 are made from the upper edge down to the middle of the cylindrical wall. Bearing cams 31, which are formed laterally on the spherical body 30 of the locking body 3, are supported in these longitudinal slots 63. You can also recognize on Neck 6 a collar 64, which serves as a bearing surface on the bottle neck.

The individual elements of the attachable closure 1 can be seen in detail on the basis of FIG. The cap housing 2 is shown at the top, under which the locking body 3 is shown, and the third injection molding element is the connector 6 shown below. Between the locking body 3 and the connector 6, an O-ring seal 8 and at the bottom a flat sealing ring 9 are shown. The actual connecting element between the bottle and the closing element is formed by the nozzle 6. This nozzle 6 has an essentially cylindrical wall 60 which has longitudinal recesses 62 on the outside in two diametrically opposite sides. The cylindrical wall 60 is separated by longitudinal slots 63 arranged centrally in these longitudinal recesses 62, and the upper region 61 can therefore be easily sprung openly. This upper region 61 of the cylindrical wall 60 is slightly spherically bent inwards on the inner surface and is thus able to hold the spherical locking body 3. This spherical curvature is not present in regions of the side surface in which the longitudinal slots 63 are arranged, so that this curvature cannot be seen in FIG. 4.

The cylindrical wall 60 has an inner shoulder 65, which thereby forms an area 66 with a thickened wall. At the lower end of the thickened wall area 66, an outwardly directed collar 64 is formed, the diameter of which is so large that it can serve as a support edge on the bottle neck. Under the collar 64, the nozzle 6 continues in a lower nozzle section 67, which has a reduced wall thickness compared to the thickened wall area and correspondingly defines a smaller outer diameter. This area consequently protrudes into the bottle neck of the bottle on which the closure can be placed. This lower nozzle section 67 is finally provided with a retaining bead 68 and serves to secure the mentioned sealing ring 9 so that it cannot fall off. Accordingly, the outside diameter of the retaining bead 68 is larger than the inside diameter of the sealing ring 9. The sealing ring 9 seals the connection between the bottle neck and the socket of the plug-on closure 1.

The inner shoulder 65 is finally provided with a circumferential groove 69, which serves to receive an insertable O-ring 8. This O-ring seal 8 seals the connector 6 with respect to the locking body 3.

The locking body 3 is rotationally symmetrical with respect to a pivot axis A. In the present case, the locking body 3 has the shape of a spherical body 30 which is diametrically penetrated by a pouring hole 4. In the preferred embodiment shown here, the ball is spherical Body 30 provided with two opposing flat surfaces 32. A bearing cam 31 is integrally formed on both sides of these flat surfaces 32. During assembly, the locking body 3 with its two bearing cams 31 need only be pushed down into the longitudinal slots 63, only the slightly inwardly drawn upper region 61 being spread out, whereupon the body 30 automatically moves into the lower position when the largest diameter is exceeded arrives, the spherical body 30 rests on the O-ring seal 8 with a certain pressure.

Ultimately, only the union housing 2 has to be pushed over the connector 6, in which the locking body 3 is now mounted. The union housing 2 has an essentially cylindrical shape. The cylindrical wall 20 is provided in the lower region 21 with an internal thread 22, which is designed so that it fits the standard thread of the usual glass bottles. The upper region 23 of the cylindrical wall 20 is thickened compared to the lower region 21. This creates an inner shoulder 24, which in the assembled state rests on top of the collar 64 of the connector 6. Since the upper region 23 of the union housing 2 is thick-walled, it is strong enough to hold the cylindrical wall 60 of the connector 6 together and consequently the locking body 3 is secured in position in the connector 6. On the inner wall of the upper area 23 are two longitudinal ribs 25 integrally formed, which engage in the longitudinal recesses 62 in the lower, narrower area and are therefore secured against rotation.

FIG. 5 shows the mountable closure 1 in the assembled state. During assembly, the O-ring seal 8 is first inserted into the circumferential channel 69 of the connecting piece 6 and then the blocking body 3 is pressed in from above, the upper region 61 of the wall 60 being slightly spread apart. The fulcrum cams 31 slide while in the longitudinal slots 63 to the spherical body 30 of ^'locking body 3 on the O-ring gasket 8 rests. Now the sealing ring 9 is pushed on and then the assembled parts 3 and 6 are pushed into the union housing 2 from below until the collar 64 abuts the inner shoulder 65. The union housing 2 now makes it impossible to expand the cylindrical wall 60, so that the locking body 3 is secured in the socket 6. If you now screw the attachable closure 1 with the internal thread 22 onto a bottle neck, the sealing ring 9 is pressed onto the bottle neck and a sealing connection is created between the nozzle 6 and the bottle, while at the same time a sealing connection between the blocking body 3 and the nozzle 6 is present.

The position shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the position as in the perspective view according to FIG. 1 Actuation of the lever 5, the locking body 3 can be pivoted through 90 °. In that position, the closed spherical surface of the spherical body 30 lies sealingly on the O-ring seal 8 and prevents the liquid from escaping. In this area of the spherical body 30, if desired, a check valve can additionally be arranged, by means of which it can be ensured that an excessive internal pressure can escape in the bottle. This is only shown schematically in FIG. 5. The check valve has the reference number 10 here. By means of such a solution, the attachable closure 1 according to the invention is also suitable for bottles in which a fermenting liquid is contained. In particular, these can be easily fermenting fruit juices.

FIGS. 6-11 show a second preferred embodiment which is particularly suitable for fastening to bottles with a thickened collar on the bottle neck. FIGS. 6 and 7 again show the attachable closure 1, one in the fully open position as shown in FIG. 6, one recognizing the pouring hole 4, and the other time in the fully closed position as shown in FIG. The functionally identical elements, even if some of them have a slightly different appearance, have the same reference symbols. So the locking body 3 with the pouring hole 4 and the actuating lever 5 is absolutely identical to the solution according to Figures 1-5. The nozzle 6, however, has a slightly different appearance., The union housing 2 has a different appearance, since here the union housing 2 is adapted for attachment to a different shape of a bottle neck.

The nozzle 6 varies only slightly in appearance compared to the previously described solution. Here, however, the cylindrical wall 60 is provided with an external thread 600 in the lower region above the collar 64. This external thread 600 is necessary because the union housing 2 is made in two parts here, the upper part 2 'being able to be clamped directly onto the connector 6, while the lower part of the union housing 2 "is previously screwed onto the connector 6 as a separate part. This is possible thanks to the external thread 600 just described. Here too, the upper region 61 of the cylindrical wall 60 is at least slightly spherical on the inside. The cylindrical wall 60 is in turn provided with a longitudinal recess 62, in the center of which a longitudinal slot 63 is again formed, which the required The cylindrical wall 60 can be expanded when the locking body 3 is pressed in. What is new, however, is that a retaining shoulder 601 is formed in the lower region of the longitudinal recess 62. This serves to provide a positive connection to the upper part 2 'of the union housing. The lower part of the union housing 2 "has a semi-cylindrical wall which forms a holding apron 26. This holding apron 26 has an inwardly directed bead 27 on the lower edge which engages in a form-fitting manner in the assembled state under the thickened area on the container neck. This is most clearly shown in of Figure 9 recognizable.

To explain the individual parts, reference is now made to the exploded view in FIG. 10. As already mentioned above, this solution has one more part, since the union housing 2 is designed here in two parts and, as already mentioned, consists of the upper union housing part 2 'and the lower union housing 2 ". The locking body is unchanged compared to the aforementioned solution The connection 6 is only slightly changed, it in turn has the cylindrical wall 60 which is slightly spherically curved on the inside in the upper region 61 in order to positively accommodate the spherical body 30 of the locking body 3. In the cylindrical wall 60 are again formed diametrically opposite one another in relation to the longitudinal depressions 62, in which the longitudinal slots 63 can be seen in the center. The two longitudinal depressions 62 extend to the thickened wall area 66 which forms the inner shoulder 65, in which in turn a circumferential groove 69 for inserting the sealing O-ring 8. There is also the lower connector section 67 is again provided with a retaining bead 68 to the exact location of the To guarantee sealing ring 9. The external thread 600, which ends at 602, begins below the spherically inwardly drawn upper region 61. The cylindrical wall 60 has in the longitudinal recesses 62 offset from the outside inwards a retaining shoulder 601, which serves to fasten the upper union housing part 2 '.

The upper union housing part 2 ′ in turn has a cylindrical wall 20 and a region 28 drawn conically inwards. This region 28 drawn conically inwards lies partially on the nozzle 6 at the top. Particularly striking are two arms 29 directed downward from the upper edge, which have inward retention hooks 200. These retaining hooks 200 engage under the retaining shoulder 601 in the assembled state, so that the upper part of the union housing 2 'cannot detach from the connector 6. The arms 29 mentioned are correspondingly resilient to ensure easy assembly. Here, too, the coupling housing 2 has inwardly directed longitudinal ribs 201 which, like the longitudinal ribs 25 in the solution described above, serve as anti-rotation devices, but at the same time engage in the longitudinal slots 63 and, in the assembled state, secure the bearing cams 31 against shifting upward.

The lower union housing part 2 ″ has an annular collar 202 which is provided with an internal thread 203. The internal thread 203 is designed such that it is connected to the external thread 600 fits combingly on the cylindrical wall 60 of the nozzle 6. When assembling, you therefore proceed by first placing the sealing ring 9 on the connector 6 and then placing the lower union housing part 2 "on the thread 600 from above and screwing it down as far as the stop 602. As before, the locking body 3 is pressed into the socket 6, the bearing cams 31 engaging in the longitudinal slots 63 as before, now only the upper union housing part 2 'is placed over the attachable closure in the partially assembled position, the resilient arms 29 with their retaining hooks 200 behind the retaining shoulder 601 As can be seen, the annular collar 202 is designed such that it comes to lie below the region of the longitudinal recess 62, so that this part is not in the way of the resilient arms 29 during assembly.

Ultimately, the second embodiment of the attachable closure 1 is shown again in a longitudinal section in the open state in FIG. It can be seen here that in the closed state, the cylindrical wall 20 of the upper union housing part 2 'protrudes over the annular collar 202, so that it is not recognizable in the assembled state and only the retaining apron 26 protrudes, which in the assembled state is integral with the upper Union housing 2 'acts connected. The sealing ring 9 will be chosen to be relatively soft, so that with slight changes in the dimensions of the thickened collar of the bottle necks, this inaccuracy can be accommodated and the bead 27 can still grip under this collar. A window 204 is also embedded in the holding apron 26. This also essentially serves to accommodate tolerances. If the collar on the bottle neck has a somewhat larger thickening, this thickening can protrude into the window 204, as a result of which the bulge 27 is certainly able to sufficiently grip the thickening.

List of reference numbers

1 attachable closure

2 union housing 2 'upper part of the union housing

2 "lower part of the union housing

3 locking bodies

4 pouring hole

5 operating lever 6 connecting piece

7 corrugation

8 O-ring seal

9 sealing ring

10 check valve 20 cylindrical wall

21 lower area

22 internal thread

23 upper area

24 inner paragraph 25 longitudinal ribs

26 apron

27 bead

28 conically drawn area

29 springy arms 30 spherical body

31 bearing cams

32 flat surfaces

60 cylindrical wall

61 upper area 62 longitudinal recess

63 longitudinal slots

64 collar

65 inner paragraph

66 thickened wall area 67 lower nozzle section

68 retaining bead

69 all-round gutter 200 retaining hooks

201 longitudinal ribs 202 ring-shaped collar

203 internal thread

204 windows

600 external threads

601 retention heel

Claims

claims

1. A cap (1) which can be placed on a bottle and which replaces a pin or a screw cap, characterized in that it has a socket (6) with a collar (64) resting on a bottle, in which a pivotable locking body (3) with a diametrically penetrating pouring hole (4), which has an integrally formed actuating lever (5), with outward-facing bearing cams (31) being present on the blocking body (3), which in the assembled state have two diametrically opposite slots (63) in the wall (60) of the socket, and that the locking body (3) is pressed in a sealing manner against an inner shoulder (65) in the socket (6) by means of a union housing (2), which prevents the slotted wall of the socket from spreading open.

2. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the union housing (2) as an internal thread (22)

Has coupling means for attachment to a bottle.

3. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting piece (6) has an external thread (600) on which a holding apron (26) with an annular collar (202) with an internal thread (203) is screwed, the Holding apron is able to hold on to the bottom of a thickened collar on the bottle neck.

4. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the union housing (2) with resilient arms (29)

Retaining hook (200) has below the slots

(63), in which the bearing cams (31) lie, behind

Heels engage on the outside of the neck, and that locking ribs are attached to the inner surfaces of the resilient arms (29), which determine the location of the bearing cam

(31) secure in the slots.

5. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner shoulder (65) is provided with an annular groove (69), in which an O-ring (8) for sealing between the locking body (3) and connecting piece (6) is mounted ,

6. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the neck (6) is provided at its end facing the bottle with a retaining bead (68) and that a rubber-elastic sealing washer is arranged on the neck between the retaining bead and the collar (64) is.

7. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the nozzle in the upper region (23) through the two diametrically opposite slots in two Semi-cylindrical shells is divided, these shells being slightly spherically curved inwards in the area of the upper edge.

8. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating lever (5) is formed in a perpendicular to the pivot axis of the locking body (3) extending diametrical plane near the through hole.

9. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the union housing (2) has a circumferential corrugation (7).

10. Closure according to claim 8, characterized in that the actuating lever (5) is arranged on the locking body (3) in such a way that it comes to rest in both end positions of the locking body on the upper edge of the connecting piece (6).