WO2006103205A1

WO2006103205A1 - Bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like

Info

Publication number: WO2006103205A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/061036
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marco Barbieri
Original assignee: Marco Barbieri
Priority date: 2005-03-31
Filing date: 2006-03-24
Publication date: 2006-10-05
Also published as: ITMO20050072A1

Abstract

A bottle (1) for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like, of the type which comprises a body (2) for containing the beverage, which is provided, in an upper region, with a neck (3) which is open at the top, means (4) for temporarily closing the top of the neck, and at least one annular element (5) made of absorbent material, which is monolithically associated with the neck so as to form a sort of collar, which is suitable to contain any drops which have flowed out of the open top and are dripping along the neck.

Description

BOTTLE FOR BEVERAGES, PARTICULARLY WINES, LIQUEURS AND THE LIKE Technical Field

The present invention relates to a bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like. Background Art

It is known that wines and liqueurs are marketed and offered to the public contained in suitable bottles of various shapes and sizes, which have, at their top, a neck in which a traditional stopper made of cork, plastics or other similar materials is inserted snugly.

These bottles can have a more or less high aesthetic value, and one or more labels, bearing various indications as to their place of origin, production and type of contained liquid, are generally applied thereon.

After the steps for filling and stopper insertion, the top of the neck of the bottle may be covered by applying a sort of protective hood made of heat-shrink material or the like, which is made to adhere to said neck so as to form a single body, keeping the aesthetics of the bottle substantially unchanged.

This hood is removed completely or partially when the bottle is used, so as to allow to extract the stopper and then drink the beverage contained in the opened bottle.

One of the most frequent drawbacks, in particular in the case of wines and liqueurs, is the formation of one or more drops during the steps for transferring the beverage from the bottle to the glass; said drops inevitably drip along the body of the bottle until they reach the bottom and then the underlying supporting surface, which is usually the surface of a table covered by a tablecloth or the like.

Accordingly, the fallen drops form stains on the tablecloth, which has to be replaced and washed rather often, creating inconvenience and wasting time for the various users, such as for example restaurants and wine bars. In order to obviate this, so-called drip catchers are known which are suitable to avoid as much as possible the formation of drops or at least to contain their flow along the body of the bottle.

For example, spouts made of stainless steel, polimethylmetacrilate or other similar materials are marketed; they are inserted in the top of the neck of the bottle and are shaped conveniently so as to produce the correct outflow of the contained beverage.

As an alternative, rings made of sponge-like material are known which are contained within a rigid annular body made of metal, wood or plastics and are suitable to be arranged on the neck of the bottle, below the mouth from which the beverage flows out, and absorb any drops that have formed during pouring into the glass or other actions.

However, these devices are susceptible of further improvements; in particular, they alter the aesthetics of the bottle, are significantly expensive and bulky, and can be lost easily by the user, since they are separate and reusable bodies; further, they are not suitable, and therefore not usable, for any bottle type, shape and geometry. Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide a bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like, which allows correct transfer of the beverage contained therein without the aid of expensive and unsightly additional devices.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure which is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation, and has a relatively low cost.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by the present bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like, of the type which comprises a body for containing the beverage which is provided, in an upper region, with a neck which is open at the top and with means for temporarily closing the top of said neck, characterized in that it comprises at least one annular element made of absorbent material, which is monolithically associated with said neck so as to form a sort of collar, which is adapted to contain any drops which have flowed out of said open top and are dripping along said neck. Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs, and the like, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like, according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a detail of the bottle of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic front view of a first alternative embodiment of the bottle according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of a detail of the bottle of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a schematic sectional view of the detail of Figure 4 in the active configuration;

Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a detail of a second alternative embodiment of the bottle according to the invention;

Figure 7 is a schematic front view of a second alternative embodiment of the bottle according to the invention. Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like.

The bottle 1 comprises a body 2 for containing the beverage, which is provided in an upper region with a neck 3, which is open at the top, and with means 4 for temporarily closing said top, which are constituted merely by way of example by a conventional stopper made of cork, plasties or the like.

The bottle 1 further comprises an annular element 5 made of absorbent material, which is monolithically associated with the neck 3 so as to form a sort of collar, which is suitable to contain any drops which have escaped from the open top and are dripping along the neck.

A sort of protective film 6 is associated with the annular element 5 so as to adhere to it and can be superimposed at least partially on said element.

Conveniently, adhesive means, not shown, are interposed between the neck 3 and the annular element 5, such as for example adhesives, double- adhesive tapes or other technically equivalent elements.

The annular element 5 is made of sponge-like material, but alternative embodiments are not excluded.

In one possible embodiment (Figures 1 and 2), the protective film 6 is constituted by a band which is closed in a loop and can be completely superimposed on the annular element 5; said band is rendered removable by means of a traditional tab 7, which is suitable to be gripped by the user and removed together with said band.

In a first alternative embodiment (Figures 3, 4 and 5), the film 6 comprises a first annular portion 8, which is monolithically associated with the neck 3 proximate to the annular element 5, and a second annular portion

9, which is adjacent to the first portion 8 and can be superimposed on the annular element 5 and be removed when the bottle is used.

In a second alternative embodiment (Figures 6 and 7), the annular element 5 is constituted by an adhesive label 10, which comprises a first layer 11 made of absorbent material, for example of the paper-like type, which can be anchored to the neck 3, and a second external layer 12, which is rigidly coupled to the first layer 11 and is made of paper-like, plastics, metallic material or the like. In one possible but not exclusive embodiment, the label 10 is constituted by a substantially rectangular band provided with a first end 13 and a second end 14; the first end 13 can be superimposed on the second end 14 so that the band can wrap around the neck 3 monolithically.

Advantageously, the first end 13 is shaped so as to form a circular area whose breadth covers the second end 14 and can also be used as a surface onto which any trademarks, logos, captions, lettering or others can be applied.

The bottle 1 may further comprise a traditional capsule 15, which wraps partially around the neck 2, the top and the closure means 4 and is made of heat-shrink material and can be removed when the beverage is used and drunk.

In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, the film 6 can be made of heat-shrink material, like the capsule 15.

The annular element 5, as shown in the various figures, is external and arranged below the capsule 15, but alternative embodiments in which it is accommodated within said capsule are not excluded.

In practice it has been found that the described invention achieves the intended aim and objects.

In particular, it is noted that the aesthetics of the bottle remains substantially unchanged and that the annular element and the protective film can be customized and can be optionally decorated depending on the color of the labels and of the capsule.

Any drops of beverage which drip from the mouth of the bottle along the neck end their travel once they make contact with the absorbent portion of the annular element, be it constituted by a label or provided with a removable external film.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MO2005A000072 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A bottle for beverages, particularly wines, liqueurs and the like, of the type which comprises a body for containing the beverage which is provided, in an upper region, with a neck which is open at the top and with means for temporarily closing the top of said neck, characterized in that it comprises at least one annular element made of absorbent material, which is monolithically associated with said neck so as to form a sort of collar, which is suitable to contain any drops which have flowed out of said open top and are dripping along said neck.

2. The bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a sort of protective film, which is associated so as to adhere and is at least partially superimposable on said annular element.

3. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said film is at least partially removable.

4. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises adhesive means which are interposed between said neck and said annular element.

5. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said annular element is made of sponge-like material.

6. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said annular element is constituted by an adhesive label.

7. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said label comprises at least one first layer of material which is absorbent and can be anchored to said neck.

8. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said label comprises at least one second layer, which is external and monolithically coupled to said first layer and is made of paper- like, plastics, metallic material or the like.

9. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said label is constituted by a substantially rectangular band provided with a first end and a second end, said first end being superimposable on said second end and said band being suitable to wrap around said neck monolithically.

10. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first end is shaped so as to form a substantially circular area, the extent of which is such as to cover said second end.

11. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said film is constituted by a strip which is closed in a loop and can be superimposed at least partially on said annular element.

12. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said film comprises a first annular portion, which is monolithically associated with said neck proximate to said annular element, and a second annular portion, which is adjacent to said first portion, can be superimposed on said annular element and is removable.

13. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said adhesive means comprise a bonding agent or the like.

14. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said film is made of heat-shrink material.

15. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said annular element is made of a material such as absorbent paper.

16. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a sort of hood which partially wraps around said neck, said top and said closure means.

17. The bottle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said annular element and/or said film are interposed between said neck and said hood.