WO2006114119A1

WO2006114119A1 - Stopper for bottling bottles and containers of various kind

Info

Publication number: WO2006114119A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/004512
Authority: WO
Inventors: Salvatore Mario Scano
Original assignee: Salvatore Mario Scano
Priority date: 2005-04-27
Filing date: 2005-04-27
Publication date: 2006-11-02

Abstract

Stopper for bottling bottles and containers of various kind for containing wines and similar products. Stopper comprising a first component part (6 ; 21 ; 28 ; 35 ; 41 ; 47) shaped with an assembly formed by a central body (11 ; 30) made of natural cork or cork agglomerate material and by an upper head (12) or washer (31) and a lower head (13) or washer (32), and comprising a second component part (7 ; 22 ; 29 ; 36 ; 42 ; 48) constituted by a sleeve (16 ; 24 ; 33 ; 37 ; 43 ; 49) made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, co-operating with said first component part (6; 21 ; 28 ; 35 ; 41 ; 47), and closed at its upper and lower end portions by closing means (12, 31, 26, 39, 51 ; 13, 32, 27, 40, 52).

Description

STOPPER FOR BOTTLING BOTTLES AND CONTAINERS OF VARIOUS KIND The invention relates to a stopper for bottling bottles and containers of various kind, adapted to plug in a simple and effective manner the neck of bottles and containers for containing wines and similar products. Stoppers of different kinds, shapes, dimensions and used materials are known, for bottling bottles and containers of various kind which are shaped at their upper part with a shaped neck, narrowed with respect to the remaining part of the same containers. Some types of used stoppers are constituted completely by natural cork, or by an agglomerate formed by a body of ground cork, mixed with adhesives, and by a covering head and bottom, applied on the upper and lower part of such body and made with natural cork with high quality. In fact, the use of cork for stoppers is preferred because due to its nature it guarantees a good transpiration and an effective container permeability, as well as a correct wine maturing. In order to be able to be used effectively on the market, these stopper kinds need preventive treatments with chemical materials, such as hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, soda, dyes, etc.. so as to achieve considerable qualitative standards. However, the above mentioned treatments of stoppers of this kind give rise to the drawback that the remainders of the utilized treatment materials are added to the natural mildews contained in the cork, providing for forming considerable quantities of peroxides, the contact of which with the wine changes in a perceptible manner the taste thereof (so-called "stopper taste"). Another drawback is constituted by the remarkable cost of the used raw material, above all when selected materials for obtaining good qualitative standards of the stoppers are required. Other kinds of used stoppers are constituted by stoppers of chemical materials like elastomers, which do not provide for forming mildews and peroxides, by cutting also the production costs. However, also these materials for stoppers give rise to drawbacks of various kind, in that they aren't able to guarantee effectively the material permeability, transpiration and elasticity (in fact, the used materials are stiff), a pleasant appearance for the consumer, and the time duration. Consequently, owing to the deficiency of these characteristics, these kinds of stoppers lend themselves to be used for bottling bottles and containers containing wines of moderate quality, but not wines of high quality, which depends essentially from the correct maturing of the same wines, which cannot leaving out of consideration a correct transpiration, a lack of mildews and/or peroxides, and maintenance of the stopper characteristics on the time. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks and applicative limits of the above mentioned stoppers currently used, by the use of a stopper according to the present_jiinvention which, thanks to the fact to use cork in the manner which will be described, allows on the one hand to achieve all the advantages deriving from the use of this material, and on the other hand to avoid all the negative aspects of the same material. This stopper is made with the constructive characteristics substantially described, with particular reference to the attached claims of the present patent. The invention will be better understood from the following description, given solely by way of not-limitative example thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings

in which : - Fig. 1 shows a perspective front and exploded view of the various component parts of the stopper according to the invention, on a first embodiment thereof; - Figs. 2 and 3 show a perspective front view of a first component part of the stopper of

Fig. 1, at two different steps of its manufacture ; - Fig. 4 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the stopper of

Fig. 1 ; - Figs. 5 and 6 show a perspective front view of a bottle neck with the stopper respectively introduced therein and partially extracted therefrom ; - Fig. 7 shows a perspective front and exploded view of the various component parts of the stopper according to the invention, on a second embodiment thereof ; - Figs. 8 and 9 show a perspective front view of a first component part of the stopper of Fig. 7, at two different steps of its manufacture ; - Fig. 10 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the stopper of Fig. 7 ; - Figs. 11 and 12 show a perspective front view of a bottle neck with the stopper respectively introduced therein and partially extracted therefrom ; - Fig. 13 shows a perspective front and exploded view of the various component parts of the stopper according to the invention, on a third embodiment thereof ; - Fig. 14 shows a perspective front view of a first component part of the stopper of Fig. 13 ; - Fig. 15 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the stopper of

Fig. 13 ; - Figs. 16 and 17 show a perspective front view of a bottle neck with the stopper respectively introduced therein and partially extracted therefrom ; - Fig. 18 shows a perspective front and exploded view of the various component parts of the stopper according to the invention, on a fourth embodiment thereof ; - Fig. 19 shows a perspective front view of a first component part of the stopper of Fig.

18 ; - Fig. 20 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the stopper of

Fig. 18 ; - Figs. 21 and 22 show a perspective front view of a bottle neck with the stopper respectively introduced therein and partially extracted therefrom ; - Fig. 23 shows a perspective front and exploded view of the various component parts of the stopper according to the invention, on a fifth embodiment thereof ; - Fig. 24 shows a perspective front view of a first component part of the stopper of Fig. 23 ;

- Fig. 25 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the stopper of Fig. 23 ;

- Figs. 26 and 27 show a perspective front view of a bottle neck with the stopper respectively introduced therein and partially extracted therefrom ; - Fig. 28 shows a perspective front and exploded view of the various component parts of the stopper according to the invention, on a sixth embodiment thereof ; - Fig. 29 shows a perspective front view of a first component part of the stopper of Fig. 28 ; - Fig. 30 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the stopper of Fig. 28 ; - Figs. 31 and 32 show a perspective front view of a bottle neck with the stopper respectively introduced therein and partially extracted therefrom. The above Figures schematically illustrate a stopper 5 for bottling bottles and containers of various kind, adapted to plug in a simple and effective manner the necks of bottles and containers for containing wines and similar products. In particular, Figs. 1-6 show a first embodiment of such stopper, which is substantially constituted by a first and a second component part 6 and 7, which are made and are joined to each other and on the neck 8 of a bottle or similar container 9 as it will be described later on. The first stopper component part 6 visible on Fig. 3 is substantially constituted by a single part 10 made of natural cork, shaped preferably of cylindrical form or also of other suitable form and provided with a central body 11 having adequate diameter and height, and a flat upper head 12 and a flat lower head 13 integral with the central body and made with reduced thickness and diameter larger than that of the same central body, wherein the central body 11 of such part 10 is obtained preferably by turning the outer surface of the sole corresponding central portion of an entire cork part 14 (see Fig. 2), having the same diameter of the heads 12 and 13, and therefore letting unchanged the outer surfaces of such heads. In turn, the second stopper component part 15, see Fig. 4, is substantially constituted by a sleeve 16 made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirant, shaped preferably with cylindrical form or also with other suitable form, having a size slightly smaller than the inner hole (17) of said bottle or container neck 8, in order to be able to fit itself sealingly therein, see Fig. 5 with the fully introduced stopper and Fig. 6 with the partially extracted stopper, such sleeve 16 being made with the same height of the stopper part 10 and with an inner through hole 18 having the same form and a diameter slightly larger with respect to the heads 12 and 13 of the stopper part 10. In this way, the stopper part 10 may be inserted under pressure for the entire length of the inner through hole 18 of the sleeve 16, on the condition in which such stopper part remains firmly joined with the sleeve 16 and its heads 12 and 13 of natural cork are arranged flushing with the respective upper and lower edges 19 and 20 of said sleeve, and the inner surface of the through hole 18 of said sleeve has the same profile of the outer surface of the central body 11 and the heads 12 and 13 of the part 10, and is situated at close contact with all this outer surface, thereby permitting the transpiration of the wine contained in the bottle or container 9 through the cork of the central body 11 and the heads 12 and 13, and permitting as well the direct contact with the wine of the sole lower head 13. Consequently, the so realized stopper allows to

achieve the following advantages : - contact with the wine of the cork limited to the inner head 13 only, and not with the entire stopper as in the case of the current cork stoppers, - the stopper is elastic for length time durations, - the cork chemical treatments and the relative drawbacks connected thereto are eliminated,

- perfect transpiration of the stopper, for the grounds set forth above, with consequent optimum wine maturing and conservation, which circumstances give these stoppers a high quality and which fulfil the consumer exigencies to have available cork stoppers for the transpiration, which therefore lend themselves well for bottling wines of high qualities, - reduction of the consumptions of the used natural cork, with consequent lower costs for supplying this raw material, - less working steps required for this stopper, with respect to those needed for the current stoppers. Figs. 8-12 show a second embodiment of the present stopper, which is yet constituted by a first and a second component part 21 and 22 which are joined under pressure to each other, of which the first component part 21 is made yet as a single part 23 identical and turned like the previous stopper part 10, and also made of natural cork, and the second component part 22 is yet shaped, like the previous second component part 7, with a sleeve 24 having the same form and the same material provided with an inner through hole 25 for the adapted insertion of the corresponding stopper part 23 therein, however in this case the sleeve 24 has a height larger than that of the stopper part 23, and is provided with two closing discs 26 and 27, respectively upper and lower discs, made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirant, in a manner that, after that the stopper part 23 has been introduced into the inner hole 25 of the sleeve 24, such discs sealingly close the two end portions of the through hole 25. Also in this case, Figs. 11 and 12 make it visible the present stopper fully introduced and partially extracted with respect to the neck 8 of a bottle or container 9. Consequently, with the so obtained stopper, which lends itself to be used by the consumers which need no contact of the cork with the wine, the following advantages are achieved : - stopper elasticity lasting on the time,

- the chemical treatments of the cork and the related drawbacks connected thereto are eliminated, - a steady standardized quality on the time is maintained, - reduction of the consumptions of the used natural cork, with consequent lower costs for supplying this raw material, - less working steps required for this stopper, with respect to those needed for the current stoppers, - use also in connection with wines of high quality. Figs. 13-17 show a third embodiment of the present stopper, which is yet constituted by a first and a second component part 28 and 29 which are joined under pressure to each other, of which the first component part 28 is made yet with the same form of the same previous component parts, however it is formed by a separate central body 30 made of agglomerate material, namely made of ground cork mixed with adhesives, and by a flat upper washer 31 and a lower washer 32 made of natural cork, having reduced thickness and diameter larger than that of the central body 30, which are secured adequately on to the relative upper and lower end portions of the same central body. In turn, the second component part 29 is yet shaped, like in the first embodiment, with a sleeve 33 the form and materials of which are identical and with the same length of the assembly central body 30- washers 31, 32, which is provided with an inner through hole 34 for the sealed adapted insertion of such corresponding assembly therein, in a manner that the washers 31 and 32 made of natural cork are arranged flushing with the corresponding upper and lower edges of the sleeve 33. Figs. 16 and 17 show the present stopper fully introduced and partially extracted with respect to the neck 8 of a bottle or container 9. This type of stopper permits the following advantages to be achieved : - contact of the wine with the cork, if required by the consumers, which is limited to the sole lower washer 32, with the same positive aspects of the first type of stopper, - stopper elasticity lasting on the time, - perfect stopper transpiration, with the same positive aspects of the first type of stopper, - the chemical treatments of the cork and the related drawbacks connected thereto are eliminated, - a steady standardized quality on the time is maintained, - reduction of the consumptions of the used natural cork, with consequent lower costs for supplying this raw material, - less working steps required for this stopper, with respect to those needed for the current stoppers, - re-use of wastes of ground cork, produced during the cork working, - achievement of stoppers of high quality, compatible for bottling of wines of high quality. Figs. 18-22 show a fourth embodiment of the present stopper, which is yet constituted by a first and a second component part 35 and 36 which are joined under pressure to each other, of which the first component part 35 is made identical and with the same materials of the first component part 28 of the third embodiment, and the second component part 36 is also shaped with a sleeve 37 having form and material identical and the height slightly larger than that of the assembly central body 30 - washers 31, 32, which sleeve is provided with an. inner through hole 38 for the tight adapted insertion of such corresponding assembly therein, in a manner that the edge of the washers 31 and 32 slightly re-enters with respect to the corresponding edge of the same sleeve. Then, the free end portions of the sleeve 37, after that said assembly has been inserted, are sealingly closed by means of corresponding thin closing discs 39 and 40 made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirating. Figs. 21 and 22 show the present stopper fully introduced and partially extracted with respect to the neck 8 of a bottle or container 9. With this type of stopper, which lends itself for the use for consumers who do not need the contact of the wine with the cork, the same advantages described in the second embodiment are achieved. Moreover, this stopper also permits to re-use the wastes of ground cork, produced during the wood working . Figs. 23-27 show a fifth embodiment of the present stopper, which is yet constituted by a first and a second component part 41 and 42 which are joined under pressure to each other, of which the first component part 41 is made identical to the first component part of the first embodiment and with the same material (namely all of natural cork), and the second component part 42 is also shaped with a sleeve 43 having form and size identical to the assembly central body 11 - upper and lower heads 12 and 13, and is made with elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirating, which sleeve is provided with an inner through hole 44 for the tight adapted insertion of such corresponding assembly therein, in a manner that the edge of the heads 12 and 13 is flushing with the corresponding upper edge 45 and lower edge 46 of the sleeve 43. Therefore, in this case the sleeve 43 made of elastomer or textile and/or plastic material is arranged into contact with the neck 8 of the bottle or container 9, while the cork of the lower head 13 is into contact with the wine, and these items are made evident on Figs. 21 and 22, where the present stopper is shown folly introduced or partially extracted with respect to the same neck. With this type of stopper, which lends itself for the use with consumers who need the contact of the wine with the cork, these advantages are further achieved :

- the chemical treatments of the cork and the related drawbacks connected thereto are eliminated, - stopper elasticity lasting on the time, - wine transpiration, - a steady standardized wine quality on the time is maintained, - reduction of the consumptions of the used natural cork, with consequent lower costs for supplying this raw material, - less working steps required for this stopper, with respect to those needed for the current stoppers, - use also in connection with wines of high quality. Figs. 28-32 show a sixth embodiment of the present stopper, which is yet constituted by a first and a second component part 47 and 48 which are joined under pressure to each other, of which the first component part 47 is made with the same form and the same material of the first component part 41 of the fifth embodiment, and the second component part 48 is also shaped with a sleeve 49 having form and material identical to that of the fourth embodiment (namely made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use), and height slightly larger than that of the assembly central body 11- upper and lower heads 12, 13, which sleeve is provided with an inner through hole 50 for the tight adapted insertion of such corresponding assembly therein, in a manner that the edge of the heads 12 and 13 is slightly re-entering with respect to the corresponding edge of the same sleeve. Then, the free end portions of the sleeve 49, after that said assembly has been, inserted, are tightly closed by means of corresponding thin closing discs 51 and 52 made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirating. Figs. 31 and 32 show the present stopper fully introduced or partially extracted with respect to the neck 8 of a bottle or container 9. With this type of stopper, which lends itself for the use with consumers who do not need the contact of the wine with the cork, the same advantages described for the fourth embodiment are achieved. Therefore, the so realized stopper may or may not use the cork for coming into contact with the wine and, in this latter case, owing to the reduced surface of the cork being coming into contact with the wine, do not change the taste characteristics thereof, thanks also to the fact that there are not more necessary, as previously, specific chemical treatments for the cork. Furthermore, thanks to the additional above described advantages which can be achieved, with this stopper it is possible to attain all the advantages deriving from the use of the cork and at the same time to avoid all the negative aspects of this material.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Stopper for bottling bottles and containers of various kind, adapted to plug the necks of bottles and containers for containing wines and similar products, characterized by a first component part (6 ; 21 ; 28 ; 35 ; 41 ; 47) and a second component part (7 ; 22 ; 29; 36 ; 42 ; 48) which can be joined under pressure to each other, said first component part (6 ; 21 ; 28 ; 35 ; 41 ; 47) being shaped preferably of cylindrical form or also of other suitable form and with an assembly formed by a central body (11 ; 30) made of natural cork or cork agglomerate material, and by an upper head (12) or an upper washer (31) and by a lower head (13) or a lower washer (32), made with a diameter larger than that of said central body and of natural cork, and said second component part (J ; 22 ; 29 ; 36 ; 42 ; 48) being constituted by a sleeve (16 ; 24 ; 33 ; 37 ; 43 ; 49) made of elastomer or other suitable textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirating, shaped preferably of cylindrical form or also other suitable form, having size slightly smaller than the inner hole (17) of said neck (8), in order to fit itself tightly therein, said sleeve (16 ; 24 ; 33 ; 37 ; 43 ; 49) being provided with an inner through hole (18 ; 25 ; 34 ; 38 ; 44 ; 50) having the same size and a diameter slightly larger than that of said central body (11 ; 30), of said upper head (12) or said upper washer (31) and said lower head (13) or said lower washer (32), for adapting said assembly into the same hole, closing means (12, 31, 26, 39, 51 ; 13, 32, 27, 40, 52) being provided for closing said sleeve (16 ; 24 ; 33 ; 37 ; 43 ; 49) respectively at its upper and lower end portions, this latter into contact with the wine or product contained into said bottle or container (9), after the adapted insertion of said assembly into said inner through hole (18 ; 25 ; 34 ;

38 ; 44 ; 50). 2. Stopper according to claim 1, characterized in that said assembly is made with the same height of said sleeve (16 ; 33 ; 43) and said closing means are constituted by said upper head (12) or said upper washer (31) and by said lower head (13) or said lower washer (32). 3. Stopper according to claim 1, characterized in that said assembly is made with a height smaller than said sleeve (24 ; 37 ; 49) and said closing means are constituted by an upper closing disc (26 ; 39 ; 51) and by a lower closing disc (27 ; 40 ; 52) made of elastomer or other textile and/or plastic material for alimentary use, also transpirating. 4. Stopper according to claim 2, characterized in that said upper and lower heads (12, 13) or said upper and lower washers (31, 32) are shaped integral with said central body (11 ; 30). 5. Stopper according to claim 2, characterized in that said upper and lower washers (31 , 32) are made separately to and secured adequately on to the corresponding end portions of said central body (30) .