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
  • B65D41/62—Secondary protective cap-like outer covers for closure members
• • 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
  • B65D41/28—Caps combined with stoppers
• • 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
  • B65D45/00—Clamping or other pressure-applying devices for securing or retaining closure members
  • B65D45/32—Clamping or other pressure-applying devices for securing or retaining closure members for applying radial or radial and axial pressure, e.g. contractible bands encircling closure member
  • B65D45/322—Clamping or other pressure-applying devices for securing or retaining closure members for applying radial or radial and axial pressure, e.g. contractible bands encircling closure member the clamping device being an annular member moved axially to clamp the closure by using radial pressure
• • 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
  • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D51/16—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas
  • B65D51/1672—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas whereby venting occurs by manual actuation of the closure or other element
  • B65D51/1688—Venting occurring during initial closing or opening of the container, by means of a passage for the escape of gas between the closure and the lip of the container mouth, e.g. interrupted threads
• • 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
  • B65D2401/00—Tamper-indicating means
  • B65D2401/15—Tearable part of the closure
  • B65D2401/25—Non-metallic tear-off strips
• • 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
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/18—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient
  • B65D81/20—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas
  • B65D81/2046—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas under superatmospheric pressure
  • B65D81/2053—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas under superatmospheric pressure in an least partially rigid container

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a closure for a bottle.
• the invention relates to a closure suitable for closing bottles containing c arbonated or beverages having high levels of dissolved gas.
• the first of these is what is commonly referred to as “un-carbonated” or “still”. That is the wine does not contain a charge of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) dissolved in the liquid.
• the second type of wine is “carbonated” in that dissolved within the liquid is CO2, or some other food grade gas, most common however is CO2-
• An example of a carbonated wine is sparkling wine, in which CO 2 is added during secondary fermentatior processes.
• WO04058586A1 For either type of wine it is traditional to use a closure made from cork to seal the bottle, although there are a number of alternatives to cork closures including screw-cap closures and synthetic cork replacements. More recently there have been advances in wine closures such as those disclosed in WO04058586A1, which describes a way of sealing a wine bottle containing an un-carbonated wine. Indeed, the wine bottle closure of WO04058586A1 address a number of common problems associated with the use of standard cork closures such as cork taint, a ⁇ a result of trichloroanisole (TCA) leaching into the wine as well as the general degradation of cork closures that are not kept at the correct conditions.
• TCA trichloroanisole
• the wire cage covers the cork and wraps under the collar of the bottle and held jn place by a tightening of the wire.
• the wire cage Is first loosened then may be removed from the cork and the cork then either removed with the aid of a cork extractor or grip or gently levered off by hand. Without the wire cage restraining the cork, the pressure generated inside the bottle by the release of CO 2 from the wine can result in the rapid ejection of the cork.
• cork closures on sparkling wine bottles can suffer the same problems as still wine cork closure. This includes the significant problem of cark taint resulting from the TCA leeching from the cork into the sparkling wine and affecting the taste-
• Plastic corks have been used, however, these types of closures do not solve the safety issue, are associated with inferior product and are not generally accepted.
• Screw cap and crown seal closures have also been used to close sparkling wine bottles, but again the problem is that there is an association of such closures with cheaper products such as soft drinks, and as such they have not been widely accepted by the consuming public.
• collar refers to the ring of material that is placed around the neck of the bottle near the base of the finish. This is often referred to as a “CETIE” (Centre Technique International de I'Embouteillage et du Coditiontation) band
• finish refers to the top section of the bottle attached to the neck
• Another object of the invention is to provide a closure for bottles containing carbonated beverages that attaches to the collar of a standard bottle.
• a bottle closure for bottles containing liquids at hign pressure having a first part and a second part, the first part having a portion adapted to receive a portion of an upper section of a neck of the bottle, and a second part that fits substantially over the first part, which is relatively movable with respect to the first part and has at least two positions, s first of which is in a free position and a second of which is in an interlocking position whereby a portion of the second part urges against a portion of the first part receiving the upper section of the neck of the bottle so as to be engaging against an outer side of the said first part to hold it thereby to resist release from its interlocking position with respect to the said neck of an industry standard bottle.
• the first part includes a body having an outer surround that snaps onto and engages with an interlocking fit an outwardly extending integral collar on a neck of the bottle.
• the first part has a section of an outermost periphery shaped to engage with an inner portion of the second part.
• the second part includes a cap adapted to fit over at least a substantial portion of the body of the first part, the cap engaging with the outer surround in a first holding position so as to provide a compression force against an outer surface of the outer surround to effect a tightening of the outer surround to the bottle.
• the second part further includes a lower surround section.
• the outer surround further includes an upper surround section and a lower surround section;
• the lower surround section extends over the integral collar on the neck of the bottle.
• the lower surround section has an inwardly directed lip that affects the interlocking fit with a lower edge of the integral collar of the bottle.
• the lower surround section is joined to the upper surround section by a weakened zone.
• the lower surround section is a tear away strip.
• the upper surround section has an inwardly directed Hp that affects an interlocking fit with a lower edge of an integral bead on the mouth of the bottle.
• the upper surround section has at least a first groove on its outer surface shaped to engage a bead positioned on an inner surface of the cap.
• the upper surround section has a second groove on its outer surface shaped to engage with a bead positioned on an inner surface of the cap, the second groove being located above the first groove to provide a second holding position.
• the second groove is located on the body.
• the cap when in the second holding position the cap no longer provides a compression force against the outer surface of the outer surround.
• the cap has at least two positions, the first being a free or open position that does net provide any compression force against the first part (the outer surround) and the second position being the closed or interlocking position in which the cao does apply a force to the first part such that it interlocks with the bottle.
• the first seal has a central portion that extends substantially into the mouth of the bottle.
• the central portion has at least one longitudinal groove extending along a direction of elongation of the central portion so as to allow fluid communication (venting of pressurised gas) between the inside of the bottle and the outside of the bottle during extraction of the central portion from the neck of the bottle.
• the at least one longitudinal groove has a first end and a second end, the first end terminating at least substantially midway along the direction of elongation of the central portion.
• Another form of the invention can be said to reside in a closure for bottles containing liquids at high pressure, the closure having a first part and a second part, the first part which engages with interlocking fit an outwardly extending neck of the oottle, and a second part which is relatively movable with respect to the said first part and has at least two positions, a first of which is in a free position and a second of which is in an interlocking position whereby to be engaging against an outer side of the said first part to holds it thereby to resist release frorr its interlocking position with respect to the said neck of the bottle.
• the invention may also reside in a bottle closure, where the bottle is of the type having a mouth to be closed, the closure includes a body having an outer surround that snaps onto and engages with an interlocking fit an outwardly extending integral collar on a neck of the bottle, at least a first seal to be held under comp-essio ⁇ against the uppermost rim of the bottle mouth, and a cap adapted to ft over at least a substantial portion of the body, the cap engaging with the outer surround in a first holding position so as to provide a compression force agains-. an outer surface of the outer surround to effect a tightening of the outer surround to the bottle
• Figure 1 is a front elevation view of the invention according to first embodiment.
• Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bottle closure of the current invention.
• Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle closure in Figure 2
• Figure 4 is a cross-section view of the bottle closure in Figure 2, in a closed position, in a bottle.
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the invention bottle closure..
• Figure 6 is s cross-sectional a view of the bottle closure in Figure 5.
• Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle closure in a bottle.
• Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle closure in an open position.
• Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle closure being removed from the bottle.
• Figure 10 is a partial cut away view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 11 is a side view of the first part of the invention as shown in Figure 10, without the second part in place.
• Figure 1 shows the bottle closure 5 inserted into a bottle 7 in an unopened position.
• the bottle 7 is a type having a mouth to be closed and further includes a bead 19 about the outer face of the neck finish.
• Such neck finishes are well known to those skilled in the art and the figures of this application clearly show such a typical neck finish.
• the bottle closure 5 has a first part with a body 9 with a downward projection portion 11.
• the downward projection portion 11 has an upper section 13 and a lower section 15, the upper section 13 shaped internally to nestingly fit the outer shape of bead 19 of the bottle 7.
• the bead 19 is primarily used for a crown seal to engage upon so as to seal the bottle during the primary fermentation stage of sparkling wine. After the primary fermentation stage the bead 19 is not used by conventional cork closures.
• the lower section 13 is shaped to nestingly fit the integral collar 22 of the bottle 5, which is normally used to secure the wire cage or muslet that covers the cork closure.
• the body 9 has an upper groove 17 and lower groove 26, both of which are located around the periphery of the body 9 and are substantially parallel to one another. It would of course be well understood that it might not be necessary for the grooves 17 and 26 to travel completely around the periphery for the bottle closure 5 to work fully.
• the upper section 13 has an inwardly directed lip 28 and an adjacent inner face 30 that, in combination, engage the bead 19 securely.
• the longitudinal apertures 78 extend from the circumferential groove 80 to just above the weakened zone 40 so that when the lower section 40 is removed the individual segments 82 are released, which will still be attached to the body 9.
• the lower section 15 is joined to the upper section 13 by a weakened zone 40.
• the lower section 15 has a spiraling weakened zone 42 that converges with the weakened zone 40 that allows the lower section 15 to be frangible in that it is pulled apart by the user on opening.
• the lower section 15 has an inwardly directed lip 44 shaped to abut the lower face 46 of the collar 22 and provide a secure purchase thereto. The inner face 48 of the lower section 15 then presses against the outer face 50 of the neck 52 of the bottfe 7.
• the closure 5 also has a second part or cap portion 24, having an inner cavity 34 designed to securely accept the body 9 therein.
• the cap portion 24 further has an integral bead or ridge 32 extending around the inner chamber 34 and shaped to be at least substantially complimentary to the shape of the upper and lower grooves 17 and 26 respectively such that the ridge 32 can fit within the grooves 17 and 26 in a releasable manner such as to restrict the slidable travel of the cap portion to between the two grooves 17 and 26.
• About the outer surface 36 of the cap portion 24 are a series of ridges 38 that aid a users ability to grasp the sap portion 24 with their hand.
• a plunger portion 56 Positioned within the cavity 54 of the body 9 is a plunger portion 56 having a circumferential flange 58 that is shaped about its periphery to overlap with the upper face 60 of the bead 19 so that the concave portion 62 of the flange 58 comes into direct continuous contact with the upper face 60.
• the plunger portion 56 is constructed from a food grade plastic material, as it will come into direct contact with the contents of the bottle.
• the external diameter 64 of the surface 66 is stightly larger than the internal diameter of the inside of the neck of the bottle so as to ensure a snug fit. This then provides an exceptional barrier to any egress of liquid or gas within the bottle to the outside when the plunger portion 56 is in place. Notwithstanding this, there is also an additional sealing mechanism being a foil laminate seal 70 located in between the plunger portion 56 and the body 9. This provides a very effective seal against any gas transmission between the contents of the bottle and the outside environment. Such seals are well known to those skilled in the art.
• the plunger portion 56 has longitudinal grooves 72 thereon, extending tpwards from the base 74. These grooves allow for a slight controlled outlet of gas from the interior of the bottle during extraction of the plunger port on 56 from the neck of the bottle. Reinforcing segments 74 aid in strengthening the sides of the plunger portion 56.
• the base 74 is slightly convex in shape.
• the cap portion 24 and body 9 are preferably made from a resilient plastic material that has sufficient intrinsic strength not to deform substantially.
• the plunger portion 56 is preferably constructed from a more distortable plastics material than the cap portion 24 and body 9, as it is required to adapt to the shape of the inside surface 84 of the neck 52 of the bottle 7.
• Figure 4 shows the bottle closure 5 in a closed position inserted into a bottle 7.
• the cap portion 24 is pushed into a holding position so that the integral ridge 32 is placed within the lower groove 26 and provides an inwardly directing force against the upper section 13 of the body 9 to drive the inwardly directing lip 28 up against the lower face 61 of the bead 19.
• This in combination with the inwardly directing force of the lower section 15 urging the inwardly directing lip 44 against the lower face 46 of the collar 22 and the inner surface 48 against the outer face 50 of the bottle neck 52 provides sufficient force to hold the bottle closure 5 in place against the internal pressure that can develop within a bottle of sparkling wine.
• closure 100 there is a closure 100, with a first part having a body 109 and a second part being the cap portion 105.
• the cap portion 105 has a lower section 107 is joined to the cap portion 105 by a weakened zone 110.
• the lower section 107 has a spiraling weakened zone 112 that converges with the weakened zone 110 that allows the lower section 107 to be frangible in that it is pulled apart by the user on opening.
• the lower section 107 has an inwardly directed lip 115 shaped to abut the lower face 46 of tie collar 22 and provide a secure purchase thereto.
• the inner face 117 of the lower section 105 then presses against the outer face 50 of the neck 52 of the bottle 7, as shown in Figure 7.
• a user For removal of closure 5, a user first removes the lower section 15 by grasping the cap portion 24 at the ridges 38 and removing the lower section 15 by grasping the tab 86 and pulfing outwardly. This results in the lower section breaking first at the weakened zone 42, then at the weakened zone 40 that attaches the lower section 15 to the upper section 13.
• the plunger portion 56 is also extracted and any excess gas pressure present in the neck of the bottle is allowed to vent 88 through the longitudinal grooves 72 to the outside atmosphere.
• the amount of venting is only slight, so that upon final extraction of the plunger portion 56 under normal conditions there is still sufficient pressure of gas to create a detectable popping sound that is closely associated with the opening of sparkling wine bottles
• the bottle closure 5 can be used to effectively re-seal the bottle by re-inserting the plunger portion 56 into the mouth of the bottle and pushing the cap portion 24 downwards so that the integral ridge 32 disengages the upper groove 1 and slides down to engage the lower groove 26. This action then forces the segments 82 to re-engage the bead 19 of the bottle 7, to hold securely the bottle closure 5 in place.
• the seal provided by the plunger portion 56 against the inside of the neck 52 is sufficient to stop any of the liquid contents escaping from the bottle.
• the lower section 103 may be joined directly to the cap portion 102 as shown in Figure 7.
• the body 108 then has only the upper section 110, with the segments 112 joined thereto by the hinge sections 1 * 4.
• the plunger portion 56 and seal 70 remain the same. The working of this embodiment is as per previously described, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
• the bottle closure 200 has a first part 202 and a second part 205.
• the first part 202 has a body 207 and a plunger portion 209, which may be integral with the body 207.
• the upper section 210 of the body 207 has an outer surround with an inwardly directed lip 212 that can engage or urge up against the lower face 61 of the bead 19 of the bottle.
• the second part 205 has located about the inner periphery 213, a series of projections 214 that are shaped to fit within and align with the lower section 216 of the groove 215 of the first part 202.
• the groove 215 is shaped so that in a first position, the second part 205 urges against the engaging elements 218, and by a user twisting the second part 205 the projection 214 are guided to the upper section 217 of the groove 216, thus forcing the second part to move away from the engaging elements 218.
• the closure 200 can then be readily removed from the bottle 7.
• Projection 220 in the grooves 215 provide for a positive tactile feel to inform the user that the second part 205 has been rotated to the appropriate position.
• the lower section 222 of the second portion 205 works to engage the collar 22. as per the previous examples.

Priority Applications (9)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=39081835

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Cited By (10)

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Citations (7)

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• 2007
  • 2007-08-16 CL CL2007002373A patent/CL2007002373A1/es unknown
  • 2007-08-17 ES ES07784800T patent/ES2381294T3/es active Active
  • 2007-08-17 AT AT07784800T patent/ATE533702T1/de active
  • 2007-08-17 AU AU2007284077A patent/AU2007284077B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2007-08-17 CN CN2007800384989A patent/CN101528557B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-08-17 RU RU2009109099/12A patent/RU2009109099A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-08-17 WO PCT/AU2007/001161 patent/WO2008019443A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-08-17 EP EP07784800A patent/EP2051912B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2007-08-17 CA CA002660968A patent/CA2660968A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-08-17 AR ARP070103683A patent/AR062432A1/es unknown
  • 2007-08-17 PT PT07784800T patent/PT2051912E/pt unknown
  • 2007-08-17 NZ NZ574968A patent/NZ574968A/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-08-17 US US12/377,786 patent/US20100012615A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2009
  • 2009-03-02 ZA ZA2009/01457A patent/ZA200901457B/en unknown

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