EP1549556B1 - Closure or stopper forms a surface tension seal - Google Patents
Closure or stopper forms a surface tension seal Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1549556B1 EP1549556B1 EP03794695A EP03794695A EP1549556B1 EP 1549556 B1 EP1549556 B1 EP 1549556B1 EP 03794695 A EP03794695 A EP 03794695A EP 03794695 A EP03794695 A EP 03794695A EP 1549556 B1 EP1549556 B1 EP 1549556B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- cap
- closure
- closure according
- bottle
- container
- 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.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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Classifications
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- 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
- B65D53/00—Sealing or packing elements; Sealings formed by liquid or plastics material
- B65D53/02—Collars or rings
-
- 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
- B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
- B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
- B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
- B65D1/023—Neck construction
- B65D1/0246—Closure retaining means, e.g. beads, screw-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
- B65D39/00—Closures arranged within necks or pouring openings or in discharge apertures, e.g. stoppers
- B65D39/08—Threaded or like closure members secured by rotation; Bushes therefor
-
- 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
- B65D39/00—Closures arranged within necks or pouring openings or in discharge apertures, e.g. stoppers
- B65D39/16—Closures arranged within necks or pouring openings or in discharge apertures, e.g. stoppers with handles or other special means facilitating manual actuation
-
- 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
- B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
-
- 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
- B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
- B65D41/0435—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with separate sealing elements
- B65D41/0442—Collars or rings
-
- 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
- B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
- B65D41/0435—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with separate sealing elements
- B65D41/045—Discs
-
- 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
- B65D41/32—Caps or cap-like covers with lines of weakness, tearing-strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices, e.g. to facilitate formation of pouring openings
- B65D41/46—Snap-on caps or cap-like covers
- B65D41/48—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
- B65D50/00—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures
- B65D50/02—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions
- B65D50/06—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of different actions in succession
- B65D50/061—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of different actions in succession being disengageable from container only after rotational alignment of closure, or other means inhibiting removal of closure, with container, e.g. tortuous path type
- B65D50/062—Closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal thereof, with or without indicating means, e.g. child-proof closures openable or removable by the combination of plural actions requiring the combination of different actions in succession being disengageable from container only after rotational alignment of closure, or other means inhibiting removal of closure, with container, e.g. tortuous path type the closure removal inhibiting means being a displaceable ring
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- 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
- B65D51/14—Rigid discs or spherical members adapted to be held in sealing engagement with mouth of container, e.g. closure plates for preserving jars
- B65D51/145—Rigid discs or spherical members adapted to be held in sealing engagement with mouth of container, e.g. closure plates for preserving jars by means of an additional element connected directly to the container
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- 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
- B65D55/00—Accessories for container closures not otherwise provided for
- B65D55/02—Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure
- B65D55/06—Deformable or tearable wires, strings, or strips; Use of seals, e.g. destructible locking pins
- B65D55/063—Muzzlets
Definitions
- This invention relates to closures or stoppers for containers containing liquid, powder or pastes, particularly wine bottles.
- cork closures have problems with taint, caused in a major part by Trichloroanisoles (TCA), known more commonly as corked taint or causing "corked wine". It has been estimated that the wine in up to 10% of all bottles of wine produced worldwide may be affected in this manner.
- TCA Trichloroanisoles
- a more recently recognised problem with using cork as a closure is the physical nature of cork having variability to the permeation of oxygen which can lead to inconsistent and uneven development of the bottled wine. Leakage has always been an issue associated with cork caused by a fault line or lines or porosity in the cork.
- Document GB-507,702 discloses a closure with the features recited in the preamble of claim 1.
- a closure for a container arranged to contain liquid, powder or paste comprising means to define a first extremely flat surface, a sealing member defining a second extremely flat surface, the extremely flat surfaces adapted to form a surface tension seal when they are pressed into parallel abutting contact and means to prevent lateral relative movement whereby the sealing member prevents escape of liquid, powder or paste from the container.
- the first surface may be formed on the container or on a component attached to the container.
- the closure may also include means to urge the extremely flat surfaces into parallel abutting contact.
- a closure for a wine bottle having a neck and an aperture
- the closure comprising a first extremely flat surface around the neck of the bottle, a sealing member having a second extremely flat surface, the sealing member being adapted to fit onto the first surface and across the aperture with the second surface in parallel abutting contact to form a surface tension seal, and means to prevent relative lateral movement of the surfaces
- the first extremely flat surface may be defined by the neck of the bottle, preferably the top section or an opening defined at the neck.
- the sealing member may be a disc of glass, ceramic, carbon, metal carbide, metal oxide or other hard materials that can define a flat surface.
- a removable member locates the sealing member laterally of the first surface.
- the closure may also include means to urge the surfaces into parallel abutting contact.
- An extremely flat surface is understood to embrace a surface that is finished with a roughness low enough (level of polish) to ensure a liquid-tight seal (that totally prevents escape of the liquid from the container) at maximum differential pressure allowed for the container.
- the roughness (level of polish) of the flat surface can be designed to create an airtight seal (hermetic seal) or to create air permeable seal (breathing seal) at specified pressure conditions inside the container.
- the differential pressure allowed across the seal will be related to the degree of downward force urging of the surfaces into parallel abutting contact.
- the surface is finished to have optical flatness to a few wavelengths of light.
- the surfaces are preferably provided on glass sintered ceramic, carbon, metal carbide, metal oxide or other hard materials which are inert to the materials it contains.
- the sealing member will have a degree of porosity to ensure restricted entry of air to allow the wine to breathe.
- the breathability could relate to the material per se or use of a porous plug in the material or the level of finish of the sealing surfaces and the pressure of surface to surface contact.
- the abutting flat surfaces are extremely flat with the flatness being in the order of a few wavelengths of light.
- the wavelength of light in the visible spectrum range is between about 400 nanometres for deep violet and about 700 nanometres for deep red. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre.
- the flat surfaces that form the shear seals may be formed in glass with one portion defined by a hardened coating on the bottle itself and the other portion being defined by a glass or other hard material sealing member.
- suitable inserts are provided in the bottle and the sealing member seals against those inserts.
- the surfaces of the bottle and sealing members are either manufactured from hard materials such as sintered ceramics that are lapped and polished to the desired flatness and surface finish, or alternatively the glass itself can be lapped and polished to the desired flatness and surface finish.
- Shear seals operate by pressing two extremely flat surfaces together to evacuate the air between the surfaces with the resulting surface tension providing a seal that is strong in the axial direction.
- the seal can only be broken by either lateral relative displacement of the surfaces that shears the seal or by the application of a significant force in the axial direction i.e. perpendicular to the seal surface. Consequently in all of the embodiments described hereunder, means is provided to place the flat surfaces into parallel abutting contact under pressure. All of the seals also incorporate means to prevent lateral displacement of the surfaces and thus prevent the shear force that would break the seal.
- a wine bottle 10 has a main body tapering upwardly to a neck 12.
- the neck has an opening 13 at the top that is sealed by a closure 20 that is a subject of this invention.
- the closure 20, shown in detail in Figures 1(c) and 1(d) essentially comprises a sealing member 21 that has a flat annular sealing surface or seat 22 that is arranged to be pressed into a parallel sealed engagement with a similarly profiled flat surface 23 on the top of the neck of the bottle.
- the flat surface 23 is known as the finish of the bottle.
- the sealing member 21 has a central downwardly extending core 24 with an outwardly projecting coarse thread 25.
- the coarse thread can be coated with "giving" material that will not cause abrasion of the contacting surfaces.
- the thread is arranged to engage a similarly profiled coarse thread 26 formed on the interior surface of the interior of the top of the neck 12 of the bottle 10.
- the sealing member 21 can also include a small annular groove 29 that houses an O-ring 30 of rubber, plastics or cork.
- the O-ring 30 can be replaced by an annular membrane of rectangular cross section.
- the upper surface of the sealing member 21 defines a slightly convex crown 31.
- the crown 31 may carry a trade mark and its periphery 32 may be knurled to assist purchase when the sealing member 21 has to be rotated relative to the bottle 10.
- the sealing member 21 is simply screwed into the threaded interior 26 of the neck.
- the sealing member 21 is turned until the sealing surface 22 is into tight parallel abutting contact with the annular seat 23.
- the rubber, cork or composite O-ring 30 or like member provides a precaution against release by vibration and acts as a secondary backup seal.
- the threaded engagement between the core 24 of the sealing member 21 and the neck of the body is sufficiently coarse to provide a degree of clearance that allows the parallel abutting surfaces to come into positive infinite parallelism to effect the seal.
- the core is preferably of a material or coated in a material which is soft or giving in nature so that the interior of the bottle is not abraded and thus no debris falls into the container.
- the core 24 allows the parallel abutting surfaces to come into positive infinite parallelism to effect the seal.
- the mouth of the neck of the bottle has a frustoconical cutout 40 with a triangular groove 41 towards the base.
- the cutout supports a similarly shaped insert 42 that is bonded to or moulded into the interior surface of the neck of the bottle.
- the insert provides an annular flat surface 44 on which the sealing member 21 is arranged to be in abutting sealed engagement when it is screwed into the neck of the bottle.
- the core 24 of the insert and the internal wall 27 of the bottle is internally threaded.
- An O-ring 30 of rubber, cork or composite or like member is also located in an annular groove 29 on the underside of the sealing surface to absorb vibration and act as a backup seal.
- the neck 12 of the bottle 10 has an internal undercut portion 50 that ends in an annular shoulder that defines the sealing surface 51 or finish on which the sealing member 21 engages.
- the sealing member is of cylindrical configuration with an external coarse thread 25 that mates with a similarly profiled thread 26 on the interior of the neck of the bottle.
- a rubber or cork O-ring 53 or like member locates between the top of the shoulder of the sealing member 21 to provide precaution against release by vibration.
- the sealing member is a screw fit into the threaded recess and is thus located from axial movement by the annular wall of the neck of the bottle.
- an elongate cutout 55 is provided in the upper surface 56 into which a coin or screwdriver can be inserted to effect anti-clockwise rotation of the sealing member to break the seal.
- This embodiment has the advantage that the sealing member 21 is protected from damage by the wall of the bottle. The whole of the sealing member is recessed into the top of the bottle.
- the construction is very similar to the embodiment of Figures 3 except that instead of using a polished surface of the bottle to support the seal a tapered recess of the kind described with reference to the embodiment of Figures 2 is incorporated into the neck of the bottle to support an insert that is bonded to the glass of the bottle.
- the insert provides the optically flat surface against which the sealing member engages.
- the external profile of the neck 12 of the bottle 10 has an annular land 65 that defines an undercut 64.
- a coarse external thread 63 is positioned above the land 65 and the top of the bottle known as the finish defines a flat annular sealing surface 67.
- the neck 12 is designed to accommodate a crimped metal foil cylindrical closure member 69 often referred to as a STELVINTM or screw cap enclosure.
- the closure member 69 is rolled onto the neck of the bottle to form a coarse internal thread 61 and terminates in a closure band 62 that locates in the undercut 64.
- the sealing member 70 has a domed upper surface 71 that extends through 72 an aperture in the top of the metal closure 73.
- the closure is the same as the embodiment of Figures 4 .
- the metallic screw cap 69 is replaced by a thicker plastics cap 80 that is in threaded engagement with the exterior of the neck of the bottle.
- the cap has an opening 81 through which the dome 71 of the sealing member 70 extends but the sealing member engages and seals with the top of the bottle as in embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 .
- An annular cork or rubber ring 68, metal spring or wave washer locates under the top of the cap against the sealing member 70 to place the sealing member in axial compression against the top of the bottle.
- the cap 85 is not in screw threaded engagement with the exterior of the bottle but includes three equally spaced inwardly projecting lugs 86 that are adapted to slide down elongate channels in the exterior of the bottle and then engage on a shoulder defined by the annular recess 87 shown in Figure 6(b) . In this manner, the cap can be slid down the grooves in the bottle and then turned to assume a locked position similar to that shown in Figure 6(b) .
- the annular cork or rubber ring 68 is compressed when the cover 85 is in this position to pull the sealing member 70 into compression on the top of the bottle.
- the embodiment shown in Figure 6(d) is similar to that of Figure 6(c) except that the cap 85 has a skeletal or open walled structure.
- an external screw threaded closure 120 covers the top of the neck 12 of the bottle 10.
- the sealing member 121 is defined by the underside of a ceramic cap with a downward skirt 122 that terminates in a lip 124 that engages in a groove 125 in the bottle neck 12.
- the top of the bottle 10 defines an annular flat sealing surface 128 on which the sealing member seals.
- the inside of the cap has a coarse thread 129 that co-operates with a similar coarse thread 127 on the exterior of the bottle neck 12.
- the neck 12 of the wine bottle 10 terminates in an annular land 65, an external coarse screw thread 63 and a substantially flat annular sealing surface 67 on the top of the bottle.
- the closure comprises a circular glass disc 66 that is adapted to sit on the sealing surface 67 on the top of the neck 12 of the bottle, a spring steel dished washer 130 and a cap 131.
- the cap is stepped and has a central aperture 132 bounded by an internal flange 133.
- the spring washer 130 locates between the top of the disc 66 and the underside of the in turned flange 133.
- the cap 131 has a lower rim 134 terminating in four equally spaced inwardly facing lugs 138 that as shown in Figure 8(b) engage the coarse thread 63 on the neck of the bottle.
- the cap 131 is turned through a quarter or half a turn on the coarse thread 63 on the neck of the bottle, it is pulled down onto the neck of the bottle and the dished washer 130 is pressed flat to further urge the sealing disc 66 into positive engagement with the upper surface 67 of the bottle to assume the assembled/sealed configuration as shown in Figure 8(b) .
- the bottle 10 has a similar neck portion 12 to the embodiment shown in Figures 8 , namely with provision of an annular land 65 and external coarse thread 63 with the sealing surface 67 provided at the top of the bottle.
- a metal or plastics cap 250 has a central aperture 251 and a lateral rim 252 terminating in inwardly facing lugs 253 like the embodiment of Figure 8 which enable the cap 250 to be screwed onto the neck 12 of the bottle in the same manner as the previous embodiment.
- the top of the cap has an internal spring steel lip 254 that replaces the separate spring washer of the embodiment of Figure 8 .
- the in turned lip 254 can be axially compressed to provide a degree of axial load on the sealing disc 260 in the assembled view shown in Figure 9(b) .
- the flat sealing surfaces are held in compression by the pull of the cap on the coarse thread and the resilience of the inturned lip 254 on the top of the cap 250.
- the disc 260 is a slightly different configuration having a lower annular sealing surface 261 with a raised central section 242.
- the top of the disc 260 has an annular surface 264 on which the spring lip 254 of the cap 250 engages and a slightly raised central section 265 at the top of the disc 260.
- the disc includes three equally spaced projections 266 around its periphery.
- the effective diameter of the projections 266 is greater than an inwardly projecting rib 257 on the cap 250 such that the disc 260 can not fall out of the cap 250, thus ensuring that the disc 240 is held captive of the cap 250 even when the closure is off the bottle.
- the top of the cap 250 also has three radial slits 259 to increase the inherent spring capacity of the cap.
- a further safety feature shown in Figure 9(b) is the provision of an outer tape seal 270 that wraps around the annular rim 252 on the neck of the bottle and the underside of the cap.
- the tape seal 270 can, if necessary, extend to the top of the cap 250 and provides a tamper proof indication that the closure has not been used. To open the closure the tape seal 270 must first be removed from the closure and then the closure can be released by a quarter or half turn which causes the cap 250 to spring up from the neck of the bottle and releases the seal 260.
- the sealing disc 280 includes a central porous insert 281 that is introduced to provide a degree of breathability through the seal.
- a rubber, cork or other slightly resilient membrane 282 is located in an undercut groove 283 in the underside of the seal 280 and sits on part of the sealing surface 67 of the neck of the bottle to provide a degree of cushioning to prevent the seal breaking through vibration.
- the membrane 282 also acts as a backup seal especially in the event of faulty sealing surfaces.
- the anti-vibration ring or membrane 282 is of rectangular cross section. It is however understood that it could be of circular or other cross sectional shapes.
- the porous insert 281 is preferably positioned in the seal disc 280 during the moulding process in which the seal disc is produced.
- the seal can be effected or released by about a quarter turn.
- the closure 180 comprises a disc shaped seal 181 that seats on the upper surface of the neck 12 of the bottle 10.
- a metal, plastics or ceramic cap 182 sits over the top of the neck of the bottle and includes a central aperture 183 in the top of the cap 182.
- the cap 182 has a downwardly extending skirt 190 defined by arcuate fingers 189 as shown in Figure 10(a) .
- the exterior of the neck 12 of the bottle includes an annular outwardly projecting land 184 and an outer collar 185 fits over the cap 182. in use, the collar 185 is pushed down over the cap 182 to assume the closed sealed position shown in Figures 10(c) and 10(d) .
- the end of the skirt 190 of the cap defines an inwardly turned lip 187 that engages on the underside of the land 184.
- the collar 185 has a rectangular cutout 188 and the periphery of the skirt 190 has projections 191 that flex outwardly as shown in Figure 10(d) to engage within the cutout 188.
- a wave washer 194 sits between the underside of the cap 182 and the top of the disc seal 181 to, when in the position shown in Figure 10b , urge the seal 181 into parallel contact with the upper surface of the wine bottle to effect the seal.
- the outer collar 185 is turned through a quarter of a turn that has the effect of causing the inner surface of the collar to press down the projection 191 allowing the collar to slide upwardly. This then allows the cap to be pulled off the top of the neck of the bottle and releases the pressure on the seal 181 to break the seal and release the contents of the bottle.
- a tab 195 formed on the skirt 190 of the cap 182 springs inwardly to engage against the underside of the disc 181 to prevent the disc 181 and washer 194 from falling out of the cap 182.
- the closure can thus be resealed by simply pushing down on the outer collar 185 to cause the in turned lip 187 of the skirt 190 to again clip under the base of the land 184.
- FIG. 11(a) to 11(d) a similar closure is provided except that in this case the interior of the upper surface of the cap 200 has a series of spaced downwardly extending in turned fingers 201 that act as a spring member to, as shown in Figure 11(d) , urge the sealing disc 181 into parallel contact with the upper surface of the neck 12 of the bottle 10.
- This embodiment also includes an external collar 185 that pushes down on the exterior of the bottle with a lip 187 on the skirt 190 of the cap 200 springing into engagement with the underside of the land 164 on the exterior of the bottle neck.
- the resilient fingers 201 formed on the interior of the aperture of the cap 200 provide the resilience that causes the sealing compression of the sealing member 181 on the sealing surface defined at the top of the bottle. As the collar 185 is pulled up to the position shown in Figure 11b the spring force is relieved thereby releasing the seal. Pushing the collar 185 back down onto the cap 200 again places the seal in compression and reseals the bottle.
- This embodiment may also include means to locate the disc 181 within the cap 200 when in the open unsealed configuration of Figure 11(b) .
- the closure comprises a sealing disc 231 that sits in parallel abutting contact with the top surface of the neck 12 the bottle 10.
- the abutting surfaces of the disc 231 and the bottle have the desired surface finish to produce the seal and the assembly is held in position by a wire frame 233 that is similar to the wire used on conventional champagne corks.
- the frame 233 pulls the disc 231 into axial compression and can be released by undoing the rim 234 of the frame 233 that sits under an external rim on the neck 12 of the bottle 10. Once the wire frame 233 has been removed, it is a simple matter to either laterally or axially displace the sealing disc off the top of the bottle thereby releasing the contents.
- Still wine usually has the capacity of resisting internal pressures of 140kPa (20psi).
- the closures to wine bottles are usually designed to resist internal pressures of 170kPa (25psi).
- the closures described provide vent resistance of 200-350kPa (30-50psi).
- the force required to hold a sealing member at an internal pressure of 140kPa is 40N (4kg) whilst at a pressure of 350kPa it would by 99N (9.9kg).
- the maximum acceptable extraction force for a cork closure is usually 450N (45kg).
- the optically flat contact between the sealing member and the sealing surface can provide an airtight seal. This is in contrast with more conventional corks where a certain degree of breathing is allowed, allowing air to enter the space between the top of the wine and the end of the cork. There are many in the wine industry that view this entry of air as being crucial to enhance the ageing of the wine. If seals of the kind described above are to be used with wine of that type where a degree of permeation of oxygen is required then it is understood that the sealing member could have an inherent degree of porosity that provides this access to oxygen.
- the capacity of the closure to permit entry of air can be controlled not only by the material of the sealing disc but by the quality of the sealing surfaces. A rougher, less smooth and flat surface could be used to prevent liquid escape yet allow a controlled degree of air entry.
- the sealing disc preferably in glass, can include a plug of porous material with its porosity and cross section controlled to provide the desired air entry. In this manner the closure of this invention can allow wine to age in the same manner as cork without the possibility of cork contamination.
- porosity is controlled by the seal and anti-vibration membranes are included it is understood that they too would have a degree of porosity to allow passage of air.
- the closure could comprise a series of such discs superimposed one on the other.
- the porosity could thus be selectively varied by removing one or more of the discs to vary the rate of air passage.
- the cap could be designed to allow removal of one or more discs without disturbing the actual seal.
- closures discussed above may be applied in a zone of partial vacuum to remove air from the top of the bottle.
- the invention is not limited to wine bottles.
- the closures may be used on many other types of containers for liquids, powders or pastes.
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- Closures For Containers (AREA)
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Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to closures or stoppers for containers containing liquid, powder or pastes, particularly wine bottles.
- A major technical issue in the wine industry is the unpredictable incidences of problems that occur once the wine has been bottled due to the properties of the closures used.
- Traditional cork closures have problems with taint, caused in a major part by Trichloroanisoles (TCA), known more commonly as corked taint or causing "corked wine". It has been estimated that the wine in up to 10% of all bottles of wine produced worldwide may be affected in this manner. A more recently recognised problem with using cork as a closure is the physical nature of cork having variability to the permeation of oxygen which can lead to inconsistent and uneven development of the bottled wine. Leakage has always been an issue associated with cork caused by a fault line or lines or porosity in the cork.
- The continued and increasing dissatisfaction amongst wine makers with the performance of natural cork as a closure has led to some use of synthetic material and varying forms of approach such as the screw top "STELVIN™" cap. There have been issues of taint and other performance issues from synthetic materials and the screw type closures and there is limited experience and testing of the performance of these materials. There is also considerable market resistance to the use of synthetic materials.
- Document
GB-507,702 - Document
US-2001/052508 A1 discloses a bottle including a neck portion, and a screw closure. When said screw closure is fully inserted and secured within neck portion, the flange rimmed top of the screw closure is matingly engaged with the opening of the neck portion to enhance the air-tight seal provided by the screw closure within the neck portion. - According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a closure for a container arranged to contain liquid, powder or paste, the container comprising means to define a first extremely flat surface, a sealing member defining a second extremely flat surface, the extremely flat surfaces adapted to form a surface tension seal when they are pressed into parallel abutting contact and means to prevent lateral relative movement whereby the sealing member prevents escape of liquid, powder or paste from the container.
- The first surface may be formed on the container or on a component attached to the container. The closure may also include means to urge the extremely flat surfaces into parallel abutting contact.
- In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention there is provided a closure for a wine bottle having a neck and an aperture, the closure comprising a first extremely flat surface around the neck of the bottle, a sealing member having a second extremely flat surface, the sealing member being adapted to fit onto the first surface and across the aperture with the second surface in parallel abutting contact to form a surface tension seal, and means to prevent relative lateral movement of the surfaces,
- The first extremely flat surface may be defined by the neck of the bottle, preferably the top section or an opening defined at the neck. The sealing member may be a disc of glass, ceramic, carbon, metal carbide, metal oxide or other hard materials that can define a flat surface. Preferably a removable member locates the sealing member laterally of the first surface. The closure may also include means to urge the surfaces into parallel abutting contact.
- An extremely flat surface is understood to embrace a surface that is finished with a roughness low enough (level of polish) to ensure a liquid-tight seal (that totally prevents escape of the liquid from the container) at maximum differential pressure allowed for the container. At the same time the roughness (level of polish) of the flat surface can be designed to create an airtight seal (hermetic seal) or to create air permeable seal (breathing seal) at specified pressure conditions inside the container. It is understood that the differential pressure allowed across the seal will be related to the degree of downward force urging of the surfaces into parallel abutting contact. In a preferred embodiment where the liquid is wine the surface is finished to have optical flatness to a few wavelengths of light. The surfaces are preferably provided on glass sintered ceramic, carbon, metal carbide, metal oxide or other hard materials which are inert to the materials it contains.
- In one embodiment the sealing member will have a degree of porosity to ensure restricted entry of air to allow the wine to breathe. The breathability could relate to the material per se or use of a porous plug in the material or the level of finish of the sealing surfaces and the pressure of surface to surface contact.
- Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
-
Figure 1(a) is a side elevation view of a wine bottle with a closure having an internal screw thread, -
Figure 1(b) is a cross section view of the bottle taken along the lines L-L ofFigure 1(a) , -
Figures 1(c) and 1(d) are a perspective view and cross sectional view of the closure, -
Figures 2(a) and 2(b) are perspective and sectional views of a closure with an internal screw thread and insert, -
Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are similar illustrations of a closure with an internal screw thread and internal sealing surface, -
Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are similar illustrations of a closure secured in position by an external cap, -
Figures 5(a) and 5(b) are similar illustrations of a closure that incorporates a domed projection through the cap, -
Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are similar illustrations of a closure that has an external screw threaded cap, -
Figures 6(c) and 6(d) are perspective views of modified caps, -
Figures 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective and cross sectional views of an externally mounted screw top closure, -
Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are perspective and sectional views of a screw closure that incorporates a spring washer, -
Figures 8(c) is an exploded view of the closure ofFigure 8(b) , -
Figure 8(d) is a perspective view of the underside of the cap ofFigure 8(c) , -
Figures 9(a) and 9(b) are perspective and sectional views of a screw closure with an inbuilt spring washer, -
Figure 9(c) is a perspective view of a sealing disc of the closure, -
Figure 9(d) is a sectional view of the closure ofFigure 9(b) with a porous insert, -
Figures 10(a) and 10(b) are respectively elevational and cross-sectional views of a closure that includes a push-on outer sleeve in an open configuration, -
Figures 10(c) and 10(d) are elevational and cross section views of the closure in a closed sealed configuration, -
Figures 11(a) and 11(b) are a perspective and sectional view of a closure incorporating an outer collar and spring cap in an open configuration, -
Figures 11(c) and 11(d) are perspective and sectional views of the closure in a closed sealed configuration, and -
Figure 12 is a perspective view of a closure using a wire cap. - The embodiments of the invention described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings, all relate to closures for liquid containers and especially wine bottles. In essence the sealed closure is performed by the abutting contact between two extremely flat and smooth surfaces that are pressed into engagement to form a shear seal. All the embodiments include means to urge the surfaces into parallel abutting contact and to laterally locate the flat surfaces to prevent the seal being broken.
- The abutting flat surfaces are extremely flat with the flatness being in the order of a few wavelengths of light. The wavelength of light in the visible spectrum range is between about 400 nanometres for deep violet and about 700 nanometres for deep red. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre. The flat surfaces that form the shear seals may be formed in glass with one portion defined by a hardened coating on the bottle itself and the other portion being defined by a glass or other hard material sealing member. In other embodiments suitable inserts are provided in the bottle and the sealing member seals against those inserts. The surfaces of the bottle and sealing members are either manufactured from hard materials such as sintered ceramics that are lapped and polished to the desired flatness and surface finish, or alternatively the glass itself can be lapped and polished to the desired flatness and surface finish.
- Shear seals operate by pressing two extremely flat surfaces together to evacuate the air between the surfaces with the resulting surface tension providing a seal that is strong in the axial direction. The seal can only be broken by either lateral relative displacement of the surfaces that shears the seal or by the application of a significant force in the axial direction i.e. perpendicular to the seal surface. Consequently in all of the embodiments described hereunder, means is provided to place the flat surfaces into parallel abutting contact under pressure. All of the seals also incorporate means to prevent lateral displacement of the surfaces and thus prevent the shear force that would break the seal.
- In the embodiments described hereunder the same reference numerals are used for common features.
- As shown in
Figures 1(a) and 1(b) awine bottle 10 has a main body tapering upwardly to aneck 12. The neck has anopening 13 at the top that is sealed by aclosure 20 that is a subject of this invention. Theclosure 20, shown in detail inFigures 1(c) and 1(d) , essentially comprises a sealingmember 21 that has a flat annular sealing surface orseat 22 that is arranged to be pressed into a parallel sealed engagement with a similarly profiledflat surface 23 on the top of the neck of the bottle. Theflat surface 23 is known as the finish of the bottle. The sealingmember 21 has a central downwardly extendingcore 24 with an outwardly projectingcoarse thread 25. The coarse thread can be coated with "giving" material that will not cause abrasion of the contacting surfaces. The thread is arranged to engage a similarly profiledcoarse thread 26 formed on the interior surface of the interior of the top of theneck 12 of thebottle 10. The sealingmember 21 can also include a smallannular groove 29 that houses an O-ring 30 of rubber, plastics or cork. The O-ring 30 can be replaced by an annular membrane of rectangular cross section. The upper surface of the sealingmember 21 defines a slightlyconvex crown 31. - As shown in
Figure 1(c) thecrown 31 may carry a trade mark and itsperiphery 32 may be knurled to assist purchase when the sealingmember 21 has to be rotated relative to thebottle 10. To seal the bottle after it has been filled to the desired level, the sealingmember 21 is simply screwed into the threadedinterior 26 of the neck. The sealingmember 21 is turned until the sealingsurface 22 is into tight parallel abutting contact with theannular seat 23. The rubber, cork or composite O-ring 30 or like member provides a precaution against release by vibration and acts as a secondary backup seal. The threaded engagement between the core 24 of the sealingmember 21 and the neck of the body is sufficiently coarse to provide a degree of clearance that allows the parallel abutting surfaces to come into positive infinite parallelism to effect the seal. The core is preferably of a material or coated in a material which is soft or giving in nature so that the interior of the bottle is not abraded and thus no debris falls into the container. Thecore 24 allows the parallel abutting surfaces to come into positive infinite parallelism to effect the seal. - To release the seal it is a simple matter to turn the sealing
member 21 anti-clockwise to release the threaded engagement and break the seal. The combination of the seal between the parallel abutting surfaces and the axial force required to break the seal coupled with the interconnection between the threaded core and the neck of the bottle ensures a totally efficient seal that can withstand vibration, noise and relative temperature fluctuations. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 2(a) and 2(b) , the mouth of the neck of the bottle has afrustoconical cutout 40 with atriangular groove 41 towards the base. The cutout supports a similarly shapedinsert 42 that is bonded to or moulded into the interior surface of the neck of the bottle. The insert provides an annularflat surface 44 on which the sealingmember 21 is arranged to be in abutting sealed engagement when it is screwed into the neck of the bottle. As in the embodiment ofFigures 1 , thecore 24 of the insert and theinternal wall 27 of the bottle is internally threaded. An O-ring 30 of rubber, cork or composite or like member is also located in anannular groove 29 on the underside of the sealing surface to absorb vibration and act as a backup seal. - In the embodiment of
Figures 3(a) and 3(b) , theneck 12 of thebottle 10 has an internal undercutportion 50 that ends in an annular shoulder that defines the sealingsurface 51 or finish on which the sealingmember 21 engages. The sealing member is of cylindrical configuration with an externalcoarse thread 25 that mates with a similarly profiledthread 26 on the interior of the neck of the bottle. A rubber or cork O-ring 53 or like member locates between the top of the shoulder of the sealingmember 21 to provide precaution against release by vibration. The sealing member is a screw fit into the threaded recess and is thus located from axial movement by the annular wall of the neck of the bottle. To release the seal anelongate cutout 55 is provided in theupper surface 56 into which a coin or screwdriver can be inserted to effect anti-clockwise rotation of the sealing member to break the seal. This embodiment has the advantage that the sealingmember 21 is protected from damage by the wall of the bottle. The whole of the sealing member is recessed into the top of the bottle. - In an embodiment (not shown) the construction is very similar to the embodiment of
Figures 3 except that instead of using a polished surface of the bottle to support the seal a tapered recess of the kind described with reference to the embodiment ofFigures 2 is incorporated into the neck of the bottle to support an insert that is bonded to the glass of the bottle. The insert provides the optically flat surface against which the sealing member engages. - In the embodiment illustrated in
Figures 4(a) and 4(b) the external profile of theneck 12 of thebottle 10 has anannular land 65 that defines an undercut 64. A coarseexternal thread 63 is positioned above theland 65 and the top of the bottle known as the finish defines a flatannular sealing surface 67. Theneck 12 is designed to accommodate a crimped metal foilcylindrical closure member 69 often referred to as a STELVIN™ or screw cap enclosure. Theclosure member 69 is rolled onto the neck of the bottle to form a coarseinternal thread 61 and terminates in aclosure band 62 that locates in the undercut 64. By rotating the top of theclosure member 69 by theknurled exterior 32 shown inFigure 4(a) the foil of theclosure band 62 is broken and the metal cap can be removed. The actual seal is effected through the interface between a disc like sealingmember 66 that seats on the flatannular sealing surface 67 defined by the top of theneck 12 of the bottle. A rubber or cork ring orspring 68 sits on the exterior of the top of the sealingmember 66 on the underside of themetal cap 69 to place the seal under axial load and protects the seal from vibration. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 5(a) and 5(b) the sealingmember 70 has a domedupper surface 71 that extends through 72 an aperture in the top of themetal closure 73. In all other respects the closure is the same as the embodiment ofFigures 4 . - In the embodiment of
Figures 6(a) and 6(b) themetallic screw cap 69 is replaced by a thicker plastics cap 80 that is in threaded engagement with the exterior of the neck of the bottle. To improve the aesthetics of the cap it is understood that it could be made in other suitable materials. The cap has anopening 81 through which thedome 71 of the sealingmember 70 extends but the sealing member engages and seals with the top of the bottle as in embodiment shown inFigures 4 and 5 . An annular cork orrubber ring 68, metal spring or wave washer locates under the top of the cap against the sealingmember 70 to place the sealing member in axial compression against the top of the bottle. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 6(c) and 6(d) , thecap 85 is not in screw threaded engagement with the exterior of the bottle but includes three equally spaced inwardly projectinglugs 86 that are adapted to slide down elongate channels in the exterior of the bottle and then engage on a shoulder defined by theannular recess 87 shown inFigure 6(b) . In this manner, the cap can be slid down the grooves in the bottle and then turned to assume a locked position similar to that shown inFigure 6(b) . The annular cork orrubber ring 68 is compressed when thecover 85 is in this position to pull the sealingmember 70 into compression on the top of the bottle. The embodiment shown inFigure 6(d) is similar to that ofFigure 6(c) except that thecap 85 has a skeletal or open walled structure. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 7(a) and 7(b) an external screw threadedclosure 120 covers the top of theneck 12 of thebottle 10. The sealingmember 121 is defined by the underside of a ceramic cap with adownward skirt 122 that terminates in alip 124 that engages in agroove 125 in thebottle neck 12. The top of thebottle 10 defines an annularflat sealing surface 128 on which the sealing member seals. The inside of the cap has acoarse thread 129 that co-operates with a similar coarse thread 127 on the exterior of thebottle neck 12. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 8(a) to 8(d) theneck 12 of thewine bottle 10 terminates in anannular land 65, an externalcoarse screw thread 63 and a substantially flatannular sealing surface 67 on the top of the bottle. The closure comprises acircular glass disc 66 that is adapted to sit on the sealingsurface 67 on the top of theneck 12 of the bottle, a spring steel dishedwasher 130 and acap 131. The cap is stepped and has acentral aperture 132 bounded by aninternal flange 133. Thespring washer 130 locates between the top of thedisc 66 and the underside of the in turnedflange 133. Thecap 131 has alower rim 134 terminating in four equally spaced inwardly facinglugs 138 that as shown inFigure 8(b) engage thecoarse thread 63 on the neck of the bottle. In this embodiment, as thecap 131 is turned through a quarter or half a turn on thecoarse thread 63 on the neck of the bottle, it is pulled down onto the neck of the bottle and the dishedwasher 130 is pressed flat to further urge thesealing disc 66 into positive engagement with theupper surface 67 of the bottle to assume the assembled/sealed configuration as shown inFigure 8(b) . - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c) thebottle 10 has asimilar neck portion 12 to the embodiment shown inFigures 8 , namely with provision of anannular land 65 and externalcoarse thread 63 with the sealingsurface 67 provided at the top of the bottle. A metal or plastics cap 250 has acentral aperture 251 and alateral rim 252 terminating in inwardly facinglugs 253 like the embodiment ofFigure 8 which enable thecap 250 to be screwed onto theneck 12 of the bottle in the same manner as the previous embodiment. The top of the cap has an internalspring steel lip 254 that replaces the separate spring washer of the embodiment ofFigure 8 . The in turnedlip 254 can be axially compressed to provide a degree of axial load on thesealing disc 260 in the assembled view shown inFigure 9(b) . In this embodiment the flat sealing surfaces are held in compression by the pull of the cap on the coarse thread and the resilience of theinturned lip 254 on the top of thecap 250. Thedisc 260 is a slightly different configuration having a lowerannular sealing surface 261 with a raised central section 242. The top of thedisc 260 has anannular surface 264 on which thespring lip 254 of thecap 250 engages and a slightly raisedcentral section 265 at the top of thedisc 260. As shown inFigure 9(c) , the disc includes three equally spacedprojections 266 around its periphery. The effective diameter of theprojections 266 is greater than an inwardly projectingrib 257 on thecap 250 such that thedisc 260 can not fall out of thecap 250, thus ensuring that the disc 240 is held captive of thecap 250 even when the closure is off the bottle. The top of thecap 250 also has threeradial slits 259 to increase the inherent spring capacity of the cap. - A further safety feature shown in
Figure 9(b) is the provision of anouter tape seal 270 that wraps around theannular rim 252 on the neck of the bottle and the underside of the cap. Thetape seal 270 can, if necessary, extend to the top of thecap 250 and provides a tamper proof indication that the closure has not been used. To open the closure thetape seal 270 must first be removed from the closure and then the closure can be released by a quarter or half turn which causes thecap 250 to spring up from the neck of the bottle and releases theseal 260. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 9(c) the same assembly is illustrated except that thesealing disc 280 includes a centralporous insert 281 that is introduced to provide a degree of breathability through the seal. A rubber, cork or other slightlyresilient membrane 282 is located in an undercutgroove 283 in the underside of theseal 280 and sits on part of the sealingsurface 67 of the neck of the bottle to provide a degree of cushioning to prevent the seal breaking through vibration. Themembrane 282 also acts as a backup seal especially in the event of faulty sealing surfaces. In the embodiment shown inFigure 9(d) the anti-vibration ring ormembrane 282 is of rectangular cross section. It is however understood that it could be of circular or other cross sectional shapes. Theporous insert 281 is preferably positioned in theseal disc 280 during the moulding process in which the seal disc is produced. - In the embodiments that utilise coarse threads to secure the sealing member the seal can be effected or released by about a quarter turn.
- In the embodiment shown in
Figures 10(a) and 10(b) , theclosure 180 comprises a disc shapedseal 181 that seats on the upper surface of theneck 12 of thebottle 10. A metal, plastics orceramic cap 182 sits over the top of the neck of the bottle and includes acentral aperture 183 in the top of thecap 182. Thecap 182 has a downwardly extendingskirt 190 defined byarcuate fingers 189 as shown inFigure 10(a) . The exterior of theneck 12 of the bottle includes an annular outwardly projectingland 184 and anouter collar 185 fits over thecap 182. in use, thecollar 185 is pushed down over thecap 182 to assume the closed sealed position shown inFigures 10(c) and 10(d) . The end of theskirt 190 of the cap defines an inwardly turnedlip 187 that engages on the underside of theland 184. Thecollar 185 has arectangular cutout 188 and the periphery of theskirt 190 hasprojections 191 that flex outwardly as shown inFigure 10(d) to engage within thecutout 188. Thus, in the position shown inFigure 10(d) the interface between theprojection 191 and thecutout 188 prevents theouter collar 185 from being pulled up. Awave washer 194 sits between the underside of thecap 182 and the top of thedisc seal 181 to, when in the position shown inFigure 10b , urge theseal 181 into parallel contact with the upper surface of the wine bottle to effect the seal. To release the seal theouter collar 185 is turned through a quarter of a turn that has the effect of causing the inner surface of the collar to press down theprojection 191 allowing the collar to slide upwardly. This then allows the cap to be pulled off the top of the neck of the bottle and releases the pressure on theseal 181 to break the seal and release the contents of the bottle. In the open unsealed configuration, shown inFigures 10(a) and 10(b) , atab 195 formed on theskirt 190 of thecap 182 springs inwardly to engage against the underside of thedisc 181 to prevent thedisc 181 andwasher 194 from falling out of thecap 182. The closure can thus be resealed by simply pushing down on theouter collar 185 to cause the in turnedlip 187 of theskirt 190 to again clip under the base of theland 184. - In the embodiment shown in
Figures 11(a) to 11(d) , a similar closure is provided except that in this case the interior of the upper surface of thecap 200 has a series of spaced downwardly extending in turnedfingers 201 that act as a spring member to, as shown inFigure 11(d) , urge thesealing disc 181 into parallel contact with the upper surface of theneck 12 of thebottle 10. This embodiment also includes anexternal collar 185 that pushes down on the exterior of the bottle with alip 187 on theskirt 190 of thecap 200 springing into engagement with the underside of the land 164 on the exterior of the bottle neck. Theresilient fingers 201 formed on the interior of the aperture of thecap 200 provide the resilience that causes the sealing compression of the sealingmember 181 on the sealing surface defined at the top of the bottle. As thecollar 185 is pulled up to the position shown inFigure 11b the spring force is relieved thereby releasing the seal. Pushing thecollar 185 back down onto thecap 200 again places the seal in compression and reseals the bottle. This embodiment may also include means to locate thedisc 181 within thecap 200 when in the open unsealed configuration ofFigure 11(b) . - In the embodiment shown in
Figure 12 the closure comprises asealing disc 231 that sits in parallel abutting contact with the top surface of theneck 12 thebottle 10. The abutting surfaces of thedisc 231 and the bottle have the desired surface finish to produce the seal and the assembly is held in position by awire frame 233 that is similar to the wire used on conventional champagne corks. Theframe 233 pulls thedisc 231 into axial compression and can be released by undoing therim 234 of theframe 233 that sits under an external rim on theneck 12 of thebottle 10. Once thewire frame 233 has been removed, it is a simple matter to either laterally or axially displace the sealing disc off the top of the bottle thereby releasing the contents. - Still wine usually has the capacity of resisting internal pressures of 140kPa (20psi). Thus, the closures to wine bottles are usually designed to resist internal pressures of 170kPa (25psi). The closures described provide vent resistance of 200-350kPa (30-50psi). With a bottle neck having an internal diameter of 19mm the force required to hold a sealing member at an internal pressure of 140kPa is 40N (4kg) whilst at a pressure of 350kPa it would by 99N (9.9kg). The maximum acceptable extraction force for a cork closure is usually 450N (45kg).
- In all of the seals described above, the optically flat contact between the sealing member and the sealing surface can provide an airtight seal. This is in contrast with more conventional corks where a certain degree of breathing is allowed, allowing air to enter the space between the top of the wine and the end of the cork. There are many in the wine industry that view this entry of air as being crucial to enhance the ageing of the wine. If seals of the kind described above are to be used with wine of that type where a degree of permeation of oxygen is required then it is understood that the sealing member could have an inherent degree of porosity that provides this access to oxygen.
- The capacity of the closure to permit entry of air can be controlled not only by the material of the sealing disc but by the quality of the sealing surfaces. A rougher, less smooth and flat surface could be used to prevent liquid escape yet allow a controlled degree of air entry. In a further option the sealing disc, preferably in glass, can include a plug of porous material with its porosity and cross section controlled to provide the desired air entry. In this manner the closure of this invention can allow wine to age in the same manner as cork without the possibility of cork contamination. In embodiments where porosity is controlled by the seal and anti-vibration membranes are included it is understood that they too would have a degree of porosity to allow passage of air. Where the sealing disc is porous or includes a porous plug the closure could comprise a series of such discs superimposed one on the other. The porosity could thus be selectively varied by removing one or more of the discs to vary the rate of air passage. The cap could be designed to allow removal of one or more discs without disturbing the actual seal.
- The combination of the abutting flat surfaces and the axial pressure therebetween coupled with the geometry of the closure preventing lateral or shear movement between the surfaces ensures a positive and generally airtight seal that can last for many years and withstand the shocks, loads and other distorting criteria that can come from vibration, noise and temperature fluctuations.
- It is understood that in some circumstances the closures discussed above may be applied in a zone of partial vacuum to remove air from the top of the bottle.
- It is furthermore understood that the invention is not limited to wine bottles. The closures may be used on many other types of containers for liquids, powders or pastes.
- In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.
Claims (24)
- A closure for a glass container (10) arranged to contain liquid, powder or paste, the container (10) defining a first extremely flat annular surface (23, 44, 67), the closure (20) comprising a sealing disc (21, 66, 70, 181, 231, 260, 280) made of a hard material, such as glass or sintered ceramic, and adapted to sit across the annular surface (23, 44, 67), the disc (21, 66, 70, 181, 231, 260, 280)defining a second extremely flat surface (22, 261), means to urge the extremely flat surfaces (22, 23, 44, 67,261) into parallel abutting contact and means to prevent lateral movement of the disc (21, 66, 70, 181, 231, 260, 280) relative to the first annular surface (23, 44, 67) the extremely flat surfaces (22, 23, 44, 67, 261) adapted to form a first surface tension seal when they are urged into parallel abutting contact characterised in that an annular resilient O-ring or gasket (30, 282) is positioned between part of the abutting flat surfaces (22, 23, 44, 67, 261) to form a secondary seal.
- The closure according to claim 1 characterised in that the sealing disc (21, 66, 70, 181, 231, 260, 280) forms part of, or is housed by, a cap (69, 80, 85, 131, 182, 200, 250) that is adapted to engage the container (10) to urge the surfaces (22, 23, 44, 67, 261) into abutting contact and prevent the lateral movement.
- The closure according to claim 2 characterised in that the cap (80) has an internal thread (61) arranged to engage an external thread (63) on the container (10).
- The closure according to claim 2 characterised in that the cap has an external thread (25) arranged to engage an internal thread (26) on the container (10).
- The closure according to any one of claims 2 to 4 characterised in that the cap (80) has a peripheral flange (73, 81) surrounding an aperture (72), the flange (73, 81) bearing against the sealing disc (66, 70, 260).
- The closure according to claim 5 characterised in that the sealing disc (66, 70, 260) is such that it acts as a window allowing the contents of the container (10) to be viewed through the closure.
- The closure according to any one of claims 2 to 6 characterised in that biasing means (130, 194, 254, 201) is disposed between the cap (131, 182, 250) and sealing disc (66, 260, 280) to urge the flat surfaces into parallel abutting contact.
- The closure according to claim 7 characterised in that the biasing means is a spring washer (130), Belleville washer or wave washer (194).
- The closure according to claim 7 characterised in that the cap (200) has inturned projections (201) that are compressible to act as biasing means.
- The closure according to claim 5 characterised in that the sealing disc (66, 70, 260) has a domed upper surface (31, 71) that extends through the aperture (72).
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the O-ring (30, 282) or gasket is located in a groove (32, 283) in one (22) of the abutting surfaces.
- The closure according to any one of claims 2 to 11 characterised in that the sealing disc (21, 66, 181, 280) is held captive to the cap (182, 200).
- The closure according to any one of claims 2 to 12 characterised in that the cap (69) has resilient location means (62) that engages an undercut (64) on the container to hold the cap (69) against displacement relative to the container (10).
- The closure according to claim 13 characterised in that a collar (185) fits over the cap (182) to hold the cap on the container (10).
- The closure according to claim 14 characterised in that the collar (185) and cap (182) have inter-engaging formations (188, 191) that engage when the collar (185) and cap (182) are in one relative position to prevent separation of the collar (185) from the cap (182) and on turning of the collar (185) disengage to allow separation.
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that a wire frame (233) is adapted to engage the container (10) to hold the sealing disc (231) so that the flat surfaces are in parallel abutting contact.
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the porosity of the closure is controlled by varying the finish of the surface tension seal surfaces.
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the sealing disc (21, 66, 70, 181, 231, 260, 280) is manufactured from a material having an inherent porosity.
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the sealing disc (280) has a porous plug (281) to facilitate a degree of air entry.
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the sealing disc (21, 60, 70, 280) is made of glass, ceramic carbon, metal carbide, metal oxide or any other hard plastics that can define an extremely flat surface.
- The closure according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with a wine bottle (10) having a neck (12) and an aperture characterised in that the first extremely flat surface (23, 44, 67) being provided around the neck (12) of the bottle (10) and the sealing disc (21, 66, 70, 280) is adapted to extend across the aperture to prevent escape of the wine.
- The combination according to claim 21 characterised in that the first extremely flat surface (23, 44, 67) is defined by the neck 12 of the bottle (10).
- The combination according to claim 22 characterised in that the first extremely flat surface (23, 44, 67) is at the top section or opening defined at the neck (12) of the bottle.
- The combination according to any one of claims 21 to 23 characterised in that the closure has a degree of porosity that allows controlled air entry.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU2002951318A AU2002951318A0 (en) | 2002-09-10 | 2002-09-10 | A closure |
AU2002951318 | 2002-09-10 | ||
PCT/AU2003/001181 WO2004024584A1 (en) | 2002-09-10 | 2003-09-10 | Closure or stopper forms a surface tension seal |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1549556A1 EP1549556A1 (en) | 2005-07-06 |
EP1549556A4 EP1549556A4 (en) | 2006-08-30 |
EP1549556B1 true EP1549556B1 (en) | 2009-05-20 |
Family
ID=27792592
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP03794695A Expired - Lifetime EP1549556B1 (en) | 2002-09-10 | 2003-09-10 | Closure or stopper forms a surface tension seal |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20060151422A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1549556B1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE431803T1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2002951318A0 (en) |
DE (1) | DE60327702D1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2004024584A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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RU2562501C2 (en) * | 2010-05-31 | 2015-09-10 | Оуэнс-Броквэй Гласс Контейнер Инк. | Glass container with neck having internal thread |
AU2014262379B2 (en) * | 2013-05-10 | 2018-04-19 | Kris MASTALERZ | A closure with a surface tension seal |
CN110902127A (en) * | 2019-12-18 | 2020-03-24 | 宋光明 | Sealing method for bottle mouth of white spirit bottle |
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ES2260504T3 (en) * | 2001-12-10 | 2006-11-01 | Alcoa Deutschland Gmbh Verpackungswerke | CONTAINER, IN SPECIAL BOTTLE FOR DRINKS. |
TWM259770U (en) * | 2004-05-19 | 2005-03-21 | Wu-Jang Shie | Cup cover structure |
US20090032488A1 (en) * | 2007-07-30 | 2009-02-05 | Owens-Illinois Closure Inc. | Ceremonial plug closure and package |
EP2310287A4 (en) * | 2008-03-12 | 2011-06-29 | Vinperfect Inc | Vented screwcap closure with diffusive membrane liner |
US7980403B2 (en) | 2008-04-04 | 2011-07-19 | Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. | Container closure with internal threading system |
US8430259B2 (en) * | 2008-04-04 | 2013-04-30 | Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. | Closure with flexible diaphragm |
US20110036839A1 (en) * | 2009-08-17 | 2011-02-17 | Gardner William A | Screw-capsule for wine bottles |
DE102009052025B3 (en) * | 2009-11-05 | 2011-05-19 | Müller, Josef | Lock for container |
WO2011126793A2 (en) * | 2010-03-30 | 2011-10-13 | Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. | Container sealing system |
US9422089B2 (en) | 2011-02-04 | 2016-08-23 | Lifetime Brands, Inc. | Expanding sealing locking systems and methods |
FR2976264B1 (en) * | 2011-06-08 | 2013-07-19 | Yves Feres | EFFERVESCENT WINE BOTTLE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE |
FR2984856B1 (en) * | 2011-12-23 | 2015-01-09 | Philippe Moutardier | MUSELET PLATE |
US20140061250A1 (en) * | 2012-08-28 | 2014-03-06 | Robert Turcotte | Recessed Container Closure and Method of Increasing Advertising Space on a Container using a Recessed Container Closure |
US9016037B2 (en) * | 2012-11-01 | 2015-04-28 | Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. | Container having a dissolvable dispense indicator |
JP2014187129A (en) * | 2013-03-22 | 2014-10-02 | Gigaphoton Inc | Optical device, laser chamber using the same, and gas laser equipment |
US8807363B1 (en) * | 2013-05-19 | 2014-08-19 | James R. Gilliam | Wine cork having molded anti-taint barrier tip |
MX369427B (en) * | 2013-09-20 | 2019-11-08 | Closure Systems Int Inc | Anti-refill closure assembly. |
US9694532B2 (en) * | 2014-04-16 | 2017-07-04 | Illinois Tool Works | Fuel additive bottle for compatibility with capless fuel tank |
CA2947752C (en) * | 2014-05-02 | 2021-11-23 | Cloneshipper, Llc | Constant illuminated, tamper-resistant plant shipping container |
US9956816B2 (en) * | 2014-09-30 | 2018-05-01 | My Paint Saint, Llc | Paint storage and application apparatus and method of use |
USD776529S1 (en) * | 2015-01-26 | 2017-01-17 | G3 Enterprises, Inc. | Carbonated beverage cap liner |
USD787935S1 (en) * | 2015-03-24 | 2017-05-30 | Mark Christian Kaiser | Growler lid with carrying handle |
CN109562868B (en) * | 2016-05-13 | 2021-06-29 | 泰伦斯·特里梅恩 | Closure preform |
DE102019102213A1 (en) * | 2019-01-29 | 2020-07-30 | Closurelogic Gmbh | Bottle cap |
FR3092568B1 (en) * | 2019-02-08 | 2021-04-16 | Sartorius Stedim Fmt Sas | Hermetic cap for mouthpiece |
US11383892B2 (en) * | 2020-03-24 | 2022-07-12 | Creanova Universal Closures Ltd. | Fluid container closure |
CN112173415B (en) * | 2020-09-09 | 2022-05-31 | 安徽鑫九天文化传媒有限公司 | Bottle cap capable of preventing goods from being mixed |
WO2024047426A1 (en) * | 2022-08-30 | 2024-03-07 | Plasdan Automação E Sistemas | Screw cap device system |
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FR759885A (en) * | 1932-11-12 | 1934-02-13 | Elastic watertight closure for all containers, especially preserving jars | |
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GB507702A (en) * | 1937-06-04 | 1939-06-20 | Mallinckrodt Chemical Works | Improvements in hermetic closures for bottles and like containers for corrosive liquids |
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US3450290A (en) * | 1968-06-19 | 1969-06-17 | Basic Products Dev Co | Safety closure for a container |
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JPS56119254A (en) * | 1980-02-25 | 1981-09-18 | Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd | Rubber stopper for vial |
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CA1232215A (en) * | 1984-10-23 | 1988-02-02 | Maud Frizon | Sphereoidal bottle with stopper |
DE4112209A1 (en) * | 1991-04-13 | 1992-10-15 | Behringwerke Ag | CONTAINER CLOSURE WITH PUSHABLE BODY |
US5165560A (en) * | 1992-03-26 | 1992-11-24 | Genesis Industries, Inc. | Nonrotating hermetically sealed closure for bottle containing liquid |
DE4228090C2 (en) * | 1992-08-24 | 1995-01-05 | Pohl Gmbh & Co Kg | Bottle cap |
CH687694A5 (en) * | 1993-06-18 | 1997-01-31 | Benno Nussbaumer | Multipart closure stopper made of plastic for bottles of wine or wine drinks. |
DE29515494U1 (en) * | 1995-09-28 | 1996-01-04 | Höhr, Oliver, 88161 Lindenberg | Screw cap for wine bottles |
GB9606378D0 (en) * | 1996-03-26 | 1996-06-05 | Metal Box Plc | Composite closures for containers |
US6216897B1 (en) * | 1997-04-30 | 2001-04-17 | David C. Wagner | Flange screw closure and bottle with insert having threads |
DE20002729U1 (en) * | 2000-02-15 | 2000-04-20 | RPC Bramlage GmbH, 49393 Lohne | Bottle stopper for a bottle under gas pressure |
US6355201B1 (en) * | 2000-09-07 | 2002-03-12 | Captive Plastics, Inc. | Tamper-indicating closure with resilient locking projections |
-
2002
- 2002-09-10 AU AU2002951318A patent/AU2002951318A0/en not_active Abandoned
-
2003
- 2003-09-10 WO PCT/AU2003/001181 patent/WO2004024584A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2003-09-10 AT AT03794695T patent/ATE431803T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2003-09-10 EP EP03794695A patent/EP1549556B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2003-09-10 DE DE60327702T patent/DE60327702D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2003-09-10 US US10/527,213 patent/US20060151422A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
RU2562501C2 (en) * | 2010-05-31 | 2015-09-10 | Оуэнс-Броквэй Гласс Контейнер Инк. | Glass container with neck having internal thread |
AU2014262379B2 (en) * | 2013-05-10 | 2018-04-19 | Kris MASTALERZ | A closure with a surface tension seal |
CN110902127A (en) * | 2019-12-18 | 2020-03-24 | 宋光明 | Sealing method for bottle mouth of white spirit bottle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2004024584A1 (en) | 2004-03-25 |
AU2002951318A0 (en) | 2002-09-26 |
US20060151422A1 (en) | 2006-07-13 |
DE60327702D1 (en) | 2009-07-02 |
ATE431803T1 (en) | 2009-06-15 |
EP1549556A1 (en) | 2005-07-06 |
EP1549556A4 (en) | 2006-08-30 |
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