EP2028121A2 - Expansible bottle stopper - Google Patents
Expansible bottle stopper Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2028121A2 EP2028121A2 EP08013655A EP08013655A EP2028121A2 EP 2028121 A2 EP2028121 A2 EP 2028121A2 EP 08013655 A EP08013655 A EP 08013655A EP 08013655 A EP08013655 A EP 08013655A EP 2028121 A2 EP2028121 A2 EP 2028121A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- resilient member
- bottle stopper
- shank
- movable member
- disc
- 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.)
- Withdrawn
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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
- B65D39/00—Closures arranged within necks or pouring openings or in discharge apertures, e.g. stoppers
- B65D39/12—Closures arranged within necks or pouring openings or in discharge apertures, e.g. stoppers expansible, e.g. inflatable
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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
- B65D55/026—Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure initial opening or unauthorised access being indicated by a visual change using indicators other than tearable means, e.g. change of colour, pattern or opacity
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a bottle stopper and, more particularly, to a bottle stopper for a liquid container, which is expansible in a radial direction for sealing the liquid container and shrinkable in the said direction for opening.
- Liquids such as vinegar, oil, whiskey, wine, etc are packaged in containers such as bottles or urns made of glass or potter clay.
- a liquid is injected into the container, and a stopper is inserted into the mouth of the container to seal the container.
- the outer diameter of the stopper is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container to assure sealing between the inner wall of the mouth of the container and the outer periphery of the stopper mounted in the mouth. Therefore, the stopper is able to resist high pressure inside the container and thereby preserves the liquid in the container.
- Taiwan Patent Publication No. 467850 to Applicants discloses a bottle stopper including a pressing member that is pressed axially downward to force an expansible portion of a body to expand radially outward when using the bottle stopper to seal a bottle.
- the expansible portion of the body causes radial expansion of a peripheral wall of a resilient member to tightly press against and seal the bottle.
- the resilient member is made of elastomeric material to replace corks that are liable to break when opening the bottle.
- the peripheral wall of the resilient member can radially expand by downward movement of a shank of the pressing member and the expansible portion of the body, the bottle stopper has too many elements to cut the costs thereof.
- the extent of radial expansion of the bottle stopper is limited, which is particularly true for bottles made by blowing glass materials. Further, bottles made by blowing have small protrusions or recesses in the inner wall of the neck such that precise control of the inner diameter of the neck is impossible while leakage problems arise. Further, the body of the bottle stopper includes only four petals such that the resilient member has substantially square cross sections when the petals expand radially, failing to provide efficient sealing to the inner wall of the mouth of the bottle.
- Another type of conventional bottle stopper disclosed in TW Utility Model No. 327412 includes a pin, and around which a resilient member, a block, a washer, and a cap are stacked in sequence.
- a lever 60 is pivotally mounted to an outer face of the cap. When the lever is bent downward, a bottom of the pin is moved upward to press against and cause radial expansion of the resilient member. Thus, the length of the resilient member is compressed to produce larger radial expansion to thereby enhance sealing reliability.
- currently available automatic bottle-sealing machines cannot proceed with pivotal movement for moving the lever but perform axial downward movement. Further, the lever on the cap prevents the cap from combining with various ornamental caps for different bottles.
- An adjustable type of conventional bottle stopper disclosed in TW Utility Model No. 409703 includes a knob, a resilient member, and an adjusting rod.
- a threaded groove is defined in a bottom of the knob whereas the adjusting rod includes outer threading on a top thereof.
- the bottle stopper has no means for retaining it in an appropriate threaded locking state.
- the primary object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body.
- the resilient member By a first-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to expand radially to tightly attach to an inner wall of a mouth of a container. Long-term preservation of liquid in the container can be attained without the risk of quality degrading.
- the secondary object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body.
- a further object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body.
- the resilient member is caused to shrink radially to allow the bottle stopper to be easily removed from the mouth of the container, thereby allowing liquid in the container to be poured out.
- the appearance of the bottle stopper is perceptibly destructed to prevent the bottle from being reinserted into the mouth of the container, thereby attaining an anti-forgery effect.
- Still another object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body.
- the resilient member and the body are integrally formed to avoid disengagement of one from the other.
- An expansible bottle stopper includes a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body.
- the resilient member By a first-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to expand radially to tightly attach to an inner wall of a mouth of a container.
- the resilient member By a second-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to shrink radially to allow the bottle stopper to be easily removed from the mouth of the container, thereby allowing liquid in the container to be poured out.
- an expansible bottle stopper of a first embodiment includes a body 1, a resilient member 2, and a movable member 3 that can be assembled together to form a bottle stopper or the like for sealing a container such as a glass bottle, potter bottle, china bottle, urn, metal bottle, etc.
- the body 1 may be formed by injection molding of inert material such as plastics.
- the body 1 includes a top disc 11 having a circular hole 14.
- a plurality of annularly spaced connecting plates 13 extend from an inner periphery of the circular hole 14.
- Each connecting plate 13 includes an abutting portion 16 extending radially inward toward the circular hole 14.
- each abutting portion 16 directly extends inward toward the circular hole 14 from an outer side of one of the connecting plates 13.
- Distal ends of the connecting plates 13 are connected together by a bottom disc 12 to provide improved strength for the connecting plates 13.
- the resilient member 2 may be made of rubber or combined rubber/plastic materials by foaming to form an elastomer with appropriate compressibility.
- the resilient member 2 is cylindrical and engaged with outer sides of the connecting plates 13 of the body 1.
- the resilient member 2 and the body 1 are integrally formed, with ribs 21 on the resilient member 2 fitted in the gaps 15 of the body 1, and with protrusions 22 on top of the resilient member 2 engaged in preserved slots 17 in the top disc 11.
- the resilient member 2 includes a plurality of air guiding channels 23 on an outer periphery thereof, allowing gas in a container to be exhausted when the resilient member 2 is mounted in a mouth of the container.
- the movable member 3 may be made by injection molding of inert material such as plastics.
- the movable member 3 includes a head 35 of a larger area and a shank 31 extending from a side of the head 35.
- the head 35 may be in the form of a cap.
- the head 35 can be coupled with a cap made of metal, ceramic, china, wood, or glass materials.
- the shank 31 can be inserted into the circular hole 14 of the body 1.
- the shank 31 includes an abutting portion 32 that abuts against the abutting portion 16 of the body 1 such that the connecting plates 13 of the body 1 can push the resilient member 2 to expand radially.
- the shank 31 further includes a reduced coupling portion 33.
- the head 35 includes a stop 36 that abuts against and is stopped by the top disc 11 of the body 1 to stop the shank 31 of the movable member 3 that has axially moved in the body 1 through a predetermined distance. Displacement of the shank 31 can, thus, be fixed.
- the shank 31 includes a disengagement preventing portion 34 below the coupling portion 33 so that the movable member 3 will not disengage from the body 1. The disengagement preventing effect of the movable member 3 is better when the diameter of the disengagement preventing portion 34 is larger than that of the abutting portion 32.
- Fig. 2 shows the bottle stopper of the first embodiment after assembly.
- the coupling portion 33 of the movable member 3 is engaged with the abutting portion 16 of the connecting plates 13 of the body 1.
- the diameter of the resilient member 2 has not be expanded yet (i.e., the resilient member 2 is in a smaller diameter state).
- the bottle stopper can easily be inserted into or removed from a mouth of a container or can still loosely seal the container.
- the movable member 3 when it is desired to tightly seal the mouth of the container with the bottle stopper, the movable member 3 is axially moved relative to the body 1 to proceed with a first-stage axial displacement. In this embodiment, the movable member 3 is pressed downward (as viewed from the drawing sheet) relative to the body 1. Thus, the abutting portion 32 of the shank 31 abuts against the abutting portions 16 of the connecting plates 13 of the body 1 to radially expand the connecting plates 13 of the body 1 and, hence, the resilient member 2. The mouth of the container is, thus, tightly sealed.
- the movable member 3 When it is desired to remove the bottle stopper from the mouth of the container, the movable member 3 is moved axially relative to the body 1 to proceed with a second-stage axial displacement. In this embodiment, the movable member 3 is pulled upward (as viewed from the drawing sheet) relative to the body 1. Thus, the coupling portion 33 of the movable member 3 is engaged with the abutting portion 16 of the connecting plates 13 of the body 1 (see Fig. 2 ). The resilient member 2 shrinks radially under action of its own resiliency to restore the smaller diameter state of the resilient member 2. In this state, the bottle stopper can easily be removed from the mouth of the container or loosely seal the container.
- an expansible bottle stopper of a second embodiment includes a body 4, a resilient member 5, and a movable member 6.
- the body 4 can be formed by injection molding of inert material such as plastics.
- the body 4 includes an annular wall 41 in the form of a cap.
- the annular wall 41 can be coupled with a cap made of metal, ceramic, china, wood, or glass materials.
- the annular wall 41 includes a circular hole 44 therein.
- a plurality of annularly spaced connecting plates 43 extend from an inner periphery of the circular hole 44, with a gap 45 formed between each two adjacent connecting plates 43.
- Each connecting plate 43 includes an abutting portion 46 extending radially inward toward the circular hole 44. In this embodiment, each abutting portion 46 directly extends inward toward the circular hole 44 from an outer side of one of the connecting plates 43. Distal ends of the connecting plates 43 are connected together by a bottom disc 42 to provide improved strength for the connecting plates 43.
- the resilient member 5 can be made of rubber or combined rubber/plastic materials by foaming to form an elastomer with appropriate compressibility.
- the resilient member 5 is cylindrical and engaged around the connecting plates 43 of the body 4.
- the resilient member 5 and the body 4 are integrally formed, with ribs 51 on the resilient member 5 fitted in the gaps 45 of the body 4, and with protrusions 52 on top of the resilient member 5 engaged in preserved slots 47 in the annular wall 41.
- the resilient member 5 includes a plurality of air guiding channels 53 on an outer periphery thereof, allowing gas in a container to be exhausted when the resilient member 5 is mounted in a mouth of the container.
- the movable member 6 can be made by injection molding of inert material such as plastics.
- the movable member 6 includes a disc 65 of a larger area and a shank 61 extending from a side of the disc 65.
- the disc 65 may be in the form of a cap.
- the disc 65 can be coupled with a cap made of metal, ceramic, china, wood, or glass materials.
- the shank 61 can be inserted into the circular hole 44 of the body 4.
- the shank 61 includes an abutting portion 62 that abuts against the abutting portion 46 of the body 4 such that the connecting plates 43 of the body 4 can push the resilient member 5 to expand radially.
- the shank 61 further includes a reduced coupling portion 63.
- the coupling portion 63 engages with the abutting portion 46 to cause radial shrinkage of the resilient member 5.
- the radial shrinkage extent of the resilient member 5 can be fixed by determining the difference between the diameter of the coupling portion 63 and the shank 61, with the resilient member 5 having a predetermined diameter according to designs.
- the disc 65 of the movable member 6 includes a ring 64 surrounding the disc 65 and connected to the outer periphery of the disc 65 by a fragile connecting portion 66.
- the connecting portion 66 breaks to cause disconnection of the ring 64 from the disc 65, with the movable member 6 sinking in the annular wall 41 of the body 4. Since the abutting portion 46 of the body 4 is engaged with the coupling portion 63 of the shank 61, the movable member 6 cannot move back to its initial position.
- Fig. 5 shows the bottle stopper of the second embodiment after assembly.
- the movable member 6 is in a free state allowing it to be inserted into or removed from the body 4.
- the movable member 6 when it is desired to tightly seal the mouth of the container with the bottle stopper, the movable member 6 is axially moved relative to the body 4 to proceed with a first-stage axial displacement.
- the movable member 6 is pressed downward (as viewed from the drawing sheet) relative to the body 4 to make the ring 64 and the disc 65 in contact with the top of the annular wall 41 of the body 4.
- the abutting portion 62 of the shank 61 abuts against the abutting portions 46 of the connecting plates 43 of the body 4.
- the connecting plates 43 of the body 4 expand radially to cause radial expansion of the resilient member 5 to thereby tightly seal the mouth of the container.
- the movable member 6 when it is desired to remove the bottle stopper from the mouth of the container, the movable member 6 is pressed downward relative to the body 4 to proceed with a second-stage axial displacement. At this time, the connecting portion 66 breaks and causes disconnection of the ring 64 from the disc 65, with the disc 65 sinking in the annular wall 41 of the body 4. Furthermore, the coupling portion 63 of the shank 61 engages with the abutting portions 46 of the connecting plates 43 of the body 4. Thus, besides destruction of the ring 64, the movable member 6 cannot return its initial position due to engagement between the coupling portion 63 of the movable member 6 and the abutting portions 46 of the body 4. This provides an anti-forgery effect.
- the resilient member 5 shrinks to its smaller diameter state under action of its resiliency. In this state, the bottle stopper can be removed from the mouth of the container.
- the diameter of the resilient member 5 after shrinkage can be designed according to the diameter of the coupling portion 63 of the shank 61 or the protruded extent of the abutting portions 46 of the connecting plates 43 of the body 4 such that the maximum diameter of the resilient member 5 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container, allowing resealing of the mouth of the container by the bottle stopper.
- the bottle stopper of the present invention can radially expand by the first-stage axial displacement of the movable member relative to the body, and the diameter of the bottle stopper is larger than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container so that the resilient member can be fixedly and tightly press against the inner wall of the mouth of the container, obtaining enhanced sealing effect for the contents in the container. Furthermore, the resilient member shrinks radially by the second-stage axial displacement of the movable member relative to the body.
- the diameter of the resilient member can be set to a predetermined size to allow easy insertion or removal of the bottle stopper into or from the mouth of the container or to allow loosely sealing of the container by the bottle stopper.
- the connecting plates of the body are annularly arranged in a radial manner so that the connecting plates can expand radially to provide enhanced sealing effect between the bottle stopper and the container while having a simpler structure to cut the costs.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a bottle stopper and, more particularly, to a bottle stopper for a liquid container, which is expansible in a radial direction for sealing the liquid container and shrinkable in the said direction for opening.
- Liquids such as vinegar, oil, whiskey, wine, etc are packaged in containers such as bottles or urns made of glass or potter clay. During packaging, a liquid is injected into the container, and a stopper is inserted into the mouth of the container to seal the container. The outer diameter of the stopper is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container to assure sealing between the inner wall of the mouth of the container and the outer periphery of the stopper mounted in the mouth. Therefore, the stopper is able to resist high pressure inside the container and thereby preserves the liquid in the container.
- Traditional methods for sealing the mouth of a container include use of metal caps with inner threading, corks for wines, and stoppers made of a compressible material such as rubber. Metal caps cannot provide a satisfactory sealing effect for long-term preservation and requires expensive sealing machines for mass production. Corks submerged in wine are liable to break, generating cork scraps in wine. Furthermore, corks are not suitable for white alcohols and other liquids other than wines.
- Taiwan Patent Publication No.
467850 - Another type of conventional bottle stopper disclosed in
TW Utility Model No. 327412 - An adjustable type of conventional bottle stopper disclosed in
TW Utility Model No. 409703 - The above-mentioned conventional bottle stoppers have various disadvantages and have more elements that lead to high costs. Further improvement is, thus, required.
- The primary object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body. By a first-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to expand radially to tightly attach to an inner wall of a mouth of a container. Long-term preservation of liquid in the container can be attained without the risk of quality degrading.
- The secondary object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body. By a second-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to shrink radially. As a result, the bottle stopper can be easily removed from the mouth of the container for pouring out the liquid preserved in the container or can still loosely seal the container.
- A further object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body. By a second-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to shrink radially to allow the bottle stopper to be easily removed from the mouth of the container, thereby allowing liquid in the container to be poured out. Furthermore, the appearance of the bottle stopper is perceptibly destructed to prevent the bottle from being reinserted into the mouth of the container, thereby attaining an anti-forgery effect.
- Still another object of the present invention is to provide an expansible bottle stopper including a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body. The resilient member and the body are integrally formed to avoid disengagement of one from the other.
- An expansible bottle stopper according to the preferred teachings of the present invention includes a body, a resilient member, and a movable member that is longitudinally movable relative to the body. By a first-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to expand radially to tightly attach to an inner wall of a mouth of a container. By a second-stage longitudinal displacement of the movable member relative to the body, the resilient member is caused to shrink radially to allow the bottle stopper to be easily removed from the mouth of the container, thereby allowing liquid in the container to be poured out.
- Other objects, advantages and novel features of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an expansible bottle stopper of a first embodiment according to the present invention; -
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the expansible bottle stopper of the first embodiment according to the present invention after assembly; -
Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating use of the expansible bottle stopper of the first embodiment according to the present invention by expansion; -
Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an expansible bottle stopper of a second embodiment according to the present invention; -
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the expansible bottle stopper of the second embodiment according to the present invention after assembly; -
Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating use of the expansible bottle stopper of the second embodiment according to the present invention by expansion; and -
Fig. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the bottle stopper of the second embodiment in a state allowing opening. - Referring to
Fig. 1 , an expansible bottle stopper of a first embodiment according to the present invention includes abody 1, aresilient member 2, and amovable member 3 that can be assembled together to form a bottle stopper or the like for sealing a container such as a glass bottle, potter bottle, china bottle, urn, metal bottle, etc. - Still referring to
Fig. 1 , thebody 1 may be formed by injection molding of inert material such as plastics. Thebody 1 includes atop disc 11 having acircular hole 14. A plurality of annularly spaced connectingplates 13 extend from an inner periphery of thecircular hole 14. In this embodiment, there are eight connectingplates 13, with agap 15 formed between each two adjacent connectingplates 13. Each connectingplate 13 includes an abuttingportion 16 extending radially inward toward thecircular hole 14. In this embodiment, each abuttingportion 16 directly extends inward toward thecircular hole 14 from an outer side of one of the connectingplates 13. Distal ends of the connectingplates 13 are connected together by abottom disc 12 to provide improved strength for the connectingplates 13. - The
resilient member 2 may be made of rubber or combined rubber/plastic materials by foaming to form an elastomer with appropriate compressibility. In this embodiment, theresilient member 2 is cylindrical and engaged with outer sides of the connectingplates 13 of thebody 1. Alternatively, theresilient member 2 and thebody 1 are integrally formed, withribs 21 on theresilient member 2 fitted in thegaps 15 of thebody 1, and withprotrusions 22 on top of theresilient member 2 engaged in preservedslots 17 in thetop disc 11. Thus, theresilient member 2 and thebody 1 can be firmly engaged together without the risk of disengagement. Theresilient member 2 includes a plurality ofair guiding channels 23 on an outer periphery thereof, allowing gas in a container to be exhausted when theresilient member 2 is mounted in a mouth of the container. - The
movable member 3 may be made by injection molding of inert material such as plastics. Themovable member 3 includes ahead 35 of a larger area and ashank 31 extending from a side of thehead 35. Thehead 35 may be in the form of a cap. Alternatively, thehead 35 can be coupled with a cap made of metal, ceramic, china, wood, or glass materials. Theshank 31 can be inserted into thecircular hole 14 of thebody 1. Theshank 31 includes an abuttingportion 32 that abuts against the abuttingportion 16 of thebody 1 such that the connectingplates 13 of thebody 1 can push theresilient member 2 to expand radially. Theshank 31 further includes a reducedcoupling portion 33. When theshank 31 of themovable member 3 moves axially relative to thebody 1, thecoupling portion 33 engages with the abuttingportion 16 to cause radial shrinkage of theresilient member 2. Thehead 35 includes astop 36 that abuts against and is stopped by thetop disc 11 of thebody 1 to stop theshank 31 of themovable member 3 that has axially moved in thebody 1 through a predetermined distance. Displacement of theshank 31 can, thus, be fixed. Theshank 31 includes adisengagement preventing portion 34 below thecoupling portion 33 so that themovable member 3 will not disengage from thebody 1. The disengagement preventing effect of themovable member 3 is better when the diameter of thedisengagement preventing portion 34 is larger than that of the abuttingportion 32. -
Fig. 2 shows the bottle stopper of the first embodiment after assembly. Thecoupling portion 33 of themovable member 3 is engaged with the abuttingportion 16 of the connectingplates 13 of thebody 1. Thus, the diameter of theresilient member 2 has not be expanded yet (i.e., theresilient member 2 is in a smaller diameter state). In this state, the bottle stopper can easily be inserted into or removed from a mouth of a container or can still loosely seal the container. - With reference to
Fig. 3 , when it is desired to tightly seal the mouth of the container with the bottle stopper, themovable member 3 is axially moved relative to thebody 1 to proceed with a first-stage axial displacement. In this embodiment, themovable member 3 is pressed downward (as viewed from the drawing sheet) relative to thebody 1. Thus, the abuttingportion 32 of theshank 31 abuts against the abuttingportions 16 of the connectingplates 13 of thebody 1 to radially expand the connectingplates 13 of thebody 1 and, hence, theresilient member 2. The mouth of the container is, thus, tightly sealed. - When it is desired to remove the bottle stopper from the mouth of the container, the
movable member 3 is moved axially relative to thebody 1 to proceed with a second-stage axial displacement. In this embodiment, themovable member 3 is pulled upward (as viewed from the drawing sheet) relative to thebody 1. Thus, thecoupling portion 33 of themovable member 3 is engaged with the abuttingportion 16 of the connectingplates 13 of the body 1 (seeFig. 2 ). Theresilient member 2 shrinks radially under action of its own resiliency to restore the smaller diameter state of theresilient member 2. In this state, the bottle stopper can easily be removed from the mouth of the container or loosely seal the container. - Referring to
Fig. 4 , an expansible bottle stopper of a second embodiment according to the present invention includes abody 4, aresilient member 5, and amovable member 6. Thebody 4 can be formed by injection molding of inert material such as plastics. Thebody 4 includes anannular wall 41 in the form of a cap. Alternatively, theannular wall 41 can be coupled with a cap made of metal, ceramic, china, wood, or glass materials. Theannular wall 41 includes acircular hole 44 therein. A plurality of annularly spaced connectingplates 43 extend from an inner periphery of thecircular hole 44, with agap 45 formed between each two adjacent connectingplates 43. Each connectingplate 43 includes an abuttingportion 46 extending radially inward toward thecircular hole 44. In this embodiment, each abuttingportion 46 directly extends inward toward thecircular hole 44 from an outer side of one of the connectingplates 43. Distal ends of the connectingplates 43 are connected together by abottom disc 42 to provide improved strength for the connectingplates 43. - The
resilient member 5 can be made of rubber or combined rubber/plastic materials by foaming to form an elastomer with appropriate compressibility. In this embodiment, theresilient member 5 is cylindrical and engaged around the connectingplates 43 of thebody 4. Alternatively, theresilient member 5 and thebody 4 are integrally formed, withribs 51 on theresilient member 5 fitted in thegaps 45 of thebody 4, and withprotrusions 52 on top of theresilient member 5 engaged in preservedslots 47 in theannular wall 41. Thus, theresilient member 5 and thebody 4 can be firmly engaged without the risk of falling. Theresilient member 5 includes a plurality ofair guiding channels 53 on an outer periphery thereof, allowing gas in a container to be exhausted when theresilient member 5 is mounted in a mouth of the container. - The
movable member 6 can be made by injection molding of inert material such as plastics. Themovable member 6 includes adisc 65 of a larger area and ashank 61 extending from a side of thedisc 65. Thedisc 65 may be in the form of a cap. Alternatively, thedisc 65 can be coupled with a cap made of metal, ceramic, china, wood, or glass materials. Theshank 61 can be inserted into thecircular hole 44 of thebody 4. Theshank 61 includes an abuttingportion 62 that abuts against the abuttingportion 46 of thebody 4 such that the connectingplates 43 of thebody 4 can push theresilient member 5 to expand radially. Theshank 61 further includes a reducedcoupling portion 63. When theshank 61 of themovable member 6 moves axially relative to thebody 4, thecoupling portion 63 engages with the abuttingportion 46 to cause radial shrinkage of theresilient member 5. The radial shrinkage extent of theresilient member 5 can be fixed by determining the difference between the diameter of thecoupling portion 63 and theshank 61, with theresilient member 5 having a predetermined diameter according to designs. Furthermore, in this embodiment, thedisc 65 of themovable member 6 includes aring 64 surrounding thedisc 65 and connected to the outer periphery of thedisc 65 by a fragile connectingportion 66. When theshank 61 of themovable member 6 is moved axially downward relative to thebody 4, the connectingportion 66 breaks to cause disconnection of thering 64 from thedisc 65, with themovable member 6 sinking in theannular wall 41 of thebody 4. Since the abuttingportion 46 of thebody 4 is engaged with thecoupling portion 63 of theshank 61, themovable member 6 cannot move back to its initial position. -
Fig. 5 shows the bottle stopper of the second embodiment after assembly. Themovable member 6 is in a free state allowing it to be inserted into or removed from thebody 4. - With reference to
Fig. 6 , when it is desired to tightly seal the mouth of the container with the bottle stopper, themovable member 6 is axially moved relative to thebody 4 to proceed with a first-stage axial displacement. In this embodiment, themovable member 6 is pressed downward (as viewed from the drawing sheet) relative to thebody 4 to make thering 64 and thedisc 65 in contact with the top of theannular wall 41 of thebody 4. At this time, the abuttingportion 62 of theshank 61 abuts against the abuttingportions 46 of the connectingplates 43 of thebody 4. Thus, the connectingplates 43 of thebody 4 expand radially to cause radial expansion of theresilient member 5 to thereby tightly seal the mouth of the container. - With reference to
Fig. 7 , when it is desired to remove the bottle stopper from the mouth of the container, themovable member 6 is pressed downward relative to thebody 4 to proceed with a second-stage axial displacement. At this time, the connectingportion 66 breaks and causes disconnection of thering 64 from thedisc 65, with thedisc 65 sinking in theannular wall 41 of thebody 4. Furthermore, thecoupling portion 63 of theshank 61 engages with the abuttingportions 46 of the connectingplates 43 of thebody 4. Thus, besides destruction of thering 64, themovable member 6 cannot return its initial position due to engagement between thecoupling portion 63 of themovable member 6 and the abuttingportions 46 of thebody 4. This provides an anti-forgery effect. When thecoupling portion 63 of themovable member 6 engages with the abuttingportions 46 of thebody 4, theresilient member 5 shrinks to its smaller diameter state under action of its resiliency. In this state, the bottle stopper can be removed from the mouth of the container. Furthermore, the diameter of theresilient member 5 after shrinkage can be designed according to the diameter of thecoupling portion 63 of theshank 61 or the protruded extent of the abuttingportions 46 of the connectingplates 43 of thebody 4 such that the maximum diameter of theresilient member 5 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container, allowing resealing of the mouth of the container by the bottle stopper. - According to the foregoing, the bottle stopper of the present invention can radially expand by the first-stage axial displacement of the movable member relative to the body, and the diameter of the bottle stopper is larger than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container so that the resilient member can be fixedly and tightly press against the inner wall of the mouth of the container, obtaining enhanced sealing effect for the contents in the container. Furthermore, the resilient member shrinks radially by the second-stage axial displacement of the movable member relative to the body. Thus, the diameter of the resilient member can be set to a predetermined size to allow easy insertion or removal of the bottle stopper into or from the mouth of the container or to allow loosely sealing of the container by the bottle stopper.
- In the bottle stopper of the present invention, the connecting plates of the body are annularly arranged in a radial manner so that the connecting plates can expand radially to provide enhanced sealing effect between the bottle stopper and the container while having a simpler structure to cut the costs.
- While the principles of this invention have been disclosed in connection with specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and that any modification and variation without departing the spirit of the invention is intended to be covered by the scope of this invention defined only by the appended claims.
Claims (8)
- An expansible bottle stopper comprising:a body (1) including a top disc (11) having a circular hole (14), with a plurality of annularly spaced connecting plates (13) extending from an inner periphery of the circular hole (14), with a gap (15) being defined between each two adjacent connecting plates (13), with each said connecting plate (13) including an abutting portion (16) protruding toward the circular hole (14), with the body (1) further including a bottom disc (12), and with each said connecting plate (13) having an end connected to the bottom disc (12);a compressible resilient member (2) coupled with outer sides of the connecting plates (13) of the body (1); anda movable member (3) including a head (35) and a shank (31) extending from a side of the head (35), with the shank (31) including an abutting portion (32) for abutting against the abutting portions (16) of the body (1) to radially expand the resilient member (2), with the shank (31) including a reduced coupling portion (33), and with the coupling portion (33) being engaged with the abutting portion (16) of the body (1) to cause radial shrinkage of the resilient member (2) when the shank (31) of the movable member (3) is moved axially relative to the body (1).
- The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 1, with the resilient member (2) and the body (1) being integrally formed.
- The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 1 or 2, with the head (35) of the movable member (3) including a stop (36) to be abutted against by the bottom disc (12) of the body (1).
- The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 1 or 2, with the coupling portion (33) of the movable member (3) including a disengagement preventing portion (34) below the shank (31) to prevent the movable member (3) from disengaging from the body (1).
- A bottle stopper comprising:a body (4) including an annular wall (41) having a circular hole (44), with a plurality of annularly spaced connecting plates (43) extending from an inner periphery of the circular hole (44), with a gap (45) being defined between each two adjacent connecting plates (43), with each said connecting plate (43) including an abutting portion (46) protruding toward the circular hole (44), with the body (4) further including a bottom disc (42), and with each said connecting plate (43) having an end connected to the bottom disc (42);a compressible resilient member (5) coupled with outer sides of the connecting plates (43) of the body (4); anda movable member (6) including a disc (65) of a larger area and a shank (61) extending from a side of the disc (65), with the shank (61) including an abutting portion (62) for abutting against the abutting portions (46) of the body (4) to radially expand the resilient member (5), with the shank (61) including a reduced coupling portion (63), and with the coupling portion (63) being engaged with the abutting portion (46) of the body (4) to cause radial shrinkage of the resilient member (5) when the shank (61) of the movable member (6) is moved axially relative to the body (4).
- The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 5, with the resilient member (5) and the body (4) being integrally formed.
- The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 5 or 6, with the disc (65) of the movable member (6) further including a ring (64) surrounding the outer periphery of the disc (65) and a fragile connecting portion (66) interconnected between the ring (64) and the outer periphery of the disc (65).
- The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 5 or 6, with a maximum diameter of the resilient member (5) in a state in which the coupling portion (63) thereof is engaged with the abutting portions (46) of the body (4) being larger than that of the resilient member (5) before expansion.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CN 200710143038 CN101372274B (en) | 2007-08-21 | 2007-08-21 | Expanding bottle stopper |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2028121A2 true EP2028121A2 (en) | 2009-02-25 |
EP2028121A3 EP2028121A3 (en) | 2009-09-23 |
Family
ID=39941540
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP08013655A Withdrawn EP2028121A3 (en) | 2007-08-21 | 2008-07-30 | Expansible bottle stopper |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2028121A3 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101372274B (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011049487A1 (en) * | 2009-10-23 | 2011-04-28 | Agarkov Andrey Vyacheslavovich | Plug for glass bottles |
WO2011086407A3 (en) * | 2010-01-15 | 2011-09-22 | Creative Gcl S.R.L. | Tamper evident closure |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102190115B (en) * | 2010-03-11 | 2012-06-27 | 栓乐多瓶塞有限公司 | Two-piece bottle plug |
CN104085596A (en) * | 2014-07-07 | 2014-10-08 | 邓誉敏 | Multifunctional bottle plug |
CN105966740B (en) * | 2016-07-13 | 2018-01-19 | 桂林电子科技大学 | A kind of Wine bottle block that quickly can be opened and seal |
CN108361376B (en) * | 2017-12-28 | 2020-07-24 | 铜陵日科电子有限责任公司 | Sealing cover for transformer oil immersion machine |
US11312171B1 (en) | 2021-07-12 | 2022-04-26 | Richard Raymond Smith, Jr. | Can graphics concealment through pigmented overvarnish |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TW467850B (en) | 2000-10-04 | 2001-12-11 | Sunlot Bottle Stopper Co Ltd | Bottle stopper |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR1067065A (en) * | 1952-11-24 | 1954-06-11 | Automatic internal extension cap | |
GB1276485A (en) * | 1971-04-01 | 1972-06-01 | Paul Plura | Stoppers for necked bottles |
CN1184109C (en) * | 2000-10-31 | 2005-01-12 | 栓乐多瓶塞有限公司 | Bottle cork |
EP1377506A4 (en) * | 2001-04-11 | 2007-06-06 | Sunlot Bottle Stopper Co Ltd | Bottle stopper |
CN1150111C (en) * | 2001-08-30 | 2004-05-19 | 栓乐多瓶塞有限公司 | Bottle plug |
CN1255307C (en) * | 2003-03-05 | 2006-05-10 | 邱宏勇 | Expanding and shrinking bottle stopper |
DE10320269B3 (en) * | 2003-05-07 | 2004-10-14 | Reinhard Zills | Multiple path stopper for wine, sect or beer bottles has an inner conical taper extending over the length of a plastic conical stopper and inclined so that self-locking and form |
CN2855928Y (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2007-01-10 | 烟台华新集团有限公司 | Expansion tight bottle cap |
-
2007
- 2007-08-21 CN CN 200710143038 patent/CN101372274B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2008
- 2008-07-30 EP EP08013655A patent/EP2028121A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TW467850B (en) | 2000-10-04 | 2001-12-11 | Sunlot Bottle Stopper Co Ltd | Bottle stopper |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011049487A1 (en) * | 2009-10-23 | 2011-04-28 | Agarkov Andrey Vyacheslavovich | Plug for glass bottles |
WO2011086407A3 (en) * | 2010-01-15 | 2011-09-22 | Creative Gcl S.R.L. | Tamper evident closure |
US9114912B2 (en) | 2010-01-15 | 2015-08-25 | Guala Closures S.P.A. | Tamper evident closure |
EA022140B1 (en) * | 2010-01-15 | 2015-11-30 | Гуала Клоужурс С.П.А. | Tamper evident closure |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2028121A3 (en) | 2009-09-23 |
CN101372274B (en) | 2010-08-18 |
CN101372274A (en) | 2009-02-25 |
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