GB2190072A - Closing device for bottles of champagne and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

A closing device for bottles of champagne comprises a stopper 8 inserted in the neck of the bottle, a stopper pressure cap is coaxial with the stopper and screwed onto the neck of the bottle, and a mushroom-shaped member 25 engaged inside the stopper and snap-fitted to the top of the cap so as to lock the stopper to the cap during unscrewing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Closing device for bottles of champagne and the like The present invention relates to a closing device for bottles of champagne and the like.

As is known, such closing devices must be ableto withstand high stresses resulting from the pressure ofthe gases produced by the champagne.

At present, various solutions are used in order close champagne bottles.

Conventional cork stoppers, which are valued by tradftionalist consumers, but which are not without drawbacks, are still being used. Such drawbacks include degradation and the possibility of spores being produced, despite the disinfestation treatment which the material undergoes, with the consequent negative effect on the organoleptic properties of the champagne.

Moreover, wire cages must be applied to these stoppers so as to keep them firmly fixed in the bottles.

Stoppers which are made of plastic, for example polyethylene, and imitate the shape of cork stoppers are also used.

These stoppers are forced into the necks of the bottles under very great pressure so as to ensure an adequate sealing effect.

However, they then have the drawback that they are difficu It to remove.

Moreover, unfortunately the low temperature of the bottle when opened causes rigidification ofthe material from which the stopper is made, hence making matters worse. Also, the use of such plastic stoppers means that the bottle is subject two small dimensional tolerances and must possess a good surface finish, otherwise there is the riskthatthe stopperwill not remain firmly in positionandthatthe bottlewill not be properly sealed.

In orderto overcome the abovementioned drawbacks, expanding closing devices have been suggested, in which a male member is displaceably mounted in a female member inserted into the neck of the bottle. Cone-shaped means and counter-means, or even elbow-type means, are tormed in the said members so as to force the female member against the walls of the bottle neck.

The closing devices are, per se, very complex in design and require intricate means in orderto implement them during bottling. Moreover, in terms of use and appearance, they are far removed -From conventional cork or polyethylene stoppers.

The problem underlying the present invention isto devise a closing device possessing structural and functional features which are able to overcome the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the known art.

This problem is solved by means of a closing device comprising a stopper inserted in the neck of the bottle, a stopper pressure cap coaxial with the stopper and substantially screwed onto the neck of the bottle, and means for axially locking the stopper to the cap during unscrewing ofthecap.

Advantageously, the said means comprise a mushroom memberwith its stem engaged insidethe stopper and its head located on top of the cap.

Further characteristic features and advantages of the closing device according to the present invention will emerge from the following description of one its preferred exemplary embodiments, provided by way of a non-limiting example,with reference to the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a closing device according to the invention, and Figure2showsa partially sectioned viewofthe closing device according to Figure 1, with the parts separated.

With reference to the attached drawings, 1 denotes, in its entirety, a closing device according to the invention, applied to the neck 2 of a bottle 3 intended to contain champagne and similar beverages.

In particular, the neck 2, with an axis X-X, has a cylindrical internal wall 4, an upper edge 5 and an external cylindrical wall 6 in which there is formed, at a predetermined distance from the edge 5, a strengthening collar7.

The closing device 1 comprises a stopperwith a fiat head 8, made of expanded plastic, for example expanded polyethylene.

The stopper 8 has a cylindrical body 9 with two diameters: a first portion 10 of the cylindrical body 9 has a diameter slightly smallerthan the diameter of the cylindrical wall 4 and forms a receiving surface for inserting the stopper inside the neck; a second portion 11, on the other hand, has a slightly larger diameter so asto give rise to aforcing action when inserted insidethe neck and ensure a sealing effect; finally, a third portion 12, which is conical, is located between the portions 10 and 11 so as to join them together.

The stopper 8 has a flat head 13 which rests on the edge 5.

It should be noted that advantageously the flat head is provided, on its periphery, with a sloping portion 1 4which engages internally with the edge 5 itself.

It should also be noted that the stopper 8 is provided with a sealing layer 8a which extends over the entire cylindrical body 9 as far as the underside of the flat head 13, behind the sloping portion 14. The sealing layer 8a is a film made of a suitable plastic material, for example polyethylene.

The closing device 1 also comprises an annular stopper pressure cap 15 made of a plastic with good mechanical properties and preferably a low coefficient of friction, for ecample an acetal resin or nylon.

The cap 15, which is coaxial with the stopper 8, is substantially screwed onto the neck 2 and has a tubular portion 16 and an annularflange 17formed internally at one end ofthe tubular portion 16 and resting on the fiat head 13.

The tubular portion 16 is slightly tapered at the end where the flange 17 is located so asto give to the closing device the traditional rounded shape of a champagne cork.

Internally and at the opposite end, thetubular portion 16 is provided with three lugs, all indicated by 18, which are circumferentially located atthe same distance from each other and which are engaged, by means of screwing, with a thread, indicated in its entirety by 19, provided forthis purpose along the external cylindrical wall 6 of the neck 2 from the edge as far asthe collar7.

More particularly, the thread 19 consists of three helical wide-pitch threads, all indicated by 20, which are formed on the said wall 6.

It should be noted that respective and identical horizontal sections, indicated by 21, and respective and identical vertical sections, indicated by 22, are provided along these threads 20. The sections 21 and 22 are joined to each other and define a seat 23 for receiving a lug 1 8 at the end of the screwing operation.

The closing device 1 according to the invention also comprises means 24 for axially locking the stopperto the cap 15.

The said means 24 comprise a mushroom member 25 made of a plastic with good mechanical properties, for example a so-called ABS resin. The said mushroom member 25 has a cylindrical stem 26 and a head 27. The cylindrical stem 26, which has a coaxial cavity making it light and providing it with a predetermined elasticity, is inserted with a predetermined amount offorce into a cylindrical seat 28 formed inside the stopper 8 along most of its length and extends through the annular cap 15.

Adx ntageously, retaining means 29, which will be described below, are provided so as to prevent the stem 26 becoming disengaged from the stopper 8.

The head 27 of the mushroom member 25 lies on topoftheannularflange 17 ofthe annularcap 15.

More particularly, the head 27 ofthe mushroom member 25 and the flat head 13 of the stopper8 define between them an annular groove inside which the flange 17 is accommodated with a small degree of axial play.

Advantageously the head 27 is slightly rounded and is joined to the tubular portion 16 ofthe cap 15, which portion has, for this purpose, a raised edge 30 which matches the periphery of the head 27.

Thus, the mushroom member 25 also contributes towards providing the rounded shape which is typical of champagne corks.

Asmallannularprojection3l,which hasa semi-circular cross-section, is provided on the periphery of the head 27 so as to co-operate, by means ofsnap-engagement, with a small annular recess 32 which also has a semi-circular cross-section and which iscorrespondinglyformed on the inside of the raised edge 30.

As regards the retaining means 29, these comprise foursmall annular collars, all indicated by 33,which are formed along the stem 26 and have a saw-tooth profile, with the front 34 of the tooth facing the head 27 and with the rear 35 facing the free end ofthe stem, and also four annular grooves, all indicated by 36, which are formed inside the stopper Bin the seat 28 and have a saw-tooth profile matching the profile ofthesmall collars 33.

The mode of operation of the closing device according to the invention is described below, on the occasion when the said device is first applied to the bottle, during bottling, and with reference to an initial condition shown in Figure 2.

When the bottle 3, complete with the threading 19 and full of champagne, is in position, the stopper 8 is first of all axially inserted inside the neck 2.

This operation is easily carried out using a pusher device which acts on the bottom of the seat 28 and which therefore inserts the stopper, subjecting it to a pulling rather than a compressive force.

Once the stopper 8 is inserted, the mushroom member 25 and the cap 15 are axially locked together by inserting the stopper 26 through the actual cap 25 so that the head 27 fits inside the raised edge 30 and the annular projection 31 co-operates, by means of snap-engagement, with the annular recess 32.

Atthis point, using a suitable tool, for example a bell lined internally with rubber, the cap 15 and the mushroom member 25 are screwed onto the bottle 3 and the stopper 8, respectively, until the lugs 18, having passed along the threads 20 during screwing, occupy the seats 23 defined bythe horizontal sections 21 and vertical sections 22 ofthe threads themselves.

In this condition, the stopper 8 is pressed against the neck of the bottle. Moreover, its flat head 13 is compressed between the edge 5 of the bottle neck and the annular flange 17 and subjected there to a predetermined compressive force.

Moreover, the stem 26 is located inside the seat 28, with the small collars 33 irreversibly engaged inside the grooves 36.

In this condition, shown in Figure 2, the closing device is operational and the bottle is sealed.

In order to open the bottle, the cap 15 needs merely to be unscrewed. After a first short rotational movement during which the lugs 18 pass along the horizontal sections 21 again, removal of the cap commences, assisted by the pressure of the gases produced by the champagne and in any case brought about by unscrewing of the lugs 18 from the threads 20 of the threading 19.

During removal, the cap 15 acts, by means of its annularflange 17, on the head 27 of the mushroom mem ber, with the latter removing the stopper 8.

Thus, the assembly consisting of the cap, the stopper and the mushroom member are completely removed without effort.

Where it is required to close the bottle again, the abovementioned assembly may be applied to the bottle again by means of simple screwing, the operations described above for opening being repeated in reverse order.

The closing device according to the invention is able to withstand the highest pressure produced by the gases, without yielding in any way.

The stopper is, in fact, positively held by the cap which, in turn, is axiallyfixed to the bottle by means of engagement of the lugs with the horizontal sections ofthe threads.

Despite this, the closing device according to the invention allows the bottle to be opened without any effort.

Afurther advantage of the closing device according to the invention consists in its simple design and the rapidity with which it can be applied during bottling.

The said closing device in fact consists of a small number of items, all possessing a simple structure.

Owing to the special shape of the stopper and the fact that it makes contact with the neck of the bottle between the edge of the latter and the cap, an optimum sealing effect is ensured, even in the case where large dimensional tolerances existforthe bottle neck.

Owing to the sealing layer provided on the stopper, atthe same timethe danger ofthe champagne evaporating through the material ofthe cork itself and of it acquiring any bad aftertaste resulting from the gases used to manufacture the expanded polyethylene of the stopper, is completely eliminated. Moreover,thesealing layer allows the overall manufacturing costs of the closing device to be reduced, since a material with less stringent non-toxic properties can be used for the stopper.

It should also be noted that the closing device according to the invention allows the bottle to be rapidly closed again, if required.

Yet another advantage, at least in the eyes of traditionalist consumers, is that the closing device according to the invention resembles a conventional champagnecorkin appearance.

Obviously, in order to meet specific contingent requirements, the closing device described above may be subject two numerous modifications and variations performed by a person skilled in the art, all of which, however, are contained within the protective scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims (10)

1. Closing device for bottles of champagne and the like, characterized in that it comprises a stopper inserted in the neck of the bottle, a stopper pressure cap coaxial with the stopper and substantially screwed onto the neck ofthe bottle, and means for axially locking thestoppertothe cap during unscrewing of the cap.

2. Closing device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said means comprise a r,:ushroom memberwith its stem engaged insidethe stopper and its head located on top of the cap.

3. Closing device according to Claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a cylindrical seat which is coaxiallyformed inside the stopper and into which the said stem is inserted with a predetermined amount offorce.

4. Closing device according to Claim 3, characterized in that it comprises retaining means between the said stem and the said seat.

5. Closing device according to Claim 4, characterized in that the said retaining means comprise at leastone small annularcollarwitha saw-tooth profile, which is formed along the stem and co-operates with the stopper.

6. Closing device according to Claim 3, characterized in that the said seat extends over most of the length of the stopper.

7. Closing device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said cap is provided internally with a lug intended to co-operate, by means of screwing, with at least one helical thread provided on the neck of the bottle.

8. Closing device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the said thread has a horizontal section for axially retaining the lug.

9. Closing device according to Claim 1, characterized in thatthe said stopper comprises a sealing layer.

10. A closing device for bottles ofchampagne and the like substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.