US3172555A - Composite stoppers - Google Patents

Description

March 9, 1965 G. HONNORAT COMPOSITE STOPPERS Filed Dec. 6, 1962 United States Patent 2 Claims. ((11. 215-48) This invention relates to composite stoppers for bottles and similar containers. The use of known ground-glass stoppers which ensure a very satisfactory tightness has almost been abandoned for small bottles such as perfume bottles, because these stoppers are expensive to produce and do not allow for the interchangeability of the stoppers and the bottles.

Already, various closure devices have been proposed to remedy these disadvantages. Some known devices comprise the combination of a plug of soft and resilient material, for securing in the neck of the bottle, and a cap adapted to be screwed to the outside of the bottle to cover this plug after it has been placed in position, and to help retain it in position in the neck. Other devices comprise a stopper with a body portion for enlargement in the neck of the bottle, the body portion being covered with a layer of resilient material.

Of the devices mentioned above, the former type, while ensuring satisfactory tightness, is diflicult to handle, since the plug is not connected to the cap, cannot be easily gripped and, moreover, is easily mislaid. Devices of the other type, while being integral and thus more easy to handle, suffer from the disadvantage that they do not ensure a perfectly tight fit of the body portion of the stopper, owing to the lack of resilience of the layer of material applied to the latter.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stopper having a construction such as to remedy these disadvantages, that is to say a stopper which allows for easy handling and yet ensures efficient closure of the bottle.

To achieve this object, the invention provides a composite stopper for bottles or similar containers comprising a substantially rigid member fitting a flexible walled hollow member, the latter forming a plug to fit a neck to be stoppered with compression and deformation of the plug and the former providing a finger grip for the stopper and itself having a plug portion for penetration of the said hollow plug member but being spaced from the inner wall thereof to allow of the specified deformation.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the hollow member is in the form of a thin-walled cylindrical or slightly conical cup and made of rubber, plasticised polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, or similar material; the member forming the finger grip of the stopper comprises an extension projecting into the cup-shaped portion and having a diameter smaller than the latter so that there exists an annular clearance between the inner wall of the cup and the said extension which clearance permits the free resilient deformation of the cup wall after its engagement in the neck; the two parts of the stopper are connected to one another by means of a circular flange pro vided on the inner wall of the cup which resiliently engages a groove provided in the said rigid member, the joint between flange and groove being situated at a point on the stopper to be located above the bottle neck.

In order to prevent the rotation of the member providing the finger grip relatively to the member forming the plug, the invention provides for'the flange as well as the above-mentioned groove to be given a non-circular section.

Finally, the finger grip may be decorated as desired.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of a bottle neck closed by a composite stopper.

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a modified embodiment of stopper.

FIG. 4 is a section along the line IVIV of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a composite stopper comprises a flexible plug member 1 and a substantially rigid member 2.

The member 1 is constituted by a cup-shaped envelope the wall 3 of which has an outer diameter such that its engagement in the neck 4 of a bottle causes considerable friction at least in the zone of the smallest diameter of the neck. The wall 3 terminates at the top in a collar 5 having an inner flange 6.

The member 2 comprises a preferably tapered or ornamented finger grip 2a which projects from the neck, and also has an extension 2b which projects inside the cup-shaped member 1; the diameter of this extension 2b is smaller than the inner diameter of the cup, and this leaves between the two members an annular clearance 8 which permits free resilient deformation of the body 3 when the stopper is pushed into the neck 4.

Between the finger grip 2a and the extension 2b of the member 2 is provided an annular groove 9 in which the flange 6 engages in order to hold the members 1 and 2 together.

The tightness of closure which may be achieved by the stopper described is very satisfactory owing to the fact that the wall 3 of the cup-shaped envelope can be deformed without transmitting pressure to the extension 211 of the member 2.

As the withdrawal of a stopper is often effected by a pulling action accompanied by a slight rotation, it is preferable to prevent any relative angular displacement between the cup-shaped envelope 3 and the finger grip of the stopper.

To achieve this object it is provided, as can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, for the groove in which the flange of the cup-shaped envelope engages to have a non-circular, and for example a square section as shown at 9a, and for the flange to have the same shape, indicated at 6a.

It is also possible, although probably not as eflective, to flute the circumference of the flange 6.

The plug member 1 is preferably made of polyethylene since this material is suitably resilient and moreover is resistant to chemical attack from certain products such as perfumes.

The member 2-2a-2b may be made of glass or polystyrene, poly-methyl-methacrylate, metal etc., and may be shaped in the usual manner for stoppers used for perfumes and pharmaceutical purposes.

If the member 2 is of solid polystyrene the extension 211 may constitute the injection means, and this extension may be divided into sections at a below the groove 9 or 9a.

Obviously, modifications may be made to the above described embodiment, if desired. For example, the flange and groove 6, 9 or 6a, 9a connecting the two members 1 and 2 may be replaced by any other form of connection which allows plug member 1 to remain flexible while retaining it against displacement, and preferably which also prevents the two members from turning relatively to one another.

I claim:

1. A composite stopper for bottles and the like, comprising a rigid member formed to provide a finger grip at its upper end and a substantially cylindrical portion at its lower end, said member having aperipheral groove separating the surfaces of said twoportions, and, a hollow, cup-shaped resilient bottle engaging member having a substantially cylindrical wallformed with anrinwardlyprojecting peripheral bead at its open upper end, said bead projecting into said groove and embracing said rigid member without possibility of axial or circumferential relative displacement of said two members, .said substantially cylindrical portion of said rigid member extending into said hollow member with substantial lateral clearance whereby the hollow member-may be deformed laterally inwardly without contact of its:wal1 with said cylindrical portion of said rigid member, the bottom of said hollow cupshaped resilient member being spaced from the lower end of the said cylindrical portion.

2. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, in which said flange and said groove are of corresponding non-circular form in order to limit relative rotation of said members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 429,579 6/90 Oliver et al 21552 592,879 11/97 Neuhaus 21548 1,064,544 6/13 Rosenfield et al. 215-48 2,696,319 12/54 Menefee 21548 2,705,573 4/55 Zeppelovitch 215-48 3,059,798 10/62 Darmstadt et al. 21548 3,070,251 12/62 Mangravite 21548 3,073,473 1/63 Davidson 215-48 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,910 11/56 Italy.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE J. DRUMMOND, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A COMPOSITE STOPPER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A RIGID MEMBER FORMED TO PROVIDE A FINGER GRIP AS ITS UPPER END AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL PORTION AT ITS LOWER END, SAID MEMBER HAVING A PERIPHERAL GROOVE SEPARATING THE SURFACES OF SAID TWO PORTIONS, AND A HOLLOW CUP-SHAPED RESILIENT BOTTLE-ENGAGING MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLNDRICAL WALL FORMED WITH AN INWARDLY PROJECTING PERIPHERAL BEAD AT ITS OPEN UPPER END, SAID BEAD PROJECTING INTO SAID GROOVE AND EMBRACING SAID RIGID MEMBER WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF AXIAL OR CIRCUMFERENTIAL RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TWO MEMBERS, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID RIGID MEMBER EXTENDING INTO SAID HOLLOW MEMBER WITH SUBSTANTIAL LATERAL CLEARANCE WHEREBY THE HOLLOW MEMBER MAY BE DEFORMED LATERALLY INWARDLY WITHOUT CONTACT OF ITS WALL WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID RIGID MEMBER, THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOLLOW CUPSHAPED RESILIENT MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM THE LOWER END OF THE SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION.

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