Bottles and jars – Closures – With separate applied fastener to hold closure in closed...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-09
2004-01-06
Newhouse, Nathan J. (Department: 3727)
Bottles and jars
Closures
With separate applied fastener to hold closure in closed...
C215S327000, C053S486000, C053S421000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06672469
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a beverage bottle, in particular to a wine or sparkling wine bottle, having a bottle neck which leads into a pouring opening. It further relates to a method for closing a beverage bottle of that kind.
RELATED TECHNOLOGY
In a century-long tradition, a wine bottle or a sparkling wine bottle usually has a cork or cork stopper as closure element which is introduced into the pouring opening of the bottle neck of the wine bottle. Closing wine and sparkling wine bottles in this manner has proven worthwhile, in particular, because cork, as a natural material, satisfies the preconditions given for a long-term storage of wine in the bottle to a particularly great extent. Especially with respect to processibility and tightness, cork is an inexpensive closure material involving a reasonable manufacturing outlay. Due to the long tradition in using cork for closing wine bottles, moreover, the consumers associate a cork stopper of that kind with extensive experience in the production of wine. Therefore, wine offered in a wine bottle which is closed in such a manner usually enjoys a comparatively high esteem in consumer circles.
Alternatively to using cork, a wine bottle can also be equipped with a screw closure. In this case, usually a metallic closing cap is used which is screwed on the bottle neck via a screw thread, thus closing the pouring opening of the wine bottle. A wine bottle closed with such a screw cap can be clearly distinguished from a wine bottle closed with a cork stopper already by its outer appearance. However, closure systems using screw closures are predominantly used for comparatively cheaper and, consequently, inferior wines. Because of this, moreover, a wine offered in a wine bottle having a screw closure enjoys only a lower esteem among the consumers than a wine offered in a wine bottle which is closed with a cork stopper.
Contrary to the high esteem among the consumers, however, a closure using a cork stopper can also have negative effects on the wine stored in a wine bottle closed in such a manner. In particular, as a result of contact with the wine stored in the wine bottle, a cork stopper can release flavoring substances into the wine, thus impairing or corrupting the taste of the wine. Such impairments of the wine can occur in 10 percent to 16 percent of the wine stored in such a manner. Moreover, for a sufficient sealing effect, the cork stopper must be adapted to the inside dimension of the bottle neck or of the pouring opening in a comparatively exact manner and, in addition, be treated thermally, involving a comparatively high manufacturing outlay.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is a beverage bottle, in particular, a wine or sparkling wine bottle of the type indicated above, whose closure system, on the one hand, makes it possible to prevent the beverage stored therein from being impaired in its taste even during a long storage period and, on the other hand, accommodates the esteem of the consumers to a special degree. Another object of the present invention is a method for closing a beverage bottle which is particularly suitable for attaching such a closure system.
With regard to the beverage bottle, the present invention provides a beverage bottle, in particular, a wine or sparkling wine bottle, comprising a bottle neck (
4
) which leads into a pouring opening (
6
), the pouring opening (
6
) being closed with a crown cap (
10
) which is surrounded by an external packing composed of a molded cap (
22
) and of a capsule (
28
) which encircles the molded cap together with a part of the bottle neck (
4
).
An advantage of the present invention is that an impairment in taste of the beverage stored in the beverage bottle, in particular of the wine stored therein, can be avoided in that cork is consequently dispensed with as closure material. To ensure a long storage life, rather a mechanically stable closure element on a metallic basis can be used. In this context, for particularly simple processibility, it can be particularly beneficial to use a crown cap as the closure element. A crown cap allows the beverage bottle to be closed using conventional equipment. However, to ensure that the good storage properties achievable in this manner are also combined with a special esteem in the buyer circles, the beverage or wine bottle, moreover, should, in its appearance, look similar to a wine bottle closed with a cork stopper. To this end, the metallic closure element is surrounded by an external packing which, in its outer appearance, copies a beverage bottle provided with a cork closure.
In this context, to maintain a particularly high dimensional stability even during different handling steps, the external packing includes a molded cap. This molded cap, together with a part of the bottle neck, is encircled by a jacket denoted as capsule, as could also be used in the case of a wine or sparkling wine bottle which is closed in a conventional manner using a cork stopper. In this context, the capsule extends beyond the molded cap, and further encircles an upper part of the bottle neck of the beverage bottle, as well. Exactly because of that, it is avoided to a special degree, that the appearance of the beverage bottle gets close to a screw cap which is considered to be inferior.
For a particularly long and stable storage life while maintaining a high tightness, the crown cap, which can be designed, in particular, in compliance with DIN 6099, is advantageously made on the basis of high-grade steel. In this case, the metal body forming the so-called “mirror” and the teeth of the crown cap is expediently composed of the material ASI 316.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the crown cap, on its side facing the interior of the bottle, is provided with a seal made of plastic in an inner region or in the region of its mirror to ensure a particularly high tightness. In this context, provision is preferably made for low-density polyethylene, which is also referred to as LD-PE, as sealing material.
For use in great quantities and for a particularly small manufacturing outlay, the molded cap is preferably made of plastic as well, in particular of high-density polyethylene which is also referred to as HD-PE.
In different situations, for example during storage or during shipping or, in particular, during the opening of the beverage bottle, the molded cap can be subject to torsional moments or moments of rotation relative to the actual bottle body. In this context, to reliably rule out a, per se, unwanted rotation of the molded cap relative to the bottle neck, the molded cap advantageously has an anti-rotation protection. To this end, in an advantageous embodiment, a number of snap-in locking elements designed, for example, in the manner of a stretched cylinder body, are integrally molded at a circumferential inner side of the molded cap. The snap-in locking elements are arranged in such a manner, that, when the molded cap is slipped over the crown cap, they each engage with a space between two neighboring teeth of the crown cap, respectively. In this context, a torque possibly acting upon the molded cap is intercepted or borne via the snap-in locking elements and the corresponding teeth of the crown cap so that the molded cap cannot rotate relative to the bottle body.
For secure attachment of the crown cap, the bottle neck of the beverage bottle preferably has a first circumferential lip bead or a lip in the immediate vicinity of the pouring opening. In the mounted condition, the crown cap embraces this lip bead with its bending lips which are arranged at its outer edge and separated by its so-called “teeth.” To rule out a mechanical impairment of the mounted crown cap and, in particular, a mechanical sticking, moreover, the bottle neck advantageously has a second circumferential lip bead at, compared to the first lip bead, a slightly larger distance from the pouring opening. This lip bead is preferably dimensioned in such a manner that it protects the mounted crown cap from mechanical ac
Hessbrueggen Guido
Querbach Peter
Kenyon & Kenyon
Newhouse Nathan J.
Querbach Peter
LandOfFree
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