Supports: racks – Special article – Receptacle support
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-04
2001-05-15
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Receptacle support
C248S312000, C403S256000, C403S321000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230905
ABSTRACT:
THE PRIOR ART
Supports for wine bottles are well known. These supports have an opening wherein a bottleneck is housed, and an arm for supporting a part of the bottle next to the bottom thereof.
A support provided with a clamping device for a bottle with a bottom and a neck comprising a collar is known from FR-A-2 327 743. The clamping device includes a body with an opening for inserting part of the neck of the bottle in such a way that said neck has, with respect to said opening, a downward facing surface and an upward facing surface, and a moving part attached to the support for engaging at least partially the neck of the bottles, wherein the said opening has a downward facing surface.
These supports have the drawback that they have a large size, that they need difficult handling operations for taking out a bottle, and they do not ensure the best safety for bottles, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for holding a bottle, especially a wine bottle, to a plate provided with such devices and to a cupboard or cabinet provided with such a plate. In the present description, the term bottles refers to any container or flask having a neck.
The device of the invention is a device for clamping substantially horizontally a bottle which has an axis of symmetry, a bottom, and a neck with a free end, said neck being provided with a collar near its free end, the said neck having a first part adjacent to said collar and a second part directed towards the bottom with respect to the said first part, the axis of symmetry of the clamped bottle being intended to be substantially horizontal. The device of the invention comprises:
a body provided with an opening with an axis of passage, said opening being defined by at least a first face and a second face opposite to the said first face, the neck of a bottle being intended to be partially engaged into opening, so that the said neck has a face directed towards the first face of the opening and a face directed towards the second face of the opening, and
a element pivotally attached to the first face of the opening, said element pivoting around a pivoting axis perpendicular to the axis of passage of opening, said element having two supporting parts for supporting parts of the face of the neck directed towards the first face of the opening, a first supporting part being intended to support at least partly the face of the second part of the neck, while the second supporting part is intended to support at least partly the face of the first part of the neck adjacent to the collar.
According to a characteristic, the device comprises a body having at least one opening, said body being adapted so that the bottle whose neck is engaged in the opening has a substantially horizontal axis, preferably forming an angle of 1° to 15° with a horizontal plane, said angle being such that the crossing point between said axis and the bottom of the bottle is at a level below the level of the axis which extends in the neck. Preferably, the angle formed by said axis and a horizontal plane is between 4° and 10° (particularly 5° to 6°).
According to an embodiment, the pivoting element is designed to rest on a downward face of the neck. Preferably, the opening is defined between one or more walls of the body, said opening being designed in such a way that at least the upward face of the neck rests on a wall defining the opening.
Particularly, the opening is designed in such a way that a part of the neck, next to the collar thereof, but turned towards the bottom of the bottle, rests on a wall defining the opening.
According to a particular embodiment, the opening is substantially cylindrical, but this opening preferably has a truncated cone shape and has an axis, said opening extending between two ends, the passage surface of the opening perpendicular to the axis thereof, at the end next to the neck collar inserted in the opening being lower than the passage surface of the opening perpendicular to the axis thereof at the other end. According to this preferred embodiment, the axis of the opening is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.
According to another embodiment, the pivoting element has two parts, the first being designed to act as a support for a part of the neck turned towards the bottom of the bottle, whereas the second part is designed to rest on a part of the downward face of the neck, adjacent to the collar. In this embodiment, the second part preferably has an end designed to rest on a part of the collar. Particularly, the element is an element pivoting with respect to a substantially horizontal axis, the distance between the first part and the axis being greater than the distance between the second part and said axis.
According to a detail of an advantageous embodiment, a means acts on the pivoting element to exert a force thereon aiming at pushing it against a part of the downward face of the neck, said part being preferably adjacent to the collar. Such a means may be for example a spring blade, particularly borne by the pivoting element.
According to a further detail of an embodiment, the device includes a means for keeping the pivoting element in a position wherein said piece exerts no more force on the neck, preferably wherein said means opposes the force exerted by the spring blade.
For example, the device is in the form of a hollow cylindrical body, intended to be housed inside a hole formed in a support. Advantageously, said body has a rim which is meant to rest on a face of the support, as well as means for cooperating with a ring which is meant to rest on the face of the support opposite to the face whereon the rim rests. According to a characteristic of this example, the body has one or more flexible tongues provided with a retaining tooth which is intended to rest on a wall of the hole, upon engagement of the body in said hole, to cause said tongue(s) to bend towards the hollow of the body.
According to another embodiment, the device includes a movable valve, whereon a return means acts to close the opening when a bottleneck is taken out.
The device according to the invention may also include a locking mechanism allowing to lock the pivoting element.
The invention also relates to a support provided with one or more devices according to the invention.
Particularly, the support comprises several devices, said devices being arranged with respect to each other so that the bottles locked thereby are kept at a distance from each other. Preferably, the devices are arranged with respect to each other so that the bottles locked thereby can be taken out one by one without touching any other bottle.
For example, the support includes a plate which is vertical or intended to be mounted vertically in a structure or on a wall, the plate face turned towards the structure or the wall being advantageously provided with collectors for collecting any fluid flowing from bottles and for preventing any fluid flowing from one bottle from flowing on the neck of another bottle.
The invention also relates to a cupboard including a support according to the invention.
According to an embodiment of the cupboard, a chamber intended for receiving the collars of the bottles locked by the devices or the free ends of the bottlenecks, locked by the devices, is defined therein.
In this embodiment, the devices preferably have each one movable valve, whereon a return means acts for closing the opening upon taking out a bottleneck, whereas the cupboard includes a means for controlling the atmosphere, particularly the humidity of the chamber. According to a detail of a cupboard, the latter includes a mechanism for locking the devices, preventing bottles from being taken out.
According to another detail of the cupboard, each locking device is associated to an electric system which is intended to transmit a signal to a controller.
The invention further relates to a method for aging the wine contained in the bottles, wherein the bottles are locked at their neck on a support according to the invention in order to ensure that the bottles do not touch eac
Harris Erica B.
Stodola Daniel P.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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