Dispensing – With plural openings or discharge guides – Having flow controllers or closures
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-10
2002-11-05
Derakshani, Philippe (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
With plural openings or discharge guides
Having flow controllers or closures
C222S483000, C222S521000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06474515
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a closure for a beverage bottle and more particularly relates to a closure that vents pressurized gases in a controlled manner while being opened.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Non-carbonated beverages such as waters, teas, juices, sports drinks, and the like may be sold in single serving and multiple serving plastic and glass bottles. Plastic bottles, which are more commonly used, may be made out of a PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) resin. The beverage bottle may be enclosed by a standard screw-off cap or a closure with a pull-up spout that the consumer can open and close with his or her fingers. This type of packaging allows the consumer to open and close the beverage bottle as desired.
Another known type of bottle closure has a twist-top spout. Instead of pulling the spout up as in the pull-up closures, the consumer simply twists the spout. Examples of known twist-top closures are found in U.S. Design Patent Nos. 424,442 and 423,358. These patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Certain types of non-carbonated beverage bottles may be pressurized by injecting liquid nitrogen prior to capping. The nitrogen serves to make the bottle itself somewhat stiff. This bottle stiffness assists in labeling efficiency and in vending machine performance. The target internal bottle pressure after capping may be in the range of about ten (10) to about twenty-five (25) psi. Known twist-top closures, however, generally are not designed to hold internal bottle pressures. For those closures that are intended or designed to be used with a pressurized bottle, one drawback with these closure designs is that there may be some spraying or squirting of the beverage contained in the bottle when the closure is first opened. This spraying or squirting of the beverage may be caused by the sudden release of the internal pressure when the closure is first opened.
Known bottle closures also may use an over-cap of some sort to protect the spout itself. The consumer, however, generally removes the over-cap before the consumer opens the spout. The over-cap therefore generally has not provided any protection from the spraying or squirting described above. Further, while certain known over-caps produced by the applicants herein may be re-attachable, such re-attachable over-caps either have not used a frangible line or the frangible line is not readily visible to the consumer once broken. As such, the re-attachable over-caps may not provide immediate visual evidence of tampering.
What is needed, therefore, is a twist-top, pull-up, or other type of closure for a beverage bottle that holds pressure and provides controlled venting of this pressure during the opening of the bottle so as to eliminate beverage spraying or squirting. The closure and its use should be reasonably inexpensive and should not interfere with existing bottling equipment and methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention thus provides a closure for a bottle. The closure includes a spout neck attached to the bottle and a cap retractably positioned on the spout neck. The spout neck may have a sealing lip and the cap may have an internal vent and an internal body portion. The sealing lip of the spout neck and the body portion of the cap align to seal the bottle when the cap is in a first position. The sealing lip of the spout neck and the circular vent of the cap align so as to vent the bottle when the cap is moved to a second position.
Specific embodiments of the present invention include the spout neck and the cap being made from a substantially rigid thermoplastic. The spout neck may include an extended body portion extending adjacent to the sealing lip. The cap may include a circular rib positioned adjacent to the internal body portion such that the circular rib aligns with the extended body portion of the spout neck when the cap is in the first position and the second position and such that the circular rib aligns with the sealing lip of the spout neck when the cap is in a third position.
The circular vent may include a number of cut out areas and a number of gaps. The circular vent also may include a number of segmented grooves therein. The segmented grooves may include a series of bosses therein. The circular vent may have a predetermined diameter such that an air gap is created when the circular vent aligns with the sealing lip.
The sealing lip of the spout neck may include a spout aperture with a sealing cap positioned therein. The cap may include a top surface with a cap aperture therein. The top surface may include a circular wall surrounding the cap aperture. The circular wall and/or the spout neck may be sized such that the circular wall and the sealing cap of the spout neck align to seal the cap aperture when the cap is in the first position and when the cap is moved to the second position. Specifically, the circular wall and the sealing cap of the spout neck align to seal the cap aperture when the cap is moved to the second position and the sealing lip of the spout neck and the circular vent of the cap align so as to vent the bottle. The circular wall and the sealing cap of the spout neck may align to open the cap aperture when the cap is moved to a third position.
The spout neck may include a base that is removably attachable to the bottle. The spout neck may include a number of recesses positioned on the base such that the cap may be positioned within one of the number of recesses. The spout neck may include a channel positioned thereon while the internal body portion of the cap may include a threaded segment thereon such that the segment engages the channel of the spout neck for movement therein.
The closure may further include an over-cap positioned over the cap. The over-cap may include a flexible thermoplastic. The over-cap may include an internal surface with a raised over-cap rib. The cap may include an exterior surface with a raised cap rib such that the raised over-cap rib and the raised cap rib align to secure the over-cap on the cap. The spout may include an over-cap recess for positioning the over-cap therein. The over-cap may include a frangible line. The frangible line may be positioned below the raised spout rib but above the over-cap recess when the over-cap is positioned therein such that the raised spout rib and the raised cap rib may align to secure the over-cap on the spout while the frangible line is visible.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides for a twist-top closure for a bottle. The closure may include a spout neck mounted to the bottle and a twist cap rotatably positioned on the spout neck. The spout neck may have a sealing lip with an aperture therein. The aperture may have a seal cap positioned therein. The twist cap may have a top aperture surrounded by a circular wall. The seal cap of the spout neck and the circular wall of the twist cap may align to seal the bottle when the twist cap is closed and when the twist cap is moved to a first position. The seal cap of the spout neck and the circular wall of the twist cap also may align to open the bottle when the twist cap is moved to a second position.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides for a twist-top closure for a bottle. The closure may include a spout neck attached to the bottle and a twist cap rotatably positioned on the spout neck. The spout neck includes a sealing lip with a spout aperture. The spout aperture may have a seal cap positioned therein. The twist cap may include an internal vent, an internal body portion, and a top aperture. The seal cap of the spout neck and the top aperture of the twist cap and the sealing lip of the spout neck and the body portion of the twist cap may align to seal the bottle when the twist cap is in a first position. The sealing lip of the spout neck and the circular vent of the twist cap align so as to vent the bottle while the seal cap of the spout neck and the top aperture of the twist cap remain sealed when the twist top is turned to a second position. The sealing lip of the spout neck and the internal b
Berge Gary L.
Ladina Joseph M.
Stoneberg Thomas C.
Derakshani Philippe
Sutherland & Asbill & Brennan LLP
The Coca-Cola Company
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