US20140346134A1 - Device for capping a bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for capping a bottle includes a component in the form of a dome, from which flat tabs extend radially and substantially tangentially, and a belt connecting free ends of the tabs with a view to crimping on the neck of the bottle. The free ends secure the belt while allowing it to slide thereon. The component is produced from plastics material. The free end of each of the tabs receives and holds the belt and has a bulge which protrudes from the inner side of the tab so as to create a shoulder that is able to come into abutment under the ring on the neck of the bottle. The free ends each have on their outer side a groove of transverse axis, the groove allowing the belt to pass and holding the belt.

Description

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS
• Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
• Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
• Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to a device for capping a bottle.
• Such a capping device is aimed at embellishing the bottle, which is provided with same, and can, in particular manufacturing conditions, also replace the wire cage of a bottle of sparkling wine or beer.
• Usually, bottles, namely of wine, closed by means of a cork, are provided with a cap, made of plastic or metal, which covers the end portion of the neck, so as to conceal the end of the bottle and the cork that is completely inserted therein.
• 2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
• In the particular case of a bottle of sparkling wine, the latter is provided with a wire cage or a clamp for retaining the cork in the bottle, which is pushed back by the pressure exerted in the bottle. The wire cage essentially comprises a plate or capsule, a ring immobilized on the plate or capsule, and from which extend tabs the ends of which are connected by a wire forming a belt, which is placed under a ring that the neck of the bottle comprises. For esthetic purposes the bottle is then finished, the neck is thus covered with an aluminum cap permitting to conceal the cork and the wire cage.
• Since they exist, the wire cages or clamps have been in different forms, resulting from the bending and twisting of metal wires together with a capsule, or from the shaping of metal plates, so as to form in one and the same part the capsule part and the tabs, as clearly results from DE 7610935U,FR 1 119 674, WO 2009 063526,FR 1 335 064 andFR 1 010 516.
• Besides the problems raised by these wire cages or these clamps from the point of view of the resistance to pressure, their design results into their installation having to be different from the operation of the installation of the cork, i.e. the corking must be completed for the wire cage to be able to be placed, which increases the handling operations and represents a loss of time and, hence, of productivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention is aimed at providing a device for capping having a novel esthetic, which, when used on a bottle of sparkling wine instead of a wire cage, can permit to limit the number of handling operations, and namely permit the installation of the cork and the wire cage in one single operation.
• The device for capping a bottle according to the invention includes, on the one hand, a part in the form of a dome, from which fiat tabs extend radially and substantially tangentially, so as to provide it with a generally frustoconical shape and, on the other hand, a belt that connects the free ends of said tabs for crimping onto the neck of the bottle, which ends are designed capable of making said belt integral, while permitting it to slide thereon, and it is essentially characterized in that said part is made of plastic material, the free ends of each of said tabs are designed capable of receiving and holding said belt, and includes a bulge that protrudes from the inner side of said tab, so as to create a shoulder capable of abutting under the ring that the neck of the bottle includes, and in that said free ends each include, on the outer side, a groove with a transverse axis aimed at permitting the passing through and the holding of said belt.
• According to an additional feature of the device for capping according to the invention, the flat tabs are dimensioned so as to have a surface large enough to permit to include information, on the inner and/or the outer side.
• According to another additional feature of the device for capping according to the invention, the edges of the flat tabs are cut so as to provide said tabs with particular shapes.
• According to another additional feature of the device for capping according to the invention, the part made of plastic material has, on the upper side, an orifice designed capable of receiving and retaining a marking cap.
• According to another additional feature of the device for capping according to the invention, the belt is in the form of a ring aimed at being inserted by force onto the part made of plastic material after its positioning on the cork, until it is placed in the groove.
• According to an additional feature of the device for capping according to the invention, the groove is designed so that it can also retain the belt, the securing occurring by snapping-in.
• According to a particular embodiment of the device for capping according to the invention, the belt consists of a wire having a round cross-section, while the groove has a retaining profile, i.e. it includes an inlet having a width smaller than the diameter of said wire.
• According to another particular embodiment of the device for capping according to the invention, the belt consists of a plastic strip, from one face of which longitudinally protrudes a pin having a round cross-section, while the groove has a retaining profile, i.e. it includes an inlet having a width smaller than the diameter of said pin.
• The advantages and features of the device for capping according to the invention will become clear from the following description, which refers to the attached drawing, which shows a non-restrictive embodiment of same.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 represents a schematic axial cross-sectional and exploded view of a device for capping according to the invention.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 represent axial cross-sectional views of the same device for capping during two stages of its placement on the neck of a bottle.
• FIGS. 4aand4b,5aand5b,6aand6brepresent different embodiments of a portion of the device for capping, respectively in views from above and axial cross-sectional views.
• FIGS. 7 and 8 represent schematic elevation and partly cross-sectional views of two different embodiments of another portion of the device for capping according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• When referring toFIG. 1, one can see that a device for capping1 according to the invention essentially comprises apart2 made of plastic aimed at capping acork3, and abelt4, which can also be made of plastic.
• Thepart2 has two portions, a dome- or cup-shapedupper portion5, and alower portion6 formed offlat tabs60 that extend from theupper portion5, radially and substantially tangentially thereto.
• It should be noted that thetabs60 are varying in dimensions and in number, as can be seen, non-restrictively, inFIGS. 4aand4b,5aand5b,6aand6b.
• The free ends of thetabs60 include, on the inner side, abulge61 having aprojecting edge62 facing theupper portion5 and, on the outer side, agroove63 having a transverse axis.
• When referring also toFIGS. 2 and 3, in which is represented the neck of abottle7, which comprises in a known way aperipheral ring70 having ashoulder71 on the lower side, it can be seen that thebulges61 are aimed at being placed under thering70, while thebelt4 is placed in thegrooves63, in order to clamp thetags60 and to press thebulges61 under theshoulder71 of thering70.
• In the embodiment shown in theseFIGS. 2 and 3, thebelt4 is in the form of a ring aimed at being inserted by force onto thepart2, until it is placed in thegrooves63. This embodiment has the advantage of permitting, in an automated plant, to place thecork3, thepart2 and thebelt4 in one single operation, in the same vertical movement.
• As seen above with reference toFIGS. 4aand4b,5aand5b,6aand6b, thetags60 may be designed in different ways, they can thus, without restriction, be in a larger or smaller number, more or less spaced apart, more or less long etc . . . .
• Thus, inFIGS. 4aand4b, thepart2 includes tentabs60 separated two by two by aslot64 formed in thelower portion6, whereas inFIGS. 5aand5bas well as6aand6b,thepart2 includes fourtags60 widely spaced apart two by two by aslot65 formed in thelower portion6 for the embodiment ofFIGS. 6aand6b, and extending into theupper part5 for the embodiment ofFIGS. 5aand5b.
• In these figures, thetabs60 have a rectilinear shape, but they may be of various shapes. So they can have peripheral and/or internal cuts conferring them particular shapes, in order to represent an emblem, for example. Similarly, it is possible to use plastics of various colors, which may advantageously be selected in correspondence with the color of the wine the bottle contains.
• Advantageously, the large width of thetags60, regardless of the embodiment being considered, provides a surface for including information such as, on the outer side, a brand name or a slogan and, on the inner side, traceability elements.
• These traceability elements can for example consist of a code of which the buyer can check the existence in databases, thus permitting to reduce the problems of fraud.
• It should also be noted that in these embodiments theupper portion5 includes anaxial orifice50, having a round shape, aimed at receiving amarking cap51, visible inFIGS. 1,2 and3, and which can also permit the spreading of information, the identification of the content of the bottle, for example. It can be provided, as shown inFIGS. 1,2 and3, that thecork3 includes, at the top, arecess30 aimed at partly receiving thecap51.
• Referring now toFIGS. 7 and 8, one can see variants of the device for capping according to the invention, in particular at the level of the fastening of thebelt4 to thepart2.
• Thus, inFIG. 7 thebelt4 is in the form of awire40, which can be made of metal or plastic, for example, and which has preferably a round cross-section, while thegroove63 has a retaining profile, i.e. itsinlet66 has a width smaller than the diameter of thewire40, permitting the latter to inserted by snap-fastening.
• InFIG. 8, thegroove63 has the same characteristics, whereas thebelt4 consists of astrip41 made of plastic, on one face of which longitudinally protrudes apin42 having a round cross-section aimed at cooperating through snapping-in with thegroove63. In this case, it can be provided to close to thebelt4 through welding.
• Irrespective of the embodiment of the device for capping according to the invention, thebelt4 preferably includes a means permitting its opening, and releasing thetabs60, and which can consist, non-restrictively, of a zone having a reduced resistance and/or that is shearable.

Claims (8)

1. Device for capping a bottle, comprising:

a dome part having tabs extend radially and substantially tangentially, forming a generally frustoconical shape; and

a belt connecting free ends of said tabs for crimping onto a neck of the bottle, being made integral with said free ends and slideable on said free ends,

wherein said dome part is comprised of plastic material, wherein said free ends of each of said tabs receive and hold said belt, wherein said dome part is comprised of a bulge protruding from an inner side of said tab, so as to create a shoulder abutting under a ring of the neck of the bottle, and wherein each free end comprises a groove on an outer side with a transverse axis, said belt passing through said groove and and being held by said groove.

2. Device for capping according toclaim 1, wherein said tags have a surface with an inner side and an outer side, so as to include information on said surface.

3. Device for capping according toclaim 1, wherein said tabs have edges cut so as to provide said tabs with particular shapes.

4. Device for capping according toclaim 1, wherein said dome part is comprised of plastic material, said dome part having an orifice on an upper side receiving and retaining a marking cap.

5. Device for capping according toclaim 1, wherein said belt is comprised of a ring inserted by force onto said dome part after positioning said dome part on a cork, until said cork is placed in said groove.

6. Device for capping according toclaim 1, wherein said groove retains said belt in snap-fit engagement.

7. Device for capping according toclaim 6, wherein said belt is comprised of a wire having a round cross-section, said groove having a retaining profile comprised of an inlet, said inlet having a width smaller than a diameter of said wire.

8. Device for capping according toclaim 6, wherein said belt is comprised of a plastic strip, having a pin longitudinally protruding from one face, said pin having a round cross-section, said groove having a retaining profile comprised of an inlet, said inlet having a width smaller than a diameter of said pin.

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