U.S. patent application number 12/475979 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-03 for device for preventing fluid drip from a bottle.
Invention is credited to Rafael Javier Fornes.
Application Number | 20090294398 12/475979 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41378478 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090294398 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fornes; Rafael Javier |
December 3, 2009 |
Device for Preventing Fluid Drip From a Bottle
Abstract
A dripless bottle has a body, a neck forming an opening, a
shoulder physically coupling the neck to the body, and a
super-water-repellant material applied to the neck substantially at
the opening.
Inventors: |
Fornes; Rafael Javier;
(Mendoza, AR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MAYBACK & HOFFMAN, P.A.
5722 S. FLAMINGO ROAD #232
FORT LAUDERDALE
FL
33330
US
|
Family ID: |
41378478 |
Appl. No.: |
12/475979 |
Filed: |
June 1, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/41 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 23/06 20130101;
B65D 23/0821 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/41 |
International
Class: |
B65D 23/06 20060101
B65D023/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 30, 2008 |
AR |
P-080102267 |
Jul 30, 2008 |
AR |
P-080103279 |
Nov 27, 2008 |
AR |
P-080105179 |
Claims
1. A dripless bottle comprising: a body; a neck forming a mouth; a
shoulder physically coupling the neck to the body; and a
super-water-repellant material applied to the neck substantially at
the mouth.
2. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, wherein: the
super-water-repellant material is a coating applied to the
neck.
3. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, wherein: the
super-water-repellant material is a film applied to the neck.
4. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, wherein: the
super-water-repellant material exhibits a Lotus effect.
5. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, wherein: the
super-water-repellant material exhibits superhydrophobicity.
6. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, further comprising: a
stopper, where the super-water-repellant material is a sheet of
material in the form of a ring housed inside the stopper.
7. The dripless bottle according to claim 6, wherein: the sheet of
material is fixed to the stopper.
8. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, wherein: the
super-water-repellant material has an angle of contact with a
liquid that is greater than 95 degrees and up to 180 degrees.
9. The dripless bottle according to claim 1, wherein: the
super-water-repellant material is present on an outer surface of
the bottle, from the mouth to the shoulder.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119, of Argentina Patent Application No. P-080102267, filed
May 30, 2008; Argentina Patent Application No. P-080103279, filed
Jul. 30, 2008; and Argentina Patent Application No. P-080105179,
filed Nov. 27, 2008, all of which designated the U.S. and were
published in English, the entire disclosures of which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present patent relates to preventing the dripping or
sliding of fluid over the outside of a bottle when serving the
contents thereof and, more particularly, to a water-repellant
material covering the outer surface of the mouth and neck of the
bottle that prevents sliding of the fluid over the body of the
bottle when serving the contents thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] To date, countless mechanisms are known for preventing the
dripping that occurs when serving wine or another fluid.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,481 discloses a device that consists in
a flexible sheet material that is rolled up upon itself, part of it
being inserted inside the mouth of the bottle.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,805 discloses a device that occupies
half the mouth of the bottle and is placed inside the mouth of the
bottle, projecting there from.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 1,952,288 discloses a sheet that is placed in
the mouth of the bottle.
[0007] In general, the above mechanisms have a geometry that ends
as a sharp edge, which cuts off the drip through the effect of the
minimum surface area, all said mechanisms being characterized in
that they are fairly large and, in the majority of cases, have to
be placed onto the lip or neck of the bottle by the end-consumer
when the product is acquired.
[0008] Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the
prior art as discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein
as embodied in a device for preventing fluid drip from a bottle, it
is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown
because various modifications and structural changes may be made
therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and
within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the
invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as
not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.
[0010] Other features that are considered as characteristic for the
invention are set forth in the appended claims. As required,
detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein;
however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are
merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various
forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details
disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely
as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for
teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the
present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed
structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not
intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable
description of the invention. While the specification concludes
with claims defining the features of the invention that are
regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better
understood from a consideration of the following description in
conjunction with the drawing figures. The figures of the drawings
are not drawn to scale.
[0011] The invention provides a device for preventing fluid drip
from a bottle that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned
disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this
general type.
[0012] With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is
provided, in accordance with the invention, a dripless bottle that
has a body, a neck forming a mouth, a shoulder physically coupling
the neck to the body, and a super-water-repellant material applied
to the neck substantially at the mouth.
[0013] In accordance with another feature, the invention provides a
thin, water repellant coating, thereby successfully achieving less
contact between the fluid and the surface, avoiding the use of
mechanisms that project from the original profile of the
bottle.
[0014] In accordance with a further feature, the invention may be
fixed to a bottle at the point of manufacture, i.e., at the
bottling plant or at the premises of an intermediary, the bottle
arriving at the end-consumer with the drip stop mechanism already
installed.
[0015] In accordance with an added feature, the invention is thin,
thus allowing the original silhouette of the bottle to be
displayed.
[0016] In accordance with yet a further feature, the invention is
small, thus minimizing contact of the device with the wine when the
latter is served.
[0017] In accordance with yet an additional feature of the
invention, because of certain characteristics, it may be fixed
under the original bottle cap, being installed by the supplier of
the contents thereof.
[0018] With the objects of the invention in view, an inventive
coating over the outer part of the mouth and neck of the bottle may
be placed in various types of bottles of different forms,
diameters, and materials.
[0019] Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it
is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the
purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not
intended to be limiting. The terms "a" or "an", as used herein, are
defined as one or more than one. The term "plurality," as used
herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term "another," as
used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms
"including" and/or "having," as used herein, are defined as
comprising (i.e., open language). The term "coupled," as used
herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly,
and not necessarily mechanically.
[0020] As used herein, the term "about" or "approximately" applies
to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These
terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in
the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e.,
having the same function or result). In many instances these terms
may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant
figure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals
refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the
separate views and which, together with the detailed description
below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification,
serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain
various principles and advantages all in accordance with the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an upper portion of a bottle
provided with a water-repellant material fixed to an outer surface
thereof, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-sectional view of two
bottles, the left one being a bottle provided with a
water-repellant material fixed to an outer surface thereof and the
right being a prior-art bottle without a water-repellant
material.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a sectional front view of the mouth and neck of
the bottle, showing a sheet material with its water-repellant outer
surface, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a perspective partially cross-sectional view of an
upper portion of a stopper covering water-repellant material, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 5 is an elevational cross-sectional view of an upper
portion of a bottle provided with a stopper and drip stop sheet
material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0027] FIG. 6 is an elevational cross-sectional view of an upper
portion of a bottle provided with a stopper and drip stop sheet
material, the base having been removed from said stopper to thereby
reveal a portion of the sheet material that is sufficient to
interact with fluid when the liquid is poured from within the
bottle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Herein various embodiments of the present invention are
described. In many of the different embodiments, features are
similar. Therefore, to avoid redundancy, repetitive description of
these similar features may not be made in some circumstances. It
shall be understood, however, that a description of a
first-appearing feature applies to the later described similar
feature and each respective description, therefore, is to be
incorporated therein without such repetition.
[0029] The present invention provides a novel non-drip solution
that is applicable to any bottle of fluid, such as wine, water,
soda, or any other. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an upper
portion of a bottle provided with a water-repellant material 1
fixed to an outer surface 2, 3 thereof, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, the present
invention includes fixing, to a mouth 3 of a bottle neck 2, a thin
water-repellant material 1. The material 1 can be any coating or
applied layer of material that has superior water-repelling
properties, i.e., no affinity with fluids, especially water,
repelling said fluids from it surface. Said water-repellant
material 1, according to one embodiment, surrounds the outer
periphery of the bottle mouth 3 and neck 2, forming a closed
ring.
[0030] The water-repellant product 1, referred to as a
"super-water-repellant" product, preferably has an angle of contact
with the water that is greater than 90 degrees and up to 180
degrees, owing to the fact that the surface thereof has microlobes
that generate the "Lotus effect". The Lotus effect refers to the
very high water repellency (superhydrophobicity) exhibited by the
leaves of the lotus flower (Nelumbo). The hydrophobicity of a
surface is determined by the contact angle. The higher the contact
angle, the higher the hydrophobicity of a surface. Surfaces with a
contact angle <90.degree. are referred to as hydrophilic and
those with an angle >90.degree. as hydrophobic.
Superhydrophobicity and its associated contact angles are known in
the art. Details of such contact angles are available at, for
instance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhydrophobic.
[0031] The present invention provides a material that can stay dry
in a manner similar to the lotus leaf. This can be achieved using
special fluorochemical or silicone treatments on structured
surfaces or with compositions containing micro-scale particulates,
such as super-hydrophobic coatings comprising Teflon
microparticles. In other embodiments, the water-resistance is
achieved with combinations of polyethylene glycol with glucose and
sucrose (or any insoluble particulate) in conjunction with a
hydrophobic substance.
[0032] Referring still to FIG. 1, the present invention can be
applied to any bottle 4 that has a stopper, such as a cork, screw
cap, etc. The fluid may be red, white, rose or any variety of wine,
and also other fluids, and the bottle drip stop solution is
designed to prevent the dripping or sliding of the fluid from the
mouth 3 over the outside of the bottle neck 2 when the contents of
the bottle is served, i.e., pouring occurs, and the bottle 4 is
returned to its vertical position. The present invention eliminates
or reduces undesirable effects of pouring due to the significant
adhesion properties of the fluid vis-a-vis the material from which
the bottle 4 is constructed.
[0033] The solution, in one embodiment, includes in a thin coating
of a water-repellant product 1, fixed to the outer surface of the
bottle mouth 3 and the first section of the bottle neck 2. The
water-repellant coating 1, which has no affinity with the fluid
contained in the bottle 4, prevents the fluid adhering to the
bottle mouth 3 and bottle neck 2.
[0034] The water-repellant product 1 covers the outer peripheral
surface of the bottle mouth 3 and bottle neck 2, forming a closed
ring, and it may also cover the bottle mouth 3 and bottle neck 2,
without distinction, and also the entire surface thereof or part
thereof.
[0035] The coating 1 can be a thin sheet material, the outer
surface of which has water-repellant properties, and covers the
outer surface of the mouth 3 and neck 2 of the bottle to prevent
seeping of the fluid over the body of the bottle when serving the
contents thereof.
[0036] The sheet material can be, for instance, made from acrylic,
polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polystyrene, PET, metal or other
similar types of material and may also have various densities or
colors, and may even be transparent. The outer surface of said thin
sheet material 1 has water-repellant properties, either because of
the structure of the material, the surface thereof has been
treated, or because a water-repellant coating has been affixed
thereto to, again, exhibit the Lotus effect, as described
above.
[0037] The sheet material 1 forms a closed ring and is housed
inside the cap surrounding the internal surface thereof. Once
placed on the bottle, and by means of an easy-open mechanism, the
cap reveals a small section of the sheet material 1, just over the
surface surrounding the bottle mouth 3, as shown in FIG. 3. The
sheet material 1, interacting with the fluid when the contents of
the bottle is served, and due to the low surface tension of the
surface of the sheet material 1, prevents the adhesion of any
liquid and, therefore, avoids all drips.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 4, an embodiment of the present
invention provides fixing, to the inside of a stopper 11, sheet
material 12, the surface of which has water-repellant properties
(which surface has no affinity with certain fluids, especially
water, repelling said fluids from its surface). The sheet material
12 runs around the internal perimeter of the stopper 11 and ends
just at the edge of the base 13 thereof, forming a closed ring.
[0039] The water-repellant surface is also a super-water-repellant
surface, having an angle of contact with the water that is greater
than 90 degrees and up to 180 degrees, having microlobes, and also
displaying the Lotus effect.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 5, the present invention can be applied to
any bottle 14 that has a stopper, such as a cork or screw cap, for
example. The fluid may be red, white, rose or any variety of wine,
and also other fluids, and the bottle drip stop prevents the
dripping or seeping of the fluid from the mouth 15 over the outside
of the bottle 14 and the bottle neck 16 when the contents of the
bottle is served and the bottle 14 is returned to its vertical
position.
[0041] Once placed in the bottle, and by means of an easy-open
mechanism, as shown in FIG. 3, a cap 13 reveals a small section of
the sheet material 12, just over the surface surrounding the bottle
mouth 15. The sheet material 12 interacts with the fluid when the
contents of the bottle is served, cutting off the drip.
[0042] The sheet material 12 may be made from any material, have
any hardness and also have heat-shrinkable and elastic
properties.
* * * * *
References