Molded synthetic material stoppers

Abstract

A stopper used to close receptacles containing carbonated beverages, such as bottles for champagne or other sparkling wines, comprising the combination of the following features: A body comprising an open annular head and at least one skirt closed by a bottom at the level of its free end, the diameter of the said skirt being smaller than that of the said head; A liner consisting of a tubular sleeve extending from a transverse head of diameter larger than that of the said sleeve; A cap in contact with the liner head; and A flexible annular packing arranged around the skirt of the body in a groove provided in the face of the base of the body head located on the side of the said skirt.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to molded synthetic material stoppers used to close receptacles containing a carbonated beverage, such as a bottle for champagne or other sparkling wine.

It is known that in a satisfactorily stoppered sparkling wine bottle no gas exchange must occur between the interior of the bottle and the outside. It will be readily understood that if the compressed carbon dioxide contained in the bottle escapes into the atmosphere the sparkling wine looses a large proportion of its properties. In addition, if air oxygen penetrates the bottle the wine is oxidized and deteriorates. The stoppers made to date to close sparkling wine bottles are not satisfactory because they do not prevent the above disclosed gas exchanges.

The object of the invention is to provide a stopper for a receptacle containing a carbonated beverage such as a champagne or sparkling wine, and whose walls totally oppose the passage of gases.

The stopper of the invention comprises substantially the combination of the following features:

A body comprising an open annular head and at least one skirt closed by a bottom at the level of its free end, the diameter of the skirt being smaller than that of the said head;

A liner consisting of a tubular sleeve extending from a transverse head of diameter larger than that of the said sleeve;

A cap in contact with the liner head; and

A flexible annular packing arranged around the skirt of the body in a groove provided in the face of the base of the body head located on the side of the said skirt.

In a first embodiment the body comprises two coaxial skirts, the inner skirt extending from the bottom of the body toward the head thereof.

The outer skirt is provided peripherally with at least one annular sealing rib extending into sinusoidal waveshape as described in an earlier patent application filed in the name of the applicant.

In another embodiment of the invention the stopper body comprises only one skirt, and gas impervious means are arranged between the cap and the transverse cup of the liner.

The attached drawing relates to an example clarifying the invention, its features, and the advantages derived therefrom.

FIG. 1 is a partly broken away elevation of one stopper of the invention.

FIG. 2 represents the said stopper mounted on the neck of a bottle.

FIG. 3 is a view of a modification, as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 represents a bottle provided with a stopper as in FIG. 3.

The stopper shown in FIG. 1 comprises essentially a body 1, a liner 2, a cap 3, and a packing 4.

Body 1 is made of a flexible material such as polyethylene and comprises an annular head 5 in the form of a transverse base 6 extended by an axial wall 7. Base 6 is connected to a tubular skirt 8 oriented in the direction opposite wall 7 and whose end comprises a tapered portion 8a ending in a cylindrical portion 8b of smaller diameter. The end 8a, 8b of skirt 8 is connected to an inner skirt 9 coaxial with skirt 8. A bottom 10 closes inner skirt 9 a short distance below the junction thereof with skirt 8.

Skirt 8 is provided peripherally with annular sealing ribs 11 extending along a sinusoidal waveshape. Six such ribs are preferably arranged side by side. The face of base 6 oriented toward skirts 8 and 9 is provided with a groove 12 engaged by packing 4. An annular bead 13 is arranged along the outer periphery of skirt 8 to maintain packing 4 axially in groove 12. The face of base 6 opposite that receiving packing 4 is provided with an annular rib 14 of trapezoidal transverse section, its major base being in contact with the said face.

For reasons explained more specifically below packing 4 is made of a flexible material such as a synthetic or natural elastomer.

Liner 2 is made of a semirigid plastic material such as polypropylene and consists of a tubular sleeve 15 extending from a transverse cup 16 and whose outer diameter is approximately equal to the inner diameter of head 5. Cup 16 is provided peripherally with a wall 17 oriented in the direction opposite sleeve 15, and comprises a central extension 18 provided with an axial recess 18a oriented in the same direction as wall 17. The face of cup 16 oriented toward sleeve 15 comprises an annular groove 19 whose shape corresponds to that of the rib 14 of body 1. The inner diameter of sleeve 15 is equal to the outer diameter of skirt 9, and its outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of skirt 8.

Cap 3, made for example of polypropylene, is in the general form of a spherical cap and comprises a cylindrical peripheral wall 20 whose outer diameter is equal to the inner diameter of the wall 17 of liner 2. A central shank 21 is provided inside cap 3, penetrates recess 18a, and abuts against the bottom thereof. It will be observed that the convex portion of cap 3 comprises a shoulder 3a resting on the free end of the wall 7 of body 1.

The stopper of the invention is mounted as follows:

The sleeve 15 of liner 2 engages first the space between the skirts 8 and 9 of body 1 until the bottom face of its cup 16 comes into contact with the upper face of the base 6 of the head 5 of body 1. Then the rib 14 of base 6 engages groove 10 and the free end of skirt 9 engages a circular groove 22 in cup 16. Cap 3 is then set into the head 5 of body 1, its peripheral wall 20 interlocks elastically inside wall 7 by means of a ring 7a engaging a groove 3b, and shoulder 3a comes into contact with the free end of the said groove. As disclosed above shank 21 cooperates with the bottom of recess 18a. Finally, packing 4 is slipped around skirt 8 and penetrates groove 12 in head 5.

At the time of closing of a bottle 23 (FIG. 2) the closing machine applies an axial force in the direction of arrow F to the cap 3 of the stopper to force it into the neck of bottle 23. Skirt 8 is deformed so that its inner face comes into contact with the outer face of sleeve 15, and packing 4 is flattened on application to the rim of the neck of bottle 23. The stopper of the invention and bottle 23 are united axially in the position represented in the said figure by a known wire retainer 24. The gas impervious polypropylene of liner 2 totally prevents gas exchanges through body 1 both from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside. The strong application of cup 16 against the face 6 of the head 5 of body 1 and interlocks 14, 19 and 9, 22 provide for a perfect gas seal at the level of the base of the cup 16 of liner 2. Packing 4 is deformed to provide a perfect air seal so that air cannot penetrate from outside into the interior of the neck bottle 23.

The resulting composite stopper intended particularly to close champagne wine bottles is easily manufactured and meets practical requirements in a particularly satisfactory manner. A thick tube (not represented) of gas impervious material such as plastic or metal could be arranged between skirt 8 and sleeve 15 or between the said sleeve and skirt 9. Or a cartridge of the same material could be introduced inside skirt 9, the transverse wall of the said cartridge being placed under the cup 16 of liner 2. It will be readily understood that the tube or cartridge totally prevents passage of gas through skirts 8 and 9 and sleeve 15.

In a modification the inner skirt 9 of the body is omitted, but all the other elements of the stopper are retained. Skirt 8 is connected by transverse base 6 to the wall 7 of the annular head 5 of body 1, and the inner face of the said wall is provided with a ring 7a. The peripheral wall 20 of cap 3, whose shank has been eliminated, penetrates inside wall 7. The outer face of wall 20 is provided with a groove 3a cooperating with ring 7a to hold cap 3 in position.

The transverse cup of liner 2 is replaced by a simple flat head 30, and tubular sleeve 15 extends from the lower face of the said head. The said face of head 30 is provided with an annular groove 19 cooperating with the rib 14 of body 1. The upper face of head 30 is provided with an annular rib 31 preferably of triangular transverse section, whose diameter is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the said head.

A circular element 32 consisting of a deformable central disk advantageously made of cork is arranged against the upper face of head 30 and pressed between two rings cut in sheets of metal coated paper such as tin or aluminum foil.

Disks of this type are known to be particularly impenetrable by gases tending to pass through their thickness.

Packing 4 is retained in the base of the head 5 of body 1. After liner 2 has been positioned in body 1 disk 32 is placed on the liner head, and cap 3, pressed tightly against the head upper face, deforms disk 32 for a perfect association thereof with the said head. Provisions are made so that at the time of engagement of ring 7a into groove 3a the free end of the peripheral wall 20 of the said cap sinks slightly into the upper surface of disk 32.

At the time of introduction of the stopper represented in FIG. 3 into the neck of a bottle 23 (FIG. 4) skirt 8 retracts and its inner face comes into contact with the sleeve 15 of liner 2. The force F developed by the closing machine causes a deformation of packing 4 against the rim of the neck and increases the deformation of disk 32 at the level of rib 31 and of the free end of the wall 20 of cap 3. After application of a wire retainer 24 the stopper is held in the position determined by the closing machine.

Since liner 2 is made of polypropylene practically no gas exchange can occur through skirt 8 at the level of its tubular sleeve 15. If gases pentetrate through the bottom 10 of body 1 or the end 8a, 8b of skirt 8 in practice they cannot pass through the head 30 of liner 2, and remain confined in the stopper. If a slow osmosis occurs through head 30 the gases cannot escape into the atmosphere because of the presence of sealing disk 32 on head 30.

Naturally, penetration of atmospheric gases into the stopper is practically impossible for the same reasons.

It is understood that the preceding description is supplied only as an example.

Claims

I claim:

1. A stopper for closing the neck of a receptacle containing a beverage and for seating against its rim, comprising:

a hollow plastic stopper body comprising a head including an annular transverse base having a lower face shaped to overlie said rim and having an annular wall extending upwardly from an upper face of said base, and the body having at least one tubular skirt extending below the base and closed by a bottom wall at its free end, the diameter of the said skirt being smaller than that of said head and sized to enter the neck of the receptacle;

a liner of gas-impervious material comprising a transverse head of diameter larger than said skirt and snugly fitting within said annular wall above said base, and the liner having a tubular sleeve extending downwardly within and lining said skirt nearly to its bottom wall, and the skirt being displaced inwardly against the sleeve when the skirt is in the receptacle neck;

a cap engaging said annular wall and closing the head of said body; and

resilient packing surrounding the skirt at said lower face of the body for compression between the annular base and the rim of the receptacle when the stopper is closing it.

2. The stopper as in claim 1, the body including a second inner skirt and the inner skirt extending from a junction with the first skirt near the bottom wall of the body and extending toward the head thereof.

3. The stopper as in claim 2, in which the liner head is in the form of a cup opening upwardly away from the sleeve of the said liner.

4. The stopper of claim 3, the cap being provided with a central shank in contact with the base of the cup in the liner.

5. The stopper as in claim 4, the thickness of the bottom of the body below said junction being at least equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the two skirts of the body above said junction.

6. The stopper as in claim 5, the outer wall of the first skirt being provided with at least one sinusoidal rib, and with a bead located at the level of the lower face of the base of the head of the body and extending outwardly of the skirt.

7. The stopper as in claim 6, the outer diameter of the first skirt being reduced below the junction thereof with the second skirt.

8. The stopper as in claim 7, the upper face of the base of the head of the body being provided with a circular rib and the transverse head of the liner having a groove therein mating with said rib.

9. The stopper as in claim 8, in which the face of the base of the liner cup located on the same side of the head as the sleeve is provided with another groove concentric with the last-mentioned groove and receiving the upper free end of the second skirt of the body.

10. The stopper as in claim 9, in which the face of the base of the liner cup oriented opposite the sleeve comprises a central extension provided with an axial recess on whose bottom the end of the cap shank rests.

11. The stopper as in claim 10, in which the cap comprises an outer peripheral wall interlocking elastically with the interior of the head of the body.

12. The stopper as in claim 1, the said stopper being retained against the rim of the neck by a wire retainer so that the said rim partially flattens the packing provided under the head of the body.

13. The stopper as in claim 1, gas sealing means being disposed between the cap and the transverse head of the liner.

14. The stopper as in claim 13, in which the gas sealing means is a disc which engages an annular rib provided on the upper face of the liner head, and engages the lower free end of the peripheral wall of the cap.

15. The stopper as in claim 14, in which the annular rib on the liner head and the end of the periperal wall of the cap deform the sealing disk.

16. The stopper as in claim 14, in which the body is provided with only one skirt, the liner sleeve coming into contact with the inner face thereof when the said skirt engages the neck of a bottle, and the head of the said liner comprising a simple flat disk.