GB2293166A

GB2293166A - Beverage bottle with froth forming insert

Info

Publication number: GB2293166A
Application number: GB9418625A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Francis Joseph Lynch; Thomas Patrick Quinn
Original assignee: Guinness Brewing Worldwide Ltd
Current assignee: Guinness Brewing Worldwide Ltd
Priority date: 1994-09-15
Filing date: 1994-09-15
Publication date: 1996-03-20
Also published as: DK0701966T3; EP0835840A1; EP0701966A3; DE69514842T2; AU3064195A; HK1008326A1; DE69503446D1; DE69503446T2; AU689619B2; DK0835840T3; DE69514842D1; ES2118506T3; EP0701966B1; CA2158308A1; EP0835840B1; EP0701966A2; NZ272996A; ES2143828T3; GB9418625D0

Description

1 t) 2293166 i TITLE "A beverage package, a neverage packaging apparatus

and a beverage packaging method"

TECHNICAL FIELD & BACKGROUND ART

The present Invention relates to a beverage package, a beverage package apparatus and a beverage packaging method and is particularly concerned with the packaging of beverage containing gas in solution whereby on dispensing of the beverage for consumption, gas is liberated from solution in the beverage to develop a froth.

Sealed beverage packages that provide the aforementioned characteristics are known where the beverage is accommodated in a primary chamber of a sealed container having a secondary chamber containing gas under pressure and in which the secondary chamber communicates with the beverage in the primary chamber through a restricted aperture. Upon opening of such a known package for beverage dispensing, a pressure differential. is developed which causes the gas in the secondary chamber (possibly preceded by beverage which may have entered that chamber) to be ejected by way of the restricted orifice and such ejection of the gas and/or beverage into the beverage in the primary chamber causes, or assists in, the formation of a head of froth on the beverage by the evolution of gas dissolved therein. Beverage packages having these froth developing characteristics together with methods and apparatus for providing the beverage packages are disclosed in our British Patent Specifications Nos. 1,266,351, 2,183,592A, 2,256,628A and 2,260,315A. Beverage packages made in accordance with G.B. 2,183,592A have met with considerable commercial success, especially in the brewing industry for the packaging of fermented beverage such as ale, lager or stout where the advantages of the package and

2 the technical characteristics required for froth development are now fully established and understood by persons skilled in the relevant art. This commercial success has been achieved by packaging the beverage in light metal alloy cans with the secondary chamber being formed as a hollow plastics insert submerged in the beverage and frictionally retained against the walls of the can.

It has long been recognised that there is a need to provide beverage packages of the kind discussed above in bottles, typically necked open top glass bottles that are popular in the soft drinks and brewing trade. The use of bottles is attractive commercially since glass is a relatively inexpensive material as compared with metal, it is easily and economically moulded into bottle shape and is aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore glass bottles are environmentally friendly in the sense that the glass is recyclable and the bottles themselves may be returned for c1eansing and re-use. Our aforementioned prior Patents mention or infer the use of bottles in forming the beverage package. Of particular relevance on this latter point is the disclosure in G.B. 1,266,351 where the open top of a narrow necked bottle is sealed by a crimped metal or plastics crown cap to the underside of which is attached a hollow insert in the form of a tubular extension that forms the secondary chamber. The tubular extension has at its lower end a restricted aperture which is submerged within the beverage in the primary chamber formed by the bottle.

A headspace in the bottle and the secondary chamber are maintained in equilibrium at a pressure greater than atmospheric so that when the crown cap is removed a pressure differential is developed causing gas in the secondary chamber of the tubular insert to be jetted into 3 the beverage and thereby effect in froth development by L-he liberation of gas from solution in the beverage. In this prior Patent it is suggested that a method of charging the bztle with beverage and charging the tubular extensic-n ot with gas is for the bottle to be filled and capped in a region of appropriate gas pressure so that at the end of the capping operation the secondary chamber is pressurised and in equilibrium with the gas that is in solution with the beverage.

The proposal to provide a bottled beverage package of the kind discussed in our G.B. 1,266,351 has been publicly known for more than twenty years and despite this and the long felt need for a bottled beverage which provides, upen opening of the bottle, froth development by automatic injection of fluid into the beverage to liberate gas from solution for froth formation, there is still a requirement for a relatively simple, inexpensive and commercially accep't--ab.le method and apparatus by which the beverage may be packaged in bottles and also for a beverage package -structure which lends itself to such packaging. It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage packaging apparatus, a beverage packaging method and a beverage package which go towards satisfying the aforementioned requirements.

STATEMENTS OF INVENTION ADVANTAGES

According to the present invention there is beverage packaging apparatus providing a beverage package of a bottle with a primary chamber charged with beverage containing gas in solution and an openable top sealed by a closure, said primary chamber having therein a hollow insert which provides a secondary chamber and is carried through said openable top, the secondary chamber containing gas under pressure and being open to communication with the 4 primary chamber by way of a restricted aperture through which upon opening of the beverage package, gas or beverage under gas pressure in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on the beverage and which apparatus comprises a bottle sealing station; means for providing at a bottle locator of the sealing station a said bottle in an upstanding open topped condit-ion and charged with said beverage; the sealing station having a pressure chamber which is openable for the upstanding bottle to be received therein, a closure locator and means for feeding a said closure to the closure locator to locate the closure above the open top of a bottle provided at said bottle locator; means for locating a said hollow insert within the pressure chamber with the restricted aperture open to direct communication with the pressure chamber; means for closing the pressure chamber about the open topped bottle, the hollow insert and the closure locator; gas pressure control means by which the closed pressure chamber and thereby the primary chamber of a bottle and the secondary chamber of a hollow insert in the pressure chamber are pressurised with gas to a predetermined pressure greater than atmospheric; sealing means operable with the pressure chamber closed and pressurised to said predetermined pressure to provide a sealing operation that effects in relative displacement between the closure locator and a bottle at the bottle locator for a closure in said locator to seal the open top of the bottle, said sealing operation further effecting in a hollow insert being captured within the primary chamber and retained to be carried through the openable top so that the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber is located beneath the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber; and means operable following the sealing of the bottle by the closure to reduce the pressure within the pressure chamber substantially to atmospheric pressure and thereafter to open the chamber for removal of the beverage package from the bottle locator.

Further according to the present invention there is a beverage packaging method which provides a beverage package of a bottle with a primary chamber charged with beverage containing gas in solution and an openable top sealed by a closure, said primary chamber having therein a hollow insert which provides a secondary chamber and is carried through said openable top, the secondary chamber containing gas under pressure and being open to communication with the primary chamber by way of a restricted aperture through which upon opening of the beverage package, gas or beverage under gas pressure in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on the beverage, the method comprising sequentially, providing at a sealing station a said bottle in an upstanding open top condition and charged with said beverage; enclosing said bottle at the sealing station in a pressure chamber in which pressure chamber is located a said closure in a closure locator positioned above the open top of the bottle and a said hollow insert with the restricted aperture of its secondary chamber open direct communication with the pressure chamber; pressurising the closed pressure chamber and thereby the primary and secondary chambers to a predetermined pressure greater than atmospheric pressure; displacing the closure locator and bottle relatively towards each other in said pressurised pressure chamber for the closure to sealingly engage with the open top of the bottle and for the hollow insert to be displaced by the closure and captured within to 6 the primary chamber to be retained to be carried through the openable top so that the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber is located below the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber; reducing the pressure in the pressure chamber substantially to atmospheric pressure; opening the pressure chamber and removing the beverage package therefrom.

Still further according to the present invention there is provided a beverage package when formed by the beverage packaging method as specified in the immediately preceding paragraph.

By the method and apparatus of the present invention the open topped upstanding bottle may be located in the open pressure chamber empty and charged with the required volume of beverage whilst in the pressure chamber or may be delivered to the open pressure chamber having been previously charged with the requIred volume of beverage containing gas i. n solution. This latter proposal is preferred for economy and convenience so that the method and apparatus of the invention can, advantageously, be incorporated as part of a conventional bottle filling line from which the filled bottles are delivered sequentially to be received in the open pressure chambers. The latter pressure chambers are conveniently disposed in a circumferentially spaced array on a carousel which rotates for the bottles to be fed successively to the pressure chambers by, for example, star wheels and the sealed bottle packages sequentially removed from the carousel in a similar manner. By enclosing a bottle charged with its beverage in a pressure chamber together with a hollow insert and also a closure for that bottle with the closure positioned by the closure locator above the open top of the bottle, it will be appreciated that both the primary and 7 secondary chambers will be simultaneously subjected to gas pressure variations effected in the pressure chamber.

Because of the well known long term detrimental effect of oxygen on the characteristics of beverage, the pressure chamber will usually be pressurised with a non-oxidising gas such as carbon dioxide, argon or nitrogen of which the latter is preferred and will, for convenience, be referred to hereinafter. Nitrogen gas under pressure is admitted to the pressure chamber to provide the predetermined pressure therein and this pressure will be determined by the characteristics required of the beverage package that is to be formed. Understandably the gas pressure in the secondary chamber of the beverage package must be adequate and subsist sufficiently when the package is opened for that pressure to eject from the secondary chamber through the restricted aperture, gas (and/or such beverage as may have entered the secondary chamber through the restricted aperture) with adequate power to liberate gas from solution in the beverage to effect froth development. With this in mind the pressure within the pressurised pressure chamber may be controlled accurately to provide the predetermined pressure appropriate to achieve the power necessary for froth development. With conventional glass bottles the predetermined pressure will usually be restricted to the range 2 to 5 bar for the purpose of satisfying safety requirements and alleviate excessive explosive forces in the event that the sealed bottle is dropped and shattered. The physical characteristics of typical narrow- necked glass or plastics bottles to which the present invention may be applied will usually mean that the headspace provided in the primary chamber of the bottle when charged with the beverage can be quite restricted and it may be that a relatively small volume secondary chamber of, say, 2 to 5 8 ccs, typically 3 ccs (as compared with, say, secondary chambers provided by hollow plastics inserts in commercial beverage cans manufactured in accordance with our proposal in G.B. 2,183,592A which will typically have a volume of 8 to 12 ccs) will be required. With such a small volume secondary chamber in a bottle package a relatively high gas pressure (say in the range 5 bar to 10 bar) may be desirable within the sealed package when the contents thereof are in equilibrium. It has been determined that glass bottles as are conventional for packaging soft drinks and fermented beverages can readily and safely withstand up to 10 bar internal pressure (unlike typical light metal -ely 5 bar may be alloy beverage cans where approximat regarded as a maximum safe internal pressure) As a consequence it should not present a problem subject to satisfying the previously mentioned safety requirements to provide by the method and apparatus of the present inventJon adequate pressure (from the predetermined pressure in the pressure chamber) in a relatively small voluine secondary chamber to effect the required froth development when the sealed package iis opened. Having the aforegoing comments in mind the predetermined pressure for the pressurisation of the pressure chamber is preferably selectable in the range 2 bar to 10 bar. The restricted aperture will usually be positioned so that the fluid ejected from the secondary chamber when the sealed package is opened is jetted downwardly or sideways into the beverage and the power of that jet can determine the proportion of the volume of beverage in the primary chamber from which gas in solution is liberated. For example, for some beverages it may be desirable for a relatively small proportion of the beverage in the primary chamber to have gas in solution liberated therefrom in which case the 9 pressure of gas in the secondary chamber may be relatively small to provide a small jetting effect which is nevertheless adequate to effect the required froth development from, say, a shallow upper part of the beverage. With other beverages a high power jetting effect may be required to liberate gas from solution throughout all, or a relatively large proportion, of the beverage in the primary chamber and in such case a relatively high pressure will be provided in the secondary chamber to present a fluid jet which penetrates deeply into the beverage. To achieve these different techniques of froth development the pressure in the pressure chamber may be adjustable to provide appropriate power in the jetting effect for various frothing characteristics as may be required for different beverages that are packaged by the method and apparatus of the invention.

Usually a bottle delivered to the sealing station will have been flushed with nitrogen to displace air therefrom. It is likely however that the hollow insert will be located in the pressure chamber having air in its secondary chamber. Because the secondary chamber is likely to be of a relatively small volume and bearing in rind that air is predominantly nitrogen, when the secondary chamber is pressurised to a relatively high pressure with nitrogen gas in the closed pressure chamber, the proportion of oxygen in the secondary chamber may be so small that its detrimental effect, if any, on the characteristics of the beverage in the bottle (over a reasonable shelf life) can be disregarded. Nevertheless, to alleviate the possibility of atmospheric oxygen contaminating the beverage, it is preferred that when the pressure chamber is closed about the open top bottle, the closure and the hollow insert and prior to the pressure chamber being pressurised to the predetermined pressure, that pressure chamber is connected to a vacuum pump substantially to remove gases therefrom (and from the primary and secondary chambers) in preparation to receive the nitrogen gas under pressure.

Whilst the closed pressure chamber contains nitrogen gas at the predetermined pressure the closure locator and bottle are displaced relatively towards each other so that the closure carried by the locator sealingly engages and is secured to the open top of the bottle and this sealing operation causes the hollow insert to be displaced and retained so that the restricted aperture is submerged in the beverage in the primary chamber. The relative displacement between the bottle and the closure locator is conveniently achieved by slidable components of the sealing station which are displaced relative to each other under control of fluid pressure operated rams or cam followers and tracks with which those followers co-operate, for example during relative rotation between the cam tracks and followers effected by movement of the sealing station about a carousel of which that station forms part.

and closing of the pressure chamber is controlled in a similar manner.

The opening conveniently Preferably the hollow insert is part of the closure so that when the closure is fed to the closure locator (conveniently by means of a chute or similar track) the closure locator simultaneously locates the closure and the hollow insert that it carries within the pressure chamber so that the restricted aperture is open to direct communication with the pressure chamber above the open top of a bottle provided at the bottle locator of the sealing station. With this arrangement and during the sealing operation, the hollow insert can be carried by the closure to be received through the open top of the bottle for the 11 icted aperture to be submerged in the beverage in the primary chamber. The hollow insert may be formed as an integral part of the closure or as a separate component, typically a plastics moulding, which is firmly secured to the closure, for example, by adhesive, welding or by interlocking or interengaging parts. A preferred arrangement is for the hollow insert to be carried on the underside of a closure cap by mechanically engaging the inse.-r-t with a sealant or liner that is moulded to the cap, for example by moulding the sealant and forming the insert so that a socket and spigot press fitted coupling is provided therebetween. Accordingly an aspect of the invention provides a beverage package comprising an open top bottle having a primary chamber containing beverage having gas in solution therewith, a cap sealing said open top and removable for dispensing of the beverage, a headspace being provided in the bottle above the beverage containing gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric; a hollow insert carried by the cap and having a secondary chamber, said secondary chamber containing at least gas at pressure greater than atmospheric and the insert having a restricted aperture located beneath the surface of the beverage through which, upon opening of the primary chamber to atmosphere and in response to a pressure differential developed thereby, gas and/or beverage in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on said beverage, and wherein the cap has a sealant secured thereto and forming a seal between the cap and the bottle, said sealant being moulded to present a part thereof with which the hollow insert mechanically engages to be carried by the cap. It will be realised that by having the hollow insert as part of the closure, upon removal of the closure 12 the insert will also be removed which is desirable, particularly for the convenience of recycling glass bottles. Alternatively the hollow insert can be located in the pressure chamber within the open top of a bottle as a discrete component separate from the closure. Initially such a located hollow insert is held with the restricted aperture clear of the beverage in the primary chamber as the pressure chamber is pressurised. During the sealing operation relative displacement between the closure and the bottle causes the closure to engage and displace the hollow insert from its initial location further within the open top of the bottle to submerge the restricted aperture in the beverage as the closure is sealingly engaged with the bottle. Such a discrete hollow insert is conveniently retained in position within the open top of the sealed bottle by frictional engagement wit'&-& the wall of the bottle (neck) (in a similar manner to the disclosure in our G.B. 2,256,628A) or by entrapment between the closure and the rim of the open top of the bottle. Preferably the discrete hollow insert is located in its initial location in the open top of the bottle prior to that bottle being received at the bottle locator of the sealing station so that the hollow insert is carried by the bottle into the pressure chamber.

The bottle closure (preferably having the hollow insert as part thereof) may take several forms of which the simplest is possibly a metal or plastics cap that is crimped or sealed over the open top similar to a conventional "crown cap". Alternatively the bottle closure may have a stopper part which is received as a bung within the bottle through its open top to provide a seal with the internal wall face of the bottle. As a further possibility the bottle closure may be internally or externally threaded to screw threadedly engage with a complementary external or internal thread provided on the bottle.

Also according to the present invention there is provided a beverage package comprising an open top bottle having a primary chamber containing beverage having gas in solution therewith, a closure sealing said open top and removable for dispensing of the beverage, a headspace being provided in the bottle above the beverage containing gas at pressure greater than atmospheric; said closure having secondary chamber containing at least gas at pressure greater than atmospheric and a restricted aperture located beneath the surface of the beverage through which, upon opening of the primary chamber to atmosphere and in response to a pressure differential developed thereby, gas and/or beverage in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the pri4mary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on said beverage, said closure being removable from the open top together with its secondary chambe.- substantially wIthout deformation of the closure, and wherein the closure comprises normally closed vent means which is operable prior to removal of the closure from the bottle and whilst the restricted orifice is beneath the surface of the beverage to provide communication between the headspace and atmospheric pressure and thereby develop said pressure differential for gas and/or beverage in the secondary chamber to be directed through said restricted aperture for froth development on the beverage in the primary chamber prior to removal of the closure from the bottle for dispensing of the beverage.

Our prior Patent G.B. 1,266,351 discloses a bottled beverage package in which a closure having a hollow insert with the secondary chamber is in the form of a plastics or 14 metal crown cap that is crimped to the bottle top and upon opening of the bottle with a conventional bottle opener this cap is deformed (possibly to the extent that it is destroyed) initially to open the headspace in the primary chamber of the bottle to atmosphere to create the pressure differential and cause gas under pressure from the secondary chamber to be directed through a restricted aperture to liberate gas from solution in the beverage in the development of froth and, a few seconds later, is removed together with the secondary chamber to permit dispensing of the beverage. With this prior proposal it is necessary for the closure to be deformed to effect froth development and the beverage package of the present invention as specified in the immediately preceding paragraph proposes the use of a closure that is removable from the bottle substantially without distortion of the closure. Whils'%-- nondistortable forms of bottle closures are known, such as stoppers or bungs which are press fitted through the open too of the bottle to sealingly engage with an internal side wall face of the bottle or externally threaded stoppers or internally threaded caps which screw threadedly engage with complementary internal or external threads respectively on the bottle, it may be possible during removal of such forms of bottle closures where the hollow insert is a part of the closure to inadvertently raise the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber from the beverage in the primary chamber prior to any, or adequate, gas and/or beverage being directed by the resultant pressure differential from the secondary chamber through the restricted aperture into the beverage in the primary chamber so that an unacceptable, if any, head of froth results. To alleviate this possibility the closure in the beverage package specified in the immediately preceding paragraph includes vent means which is operable before the closure is fully removed from the bottle for beverage dispensing and whilst the restricted aperture is located beneath the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber to open communication between the headspace in the bottle and atmospheric pressure and thereby create the pressure differential which effects in the froth development. Following opening of the vent means and the initiation of froth development, the closure can be removed, substantially without deformation thereof, from the bottie.

The vent means may have a vent passage which extends through the closure and is normally closed by obturating means that is manually displaceable to open the vent passage and release therethrough gas under pressure in the headspace to atmosphere. The obturating means may be in the form of a valve in the closure, such valve can be biased to its normally closed condition by gas under pressure in the headspace. As a further possibility the obturating means can be in the form of a threaded plug, such as a shaft or stud, which engages with a complementary thread in the vent passage so that the plug can be screw threadedly removed to open the vent passage.

Alternatively the vent means can be in the form of a vent passage in the closure, a first end of which passage is open to communicate with the headspace and a second end of which is normally closed by a wall of the bottle and which vent passage is openable to release therethrough gas under pressure from the headspace to atmosphere by partial removal of the closure from the bottle sufficient to open communication between the aforementioned second end of the vent passage and atmosphere. Preferably the closure has a stopper part which is preferably received as a bung through 16 the open top of the bottle so that at least a portion of the stopper part is in sealing engagement with the periphery of the internal bottle wall. The stopper part may be a direct press fit into the bottle through its open top or screw threadedly engage with the interior of the bottle. A vent passage as aforementioned may be formed between a channel. extending in a side face of the stopper part and an internal wall face of the bottle which opposes the channel. The stopper part may be hollow to form at leaz;t part of the secondary chamber. The closure may have a he-ad part disposed adjacent to the open top on %the outside of the bottle, such head part can be hollow to form at least part of the secondary chamber.

The aforementioned stopper part of the closure can have its end adjacent to the beverage surface recessed to provide a peripheral skirt which is subjected to gas pressure in the headspace and be biased thereby into sealing abutment with the peripheral internal wall face of the bottle. Such biasinq of the skirt against the bottle wall advantageously serves tofirmly secure the closure to the bottle and in such case it is preferred that the previously mentioned vent passage of the vent means extends through the closure to open into the recess of the stopper part. Usually the closure will include a tubular extension the bore of which forms at least part of the secondary chamber and which extension projects towards and into the beverage in the primary chamber to locate the restricted aperture below the surface of such beverage. The beverage package as above specified to include the vent means is advantageously formed by use of the packaging apparatus and system as specified as being in accordance with the present invention. To facilitate handling and positioning of the closure in the closure locator the 17 aforementioned tubular extension may be concentric with the closure.

The closure may be retained in sealing engagement with the bottle by a removable restraint that engages between the closure and the exterior bottle. The restraint will usually be in the form of a removable cage or foil engaging over the closure and about the upper end part of the bottle.

The present invention was primarily developed for the packaging of fermented beverages such as stout, lager, ale and other beers and cider. It will be realised however that the invention may be applied with advantage to the packaging of other beverages having gas in solution, for example dealcoholised fermented beverages and so-called softh drinks such as colas, lemonade, milk shakes and the like and possibly distilled beverages, where a head of froth is desirable by liberation of gas from solution in the beverage. It will also be realised that 'where a fermented beverage package is formed by the present invention, such package may contain "live" beverage (such as beer). Live beverage packages are well known in the brewing industry whereby following sealing of the bottle, natural fermentation of the beverage in the sealed bottle continues; this fermentation produces C02 and can thus increase the pressure within the sealed bottle in comparison with the pressure at sealing.

DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which:

Figures 1 to 6 diagrammatically show beverage packaging apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention and sequentially illustrate successive stages of 18 S a beverage packaging method in accordance with the present invention; Figure 7 illustrates a beverage package formed by the apparatus and method of Figures 1 to 6 where the hollow insert with the secondary chamber is part of the closure; Figure 8 shows the beverage package of Figure 7 being opened to effect froth development and permit dispensing of the beverage; Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a beverage package constructed in accordance with the present invention for the bottle closure to include vent means and which package is suitable to be formed by the apparatus and method of Figures 1 to 6; Figure 10 shows a beverage package of Figure 9 with the vent means operated f or initiation of froth development; Figure 11 shows a further embodiment of a beverage package constructed in accordance with the present invention for the bottle closure to include vent means and which package is suitable to be formed by the apparatus and method of Figures 1 to 6; Figure 12 shows the beverage package of Figure 11 with its vent means operated for initiation of froth development prior to removal of the closure for dispensing of the beverage; Figure 13 shows a modification of the invention in which the hollow insert having the secondary chamber is formed as a discrete component separate from the closure; Figure 14 illustrates a further beverage package formed by the apparatus and method of Figures 1 to 6 where the hollow insert is part of the closure and is secured to a closure cap by a socket and spigot connection, and Figure 15 illustrates a modification of the socket and 19 spigot connection shown in Figure 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present embodiments will be considered in relation to the preparation of a beverage package in the form of a sealed bottle 20 containing in a primary chamber thereof beer 21 such as ale, stout or lager (which may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic) having nitrogen/carbon dioxide gas in solution - an example of such a beverage is discussed in the preferred embodiment of our British Patent No. 2,183,592A. The bottle 20 for the package may be of conventional glass structure having a cylindrical lower part 20A which tapers to a neck 20B having an open top 20C (see Figure 7).

Figures 1 to 6 predominantly show a sealing station 1 and sequential stages in the systematic operation of that station to provide a sealed bottle containing the beverage. In practice the sealing station 1 will be one of an array of several identical such stations circumferentially spaced to rotate as a whole about a vertical axis on a carousel (not shown) which carries the sealing stations 1 so that the sequential operation of each station (as shown successively in Figures 1 to 6) is effected over a major part length of the circumferential path through which the work stations are displaced during a rotation of the carousel.

The work station 1 has a vertically extending tubular shroud 2 that is fixed relative to the rotating carousel.

Extending within and through the shroud 2 is a vertical shaft 3 which is slidable vertically relative to the shroud 2 and is sealed relative thereto by a pressure seal 4 at the upper end of the shroud. The lower end of the shaft 3 carries a closure locator 5. Disposed below and spaced from the bottom end of the shaft 3 and concentric therewith is a bottle locator, simplistically shown as a bottle receiving horizontal platform 6, carried at the upper end of a vertical shaft 7. The shaft 7 is concentric with the shaft 3 and is vertically displaceable with the platform 6 relative to the shroud 2. Independent vertical displacement of the shafts 3 and 7 of the work station I as necessary during operation of that work station is conveniently controlled by pneumatic or hydraulic rams (not shown) which rams are themselves controlled by valves (not shown) actuated as required by relative displacement between cam followers and cam tracks (not shown) during rotation of the carousel.. It will be appreciated however that the aforementioned displacement of the shafts 3 and 7 relative to the shroud 2 can be effected and controlled by any convenient manner including electrically or wholly mechanically.

In the position of the work station 1 shown in Figure 1 the shafts 3 and 7 are lowered to their maximum relative to the shroud 2 and so that the closure locator 5 is exposed and presented from the bottom end of the shroud 2. In this position a closure 8 is fed to be seated in the closure locator 5. The closure 8 is conveniently fed to the closure locator 5 from a chute or other guide track 9 by which the closures are dispensed successively to each sealing station 1 as the station is carried by the rotating carousel to the position shown in Figure 1. As an alternative to providing a closure supply track 9 which is common for all of the work stations 1, each work station may have an independant supply of closures 8 for closures to be fed successively as necessary to the closure locator 5 of that work station, for example such an independant supply may be achieved through the shaft 3.

Examples of several structures suitable for the 21 closure 8 will be described hereinafter (such structures not necessarily having the reference 11811) but preferably the closure 8 comprises a metal or plastics cap 10 which carries a hollow component or insert conveniently formed as a plastics moulding or assembly of mouldings 11 having a tubular extension 11A. A convenient example of the closure 8 is shown in Figure 7 in which the moulding 11 is secured to the underside of the cap 10 by a tapered grommet 12 locked and sealed in a recessed aperture 13 provided in the cap. If required, the grommet 13 on the hollow moulding 11 can be heat sealed in the aperture of the cap. The hollow moulding 11 together with its tubular extension 11A forms a secondary chamber 14 which opens through a restricted aperture 15 in the free end of the extension 11A. In a typical example the secondary chamber 14 will have a capacity of approximately 3 ccs whilst the restricted aperture 11- is likely to have a diameter in the order of 0.6 millimetres. The tubular extension 11A extends perpendicularly from the underside of the cap 10 and, although this extension is shown offset from the centre line of the cap, it will usually be concentric with the cap 10 for convenience of handling and mechanical feeding of the closures 8 to the closure locator 5. A more preferred form of closure 8 is discussed hereinafter with reference to Figures 14 and 15.

During displacement of the sealing station 1 by the carousel from its position shown in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 2, the shaft 3 is raised to its maximum height so that the closure locator 5 together with the closure 8 therein is withdrawn into the shroud 2 as shown in Figure 2. With the sealing station 1 in the position of Figure 2, an open topped bottle 20 in an upstanding condition and charged with its required capacity of the beer 21 is -.P 22 is 1 - platform 6. The bottle 20 is positioned on '%.he conveniently fed to the platform 6 by a star wheel 22 wh.-Lch delivers such bottles sequentially from a conveyor of a conventional filling line along which the bottles are charged with the beer.

During displacement of the sealing station from its position shown in Figure 2 to that shown in Figure 3, the shaft 7 is raised to its maximum height relative to the shroud 2 to lift the platform 6 and bottle 20 thereon so that the bottle is received within the shroud 2 and the platform 6 abuts the bottom end of the shroud 2 and forms a pressure seal therewith. In the position of the sealing station shown in Figure 3 therefore the bottle 20 and the overlying closure 8 are vertically spaced from each other and enclosed within a sealed pressure chamber 25 formed between the shroud 2, the shaft 3 and the platform 6.

Associated with the shroud 2 is a vent valve.26 and a pressurising valve 27 which are conveniently controlled by cam followers (not shown) that move relative to cam tracks (not shown) during rotation of the carousel but may be otherwise controlled, for example by pneumatic rams or electrical solenoids. However control of the valves 26 and 27 is arranged so that with the sealing station in its condition shown in Figure 3, the vent valve 26 is opened to connect the pressure chamber 25 to a vacuum pump by which gases in that chamber together with gases in the headspace of the bottle neck 20B and in the secondary chamber 14 of the bottle closure are withdrawn to remove (or substantially reduce) the content of atmospheric oxygen in the chamber 25. Following exhaustion of gases from the chamber 25 and during displacement of the sealing station from its position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 23 4, the vent valve 26 is closed and the pressurising valve 27 is opened so that the latter valve admits nitrogen gas under pressure to the pressure chamber 25. The pressure of nitrogen gas in the pressure chamber 25 will be predetermined depending on the characteristics required of the beverage package which is to be formed, typically the pressure will be 3 bar but it may be adjustable, preferably in the range of 2 bar to 10 bar.

with the pressure chamber 25 at the predetermined pressure (and consequently the headspace in the bottle neck 20B above the beverage 21 and the secondary chamber 14 of the closure also at that predetermined pressure), such pressure is maintained during displacement of the sealing station by the carousel from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5. During this latter displacement the shaft 3 is partially lowered relative to he shroud 2 so that the closure 8 is carrLed by its locator 5 to close the open top 20C of the bottle and effect sealing engagement about the rim presented by the neck of the bottle 20 whilst the hollow plastics rtioulding 11 having the secondary chamber 14 is received within the neck of the bottle for the free end of the tubular extension 11A to dip into the beverage 21. Consequently the restricted aperture 15 is located beneath the surface of the beer 21 and is directed downwardly towards the bottom of the bottle. Following the positioning of the closure to the bottle and as shown in Figure 5, the closure locator 5 will crimp or otherwise secure the cap 10 to the bottle neck to form and maintain a sealed headspace 32 and thereafter release the closure 8 to the bottle.

During displacement of the sealing station from the position shown in Figure 5 to that shown in Figure 6 the pressurising valve 27 is closed and the vent valve 26 is 24 opened so that the pressure chamber 25 communicates through the valve 26 to be reduced to atmospheric pressure. In addition and when the pressure in the chamber 25 has reduced sufficiently, the shaft 7 is lowered to its maximum extent so that the platform 6 withdraws from the shroud 2 to open the pressure chamber as the sealed beer bottle or package 30 is also withdrawn on the platform from the shroud 2. At the position shown in Figure 6 the bottled beer package 30 is removed from the platform 6, conveniently by a star wheel 31 which displaces the bottle 30 onto an appropriate conveyor. During completion of a revolution of the carousel, the sealing station I is displaced from its position shown in Figure 6 to that shown in Figure 1 and during such displacement the shaft 3 is lowered to its maximum extent in preparation for the locator 5 to receive a further closure 8 in the Figure 1 posLtion.

As a typical example the bottle 20 may have a fluid capacity (in its primary chamber) of say 350 cc that is charged with 330 cc of beer 21 to leave a headspace 32 of approximately 20 cc of which the secondary chamber 14 in the plastics moulding 11 may occupy approximately 3 cc.

Following from the previously described system for forming the bottle package 30 shown in Figure 7, it will be apparent that when the contents of the sealed bottle are in equilibrium between the primary chamber of the bottle in which the beer 21 is accommodated and the secondary chamber 14, the headspace 32 and the secondary chamber 14 may be at a pressure in the order of 3 bar. Upon opening of the bottle package 30 as shown in Figure 8, typically by deforming the cap 10 with a bottle opener 10A, the pressure in the headspace 32 rapidly reduces to atmospheric pressure thereby creating a pressure differential between the high io pressure in the secondary chamber 14 and atmospheric pressure. As a consequence, gas under.pressure from the secondary chamber 14 is expelled through the restricted aperture 15 as a downwardly directed jet into the beer 21. This jetting effect causes gas in solution to be liberated from the beer 21 in well known manner for the development of froth which can accumulate in the headspace 32. It is possible that during the pressurising and sealing of the bottle 20 and as the contents of the sealed bottle package come into equilibrium, some of the beer will be taken into the tubular extension 11A as indicated at 21A. In this latter event it will be appreciated that when the pressure differential develops on opening of the bottle package 30, the beer 11A will initially be ejected through the aperture 15 to cause froth development and that such ejection of the beer will be followed by ejection of a mixture of gas and beer and then solely gas. Following partial removal of the crimped cap 10 and initiation of froth development with the aperture 15 beneath the surface of the beverage 21, the closure 8 (which includes the moulding 11) can be removed completely from the bottle to permit dispensing of the beer 21.

A more preferred form of the closure 8 is shown in Figure 14 in which the cap 10 is provided on its underside with a resilient liner or sealant 140 which, when the cap 10 is crimped to the bottle neck, forms a seal between the cap and the rim of the bottle mouth. The sealant, which may be of a plastics material conventional for seals or liners on crown cap bottle closures, is moulded to the cap 10 and during such moulding a spigot 141 is formed of the sealant to project centrally from the cap. The hollow plastics insert 11 in the example of Figure 14 has an elongated moulded structure comprising an upper tubular 26 cylindrical part 142 from which extends a lower frusto conical part 143 that converges to the aperture 15. The upper end of the cylindrical part 142 is sealed by a plug 144 which presents a socket 145. The insert 11 is secured to be carried concentrically under I.-he cap 10 by the spigot 141 firmly engaging in the socket 145. If required the plug 144 can be omitted and the spigot 141 sealingly and firmly engaged in a socket presented by the upper tubular end of the cylindrical part 142. It will be appreciated that the socket and spigot coupiing between the cap 10 and insert 11 can be reversed from that shown in Figure 14 so that the sealant IL40 is moulded to present a socket with which a spigot provided on the insert 11 engages; such a modification is shown in Figure 115. In Figure 15 the sealant 140 is moulded to the underside of the cap 10 to form a cylindrical skirt 150 which presents a cylindrical socket 151. The upper end of the tubular part 142 of the insert 11 is sealed by a plug 144A which presents a frusto conical spigot 152. The spigot 152 is concentric within an outer wall 153 of the plug and spaced therefrom to form a tapered channel 154 of annular section. In fitting the insert 11 to the cap 10 of Figure 15, the spigot 152 is received in the cylindrical socket 151 as the skirt 150 is received simultaneously in the channel 154; as the socket and spigot are engaged, the spigot 152 is force fitted into the socket 151 causing the skirt 150 to become splayed from its initial cylindrical shape to a frusto conical shape within the confines of the channel 154 so providing secure frictional and mechanical engagement between the cap and the insert. The closures 8 shown in Figures 14 and 15 will be fed to the closure locator 5 in a similar manner to that previously described with reference to Figures I to 6, the inserts 11 having previously been press fitted to the 27 caps 10 to interengage the sockets and spigots and provide a clearance 160 between the underside of the caps 10 (and the sealant thereon) and the upper ends of the inserts 11 carried thereby. If required an adhesive can be provided between the co-operating sockets and spigots or local heating applied to fuse the co-operating sockets and spigots together.

It is recognised that the headspace 32 in the bottle will usually be quite small and preferably therefore the amount of froth which is developed on opening of the bottle is arranged so that there is unlikely to be an overspill of froth from the bottle under normal conditions of dispensing. This may be achieved by determining the gas pressure in the secondary chamber 14 so that the power of the gas and/or beer jet which results through the restricted aperture will penetrate the beer 21 to a depth which will cause gas to be liberated from solution in an upper part only of the volume of beer in the bottle. For example with the sealed bottle pressurised to say 2 bar it may be that when the bottle is opened the resulting pressure differential develops a jetting effect through the aperture 15 which is adequate to liberate gas in solution from, say, only the upper third of the volume of beverage in the bottle and thereby a relatively small head of froth develops. Alternatively if the bottle is pressurised to, say, 4 bar the jetting effect may have adequate power to be effective throughout the full depth of the beverage in the bottle and throughout excessive viscosity, conditions liberated considerable quantities of gas may be liberated the whole volume of the beverage to create frothing (depending, of course, upon the prevailing temperature and nitrogenation of the beverage). If gas in solution is by the jetting effect from only a relatively 28 1 D small proportion of the volume of beverage in the bottle to create a relatively small amount of froth in the headspace 32, it is unlikely that this will be detrimental to the quality of the head of froth on the beverage when it has been dispensed from the bottle. The reason for this is believed due to the peculiarities which a conventional bottle neck shape has on the beverage as it is poured from the bottle into a glass for consumption, where a secondary initiation of froth develops as gas in solution is further liberated during the pouring by reaction of the beer with the froth that was initially formed on opening of the bottle.

Figure 9 shows a further embodiment of a sealed bottle package 40 wLth a modified closure 80 but which package may nevertheless be formed using the system and apparatus as previously described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

The closure 80 in Figure 9 is conveniently formed of plastics and has a stopper part 41 and a head part 42.

During sealing of the bottle 20 the stopper part 41 is received as a direct press fit through the open top 20C of the bottle so that the peripheral surface of the stopper part seals against the internal peripheral side wall face of the bottle. The head part 42 presents a shoulder 43 which abuts against the top end rim of the bottle 21 to restrict entry of the stopper part 41 into the bottle and also to provide a convenient grip for removal of the closure. The head part 41 is hollow to provide a toroidal chamber that is concentric with the head and stopper parts and forms part of the secondary chamber 14. communicating with the toroidal chamber is the bore of a tubular extension 43 of the closure. The bore of the extension 43 forms a further part of the secondary chamber 14 and the bottom end of the extension 43 is provided with the 29 restricted aperture 15 located beneath the surface of the beverage 21. The end of the stopper part 41 adjacent to -1 is provided with a frusto conical recess 45 the beverage so that the stopper part 41 has the form of a peripheral skirt. The recess 45 communicates with the headspace 32 so that the pressure therein is applied to the stopper part 41 and biases the skirt thereof into close sealing engagement with the inner wall face of the bottle neck.

The closure 80 in Figure 9 is provided with a normally closed vent formed by a passage 46 that extends co-axially through the stopper and head parts 41, 42 to communicate at one end with the headspace 32 in the recess 45 and at its other end with atmosphere. The passage 46 is internally threaded and is closed by a plug in the form of a threaded shaft or stud 47 which screw threadedly engages in the passage 46. The plug 47 extends from a knurled disc 48 which during assembly of the bottle package 40 abuts the top face of the head part 42. When the beverage is to be dispensed the plug 47 is unscrewed from the closure 80 by rotation of the disc 48 and removed from the passage 46 as shown in Figure 10. This opens the headspace 32 to atmospheric pressure through the passage 46 and causes the pressure differential to develop resulting in beer and/or gas being jetted from the secondary chamber 14 through the restricted aperture 15 and into the beer 21 as previously discussed to effect liberation of gas from solution in the beer and froth development. As the pressure of the headspace 32 reduces substantially to atmospheric pressure the pressure biasing on the skirt of the stopper part 41 is relieved so that a few seconds after froth development has been initiated by opening of the vent passage 46, the head part 42 can be gripped to manually withdraw the stopper part 41 and the tubular extension 44 from the neck of the bottle to dispense the beverage.

Figure 11 shows a still further embodiment of a sealed bottle package 49 having a further modified form of closure 50 and which package 49 may also be provided by the system and apparatus as previously described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The closure 50 is conveniently formed as a plastics moulding (or as an assembly of such mouldings) and has a stopper part 51 and a head part 52. Projecting from the stopper part 51 is a tubular extension 53 which has at its free end the restricted aperture 15. The stopper part 51 is hollow and communicates with the bore of the tubular extension 53 to form the secondary chamber 14.

he stopper part is received as a press f itted bung in the neck of the bottle 20 through the open top 20C so that the surf ace of the stopper part over a short part length 51A thereof adjacent to the head part 51 forms a peripheral seal with the inner face of the bottle wall. A shoulder 55 presented by the head part 52 abuts the upper end rim of the bottle to restrict entry of the stopper part and provide a convenient grip for removing the closure 50.

Provided on the external surface of the stopper part 51 is a vent passage formed by a channel 56 in the stopper part which channel is directed to, and bridged by, the inner wall face of the bottle neck and opens at its bottom end to the headspace 32. The channel 56 extends part way over the length of the stopper part 51 beneath the sealing part 51A. The closure 50 will normally be retained to close the bottle by the resilient biasing of the stopper part 51 against the inner wall of the bottle but if required the closure may be additionally retained by a wire cage or aluminium skirt 57 which extends over the head part of the closure and engages with the outside of the bottle neck. When the bottle beer package 49 is to be opened, 31 the cage 57 is removed and the stopper part 51 partially withdrawn from the bottle neck sufficiently to open the vent channel 56 to atmosphere. This partial withdrawal of the closure 50 will be assisted by the gas pressure in the headspace 32. Upon the channel 56 opening to atmosphere as shown in Figure 12, the headspace 32 will reduce to atmospheric pressure by gas escape through 1-he vent passage that is formed thereby developing the necessary pressure differential (whilst the restricted aperture 15 is still located beneath the surface of the beverage 21) to cause gas from solution in the beverage to be liberated for the development of froth in a similar manner to that previously described. A few seconds after the vent passage 56 has opened to atmosphere, the closure 50 can be removed from the bottle for dispensing of the contents.

In the modification shown in Figure!3 the hollow insert 11 having the secondary chamber 14 is formed as a plastics moulding discrete and separate from the closure cap 10. The insert 14 has a hollow generally cylindrical body 100 within which is provided the secondary chamber 14 and a bottom end 101 of which tapers to the restricted aperture 15. The upper end 102 of the insert body has projecting therefrom, typically three or four, circumferentially spaced and radially extending fins or flanges 103. The diameter of the insert 11 across the fins 103 is slightly greater than that of the mouth of the open top 20C of the bottle so that the insert can be received through the open top of the bottle and held or supported by bottom edges 103A of the fins abutting the rim of the bottle about its open top 20C. A beverage package comprising the insert 11 and separate cap 10 as shown in Figure 13 may be formed using apparatus substantially as shown and described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 with 32 modifications to the method as follows. The caps 10 without the hollow inserts are fed to the closure locators 5. As the open topped bottles 20 charged with beer 21 are fed to the platforms 6 of the sealing stations, each bottle receives a hollow insert 14 within its open top so that the insert is supported by its f ins 103 on the rim of the bottle as shown in Figure 13. In this latter, initial, condition of the insert the restricted aperture 15 is held clear of the beer 21 so that the secondary chamber 14 is in direct communication with the headspace in the bottle 20. The insert 14is thus carried by the bottle 20 into the pressure chamber 25 which chamber is then closed and sealed with the cap 5 overlying, but spaced from, the open top of ".he bottle and the insert therein. The pressure chamber 25 is now exhausted and pressurised separately as previously described to the predetermined pressure thereby pressurising the primary chamber in the bottle and the secondary chamber 14 to that pressure. Within the predetermined pressure of the closed chamber 25, the closure locator 5 and bottle 20 are displaced towards each other for the cap 5 to engage the upper end 102 of the insert and push the insert 11 further into the open top of the bottle. As the insert 11 is pushed into the bottle its plastics fins 103 flex or resiliently deform against the inner face of the wall of the bottle neck to provide a friction fit which retains the insert in a final position in the bottle. When the cap 10 engages the rim of the bottle opening it is crimped or otherwise sealingly secured to the bottle neck as shown at 101 to form and maintain the sealed headspace in the bottle. During the push fitting of the insert 11 into the bottle the restricted aperture 15 is displaced sufficiently so that it becomes submerged in the beer 21 as shown at 151. The sealed package is thus 33 formed and the chamber 25 can be de-pressurised for removal of the package. It will be appreciated that the insert 11 can be retained in its final position in the sealed bottle otherwise than by use of the f ins 103, the f ins 103 are preferred however as providing convenient passages therebetween through which the beer 21 can be poured from the bottle without removing the insert.

34 2 0

Claims

1. Beverage packaging apparatus providing a beverage package of a bottle with a primary chamber charged with beverage containing gas in solution and an openable top sealed by a closure, said primary chamber having therein a hollow insert which provides a secondary chamber and is carried through said openable top, the secondary chamber containing gas under pressure and being open to communication with the primary chamber by way of a restricted aperture through which upon opening of the beverage package, gas or beverage under gas pressure in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on the beverage and which apparatus comprises a bottle sealing station; means for providing at a bottle locator of the sealing station a said bottle in an upstanding open topped condition and charged with said beverage; the sealing station having a pressure chamber which is openable for the upstanding bottle to be received therein, a closure locator and means for feeding a said closure to the closure locator to locate the closure above the open top of a bottle provided at said bottle locator; means for locating a said hollow insert within the pressure chamber with the restricted aperture open to direct communication with the pressure chamber; means for closing the pressure chamber about the open topped bottle, the hollow insert and the closure locator; gas pressure control means by which the closed pressure chamber and thereby the primary chamber of a bottle and the secondary chamber of a hollow insert closure in the pressure chamber are pressurised with gas to a predetermined pressure greater than atmospheric; sealing means operable with the pressure chamber closed and pressurised to said predetermined pressure to provide a sealing operation that effects in relative displacement between the closure locator and a bottle at the bottle locator for a closure in s'd locator to seal the open top of the bottle, said a i sea."L.ing operation further effecting in a hollow insert being captured within the primary chamber and retained to be carried through the openable top so that the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber is located beneath the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber; and means operable following the sealing of the bottle by the closure to reduce the pressure within the pressure chamber substantially to atmospheric pressure and thereafter to open the chamber for removal of the beverage package from the bottle locator.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hollow for feeding insert is a part of the closure and said means the closure to the closure locator simultaneously locates the hollow insert within the pressure chamber with the restricted aperture open to direct communication with the pressure chamber about the open top of a bottle provided at the bottle locator.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for locating a hollow insert within the pressure chamber locates that insert as a discrete component within the open top of a bottle received by the bottle locator with the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber held clear of the beverage in the primary chamber and said sealing operation causes the closure to displace the hollow insert through the openable top for the restricted aperture to be located beneath the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means for locating the hollow insert within the pressure chamber 36 locates that insert as a discrete component within the open top of a bottle prior to that bottle being received at the bottle locator so that the hollow insert is carried by the bottle into the open pressure chamber.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the gas pressure control means is adjustable for said predetermined pressure to be variable in the closed pressure chamber.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and including means for withdrawing gas from the closed pressure chamber prior to the pressurising of the closed pressure chamber to said predetermined pressure.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and comprisIng a bottle filler by which the primary chamber of a bottle is charged with its predetermined volume of beverage and feed means for delivering said charged bottle to the bottle locator of the sealing station.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the pressure chamber of the sealing station comprises a tubular shroud within which is positioned the closure locator and wherein an open topped bottle located by the bottle locator is receivable within the shroud as the pressure chamber closes for the said shroud to partly define the pressure chamber.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and comprising an array of said sealing stations circumferentially spaced on a carousel which rotates about a vertical axis, each said station being controlled to provide a beverage package during displacement of that station over a part length of the circumferential path through which the station is moved by the carousel during each revolution thereof and which part length of said 37 circumferential path is common for all said sealing stations and wherein means is provided for feeding said open topped bottles successively to the bottle locator of each sealing station at the commencement of said part length of the circumferential path and for removing the beverage packages successively from the bottle locator of each sealing station at the end of said part length of the circumferential path.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the means for feeding a said closure to the closure locator is common to all of the sealing stations and said means successively provides each closure locator with a closure at a predetermined position in said part length of the circumferential path.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which said feeding means comprises a guide track by which said closures are fed to be located in the closure locator of successive sealing stations.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which each said sealing station is provided with an independent supply of said closures and from which supply a closure is fed to the closure locator of its sealing station during each revolution of the carousel in preparation for that closure to be applied to the open top of a bottle.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 when appendant to claim 8 in which the tubular shrouds of said array of sealing stations are fixed relative to the carousel for rotation therewith and for each said sealing station said means for closing the pressure chamber comprises the bottle locator, said bottle locator being displaceable relative to said shroud and said sealing operation effects in displacement of the closure locator relative to the shroud and to the bottle locator.

38 14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or in any one of claims 9 to 13 when appendant to claim 8 wherein the bottle locator is displaceable vertically on a shaft to move the bottle into the tubular shroud and close the pressure chamber of its sealing station.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or in any one of claims 9 to 14 when appendant to claim 8 in which the closure locator is carried by a shaft within the tubular shroud, said shaft for the closure locator being displaceable vertically relative to the shroud for moving a closure in the closure locator to seal the open top of a bottle located by the bottle locator within the pressure chamber of its sealing station.

16. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the sealing ireans provides a sealing operation whereby a cap of the closure is sealed over the open top of a bottle in said clesed pressurised pressure charnber.

17. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the sealing means provides a sealing operation whereby a stopper part of the closure is press f itted through the open top of a bottle in the closed pressurised pressure chamber for said stopper part to seal with the peripheral internal face of the bottle wall.

18. A beverage packaging method which provides a beverage package of a bottle with a primary chamber charged with beverage containing gas in solution and an openable top sealed by a closure, said primary chamber having therein a hollow insert which provides a secondary chamber and is carried through said openable top, the secondary chamber containing gas under pressure and being open to communication with the primary chamber by way of a restricted aperture through which upon opening of the 39 beverage package, gas or beverage under gas pressure in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on the beverage, the method comprising sequentially, providing at a sealing station a said bottle in an upstanding open top condition and charged with said beverage; enclosing said bottle at the sealing station in a pressure chamber in which pressure chamber is located a said closure in a closure locator positioned above the open top of the bottle and a said hollow insert with the restricted aperture of its secondary chamber open to direct communication with the pressure chamber; pressurising the closed pressure chamber and thereby the primary and secondary chambers to a predetermined pressure greater than atmospheric pressure; displacing the closure locator and bottle relatively towards each other in said pressurised pressure chamber for the closure to sealingly engage with the open top of the bottle and for the hollow insert to be displaced by the closure and captured within the primary chamber to be retained to be carried through the openable top so that the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber is located below the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber; reducing the pressure in the pressure chamber substantially to atmospheric pressure; opening the pressure chamber and removing the beverage package therefrom.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 in which the hollow insert is part of the closure for the secondary chamber to be located in the pressure chamber simultaneously with the closure and during sealing engagement of the closure with the bottle the hollow insert is carried by the closure to be retained with the restricted aperture located beneath the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 in which the closure comprises a cap having a sealant moulded thereto and which sealant is to provide a seal between the cap and the bottle when the closure sealingly engages the bottle, and which comprises moulding the sealant to provide a part thereof with which the hollow insert mechanically engages for the insert to be carried by the cap as part of the closure.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 which comprises moulding the sealant and forming the hollow insert to provide a press fitted socket and spigot coupling therebetween.

22. A method as claimed in claim 18 which comprises locating the hollow insert within the pressure chamber as a discrete component within the open top of the bottle so that the restricted aperture of the secondary chamber is held clear of the beverage in the primary chamber during pressurisation of the pressure chamber and displacing the hollow insert by the closure during sealing of the bottles in the pressurised pressure chamber for the restricted aperture to be located beneath the surface of the beverage in the primary chamber.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 which comprises locating the hollow insert within the open top of the bottle prior to the bottle being received by the pressure chamber so that the bottle carries the hollow insert into the pressure chamber.

24. A method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 23 in which the pressure within the sealed pressure chamber is adjustable and which comprises selecting said predetermined pressure to be within a predetermined range so that said selected predetermined pressure will provide a predetermined power with which said gas or beverage under gas pressure in the secondary chamber will be directed 41 is through the restricted aperture into the beverage in the primary chamber for said froth formation.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24 in which said predetermined pressure is selected from the range of 2 bar to 10 bar.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25 in which the predetermined pressure is selected from the range of 2 bar to 5 bar.

27. A method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 26 which comprises following the enclosure of said bottle, closure and hollow insert in the pressure chamber and prior to the pressurising of the closed pressure chamber, withdrawing gases from said pressure chamber to reduce atmospheric oxygen contained therein.

28. A method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 27 which comprises pressurising the pressure chamber with nitrogen gas.

29. A beverage package comprising an open top bottle having a primary chamber containing beverage having gas in solution therewith, a closure sealing said open top and removable for dispensing of the beverage, a headspace being provided in the bottle above the beverage containing gas at pressure greater than atmospheric; said closure having secondary chamber containing at least gas at pressure greater than atmospheric and a restricted aperture located beneath the surface of the beverage through which, upon opening of the primary chamber to atmosphere and in response to a pressure differential developed thereby, gas and/or beverage in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on said beverage, said closure being removable from the open top together with its secondary chamber substantially without deformation of the 42 0 closure, and wherein the closure comprises normally closed vent means which is operable prior to removal of the closure from the bottle and whilst the restricted orifice is beneath the surface of the beverage to provide communication between the headspace and atmospheric pressure and thereby develop said pressure differential for gas andlor beverage in the secondary chamber to be directed through said restricted aperture for froth development on the beverage in the primary chamber prior to removal of the closure from the bottle for dispensing of the beverage.

30. A package as claimed in claim 29 in which the vent means comprises a vent passage which extends through the closure, said vent passage being normally closed by obturating means that is manually displaceable to open the vent passage and release therethrough gas under pressure in the headspace to atmosphere.

31. A package as claimed in claim 30 in which the obturating means comprises a valve in the closure.

32. A package as claimed in claim 31 in which said valve is biased to its normally closed condition by gas under pressure in the headspace.

33. A package as claimed in claim 30 in which said obturating means comprises a plug which is removably engaged in said vent passage.

34. A package as claimed in claim 33 in which the plug threadedly engages in the vent passage to be screw threadedly removable to open that passage.

35. A package as claimed in claim 29 in which the vent means comprises a vent passage in the closure, the vent passage having first and second ends of which said first end is open to communication with the headspace and said second end of the vent passage is normally closed by a wall of the bottle, and wherein the vent passage is openable to 43 is release therethrough gas under pressure from the headspace to atnosphere by partial removal of the closu---e from the bottle sufficient to open communication between said second end of the vent passage and atmosphere.

36. A package as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 35 in which the closure has a stopper part that is received as a bung through the open top of the bottle so that at least a portlon of the stopper part is in sealing engagement with the periphery of the bottle wall.

37. A package as claimed in claim 36 when appendant to clain 35 in which said vent passage is formed between a channel extending in a side face of the stopper part and an internal wall face of the bottle which opposes the channel. 38. A package as claimed in either claim 36 or claim 37 in which said stopper part is hollow to form at least part the secondary chamber.

39. A package as claimed in any one of claiT,-- 36 to 38 in which said stopper part has its end adjacent to the beverage surface in the primary chamber recessed to provide the stopper part with a peripheral skirt which skirt is subjected to gas pressure in the headspace and biased thereby into abutment with the internal wall face of the bottle.

40. A package as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 39 in which the closure has a head part disposed adjacent to the open top on the outside of the bottle, said head part being hollow to form at least part of the secondary chamber.

41. A package as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 40 in which the closure includes a tubular extension the bore of which forms at least part of the secondary chamber and which extension projects towards and into the beverage in the primary chamber to locate the restricted aperture below the surface of such beverage.

44 42. A package as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 41 in which when said primary and secondary chanbers are in equilibrium, said chambers are at a predetermined pressure in the range 2 bar to 10 bar.

43. A package as claimed in claim 42 when said predetermined pressure is in the range 2 bar to 5 bar.

44. A beverage package comprising an open top bottle having a primary chamber containing beverage having gas in solution therewith, a cap sealing said open top and removable for dispensing of the beverage, a headspace being provided in the bottle above the beverage containing gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric; a hollow insert carried by the cap, and having a secondary chamber, said secondary chamber containing at least gas at pressure greater than atmospheric and the insert having a restricted aperture located beneath the surface of the beverage through which, upon opening of the primary chamber to atmosphere and in response to a pressure differential developed thereby, gas and/or beverage in the secondary chamber is directed into the beverage in the primary chamber to form, or assist in the formation of, froth on said beverage, and wherein the cap has a sealant secured thereto and forming a seal between the cap and the bottle, said sealant being moulded to present a part thereof with which the hollow insert mechanically engages to be carried by the cap.

45. A package as claimed in claim 44 in which the sealant is moulded to present one of a socket part and a spigot part and the hollow insert presents the other of said parts and said mechanical engagement is by socket and spigot coupling between the respective parts of the sealant and the insert.

46. A beverage packaging apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

47. A beverage packaging method as claimed in claim 18 and substantially as herein described.

48. A beverage package when packaged by the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 26 and claim 43.

49. A beverage package substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 9 and 10, Figures 11 and 12 or Figures 14 and 15 of the accompanying illustrative drawings.