WO1996020118A1

WO1996020118A1 - Bottle cap

Info

Publication number: WO1996020118A1
Application number: PCT/FI1995/000693
Authority: WO
Inventors: Harri Kuhmonen; Arto Kivinen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-12-23
Filing date: 1995-12-20
Publication date: 1996-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 1997-06-23
Also published as: AU4262496A; FI954091A0; FI954091A7; FI954091L

Abstract

The invention relates to a bottle cap comprising a cap body (1), an aperture (1a) in the cap body, and a sealing member (3) made of a resilient material and provided with at least one slit (3a). The slits (3a) and the aperture (1a) in the cap body (1) are substantially out of alignment. The sealing member (3) is of such a design that the slits (3a) remain normally substantially tightly closed, and the sealing member (3) is disposed substantially tightly against the cap body (1), whereby the flow of liquid and gas through the cap is prevented. When a gas pressure exceeding a predetermined value is provided outside a sealed bottle, the gas pushes the sealing member (3) towards the inside of the bottle, as a result of which the gas is allowed to flow between the cap body (1) and the sealing member (3). Because of the distention of the sealing member (3), the slits (3a) are opened, and the gas is allowed to flow further through them into the bottle (4).

Description

Bottle cap

The invention relates to a bottle cap comprising a cap body, an aperture provided in the cap body, and a sealing member made of a resilient material and provided with at least one opening in such a way that the aperture in the cap body and each opening are substantially out of alignment, and that the sealing member is normally substantially tightly disposed against the cap body.

In the preparation of various carbonated beverages, such as beer or soft drinks, a substantially still drink is usually introduced into a bottle, whereafter the drink is charged with carbon dioxide at a suitable pressure so that the carbon dioxide dissolves in the drink, and immediately after the introduction of carbon dioxide is stopped, the bottle is sealed with a tight cap. In practice, this method cannot be used when such beverages are prepared at home, since the method requires special equipment both for introducing the carbon dioxide and for sealing the bottle rapidly and tightly enough. Particularly in the case of home brew, carbonation is currently achieved by bottling the beer in the middle of the fermentation process, and by adding a small amount of sugar to the bottles so that the fermentation process is completed in the bottles, whereby carbon dioxide is obtained. However, this method is awkward and has the drawback that dregs gather on the bottom of the bottles; when a bottle is shaken or moved abruptly, the dregs are mixed again with the beer, affecting its appearance and making it taste of yeast. In addition, it is difficult to clean the bottles after use.

DE 916 388 discloses a bottle cap with a cap body and a resilient sealing member mounted on its inner surface. Both the cap body and the sealing member are provided with an aperture in such a way that the apertures do not align with each other. When a pressure that is higher than the one prevailing inside a sealed bottle is developed outside the bottle, the gas, for example, to be introduced into the bottle flows at first through the aperture in the cap body and further, when the resilient sealing member yields, from between the cap body and the sealing member through the aperture in the sealing member into the bottle. When the pressure outside a sealed bottle is as high as the pressure inside the bottle or lower than it, the sealing member presses against the cap body, sealing thus the cap construction. However, even small scratches on the surface of the cap body facing the sealing member, or correspondingly on the sealing member, make the cap leak. Furthermore, when for instance carbon dioxide is introduced into a liquid through this cap, the gas flows to the liquid in big bubbles, wherefore the carbon dioxide does not mix with the liquid sufficiently well. It is, moreover, difficult to apply this construction for example to a screw cap: if such a cap were screwed on a bottle, the sealing member would adhere to the bottle neck before the cap engages it sufficiently tightly, wherefore the sealing member would be easily displaced from its correct position.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bottle cap which obviates the above-mentioned drawbacks. The bottle cap of the invention is characterized in that the opening in the sealing member is a slit which normally remains substantially tightly closed, whereby the flow of liquid and gas through the cap is prevented. An essential feature of the invention is that the cap body comprises an aperture, and the inner side of the cap body is provided with a resilient sealing member with at least one slit substantially out of alignment with the aperture in the cap body so that, when introduced at a sufficiently high pressure from outside the bottle, gas is allowed to enter the space between the cap and the sealing member, whereby it pushes the sealing member towards the inside of the bottle so that the slit in the sealing member is opened, and gas is allowed to flow through the slit into the bottle. Another essential feature of the invention is that the slit is normally closed, whereby the flow of liquid or gas through it is prevented. According to an embodiment of the invention, a spreading plate with a plurality of small perforations is provided on the inner side of the cap at a distance from the sealing member.

An advantage of the invention is that after the introduction of gas, e.g. carbon dioxide, the pressure of the gas within the bottle presses the sealing element against the cap, whereby the slit is more tightly closed, and the carbon dioxide thus remains within the bottle and dissolves in the liquid, forming a carbonated beverage. Another advantage is that on account of the spreading plate, the gas is introduced through the cap into the liquid in smaller bubbles, and is thus more efficiently mixed with the liquid.

In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accom¬ panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the cross-section of a bottle cap of the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a way of using the bottle cap of the invention,

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of how an embodiment of the sealing member in the bottle cap shown in Figure 1 operates during the introduction of gas.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the cross-section of a second bottle cap of the invention, and Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of the cross-section of a third bottle cap of the invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a bottle cap of the invention in the shape of a conventional screw cap; however, the shape of the cap can vary. The cap can be made, for instance, of metal or plastic. In order to clarify the details, the figure shows the cap and its components in cross-section. The bottle cap comprises a cap body 1, the inner side of which is provided with a gasket 2, which may be secured to the cap body in a manner known per se, or as in the case of Figure 1, it may be pressed against the cap body 1 by means of a separate clamp ring 5. The cap body 1 comprises an aperture la, which, in view of the manufacture and the introduction of gas, is most easily disposed in the middle of the cap. On the inner side of the bottle cap, at the aperture la, the cap comprises a sealing member 3, which may be made of rubber, plastic, or the like material which is sufficiently resilient in view of the purpose of the sealing member 3. Both the sealing member 3 and the gasket 2 are naturally made of a material of food grade. In the bottle cap shown in Figure 1, the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3 form an integral structure.

The sealing member 3 is provided with one or more slits 3a, which are substantially out of alignment with the aperture la in the cap body 1. The sealing member 3 is normally tightly pressed against the cap body 1, whereby the slits 3a are tightly closed. When the pressure prevailing outside the bottle exceeds a predetermined value, it presses the sealing member 3 towards the inside of the bottle. As the sealing member 3 distends, the slits 3a are opened, and gas is allowed to flow through them.

The clamp ring 5 is of a material which is substantially harder than the sealing member 3 and the gasket 2. When the bottle cap is screwed on the mouth of the bottle 4, there is substantially less friction between the clamp ring 5 and the mouth of the bottle 4 than there would be for instance between the gasket 2 and the mouth of the bottle 4. The surface of the clamp ring 5 facing the mouth of the bottle 4 is preferably curved as shown in Figure 1; thus the contact surface between the clamp ring 5 and the mouth of the bottle 4 is smaller, which reduces the friction between them. The inner circumference of the clamp ring 5 is provided along its whole length with a projection 5a which presses against the sealing member 3 to allow the clamp ring 5, the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3 to adhere to each other more tightly. The inner side of the bottle cap is provided with a spreading plate 6 spaced apart from the sealing member 3. The spreading plate 6 must be spaced apart from the sealing member 3 to allow the sealing member 3 to distend towards the inside of the bottle, if necessary. In the bottle cap shown in Figure 1, the clamp ring 5 and the spreading plate 6 form an integral structure. The spreading plate 6 is provided with a plurality of small perforations 6a. In this connection, 'small' means that the area of a perforation 6a is smaller than the area of the opening formed by a slit 3a when opened as a result of the distension of the sealing member 3 by the action of the pressure of the gas introduced through the cap. The word 'plurality' means herein that the number of perforations 6a exceeds the number of slits 3a in the sealing member 3 by at least one. The spreading plate 6 thus allows the gas to be introduced more slowly and in smaller bubbles into the liquid through the cap, which improves the solution of the gas in the liquid. Figure 2 illustrates a possible way of using the bottle cap of the invention. A suitable soft drink or beer is introduced into a bottle 4, and the bottle 4 is sealed with a cap. Thereafter the sealed bottle is preferably placed upside down, and the bottle cap is placed against a nozzle 7 through which a gas, usually carbon dioxide, is introduced. In this description and in the appended claims, the term 'gas' is used to refer both to a single gas and to various gas mixtures comprising two or more different gases. The nozzle 7 is, of course, connected to a source of carbon dioxide, e.g. to a carbon dioxide container 9, via a flexible tube 8. When the bottle cap 1 bears against the nozzle 7, carbon dioxide is allowed to flow from the nozzle 7 at such a pressure that it pushes the sealing member 3 away from the cap body and is thus allowed to flow through the aperture la in the cap body 1 to the space between the cap body 1 and the sealing member 3, whereby the resilient sealing member 3 distends and the slits 3a are opened, and thus the carbon dioxide is allowed to enter the bottle 4. At the same time, the bottle 4 can be shaken to enhance the mixing of the carbon dioxide flowing into the bottle with the liquid in the bottle 4, and thus to improve its solution therein. When the desired amount of carbon dioxide has been introduced, the flow of carbon dioxide from the nozzle 7 is stopped, and the procedure is repeated with the following bottles.

Figure 3 illustrates schematically how the sealing member behaves and operates during the introduction of gas. The reference numerals in Figure 3 correspond to those in Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 3, a pressure PI which is higher than the pressure P2 inside the bottle 4 is provided outside the bottle 4. The carbon dioxide that has developed the pressure Pi pushes the sealing member 3 towards the inside of the bottle, as a result of which the carbon dioxide is allowed to enter the bottle as shown in Figure 3, i.e. through the aperture la in the cap body 1, and further from between the cap body 1 and the sealing member 3 through the slits 3a, which are opened as a result of the distension of the sealing member 3. When the pressure caused by the carbon dioxide outside the bottle stops, the pressure of the carbon dioxide inside the bottle presses the sealing member 3 against the cap body 1, wherefore the slits 3a in the sealing member 3 are tightly closed, thus preventing the carbon dioxide and the liquid in the bottle 4 from escaping. When the pressure inside the bottle is not substantially lower than the pressure outside it, the sealing member 3 is substantially tightly disposed against the cap body 1, and the slits 3a are closed as shown in Figure 1. When the pressure inside the bottle 4 is higher than the pressure outside it, the pressure inside the bottle presses the sealing member 3 against the cap body, whereby the slits 3a are even more tightly closed.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the cross- section of a second bottle cap of the invention. The reference numerals in Figure 4 correspond to those in Figures 1 to 3. The spreading plate 6 of the cap shown in Figure 4 is convex towards the inside of the bottle, e.g. hemispherical. The advantage of such a structure is that it allows the gas bubbles to be more evenly distributed in the liquid within the bottle 4, which improves the solution of the gas therein. Figure 5 is a schematic view of the cross- section of a third bottle cap of the invention. The reference numerals in Figure 5 correspond to those in Figures 1 to . The inner corner of the cap body shown in Figure 5 is provided with a shoulder lb. The shoulder lb ensures that, for example, the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3, which form an integral structure, are correctly positioned in the cap construction. The shoulder lb is shaped in such a way that the clamp ring 5 makes contact with the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3 merely at the projection 5a. The shoulder lb may consist of several separate portions; the number of separate portions must be sufficient for ensuring that the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3 remain in the correct place. Preferably, the shoulder lb extends, however, along the whole length of the circumference, in which case it can be easily machined to the cap body

1, and it is easier to ensure that the entire cap is tight. The projection 5a is wedge-shaped. Thus, when the cap is screwed on the mouth of the bottle 4, the resulting force is exerted only on a very narrow area on the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3, wherefore the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3 are not displaced as a result of the screwing on of the cap. Furthermore, because of its sharp, wedge-like shape, the projection presses against the sealing member 3 of the soft gasket

2, ensuring the tightness of that part of the cap structure. The lower surface of the clamp ring 5 also comprises a projection 5b, which is symmetrical with the projection 5a on the upper surface. The lower projection 5b is arranged to engage tightly with the upper edge of the inner surface of the neck of the bottle 4, wherefore even irregularities on the upper edge of the bottle neck do not make the cap leak. The symmetry has also the advantage that when the cap is being assembled, the clamp ring 5 will be the right side up in every case. The clamp ring 5 comprises a narrower portion, which allows it to yield slightly when the upper edge of the mouth of the bottle 4 presses it upwards; this ensures the engagement of the projection 5a with the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3. In addition, the shape of the clamp ring 5 described above makes the contact surface between the clamp ring 5 and the mouth of the bottle 4 smaller, as a result of which the friction between them is also reduced. Even in the solution illustrated in Figure 5, the clamp ring 5 and the spreading plate 6 form an integral structure.

The drawings and the description relating thereto are intended merely to illustrate the inventive concept. In its details, the invention can be modified within the scope of the appended claims. The bottle cap of the invention may thus be realized in many different ways. The sealing member 3 may comprise one or more slits 3a; the essential feature is that the slit/s is/are substantially out of alignment with the aperture la in the cap body 1. The cap may comprise a gasket 2 known per se, and the gasket 2 may comprise a separate sealing member, which is separately secured to the cap. Alternatively, the gasket 2 and the sealing member 3 may form an integral structure, which is mounted on the inner surface of the cap in one piece, which reduces the number of manufacturing steps. When the cap is made of plastic, the sealing member can be provided as an integral part of the cap, in the same way as the gasket. In addition to carbon dioxide, it is also possible to use other gases or gas mixtures, such as nitrogen or some other gas which protects foodstuffs and prevents them from spoiling.

Claims

1. A bottle cap comprising a cap body (1), an aperture (la) provided in the cap body (1) , and a sealing member (3) made of a resilient material and provided with at least one opening in such a way that the aperture (la) in the cap body (1) and each opening are substantially out of alignment, and that the sealing member (3) is normally substantially tightly disposed against the cap body (1), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the opening in the sealing member (3) is a slit (3a) which normally remains substantially tightly closed, whereby the flow of liquid and gas through the cap is prevented.

2. A bottle cap according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it comprises a clamp ring (5) for securing the sealing member (3) to the cap.

3. A bottle cap according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the inner circumfer- ence of the clamp ring (5) is provided with a projection (5a) which makes contact with the sealing member (3) and extends substantially along the whole length of the circumference.

4. A bottle cap according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the projection (5a) is wedge-shaped.

5. A bottle cap according to any one of claims 2 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the inner circumference of the clamp ring is provided with a wedge-shaped projection (5b) which engages with the bottle (4) and extends substantially along the whole length of the circumference.

6. A bottle cap according to any one of claims 2 to 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the surface of the clamp ring (5) which makes contact with the mouth of the bottle (4) is convex towards the bottle (4) .

7. A bottle cap according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is provided with a spreading plate (6) which comprises a plurality of small perforations (6a) and is spaced apart from the sealing member (3) .

8. A bottle cap according to claim 7, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that the spreading plate (6) is convex towards the inside of the bottle.

9. A bottle cap according to any one of claims

2 to 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is provided with a spreading plate (6) which comprises a plurality of small perforations (6a) and is spaced apart from the sealing member (3), and that the clamp ring (5) and the spreading plate (6) form an integral structure.

10. A bottle cap according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the spreading plate (6) is convex towards the inside of the bottle.

11. A bottle cap according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the inner corner of the cap body (1) is provided with a shoulder (lb) .

12. A bottle cap according to any one of claims 2 to 6, 9 or 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the inner corner of the cap body (1) is provided with a shoulder (lb) which is shaped in such a way that the clamp ring (5) is at least for the most part spaced apart from the sealing member (3) .