GB2411166A

GB2411166A - Replaceable container stopper

Info

Publication number: GB2411166A
Application number: GB0403914A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Peace
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-02-21
Filing date: 2004-02-21
Publication date: 2005-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2024-02-21
Also published as: GB0403914D0; GB2411166B

Abstract

A container stopper 1 with a shaft 2 of variable thickness running through its core. When the thicker parts of the shaft are seated within the stopper, the stopper material is forced outwards against the container wall (e.g. the neck of a bottle) with sufficient pressure to hold it there and maintain a fast seal. As the shaft is drawn through the stopper and the thicker part 3 exits giving way to the thinner part 4, the outward force of the stopper material against the container wall is relieved. The stopper is then removable. The drawing through of the shaft is arrested by a terminal object 5 which also facilitates the removal of the stopper. The stopper may be replaced by plunging thicker part of the shaft back into the stopper. Its movement can be arrested by a projection that comes to rest in a recess on the stopper. The shaft may be threaded (fig 3) by T-bars, J-shapes, hollow polygon, thread ribbon, horizontal discs or pinch grips. The terminal objects may be integral or separately applied to the shaft 2. A tamper evident seal may be provided by a wax coating, foil or plastic seal around the shaft.

Description

DESCRIPTION

REPi ACEABLE CONTAINER STOPPER This invention relates to a repiaceabb container stopper.

There are many methods of sealing containers, for example, screw caps, lids with various fasteners, flip-tops, ring-pulls and keys One common method is to use a cork or plastic or rubber stopper (all referred to as 'stopper' henceforth unless specifically mentioned). This is a Witional and often preferred method of closing wine bottles, for example.

The stopper has to be sufficiently tight that it remains in place, preventing the exchange of materials between the inside of the container and the environment (e..

contents, gases and foreign particles). In some containers, such as those for sparkling wine, it must be tight enough to maintain an above ambient pressure within.

Fastness of the stopper is threatened by shrinkage in some cases, as sometimes happens with cord-c. Traditionally the stopper cannot be tightened or adjusted after packing, leading to leakage or spoiling of the contents and no prospect of remedial action.

Whilst fastness is essential, a somewhat opposing essential requirement is that the stopper must be removable with reasonable force. In practice, some stoppers are so tight that they are very difficult to remove. To tackle this, devices have been developed, such as various types of corkscrew.

An additional requirement of some containers is that the stopper be replaceable.

Some port, liqueur, vinegar and olive oil containers, for example, require this.

However, again, the attainment of a good seal makes removal and replacement difficult. In some cases, as with wine bottle corks, the stopper expands so much upon removal that it is impossible to replace by hand even though this may be desirable. It is, in any case, often damaged by the removal device. To address this, devices have been developed to reseal containers, such as more loosely fitting reusable stoppers.

So it is clear that in addition to the packaging itself, two additional pieces of equipment are often required - an object to open the container and an object to seal it again. These devices are reactive solutions; they do not tackle the root cause of the problem, namely, stopper design.

As well, these devices are stored separately from the packaging and can easily be lost. It is not unusual at a social gatherir, for example, for everyone to be searching high and bw for such equipment. One may forget to take a device on a picnic or resent the additional weight when campers or back-packing. Removal devices, such as corkscrews, make for a rather slow and tedious method of gaining access to the contents of the container compared to that offered by most other packaging of the day. Some removal dovicea, particularly corkscrews, are rather crude, damaging the stopper in the process and contaminating the contents with pieces of stopper.

In sum, what is required is a stopper that maintains effective closure, is simple and efficient to remove, is replaceable and can be tightened at any time (preferably with a fastness similar to that achieved at the factory), is removable cleanly and reliably, and is seR-contained, that is, there is no requirement for additional devices to remove or replace it.

Specific embodiments of the invention are now described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention (see Figure 1) there is provided a replaceable, partially or fully Hanged stopper (1) that has running through its core a pull-able shaft (2) of varying thickness along its length (e.g. stepped or tapered) so that whilst the thicker part (3) is seam within the stopper, the stopper material is pressed radially against the wall of the Container with force (thus holding it in place and provWing a seal). When the shaft is pulled through the stopper, and the thicker part exits and gives way to the thinner part (4), the stopper material relaxes and the pressure against the wall of the Container is relieved. The stopper can now be removed with relative ease, supported by a terminal object (5) at the end of the shaft. The terminal object also serves to arrest the drawing through of the shaft The process may be reversed to re-seal the container.

Variations include a tapered shaft (Figure 2) and a threaded shaft (8, Figure 3). The stepped, tapered and threaded options can be combined.

Many varieties of grip for pulling the shaft can be employed. These include, but are not limited to, T-bars, J-shapes and question mark shapes, hollow polygons, thread, ribbon, horizontal discs and pinch grips, as shown in Figure 4.

A number of terminal obiods can be employed. A non-exhaustive set of examples is provided In Figure 5. The temminal object can form part of the shaft (em. a collapsible spear, Cone or umbrella which opens out after initial insertion), or it can be a separate object assembled onto the shaft (e.g. a disc). The shape of the temminal object will dobrmino whether the shaft can be passed through the stopper during initial assembly or whether the stopper must have a longitudinal opening (7, Figure 6) to pommit sideways entry of the shaft.

To arrest the downward movement of the shaft when stopping the bottle, an object such as a disc or projection (8, Figure 7) on the shaft Comes to rest in a recess (9 Figure n This can be combined with a bayonet fitting which holds the shaft firmij in place, for example in transit or against higher than ambient gas pressure.

Claims

CLAIMS REPLACEABLE CONTAINER STOPPER

1. A replaceable stopper that has, running through its r ore, a shaft of variable thickness along its length so that whilst the thicker part is seated Within the stower, the stopper material is expanded radially and presses against the wall of the container (thus holding it in place and providing a seal), and as the shaft is pulled, and the thicker part of the shaft exits the stopper and gives way to the thinner part, the pressure of the stopper material against the wall of the container subsides, thus permitting the stopper to now be removed, supported by a terminal object at the end of the shaft which also serves to arrest the drawing through of the shaft.

2. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shaft thickness varies by step/e.

3. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shaft thickness varies by tapering.

4. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shaft thickness varies by a combination of step/e and taring.

5. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shaft includes an object which arrests its downward movement, thus ensuring clearance between the stopper and handle or grip.

6. A replaceable stopper as chimed in Claim 1, wherein the shaft alone or both shaft and stopper are threadr0grooved.

7. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the terminal object is a continuation of the shaft

8. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the temminal object is separate and assembled onto the shaft.

9. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the stopper has an opening that permits the shaft to be inserted or removed longitudinally.

10. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the stopper has a flange.

11. A replaceable stopper substantially as claimed in Claim 1, but where the stopper flange is partial.

12. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a T-bar, disc, hollow shape (if eluding but not limited to a circle, heart, or polygon), loop, puller (including but not limited to ribbon), or finger pinch-grip is included on the shaft enabling it to be pulled and/or screwed relative to the stopper.

13. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the handle or grip can be folded down or otherwise made to reduce product height.

14. A replaceable stopper as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a tamper-evident mechanism is provided, such as a wax, foil or plastic seal around the shaft.

15. A replaceable stopper in which preceding claims are integrated in any possible Combination.

16. A replaceable stopper substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.