WO2006089711A1 - Bottle closure - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the method and the apparatus for producing a bottle closure, preferably for sealing bottles of still and sparkling wine, consisting of a closure stopper (1) and a cover (2) applied to said stopper from the base side (bottle contents side), this cover also being referable to as a cap or cup, composed of a sheet of at least one metal and/or alloys thereof and/or layered composite sheet composed of two or more metals and/or alloys thereof and/or at least one plastic and/or layered composite film composed of two or more suitable plastics, which at least partly envelops the closure stopper (1).

Description

 bottle Cap

description

The invention relates to the device and the method for producing a bottle closure, preferably for closing wine and champagne bottles, consisting of a closure plug (1) and from the bottom side (bottle contents side) forth on this applied coat (2), as a cap or Cup, consisting of a film of at least one metal or alloys thereof and / or layered composite film consisting of several metals and / or their alloys and / or at least one plastic and / or layered composite film consisting of several suitable plastics, the closure plug (1) at least partially enveloped.

In the case of wine, champagne or other bottles with alcoholic and non-alcoholic contents, which are closed with natural cork stoppers (corks), there is always the so-called "cork problem." The traditional cork made from the bark of cork oak does not have 100% natural quality For example, in wine, up to 20% of the bottles may have an undesirable "cork taste" caused thereby and may often be due to the wrong ingredients Storage at incorrect temperature, ingress of substances from the outside, solution of substances from the cork due to storage in contact with the contents of the bottle, metabolites of fungi or bacteria These substances affecting the taste and quality of the contents of the bottle are mainly tannins, especially 2 -4-6-Trichlorani sol, minerals and mold or other fungal spores that are not predictable in the end product of the natural product and thus selectable by a quality control. Externally penetrating substances or microbes can trigger further negative influences during storage, which lead to the unusability of the bottle contents.

A way out of this problem seemed to promise the development of plastic closures. All previously developed plastics and

Unfortunately, bottle caps made of them do not yet fulfill the properties required for an inert wine or champagne bottle closure. The biggest problem was the unwanted diffusion of components of the

Closure in the bottle contents during storage, in particular of easily soluble molecules of intermediates, low molecular weight compounds and plasticizers contained therein.

There are many approaches to solving this problem with both natural corks and plastic corks.

DE 2150913 describes, for example, the sealing of the cork by polyethylene.

DE 2336841 describes the sterilization and subsequent sealing of a bottle cork by a plastic layer, on which a release agent is then applied.

EP 1 179 485 also describes a coating or sheathing of a natural cork with a transparent plastic material, in particular PVC, silicone rubber or other thermoplastic polymers.

WO 00/73200 describes the use of a plastic cap to prevent the contact of the bottle contents with the bottle cap and a suitable method. FR 825 672 describes the wrapping of a cork by means of a casing which is introduced into the neck of the bottle during the corking operation, in that the casing is previously placed flat on the neck of the bottle and then driven with the cork, but without to refer to suitable materials.

FR 983 488 describes the use of specially shaped corks whose bottle-containing part is shaped to receive a specially shaped cap which, however, covers only the contents-side surface of the cork.

FR 981 290 describes the use of a capsule or an additional aluminum coating over a closure for closing bottles, which is absolutely unsuitable for use with wine and champagne bottles.

Although GB 1877 describes the use of tin for a cork coating, it gives no indication as to how this can be carried out in a technical process.

These solutions proposed by way of example adhere to all the problems mentioned above and their technological implementation and the proposed solutions have not been used in particular because in a machine corking process, with simultaneous compression of cork and its coating or the casing damage to the composite in Form of cracking or detachment of fragments not excluded and thus the contact of the contents with the cork material can not be reproducibly excluded.

The subject of the invention is the method and the device for

Implementation of the inventive closure of beverage bottles, the compression of the cork, the subsequent sheathing with a

Film jacket and the introduction of the composite to the sealing point in Bottleneck reproducible without damaging the individual components.

The present invention shows the solution of a machine bottle closure consisting of a spring body or cork, both natural and synthetic material and this completely or partially enveloping jacket in cup form, consisting of a film of one or more metals or their alloys and / or a Plastic, inserted between cork and bottle wall.

Preferred are films of tin or its alloys, which are technically easy to prepare and process. It comes through it particularly

Use of natural cork in conjunction with tin exclusively

Natural products are used that have long been tested in food use.

Particularly preferred are films of tin with a coating of gold or other noble metal or an alloy thereof.

On the one hand, a contact between the bottle filling material and the cork is completely prevented by the solution according to the invention. Furthermore, the corking force on the tin cup and the bottle wall causes a high-density closure of the bottle interior against both the bottle exterior and the corking material. The solution according to the invention is applicable both to natural cork material as well as synthetic, since for the latter material and the unwanted transfer of plasticizers, odors and / or flavors is effectively prevented in the filling.

The inventive objects and methods are for the closure of

Suitable bottle contents of any kind, especially alcoholic liquids such as spirits, wine, sparkling wine, beer, but also for non-alcoholic such as fruit juices,

Oil or vinegar. All uses are listed here only as an example and not restrictive, as other uses are conceivable such as in the cosmetic field for fragrances, lotions, bath products and the like.

The combination of cork / thin-walled, stretchable and food-grade tin cup is able to compensate for the occurring in practice tolerances of the system cork / bottle and thereby improve tightness, chemical resistance and taste neutrality of the overall system in previously unknown quality and reproducibility.

Tin has been a proven material in the food industry for a long time. Due to the formation of a very thin oxide layer on the metal surface, it is not attacked by weak acids or other substances such as tomatoes, beans, sauerkraut, pears, peaches, apricots, plums, figs, olives, jams, meat, oysters, Sardines, wine or milk are included. Tin cans made of tinned iron sheet, the so-called tinplate are therefore in use for a long time. The natural formation of the chemically inert tin oxide layer can be qualitatively improved after the tin cup production with chemical and physical processes. A chemically very stable solution can also be achieved with a subsequently applied to the Zinnbecheraussenoberfläche, thin gold layer.

Unfortunately, tin has the property of being stable in different crystalline modifications and of converting from one modification to another under suitable conditions, which may possibly already be at the usual storage temperatures and environmental influences. These undesirable modifications no longer have the metallic properties, such as ductility and flexibility, but are characterized by powderiness, fine graininess and brittleness. This negative property can be remedied by selecting suitable alloys with other metals, for example antimony, copper or bismuth.

The envelope of a cork according to the present invention therefore also comprises tin foils consisting of a food grade alloy with other metals to prevent conversion to other crystalline modifications. Sufficient for stabilization are already surcharges in the range of 0.01 to 1, 0 wt.%.

In particular, the invention relates to the improvement of wine and champagne bottle closures and similar applications heretofore characterized by irreproducible leakage and by chemical and biological problems of the contents caused by cork itself or by uncontrolled interaction with the surrounding atmosphere.

This results in e.g. When closing with natural cork the typical cork taste occurs in plastic corks components in considerable

Can solve quantity in the contents and by the interaction of virtually uncontrollable diffusion of other gaseous and liquid substances from the environment through the materials of the bottle cap and the pores and microcapillaries contained therein, the quality of the filling material is hardly predictable.

With the exclusive use of glass and tin or alloys thereof or noble metal coatings applied thereto as the inner surface of the Füllguthohlraums the invention is limited to long known and traditionally proven materials in food use. The cork closure (natural cork or plastic) no longer comes into contact with the contents and serves only as a permanently elastic suspension body to produce high gas tightness between tin cup and bottleneck.

It is very important in the present invention that the usual optical and acoustic properties, such as the desired "PLOP" remain when uncorking a bottle.

The usual optical properties are largely preserved or enhanced by the tin cup, the "food-grade metal" that has been used as a wine drinking vessel for hundreds of years.

The experience gained in the context of this invention shows that the problems of the contents are solved by uncontrolled interactions with the surrounding atmosphere based on the almost absolute tightness and the chemically suitable sealing material tin.

Nevertheless, the users of this solution have to adapt to the completely new and hitherto unknown situation, for example that previous laws, such as, for example, SO2 degradation, due to the lack of interaction with the environment.

If it turns out that without interactions, e.g. With the ambient air, no longer produce certain taste behavior, the present invention offers the possibility of the tin cup also, for example. specifically air-transparent manufacture.

For this purpose, in the cylindrical / conical portion of Zinnbecheraussenoberfläche with mechanical or patterning etching processes, such as those used in the manufacture of integrated circuits in the semiconductor industry, introduced small wells that remain when pressed on the smooth bottleneck inner surface, as a diffusion or leak channels act and based on their mode of action enable a specifically adjustable gas transparency from the container interior to the environment.

The objects of the invention are further illustrated by the drawings, description and examples.

Brief description of the pictures:

Fig. 1: representation of a sealed according to the inventive method bottle

Fig. 2: Illustration of the bottle closure with a schematic representation of the device for the closing operation before the sealing of the bottle

Fig. 3: Bottle with closure and sealing tool after insertion of the bottle cap

Fig. 4: Bottle with closure during withdrawal of the closure tool

Fig. 5: Construction and stacking of the tin cup

Fig. 6: Zinnbechervereinzelung

Fig. 7: Zinnbechertransfer (starting position at the cork lock)

8: Zinnbechertransfer (end position on the cork lock)

Fig. 9: Alternative separating device: O-ring

Fig. 10: Alternative separating device: hose

Fig. 11: Cork lock - spring steel sheet tensioned, cork pressed

Fig. 12: Cork lock - spring steel sheet relaxed, cork unpressed Object of the present invention is to seal the defined opening of a hollow container (eg glass bottle) by a suitable closure to protect the contents both from external impurities, and from the penetration of undesirable substances from the closure or spring body material in the filling and / or to prevent interactions of the contents with the closure or spring body material, which may have an influence on the quality of the filling material.

Furthermore, the cavity (even under the usual internal pressure) must remain securely closed and the closure can be removed with conventional tools (such as corkscrews) and force.

The operations performed in the context of this invention, gas-tightness tests on bottles with Naturverkorkung showed helium leakage rates up to the range 10 ^-2 mbar I s ^-1. From this helium leak rate can be concluded that at atmospheric pressure more than 10 cm ^{3 of} air per hour can pass through the bottle cap. Even a diffusion of very large molecules (gaseous or liquid) can not be prevented at these enormous leak rates.

It is therefore a further object of this invention, for reasons mentioned to improve the tightness significantly while using a possible inert sealing material for the filling.

The sealing material is a tin cup with a wall thickness of about 0.005 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.05 to 0.25 mm, most preferably 0.07 to 0.14 mm. It completely encloses the cork (natural cork or plastic) on its side facing the bottle room (cup bottom and side wall). The side wall applied to the bottleneck can be guided up to the top of the cork and / or beyond. Above the bottle cap is also a flanging the over the cork protruding Tin cork side wall to consider, in order to close the cork on its top, for example by soldering, hermetically sealed and thus protect its permanently elastic properties from adverse effects from the environment.

Leakage tests have shown that even sidewall lengths> 5 mm are sufficient to achieve helium leak tightnesses <10 ^'9 mbar I s ^"1. This leak rate is 10,000,000 times smaller than the use of a normal natural cork cork and therefore a guarantee for an absolutely tight and very reproducible bottle closure in practical use.

The cork (1) is shown in FIG. 1 of the invention only as a permanently elastic suspension body used to press the tin cup side wall with constant force as possible to the bottle neck (3) and thus to produce the tightness between the bottle neck (3) and tin cup (2). The closure pull-out force (uncorking) can be set by the material properties of the cork (suspension body pressure), coefficient of friction (cork / glass) and / or the ratio of tin cup sidewall length / non-tin-coated cork residual length.

However, the closure pull-out force must always be designed to be larger than the required cork holding force (maximum permitted in-bottle pressure x cork floor area) so that the bottle does not self-uncork.

The steps required for the closure according to the invention of a bottle with the novel bottle closure and their sequence will be explained in more detail below. This description is in no way to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention and other possible embodiments and from I rents to see and should serve exclusively for better understanding. FIG. 1 shows an example of a corked wine bottle. The tin cup (2) [here exemplary length about 40% of the cork length] encloses the cork (1) on the inside of the bottle is pressed by the permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] to the bottle neck (3) and seals the interior of the bottle completely from.

General sequence of the closure process with corks and tin cups:

The prerequisite for the best possible seal is, in addition to the pressing force, smooth surfaces on both sides [(2) + (3)] at the sealing point. The tin cup (2) (wall thickness 0.05-0.25 mm) can be produced very easily according to the prior art with suitable surface qualities (roughness value Ra <0.2 μm). This also applies to the glass bottle (3).

To achieve this state, the permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork], unpressed diameter about 1, 3 x bottle neck diameter as usual in a cork press device (also called cork lock in practice) brought to an outer diameter <bottle neck diameter.

According to the invention, according to FIG. 2, the cork lock (13) must be thin-walled in the area of the tin cup insertion, since here the tin cup (2) and the already pre-pressed permanently elastic suspension body (1) [corks] are joined together in an overlapping manner without the effect of the sealing press force. The holding force of the tin beaker (2) for the closing operation on the cork lock (13) is small and can e.g. already be achieved by lightly pressing.

After the closure preparation, the parts (1), (2), (12) and (13) are shown in FIG. 2 pre-adjusted, the joining process takes place in the bottleneck. It can be done according to FIG 3 in the entire cork length, alternatively should at least the open end of the tin cup (2) to be positioned in a smooth cylindrical / conical region of the bottle inner neck.

The final closure process according to FIG. 4 begins with the extraction of the cork lock (13) with simultaneous fixation of permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] and tin cup (2) by the positioning punch (12) at the predetermined position.

By pulling the cork lock (13), the permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] relax, attaches to the inner surface of the tin cup side wall (2), presses the outer surface of the tin cup side wall (2) to the bottle inner neck wall (3), thus sealing the bottle interior from.

This sealing principle, which only slightly expands the tin cup (2) and does not damage the seal, makes use of the outstanding properties of the sealing material tin, which, when pressed on a firm, smooth base, adapts on the one hand to its shape due to its softness, and on the other hand possible, small bumps (specifically gastransparent designed surface) in the sealing material itself remain, optimally. Furthermore, the diameter tolerances of the glass bottles are easily compensated according to the same principle.

By the subject invention, the claims to the individual components of the bottle connection, as shown below, restructured:

Sealing function and chemical-biological claims go from the cork (1) in its previously used function on the tin cup (2) or alternative materials of tin. The cork itself only acts as a permanently elastic suspension body (1) and can in this regard, for example be cost-optimized. The glass bottle retains its function as before, bottle neck shape, tolerances, etc. can be redesigned according to the subject invention, for example, for optical reasons and optimized in terms of cost.

The entire sequence of the bottle sealing according to the invention can be divided into the following individual processes in detail:

a) stacking of the shell forms, preferably tin cup

b) separation of the shell forms, preferably tin cup

c) closure preparation

d) Joining process for closing the bottle

e) Closing process

f) repetition of the processes for the next closing process

These individual processes are described below for clarity:

a) Stacking:

Tin cups are currently used, primarily as a decorative element, as a "bottle capsule outer closure." The manufacture (molding) as a sealing element can be carried out by the already specialized companies using the same method.

According to FIG. 5, the shape of the tin beaker (2) designed conically from the tin beaker bottom toward the tin beaker opening is oriented primarily at the inside diameter of the bottleneck inner mold. This is usually held in the opposite direction conical, smallest diameter on Bottleneck inlet, becoming larger to the bottle belly, to counteract with an increase in the cork holding force of a bottle self-corking at internal pressure.

For the geometric design of the tin cup (2) of the following example, the starting point is the smallest bottle neck diameter [FHID] (3) of 18.30 mm.

The cone angle (24) results at the desired tin cup wall thickness (25) = 0.125 mm and stack height (23) = 5.50 mm with 91, 35 °.

The diameter (21) is set at: [FHID = 18.30 mm] - (3 x 0.25) mm = 17.55 mm. The difference of 3 x 0.25 mm is required for:

1 x 0.25 mm clearance for inserting the pre-assembled bottle cap into the bottle neck internal diameter

1 x 0.25 mm to compensate for the cup wall thickness

1 x 0.25 mm for expansion during the bottle closure preparation described below

Based on the cup height (20) = 20.00 mm selected in the example and the cone angle (24) = 91, 35 °, the cup opening diameter (22) results in approx. 18.5 mm.

From the exemplarily geometrically defined tin cup shape, a stack wall thickness of 0.50 arises in the tin cup stack (FIG. 5) (26), (27), (28) and (29) at the overlapping point between cup (28) and cup (29) mm. This is sufficient to ensure dimensional stability in the stacked composite, which is formed immediately after the individual cup production. In the experiment, it has been shown that tin beaker stacks have> 100 pieces of individual cups, rolled up in soft foam or in a thin-walled transport magazine FIG. 6 (4) (eg hose or thin-walled plastic pipe), with an inside diameter which is slightly larger than the cup opening diameter (22), are transportable without affecting the cup shape. For the transport phase, the tin cup stack is fixed inside the transport magazine (4) by end caps attached to the respective end of the transport magazine.

b) Singling:

The Zinnbechervereinzelung begins according to FIG. 6 with the insertion of the already described tin beaker stack according to FIG. 5, surrounded by the transport magazine (4), in the separating device, consisting of:

a housing (5), in the housing sealed pressure diaphragm (7), the pressure chamber (8) and the Becherendpositionsvorrichtung (10).

The transport magazine (4) is centered in the cylindrical part of the housing (5) whose diameter is kept slightly larger than the outer diameter of the transport magazine (4) and is seated on the lower housing bottom. The in the housing bottom axially to the cylindrical part of the housing (5) provided bore is smaller than the Transportmagazinaussendurchmesser, but at the same time larger than the cup opening diameter (22). This design principle allows, with the least possible number of functional elements and easy transport magazine change, the single cup removal (2) while fixing the transport magazine (4) by its own weight. After the described Transportmagazinfixierung in Becherverzelungsvorrichtung whose said end caps or caps are in accordance with the cup stack in the transport phase. FIG. 5 against secure the movement in the transport magazine. The stack of cups is released and slips by its own weight on the in Endbecherpositionierstellung (below the described

Cup removal hole located in the housing bottom (5)) located cup end position device (10). The possibly cup-damaging free fall of the cup stack can either also be manually avoided by manually removing the end caps or be braked with the mode of action of the pressure membrane (7) described below.

In the next step, a reusable termination adapter (6) is placed on the topmost tin cup (2) in the stack of cups, inside the transport magazine (4). He prevents removal of the last tin cup from the stack of cups their deformation by the pressure membrane (7).

The cup stack is now inserted into the singulator, and the per-bottle occlusion process can begin.

The Becherstapelfixierung in the transport magazine (4) takes place in the separating device by gently squeezing (oval) of flexibly designed transport magazine (4), with the help of on 2 sides of the housing (5) attached and sealed pressure membranes (7), via a pressure increase in the pressure chamber ( 8th). The pressure generation would alternatively be mechanically possible. The lowermost cup can then be released from the cup end positioner (10) by moving it out of the cup removal area for further processing. It is still held at its open end by the deformation of the transport magazine (4) by the pressure of the membranes (7).

For Einzelbecherantnahme (2), the cylindrically shaped transfer cup (9) with a bore diameter of 18.05 mm centric, to the touch, to the Taper of the Zinnbechers to be taken (2) introduced. The point of contact is approximately in the area of the stack height (23).

With the help of slight negative pressure in the remaining cavity (11) of the transfer cup (9), the single cup (2) for closure preparation can be deducted.

c) Closure preparation:

In order to close a glass bottle according to the prior art with a permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork], unpressed diameter about 1, 3-1, 4 x bottle neck diameter, the cork is usually before insertion into the bottleneck in a cork pressing device ( in practice also called cork lock) brought to an outside diameter which is smaller than the bottle neck diameter.

This process is also used by the invention, but according to FIG. 2 the cork lock (13) is thin-walled in the area of the tin cup insertion, since here the tin cup (2) and the already pre-pressed permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork], initially without the effect of the sealing press force to be overlapped together.

The thin-walled area is set in the embodiment with an outer diameter of 17.80 mm, the inner diameter of the cork lock (13) should be> 17.00 mm running.

In principle, the largest possible internal diameters must be selected depending on the mechanical cork lock resistance, so that the permanently elastic

Suspension body (1) undergoes the least possible diameter change during its compression. Too much compaction adversely affects that Resilience of the permanently elastic suspension body (1) after its relaxation.

d) Joining process for closing the bottle:

The merging of cork lock (13) and tin cup (2) takes place, according to FIG. 7, by means of the transfer cup (9). He is, after the Zinnbechervereinzelung, still under slight negative pressure in the cavity (11), centric, to the touch, led to the cork lock (13). The following joining process terminates the vacuum holding in the cavity (11) and brings the transfer cup (9) in overlap with the cork lock (13). Here, the tin cup (2) undergoes a diameter taper at its open end, in the area above the cup bottom it is stretched. The tin cup (2) is located, as shown in FIG. 8, over its entire length on the outer diameter (17.80 mm) of the cork lock (13). During the joining process, the cavity (11) - pressure or vacuum connection was opened so that the residual air could escape from the cavity (11). The air in the tin cup (2) already partially resting against the cork lock (13) can escape during the joining process through small air ducts incorporated in the joining area of the cork lock (13).

To remove the transfer cup (9), its cavity (11) is placed under slight overpressure, so that the tin cup (2) is not also removed from the cork lock (13).

The holding force of the tin cup (2), on the cork-lock surface (13), is ensured as a result of the still existing tensile and compressive stresses in the tin cup (2), as a result of changes in diameter during the joining process, for the subsequent closing operation.

e) container closure: After the closure preparation, the parts (1), (2) and (13) are shown in FIG. 2 pre-adjusted, the positioning punch (12) is placed on the permanently elastic suspension body (1), the joining process takes place in the bottleneck (3). He can according to FIG. 3 in the entire cork length, alternatively, at least the open end of the tin cup (2) should be introduced into a smooth, cylindrical / conical region of the bottle neck.

By means of the centering ring (14), the entire assembly is placed on the Flaschenhalsbund and held.

The final closure process according to FIG. 4 begins with the extraction of the cork lock (13) with simultaneous fixation of permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] and tin cup (2) by the positioning punch (12) in the sealing area of the bottle neck (3).

By pulling out the cork lock (13), the permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] relax, attaches itself to the inner surface of the tin cup side wall (2), presses the outer surface of the tin cup side wall (2) to the bottle inner neck wall (3) and thus seals the Bottle interior off.

After the cork lock (13) in its entire length between the closure assembly (cork (1) / tin cup (2)) and bottleneck (3) is removed, the closing process ends.

On the basis of possible strength problems, alternatively, the thin-walled portion of the cork lock (13) can be kept shorter. However, its minimum length must be sufficient to position the overlap area of tin cup (2) and permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] in the smooth, cylindrical / conical area of the bottle neck (3). In this arrangement, in the tin cup region (2) already expanded permanently elastic suspension body (1) [cork] together with the tin cup (2) by the positioning punch (12) is pressed to the end position.

f) repetition of the processes for the next closing process:

The cup end positioner (10) is returned to the cup position position (below those described

Cup removal hole in the housing bottom (5)) moves, the pressure in the pressure chamber (8) degraded, the cup stack slips 1 x (23) down, the pressure in the pressure chamber (8) rebuilt.

The separating device is ready after the completion of this process for the next single cup removal (closure preparation).

All process steps are of course also feasible with films of other materials such as food-grade metals or alloys thereof and plastics.

Due to its modularity, the corking machine manufacturers are enabled by the method described to be able to expand existing or new systems around the tin cup mounting devices or to change them in the area of the cork lock.

In order to make available larger numbers of pewter cups in automatic closure devices, the described tin beaker separating device can also be arranged several times in a rotating revolver magazine which, with the aid of suitable sensors, detects the end of a tin beaker stack and automatically switches over to a new, full tin beaker stack. As already stated in the description, users of the proposed method, eg due to the lack of interaction of the container contents with its environment, have to deal with the change of chemical and biological processes of the container contents.

In order to make this possible cost-effectively, the method described can also be used as a manual closure device or semi-automated single-bottle closure device for small experimental quantities.

The more complex separation device is made much cheaper by a directly attached to the cup stacking magazine mechanical separation aid.

It consists of a device (15) which can be attached to the cup outlet (FIG. 9) of the magazine (4) and has an O-ring (16) (inner diameter about 18 mm).

Alternatively (FIG 10), a flexible, thin-walled tube (16) can be used, the inner diameter, in the unstretched state, is smaller than the largest outer diameter of the tin cup (2).

Another very cost-effective and space-saving Corkenpressvorrichtung (alternative to the current state of the art) is in FlG. 11 and FIG. 12 is shown.

FIG. 12 shows the cork (1a) in the unpressed state. It lies between the spring steel sheet clamped in the segments (30), (31), (32), (37) and (38).

By pulling on the clamping body (38), e.g. by means of a screwed into the threaded bore (39) piston rod of a pneumatic cylinder, which is the cork

(1a) constricted spring steel sheet narrowed. In doing so, the parts (30) move,

(31) and (32) in the direction of the fixed part (35) which is formed on the cork (1a) side facing as a% - circular segment. The process ends as soon as the parts (30), (31) and (32), the part (31) is on the cork side also formed as% - circle segment, together with the spring steel sheet, the cork (1 a) have pressed together to the desired diameter. The compressed cork, FIG. 11 (1b) can now be pressed into the thin-walled region of the cork lock (13) as described in the section on the preparation of the seal, for example using the positioning punch (12). The desired cork diameter (1b) is determined by the radii of the respective% circle segments of the parts (31) and (35) and the deflection rollers (34) acting tangentially to the quadrants of the% circle segments, which are rotatably mounted.

The solution shown enables cork pressings> factor 1, 4 (unpressed diameter = 24 mm, pressed diameter = 17 mm) with a tensile force of approx. 1.5 kN and a linear movement of less than 20 mm.

Claims

claims A method of closing bottles with a closure characterized by the steps a) stacking of the shell forms of the closure, b) separation of the shell shapes, c) closure preparation, d) joining process for closing the bottle, e) Closing process. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure of a spring body and a shell in the form of a cup made of a film of metal or plastic, which envelops the spring body to the bottle contents and bottleneck partially or completely. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spring body may consist of natural cork or other material. 4. The method according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the Sheath shape for the spring body of a metal foil, preferably made of tin or a tin alloy. 5. The method according to claim 1 to 4, characterized in that the film of the shell mold has a wall thickness in the range of 0.005 to 0.5 mm, preferably, 0.05 to 0.25 mm, particularly preferably 0.1 to 0.2 mm Has. 6. A method for closing bottles according to claim 1, characterized in that after completion of the closing process, the steps b to e are repeated continuously. 7. A device for closing bottles by means of a method according to claims 1 to 6. 8. A device for closing bottles in a continuous process according to claims 1 to 6.