Title of Invention

A NON-REFILLABLE STOPPER FOR BOTTLES OF SPIRITS AND THE LIKE

Abstract Non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits and the like. The stopper is characterized in that the washer has in the zone of its base adjacent to the upper face of the neck of the bottle a fully reinforced zone provided externally with a conical shape, in which there coincides under pressure a complementary conical shape of the body of the stopper, obtaining a firm and resistant fixing simply by axial introduction.
Full Text 1
NON-REFILLABLE STOPPER FOR BOTTLES OF SPIRITS AND THE
LIKE
DESCRIPTION
The present invention is intended to disclose a non-
refillable stopper for bottles of spirits and the like
which provide appreciable characteristics of novelty and
inventive step.
In non-refillable type stoppers for bottles of
spirits and the like it is claimed that the stopper not
only offers characteristics which prevent its direct
filling after the customary screw cap of the bottle has
been opened, but has characteristics which make it
difficult to dismantle the stopper from the bottle in
order to refill the same with beverages of lower quality.
Many systems are known by means of which the
manufacturers of the non-refillable stoppers have
attempted to obtain ever higher degrees of security, in
order to prevent the disassembly of the stopper from the
bottle after having exhausted the original contents
thereof, refilling the same with other beverages. In
many cases the safety measures against said disassembly
are provided on the basis of means which prevent
extraction by providing different radial retaining steps
and making the materials more or less rigid. However,
one drawback which arises with the non-refillable
stoppers produced in this way is that of the mechanical
complication of the manufacturing moulds and therefore,
of the relatively high cost which it may involve, since
the arrangement of stepped regions, radial or otherwise,
inside elements of the non-refillable stopper represents

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a significant complication in the manufacturing moulds,
which must necessarily have available a plurality of
radially movable elements, which complicates their
manufacture and use a great deal.
The aim of the present invention is to obtain a non-
refillable stopper of the type generally known,
constituted by an outer casing or tube cap, associated
with the screw cap at the body, which is retained in the
neck of the bottle and is complemented by a part termed a
washer which is that part which is centred in the inner
part of the opening of the neck of the bottle, and which
on the outside is in many cases associated by means of
protuberances and recesses with the body of the stopper,
which is the source of complications and an increase in
cost. The washer receives on the inside the valve which
is of the one-way type, that is to say, it permits the
outflow of the liquid as soon as the stopper has been
removed by unscrewing, and does not permit the
introduction of a fresh liquid, since it is arranged on a
suitable seat of the washer, preventing the entry of
liquid into the bottle.
The present invention is based on the constitution
of a body for the stopper which is coupled to a
reinforced zone of the washer simply by conical seating,
that is to say, without the need for special sockets
which significantly complicate the manufacture of the
moulds and that of the actual parts. The body is
retained below by means of the customary step in the neck
of the bottle.
The tube cap is retained in an anti-rotational
function with respect to the body by providing a
plurality of groups of small incisive protuberances on

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vertical connecting bridges of the lower rim of said
body, so that when the tube cap is mounted on the body,
said protuberances are inserted, preventing the rotation
of one element with respect to the other. The lower edge
of the body is simply straight without any need for
retention with the outer tube cap.
In a variant intended to obtain easy automated
fitting of the stopper before the bottle filling and
sealing line, and strong characteristics of resistance to
any manipulation of the stopper, the essential
improvement has been introduced of constituting the lower
part of the body of the stopper as a plurality of
independent sectors by means of separating cuts or
interruptions of continuity that are substantially
longitudinal, giving rise to a series of independent
wings, each of which adapts, by separation from the rest,
to the lower edge of the neck. The number of sections
may vary, as may their specific dimensional
characteristics. Likewise, although for the sake of
simplicity it has been observed that the longitudinal
cuts or separations are the most practical from the point
of view of manufacture, neither is it excluded for said
lateral separations between the different zones to be in
the form of oblique or curved cuts or cuts of other type.
For greater understanding thereof, drawings
corresponding to a non-refillable stopper produced
according to the present invention are appended by way of
non-limiting example.
Figure 1 shows a partial longitudinal section
through a non-refillable stopper which incorporates the
present invention.

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Figures 2 and 3 are respective details of the zone
of coupling of the rim of the body with the neck of the
bottle with and without windows, respectively.
Figure 4 shows a view in side elevation of the body
of the non-refillable stopper.
Figure 5 shows a plan view of the actual body of
Figure 4.
Figures 6 and 7 show respective sections on the
section planes represented in Figure 5.
Figure 8 shows a view from below of the actual body
of the stopper.
Figure 9 shows a complete section of a non-
refillable stopper body according to a variant.
Figure 10 shows a view in side elevation of the
actual body of the non-refillable stopper of Figure 8.
Figure 11 shows a view from below of the body of the
non-refillable stopper of Figures 9 and 10.
Figure 12 is a perspective view of the same variant.
As shown in the drawings, the non-refillable stopper
of the present invention is intended for the non-
refillable closure of a bottle, the neck 1 of which has a
conventional structure, being covered externally by the
tube cap 2 which in turn receives on top the overcap 3,
the unscrewing of which will free the upper, open part of
the body 4 equipped with the upper opening for the
outflow of the liquid contained in the bottle. An
intermediate valve 5 sits on the rim 6 of the inner part
of the washer 7, which is coupled to the inner surface 8
of the neck 1 of the bottle and sits on the upper face of
said neck. Below the valve 5 the washer 7 has an
opening, defined, for example, by means of crossed radial
bridges 9.

5
According to the present invention, the washer 7 has
a reinforced structure 10, especially in the part of the
base, the outer wall 11 of which is conical and is
intended to receive the inner wall 12, likewise conical,
of the opposite part of the body, achieving by its axial
introduction a simple assembly and highly resistant
wedging. The body 4 has below, as is customary, a
series of steps 13 for retention with the lower edge 14
of the outer rim of the neck of the bottle, also having
in the present invention an outer rim directed towards
the outside 14' and intended to receive the compression
action towards the inside of the tube cap 2, which
increases the pressure contact of the protruding edges 13
against the step 14 of the neck of the bottle. In this
way, there is a very appreciable increase in the force
required to extract the stopper assembly, which is
therefore much more secure against manipulation for
refilling the bottle.
As can be seen in the drawings, the body 4 has the
external screw thread 15 and a plurality of vertical
bridges 16, 16', 16", equipped with a plurality of
protuberances of small dimensions, distributed in zones,
which have a pointed shape in an upward direction, being
designated in the drawing by the numerals 17, 17', 17".
The body 4 has at the side the customary flexibilising
windows such as 19, 19' and others of smaller dimensions
20, 20'.
Figures 2 and 3 show respectively a view with the
windows 18 and with the corresponding solid part. The
arrangement of the conical parts 10 and 11 for retention
by wedging can be seen in both.

6
In the lower part of the tube cap 2, in the zone
indicated by the numeral 21, a series of grooves have
been arranged in the tube cap which engage with
respective ribs of the neck of the bottle that are
located in the corresponding opposite zone.
By means of the construction shown, when the tube
cap is assembled axially with the body 4 by pressure, the
groups of protuberances 17, 17', 17" will bite into the
material of the tube cap, obtaining an anti-rotatory
effect.
In the variant of Figures 9 to 12, the body of the
non-refillable stopper, which has been indicated overall
by the numeral 25, is equipped below with several wings
separated from one another, smoothly inclined towards the
outside, and which have been indicated by the numerals
26, 27, 28 and 29 and are separated from one another by
interruptions of continuity or cuts 30, 31, 32 and 33
that are longitudinal. The number of sections 26, 27, 28
and 2 9 may vary, four of which having been shown in the
appended drawings by way of example. Likewise, the zones
of separation of the different sections mentioned may be
straight, substantially in planes substantially parallel
to the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the body of the
stopper, but could be of some other different shape, such
as slightly inclined, curved, etc. In all cases, what
has been demonstrated to be essential for the purposes of
the invention is the constitution of a plurality of lower
wings 26, 27, 28 and 29 separated laterally from one
another, so that each one can fit correctly by means of
its lower inner edge on the lower edge of the neck of the
bottle. In the present embodiment, the individual steps
for the wing 28 can be seen, for example 34 and 35, which

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are located below the wide corresponding openings such as
those indicated by the numerals 36 and 37.
With the mentioned structure, the Applicant has
demonstrated that the ease of assembly of the body of the
stopper in the operation of automated fitting of the
stopper assembly is very much simplified, obtaining a
notable saving in time and, on the other hand, the
construction of the wings separated from one another in
the lower part of the body of the stopper permits
improved adaptation of the inner ribs of the body of the
stopper in the neck of the bottle, giving rise to more
even and securer clamping over the whole of the common
contour between the body of the non-refillable stopper
and the lower rim of the neck of the bottle.
As may be observed, by means of the production of
non-refillable stoppers according to the present
invention, simple manufacture of the moulds for the
washer and the body is obtained, and also simple fitting
of the stopper and an increased non-refilling efficacy.
Greater ease of fitting of the stopper is also obtained
and a greater resistance to surreptitious disassembly.
In order to obtain greater strength in the elements
of the stopper, technical materials known on the market
and customarily used, and having greater or lesser
rigidity, will be selected in order to adjust the
characteristics of the parts so as to facilitate their
assembly. In particular, the body of the stopper will be
made of polycarbonate, although, as can be understood, it
could also be manufactured of other technical plastics
materials, especially of the type suitable for preventing
its deformation in the presence of heat.

8
Although the invention has been described with
respect to a preferred embodiment of same shown in the
appended drawings, it will be understood that experts in
the field, after reading the description and
interpretation of the drawings, could introduce
modifications of different types which by equivalence
could be included within the scope of the present
invention, which is defined in the attached claims.

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CLAIMS
1. A non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits
and the like, of the type which comprises a tube cap
externally enveloping the stopper and part of the neck of
the bottle, and which receives the overcap for the
opening of the stopper and which limits on the inside an
inner body equipped with the opening for the controlled
outflow of the liquid and which makes contact with a
washer associated with the upper inner part of the neck
and with the upper face of same, in which the inner one-
way valve acts, characterized in that the washer has in
the zone of its base adjacent to the upper face of the
neck of the bottle a fully reinforced zone having
externally a conical shape, in which there coincides,
under pressure, a complementary conical shape of the body
of the stopper, obtaining a firm and resistant fixing
simply by axial introduction.
2. A non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits
and the like, according to claim 1, characterized in that
the lower outer edge of the body of the stopper has an
outwardly protruding rim, intended to receive the
compression action towards the inside of the tube cap,
increasing the retention of the inner rim of the body
with the retaining step of the neck of the bottle.
3. A non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits
and the like, according to claims 1 and 2, characterized
in that the body of the stopper is equipped in its lower
part with a plurality of wings separated laterally from
one another, and provided with inner protuberances
adaptable to the lower rim of the neck of the bottle.
4. A non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits
and the like, according to claim 3, characterized in that

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the wings are provided with a smooth inclination towards
the outside.
5. A non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits
and the like, according to claim 3, characterized in that
the lateral separation of the contiguous wings is
effected by means of straight interruptions of
continuity.
6. A non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits
and the like, according to claim 5, characterized in that
the interruptions of continuity are determined
substantially by planes parallel to the longitudinal axis
of symmetry of the body of the non-refillable stopper.

Non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits and the
like.
The stopper is characterized in that the washer has
in the zone of its base adjacent to the upper face of the
neck of the bottle a fully reinforced zone provided
externally with a conical shape, in which there coincides
under pressure a complementary conical shape of the body
of the stopper, obtaining a firm and resistant fixing
simply by axial introduction.

Non-refillable stopper for bottles of spirits and the
like.
The stopper is characterized in that the washer has
in the zone of its base adjacent to the upper face of the
neck of the bottle a fully reinforced zone provided
externally with a conical shape, in which there coincides
under pressure a complementary conical shape of the body
of the stopper, obtaining a firm and resistant fixing
simply by axial introduction.

Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=4gGTqRMK8laBrY3uem0ncQ==&loc=wDBSZCsAt7zoiVrqcFJsRw==


Patent Number 272619
Indian Patent Application Number 2394/KOLNP/2007
PG Journal Number 16/2016
Publication Date 15-Apr-2016
Grant Date 12-Apr-2016
Date of Filing 28-Jun-2007
Name of Patentee GUALA CLOSURES INTERNATIONAL B.V.
Applicant Address MUIDERSTRAAT 7B, 1011 PZ AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 MARTIN, LOPEZ, EDUARDO AVDA. POMPEU FABRA S/N, POL. INDUSTRIAL PUIGBACO, E-08570, TORELLO SPAIN
2 GARCIA RIBA, JORDI AVDA. FABREGADA 40, E-08907 L'HOSPITALET DE LLOBREGAT,(BARCELONA) SPAIN
PCT International Classification Number B65D 41/34
PCT International Application Number PCT/ES05/000676
PCT International Filing date 2005-12-13
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 200402990 2004-12-16 Spain
2 200503045 2005-12-12 Spain