ANTI-DRIP DEVICE IN PAPER MATERIAL

Technical field

The present invention refers to the technical field relative to the anti-drip devices applicable externally to the neck of bottles to prevent the drop from slipping along the bottle itself · once the liquid contained in it was poured.

In particular, the present invention refers to an anti-drip device of absorbing material, particularly versatile, functional and low cost.

Background art

Various types of anti-drip devices have long been known which interrupt the slipping of the drop along the body of the bottle once the drop has been formed.

One of such devices foresees a metal collar which is entirely covered with a spongy material of a pre- determined thickness. Such a material, for example wool, spongy fibres or the like, have the task of absorbing the liquid and, for that reason, their thickness is in the order of the 5mm or more. The collar is therefore applied to the neck of the bottle until it blocks in a mechanical interference position against the diameter of the bottle neck itself. At this point, the collar, thanks to said mechanical interference, is prevented from slipping away also when the bottle is turned over upside down for pouring the liquid and, at the same time, the eventual drop that slips from the mouth of the bottle along the neck meets in its way the spongy material of the collar, being absorbed.

Such a device, however, is rather expensive since it foresees an elaboration of a hard material (for example metal or wood) in the shape of a ring to which to connect internally the spongy material. In that case, it necessarily has to be used many times, also on different bottles. This implies that, in the long run, it results smelly due to all the liquid absorbed and stagnated in the spongy material.

Other solutions are found in different technical fields, that is the ones relative to measurers, which limit themselves, as much as possible, to prevent the formation of the drop rather than to absorb it. Just as a way of example, a particularly economical and simple solution foresees the use of a sheet of a thin material in such a way as to have good flexibility (a thickness well below the millimetre) and covered by a layer of non- absorbing material of the liquid. The sheet is therefore folded in such a way as to form a cylinder (that is so as to be similar to a very short straw) and is inserted in the mouth of the bottle. In fact, a sort of disposable pourer is formed that limits the formation of drops since its pointed thickness is extremely thin.

Nevertheless, in case the drop becomes formed anyway, it will not be obstructed in any way along its way except when it does not couple a ring as the one described above to such a measurer.

Moreover, such a straw-like folded sheet has to maintain its position within the mouth of the bottle without falling into the bottle itself or be expelled out from it during the exit of the poured liquid. However, the only bond is constituted by the action of elastic return of the cylinder-like folded material and that tends to bring the sheet back in flat form. It is clear that, in the case of a particularly whirling pouring of liquid outside the bottle, the pressure in exit can cause the expulsion of the sheet. Moreover, such a sheet, to be inserted, has to be rolled up with the fingers and inserted manually. The manual contact can transmit pathogens that can easily spread in the liquid during the exit of it.

More functional solutions have been presented in documents such as patent no. GB296937, or US patent application no. US2007/018473, or French patent no. FR2738549.

All these documents describe in general a tape re- closable on itself in the shape of a collar in such a way as to result applicable around the neck of a bottle. The collar is then realized of a paper material or anyway an absorbing material for liquids. The collar described in these publications is therefore capable of absorbing the drops that descend from the bottle neck but it is not capable of intercepting the eventual drops that, during the pouring, can spurt at a distance from the bottle. Moreover, these solutions hardly adapt themselves to different diameters of bottle necks.

Disclosure of invention

It is thus the aim of the present invention to provide an innovative anti-drip device 1 which resolves at least in part the above mentioned technical drawbacks.

In particular, it is the aim of the present invention to provide an anti-drip device- 1 that results functional, but at the same time, can be easily produced and can be of low cost.

It is also the aim of the present invention to provide an anti-drip device that, in addition to being functional, results particularly hygienic as well.

It is therefore the aim of the present invention to provide an anti-drip device that is capable of intercepting also the drops that are expelled at a distance during the pouring of the liquid. These and other aims are reached by the present anti- drip device 1 in accordance with claim 1.

The anti-drip device (1), in accordance with the invention, is realized through a substantially flexible tape-shaped element (2), whose tape, above all, is realized of a material that absorbs liquids, for example paper material.

In this way, the anti-drip device results easy to realize and therefore particularly economical to the extent that it can be destined to a "disposable" (single- use) type of use.

The single-use guarantees high standards of hygiene.

In particular, said tape element (2) is further provided with connection means (3) so as to be able to re- close it on itself in a ring-shaped form. In this way, it can be easily applied around the neck of the bot _. tle (10), remaining in position and thus absorbing all the eventual drops that descend from the bottle.

In addition, the tape element (2) includes a beak- shaped end (4), said end (4) being flexible with respect to the tape (2) in such a way as to result foldable externally to the tape.

It is therefore clear that an anti-drip device thus made reaches all the pre-fixed aims of the invention, being it in fact of easy application around the bottle, very functional, of low productive cost and particularly hygienic .

In particular, the flexible end (4), when folded externally to the bottle, forms a sort of tile capable of intercepting the drops that spurt at a distance, therefore impeding that they fall on the table.

In a further variant, advantageously, an anti-drip device (1) is foreseen configured to wrap externally up the neck of a bottle (10) and comprising a substantially tape-shaped element (2), flexible and in a material suitable for absorbing liquids, said tape element (2) being further provided with connection means (3) for allowing to re-close it on itself in a ring-shaped form so that it can wrap externally up to the neck of the bottle (10), and wherein the tape-shaped element (2) includes a roll mark (5) formed by a plurality of transversal lines (5) in low and high relief arranged at least on one of the faces of the tape (2) .

This embodiment can therefore be independent from the present of the beak or couplet to it and presents the advantage of adapting itself to bottles of different sizes, therefore adhering well in use and thus avoiding the presence of spaces through which the drop could drip. Such an embodiment 5 confers a certain elasticity to the tape, which can elastically lengthen and retract, adapting itself well to diameters of bottle necks very different from each other.

Further advantages can be deduced from the dependent claims .

Brief description of drawings

Further features and advantages of the present anti- drip device, according to the invention, will result clearer with the description that follows of some embodiments, made to illustrate but not to limit, with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 shows a top view of the anti-drip device arranged in a flat surface;

- Figure 2 shows a front view of the anti-drip device in accordance with the invention;

- Figures 3 and 4 show the anti-drip device in accordance with the invention with a decorative cutting out of the ends;

- Figures from 5 to 7 shows its application to a bottle neck .

Description of some preferred embodiments

Figure 1 shows a schematization of the present anti- drip device in accordance with the invention.

The anti-drip device, which is the subject of the invention, has the shape of a tape 2 which is of a material suitable for absorbing liquids.

In that sense, preferably, the tape is realized of a paper material capable of absorbing the drops of liquid, however without exfoliating.

In particular, the use of a thin cardboard sheet is ideal, composed of a percentage comprised between 70% and 80% of cellulose and between 20% and 30% of cotton. These percentages, particularly the one of 80% of cellulose and 20% of cotton, allow to reach a good compromise between the resistance of the cardboard and its capacity to absorb drops that can drip down from the bottle without exfoliating, at least until the bottle itself becomes empty.

Above all, in addition, these percentages fall within the recyclable category between paper and cardboard.

In fact, cotton, eventually also in percentages different form the indicated ones, confers cardboard liquid absorbency capacities.

Such absorbency and flexibility capacities, obviously, depend also on the thickness of the cardboard itself which, generally, can be maintained below one millimetre or reach the size of one millimetre.

During the productive process, the cardboard is cut out in the shape of a tape 2 of such a length as to wrap the neck of a standard wine or sparkling wine bottle up, normally in commerce.

The height of the tape can be variable but, generally, are selected heights in the order of about 3cm or 4cm in such a way as to cover substantially the rectilinear part of the neck of the bottle without reaching the flared area underlying the body of the bottle itself (see figure 7, for example), which would be the cause of a lack of adherence of the tape around the neck itself .

As shown schematically in figure 1, the tape 2 includes connection means 3 in such a way as to re-close it in a ring-shaped form on itself around the bottle neck.

In a first possible preferred solution of the invention, such connection means are obtained by practising two simple transversal cuttings 3 in proximity of the ends of the tape. The cuttings run through transversally only in part the height of the tape and are opposed one to each other in the sense that a cutting starts from the upper side 2', while the other starts from the opposite side 2''. The cuttings, as better described in detail below, are such as to be inserted one on the other one, allowing to re-close the tape on itself in a ring-shaped form. This solution is particularly simple and economical .

In a second embodiment, although not particularly economical, instead of the cuttings, the application of material in Velcro can be included, in correspondence of the ends .

Velcro, as it is known, is a material used for closures because it realizes the grip through the structure of the material itself formed by micro-fibres and micro-rings that engage one in the other in a casual manner .

Other solutions even more expensive could include even fitting couplings of the "clip" type or adhesive material (for example a thin layer of bi-adhesive tape applied in correspondence of an end of the tape 2) .

Going on with the description of figure 1, the tape 2 includes also a sort of beak 4 arranged preferably in transversal symmetry position.

The beak is an overhang of material that protrudes externally on one side, for example the 2' ' or the 2' , of the tape.

The beak is preferably cut out from the same starting cardboard of the tape in such a way as to form a single body with the tape and result very flexible. This, above all, significantly simplifies the productive process .

The beak can also be produced separately and can be glued to the tape in any point of the tape, for example not necessarily on the edge that defines the side 2 ' or 2 ' ' but also in the central area of the tape, for example.

The beak can also be cut out by cutting the tape in a selected area of the tape (for example in the central area) .

In this way, in use, the beak can be folded towards the outside of the bottle in such a way as to form in fact a sort of tile protruding from the bottle and suitable for collecting the drops that spurt at a distance from it during the pouring of the liquid.

Figure 1 and figure 2 show also a sort of central roll mark 5 (similarly to an accordion) formed by a series of transversal lines in high-low relief. They can be obtained on one single face of the tape or, eventually, also on both sides of it. This roll mark is easily obtainable by cool pressing, under appropriate shaped press, the specific portion 5 of tape.

Such a roll mark has a very important f nctionality in the sense that it renders particularly elastic the tape itself, allowing its relative lengthening and shortening. In this way, the tape is able to adapt itself well to different diameters of bottles. Moreover, such a roll mark renders the anti-drip device in that area even more absorbent .

Figure 2 shows in view A the thickness of the tape

(which in this case has been willingly increased and taken out of scale jut for descriptive clarity purposes) and such a roll mark 5.

Figure. 3 shows an identical solution to the one described in figure 1 and figure 2 except for the fact that the ends of the tape are cut out in such a way as to reproduce butterfly wings. This, as shown in figure 6, for example, confers an appealing aesthetic effect to the anti-drip device itself, which lends itself well to the bottle in use, mainly in the case of bottles of prestigious wine.

Figure 4 better describes in detail the central area 5 described in figure 1 and formed by a plurality of transversal cuttings.

As shown in figure 5, in use such a tape 2 is wrapped in the shape of a collar, or a ring, around the neck of the bottle, overlapping the cuttings one into the other one until a cutting penetrates into the opposite one completely. In this embodiment, as shown in figure 7, the tape 2 results perfectly arranged around the neck of the bottle .

As already said, the beak 4 can be folded externally by the body of the bottle in such a way as to block also the eventual drops that, instead of sliding, spurt from the bottle.