As is known, it is necessary to be able to manipulate, store and transport closures of this type prior to the operation to fit them on bottles, whilst preventing the various components constituting the closures from being separated.

In fact, during the above-mentioned handling of the closures, the valve body may easily be separated from the pourer body since the connection between them is achieved by interference of portions of their walls which are in contact.

To satisfy this requirement, at the moment, use is made of a tubular band which engages the pourer body in a forced manner, for example, by means of a groove formed on its outer surface by rolling, thus restraining the pourer body axially.

Alternatively, locking points are formed, distributed at intervals around the tubular band, so as to fix it axially to the valve body, thus preventing the valve body from slipping out of the band.

It should be noted that these locking means are not the only ones which are formed on the tubular band, since a further rolling is required to fix the closure to the neck of a bottle.

However, the above-mentioned solutions have some disadvantages.

In fact, the groove or the locking points further interrupt the continuity of the outer surface and, as well as giving the tubular band a displeasing appearance, are also difficult to process by the printing of inscriptions and/or decorations.

As a result, there is a great need to provide bottle closures which can be handled safely and, at the same time, permit easier processing of the tubular band, with optimal aesthetic results.

The problem upon which the present invention is based is therefore that of devising a bottle closure which can be manipulated as a single unit and which has structural and functional characteristics such as to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements and at the same time to prevent the problems of bottle closures of the prior art.

This problem is solved by a closure for bottles as recited in the appended main claim.

Further characteristics and advantages of the bottle

closure according to the present invention will become clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially-sectioned side view of a bottle closure according to the invention, Figure 2 is a partially-sectioned, exploded view of the bottle closure of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a pourer body of the closure of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a valve body of the closure of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a perspective view of a neck of a bottle on which the closure of Figure 1 can be fitted, Figure 6 is a partially-sectioned side view of the closure of Figure 1, fitted on the bottle neck of Figure 5.

With reference to Figures 1,3 and 6, a bottle closure which can be manipulated as a single unit, preferably for good-quality liquor bottles, is generally indicated 1.

The closure 1 comprises a cap-like stopper 2, a tubular band 3, a pourer body 4 and valve means 5.

The cap-like stopper 2 is preferably an assembly

constituted by an actual stopper 22, a cap 21 and a cover 20.

With reference to Figure 2, the actual stopper 22 comprises a top 220 which is coupled with the pourer body 4 in a leaktight manner and a skirt 223 having an internal thread 224.

The cap 21 is fitted on the actual stopper 22 and has a top 210 and a skirt 211.

The cap 21 is also restrained axially on the stopper 22 by virtue of respective annular projections 212 and 221 which snap over one another, and is fixed for rotation with the stopper 22 by virtue of respective internal and external radial teeth 213 and 222.

The cover 20 has a top 201 and a skirt 202 which are formed in a manner such that they can be fitted onto the stopper 22 and can adhere firmly thereto.

The skirt 202 preferably has knurling 203 to facilitate gripping during the opening or closure of the pourer body 4.

The pourer body 4 is of the type commonly known in the field.

The pourer body 4 is preferably made of fairly rigid material such as, for example, polycarbonate.

In particular, this pourer body 4 is a substantially cylindrical, hollow body which extends along an axis X-X

and can house the valve means 5 (Figures 2 and 3).

Moreover, the pourer body 4 comprises a first end 40, a second end 41, and a flange 42 positioned at the level of the second end 41.

The first end 40 is open so as to allow a liquid to come out of a bottle when the closure 1 is fitted on the neck of the bottle.

In particular, this first end 40 has an annular anti-drip lip 401 and an external thread 402 for screw engagement with the stopper 22.

The second end 41 is opposite the first end 40 and is open so as to snap-engage the valve means 5, as will be described in detail below.

In particular, the second end 41 comprises the flange 42 which extends outwardly relative to the pourer body 4, perpendicular to the axis X-X.

This flange 42 has an upper surface 43 facing away from the second end 41, a lower surface 44 facing towards the second end 41, and an outer edge 45 from which an annular band 46 extends axially and away from the first end 40.

The annular band 46 has an inner surface 47 having seats 48 for achieving the above-mentioned snap- engagement with the valve means 5.

In particular, the seats 48 are constituted by a

shoulder facing towards the first end 41.

Moreover, each of the seats 48 preferably defines an edge of a corresponding window 49 formed in the wall of the tubular band 46.

The lower surface 44 of the flange 42 also has a series of projecting teeth 440.

The tubular band 3 has an annular upper edge 30 which is bent inwardly so as to form an abutment on the upper surface 43 of the flange 42 of the pourer body 4 (Figure 2).

This tubular band 3 is preferably made of fairly deformable material such as, for example, aluminium, on which inscriptions and/or designs can be printed.

The valve means 5 comprise a valve body 50, two spherical closure members 51 and a valve 52 (Figure 2).

The valve body 50 is a substantially cylindrical hollow body made of resiliently deformable material such as, for example, polyethylene.

The valve body 50 comprises a first end 501, a central portion 502, and a second end 503 (Figures 2 and 4).

The second end 503 has a restriction 504 creating a seat for housing one of the two closure members 51.

The central portion 502 is a cylinder along which the two spherical closure members 51 can move.

The first end 501 is such as to form the above- mentioned snap-coupling with the seats 48 of the pourer body 4, as will be described in greater detail below.

In particular, this first end 501 has a flange 505 having an upper surface 506 facing away from the second end 403, a lower surface 507 facing towards the second end 503, and a peripheral projection 508 projecting from the outer edge of the flange.

Moreover, a set of teeth 509 projects from the lower surface 507 of the flange 505 in the vicinity of the outer edge.

An annular lip 510 extends axially towards the second end 503, from this same lower surface 507 but in the vicinity of the point of connection with the cylindrical body 502 of the valve body 50.

The outer surface of the annular lip 510 will abut the inner wall of the neck 60 of a bottle when the closure 1 is fitted on a bottle, in order to form a seal against the leakage of a liquid contained in the bottle (Figure 6).

An annular band 511 extends axially from the upper surface 506 of the flange 505 of the valve body 50 and has a peripheral rim 512 which can engage the inner surface of the pourer body 4 by interference.

The annular band 511 extends from the upper surface

506 a predetermined distance from the above-mentioned point of contact with the cylindrical body 502 so as to define an inner portion 513 of the upper surface 506 on which the valve 52 can bear.

The two spherical closure members 51 are preferably made of glass and are housed in the valve body 50 (Figures 1,2 and 6).

The valve 52 is of the type commonly used for closures of bottles containing liquors and the like (Figure 2).

The assembly of the closure for bottles according to the present invention will now be described below.

First of all, the two spherical closure members 51 are inserted in the valve body 50.

The valve 52 is then placed on the inner portion 513 of the flange 505 of the valve body.

The valve means 5 thus made up are coupled reversibly with the pourer body 4 by the insertion of the first end 501 of the valve body 50 in the second end 41 of the pourer body.

This insertion takes place with a snap produced as a result of the peripheral projection 508 of the valve body 50 passing over the projection defined by the seats 48 of the pourer body 4.

The snap insertion takes place by virtue of the

resilient deformation to which the valve body 50 is subject during its insertion in the pourer body 4.

The peripheral projection 508 can also advantageously expand into the windows 49 of the pourer body 4, creating a rotational restraint in addition to the axial restraint.

In addition, the series of teeth 440 of the flange 42 of the pourer body 4 are stopped against the upper surface 506 of the flange 505 of the valve body 50, thus increasing resistance to rotational movements between the pourer body and the valve body, as well as to axial movements.

At this point, the tubular band 3 is fitted on the pourer body 4 in a manner such that its upper edge 30 is in abutment with the upper surface 43 of the flange 45 of the pourer body.

It is now possible to complete the closure 1 by fitting the cap-like stopper 2 on the pourer body 4.

The bottle closure 1 according to the present invention thus made up, which can be manipulated as a single unit, can be fitted on the neck 60 of a bottle by conventional rolling or the like.

The upper rim 61 of the bottle neck advantageously has a projecting set of teeth 62 which is coupled with the set of teeth 509 on the lower surface 507 of the

flange 505 of the valve body 50.

This coupling consequently prevents rotational movement of the valve body 50 relative to the neck 60 of a bottle.

It is clear, therefore, that the particular function of the above-described snap means is to avoid rolling or other external modification of the tubular band 3 in order to keep the pourer body 4 coupled with the valve means 5 preventing their accidental detachment during the handling of the closure 1.

The tubular band 3 is thus not spoilt or at least deformed, thus allowing it to be processed to produce printed inscriptions and/or designs on its outer surface.

The bottle closure which can be manipulated as a single unit according to the present invention may undergo variations.

The cap-like stopper 2 may also be constituted by a single component or three components formed in a single piece.

Their shapes and/or materials may be modified according to particular requirements or preferences.

The pourer body 4 may be modified to provide seats 48 formed, for example, in the flange 45, the windows 49 being absent.

The snap-engagement may be achieved by the insertion

of projections in corresponding recesses.

The materials of which the pourer body 4 and the valve body 50 are made may vary according to particular requirements, bearing in mind that a snap-engagement is to be formed between them.

For example, the materials of both may be rigid but the projections may be connected to resiliently flexible extensions.

As can be appreciated from the foregoing description, the bottle closure which can be manipulated as a single unit according to the invention satisfies the requirements referred to in the introductory portion of the present description and, at the same time, overcomes the disadvantages of bottle closures of the prior art.

Naturally, in order to satisfy contingent and specific requirements, an expert in the art may apply to the above-described bottle closure which can be manipulated as a single unit many modifications and variations all of which, however, are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.