BOTTLING SYSTEM FOR BOTTLES AND RECEPTACLES OF VARIOUS KIND

The invention relates to a bottling system for bottles and receptacles of various kind, adapted to plug with stoppers in a simple, quickly and effective manner the necks of bottles and receptacles containing liquids of various kind, such as wine, alcoholic and hydro-alcoholic substances, oil and the like, ad adapted to extract from such neck the stopper with simple and quickly manoeuvres. Stoppers for bottling bottles and receptacles of various kind containing wine and alcoholic substances, oil and the like are known, which are substantially constituted by a lengthened body, generally of cylindrical shape, and made of cork or plastic material, which is forced into the neck of bottles and receptacles containing the desired liquids and, when the liquids need to be distributed, it is extracted from the neck by means of a corkscrew of traditional type.

The present invention refers to a bottling system for bottles and receptacles which is shaped in a new and different manner with respect to the stoppers used hitherto, which co-operates with stoppers of traditional type and is adapted to bottle and uncork such bottles and receptacles with few, simple and quick operations, without using corkscrews.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, given by way of not- limiting example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein :

- Fig. 1 shows a perspective and exploded front view of the various component parts of the bottling system according to the invention ;

- Fig. 2 shows a perspective front view of the section plane of all the component parts of the system of Fig. 1, assembled to each other and on to the neck of a bottle ;

- Fig. 3 shows a front view of an enlarged constructive item of the component parts of the system of

Fig. 2 ;

- Fig. 4 shows a perspective front view of the section plane of a first component part of the system

of Fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 5 shows a perspective front view of a second component part of the system of Fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 6 shows a perspective and enlarged back view of the second component part of the system of Fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 7 shows a front view of a third component part of the system of Fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 8 shows a perspective front view from the top of the third component part of the system of Fig. 7 ;

- Fig. 9 shows of perspective front view from below of the third component part of the system of Fig. 7 ;

- Fig. 10 shows a perspective front view of a fourth component part of the system of Fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 11 shows a perspective front view from below of the fourth component part of the system of Fig. 1.

The above mentioned Figures schematically illustrate a bottling system for bottles and receptacles of various kind, adapted to plug with stoppers in a simple, quickly and effective manner the necks of the bottles and receptacles containing liquids of various kind, such as wine, alcoholic, hydro- alcoholic substances, oil and the like, and adapted to extract from such neck the stopper with simple and quickly manoeuvres, without the use of corkscrews. In particular, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show the bottling system according to the invention, which is substantially constituted by a first component part formed by a sleeve 5, by a second component part formed by an anchor 6, by a third component part formed by an anchor ring nut 7, and by a fourth component part formed by a closing capsule 8, which will be described hereinafter.

As particularly evident from the Fig. 4, the sleeve 5 is made enbloc and substantially constituted by two cylindrical pails 8' and 9 of metallic or not metallic hard material, or aluminium or polycarbonate complying with the standards of the products into contact with foods. The lower first part 8' of the sleeve 5 is constituted by a lengthened cylindrical piece 10 having an internal threaded through hole 11, adapted to engage removably the multi-start outer thread of the neck 12 of a bottle or a receptacle, while the upper second part 9 is constituted by a short cylindrical

piece 14 having an outer dimension slightly larger than that of the first part 8' and is joined thereto with rounded edges, and is provided with a through hole 15 constituting an extension of the through hole 11 and made with a diameter smaller that that of this latter, and slightly larger than the outer diameter of the neck 12 of the bottle or receptacle, for being adapted thereon. Moreover, such upper part 9 is shaped with an outer circular wall 16 having enlarged form, which is spaced away radially with a short space from the inner wall 17 delimiting the through hole 15, thereby defining a circular slot 18 with flat base, adapted to house the overlying closing capsule 8 as it will be described later on. The inner circular wall 17 is provided with a set of vertical and equally spaced away notches 19, which are inclined towards the underlying hole of the neck 12 of the bottle or the receptacle, so as to convey in the interior of the same bottle the remainders of the poured beverages, which otherwise would be collected into the slot 18, thereby prejudicing the flavour and purity of the same beverage. Thanks to the presence of the threads of both the sleeve and the neck of the bottle or receptacle, it is possible to diminish the needed unscrewing strain, and to increase the thread pitch thereby diminishing the needed extraction times. Finally, the inner wall 17 ends with an upper flat edge 20, which is depressed with respect to the upper end edge 21 of the cylindrical piece 14, thereby defining a seat for housing the anchor ring nut 7. Figs. 5 and 6 show the anchor 6, which is made enbloc of a metallic or not metallic hard material, or aluminium or polycarbonate complying with the standards of the products into contact with foods, which is constituted by a lower first part 22 having frusto-conical shape tapered towards the lower end portion 23 and provided with a sharpened tip 24 on such lower end portion, as well as provided with a left-hand helical threaded screw 25, adapted to be screwed in the stopper 26 made of cork or soft plastic material complying with the standards for materials into contact with foods, which stopper is forced into the hole of the neck 12 of the bottle or receptacle. Such lower first part 22 ends at its upper part with a frustum of cone 27, allowing to seal in an optimum way the hole produced by the insertion of the helical screw 25 into the stopper 26. Furthermore, the anchor 6 is also constituted by an upper cylindrical part 28

forming a head 29, which is shaped with a set of frustum of cones 30 identical and of the same size, and adequately spaced away axially from each other, and oriented in such a manner that the flat larger base 31 thereof be arranged on a lower position. The purpose of the frustum of cones 30 is to change at will, depending on the height of each stopper, the depth of penetration of the left-hand screw 25 into the stopper 25. Besides, a recessed seat 33 having variable shape and depth is provided on the upper flat end surface 32 of the head 29, which in Fig. 6 is shaped with an outline with semi-circular portions 34, in a way to allow corresponding projections provided on the anchor screwing equipment (not shown) to be adapted on to the same seat, which projections are adapted to screw the screw 25 of the anchor 6 into the stopper 26, for the penetration depth adjusted from time to time. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show the anchor ring nut 7 made enbloc of metallic or not metallic hard material, or aluminium or polycarbonate, complying with the standards of the materials into contact with foods, which is formed by a lower first part 35 having frusto-conical shape turned downwards, crossed by an inner through hole 36 where several resilient tooth 37 having frusto-conical shape turned upwards are provided, which are equally spaced away and separated from each other by respective vertical notches 38 for the entire height thereof, and at their upper end portions 39 are bent inwardly the hole 36, which are adapted to engage in a simple and safe way the corresponding frusto-conical portions 30 of the head 29 of the anchor 6. Furthermore, such ring nut 7 is formed by a upper second part 40 having cylindrical shape, with an outer diameter larger than that of the lower part 35 and joined to this latter with a flat circular edge 41, adapted to be arranged on to the upper inner edge 20 of the sleeve 5, when the various component parts of the present bottling system are mounted together. Besides, such upper second part 40 has an internal through hole 42 communicating with the previous through hole 36 and having a diameter larger than that thereof, and along the peripheral edge 43 of this upper part there are provided several stiff tooth 44 having rectangular shape, which are equally spaced away and separated from each other by respective vertical spaces 45, and allow sligtht side internal displacements of the corresponding seat

housing the sleeve 5 and of the closing capsule 8, but do not allow vertical displacements for a safe anchorage of such ring nut. Figs. 10 and 11 show the closing capsule 8, which is made enbloc of metallic or not metallic hard material, or aluminium or polycarbonate complying with the standards of the materials into contact with foods, and is substantially constituted by an upper part 46 having cylindrical shape and a size slightly smaller than that of the sleeve 5, with a rounded edge 47 joined to an upper flat surface 48, and by a lower part 49 also of cylindrical shape, having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the upper part 46 and joined to this latter by a circular flat edge 50, adapted to be laid on to the upper end edge 21 of the sleeve 5, said lower part 49 being provided for the entire height thereof with a set of notches 51 spaced away from each other and being provided with an inner threaded blind hole 52, the thread of which is adapted to engage removably the corresponding outer thread of the neck of the bottle or the receptacle in an easy, quickly and safe manner, so as to close tightly the bottle or receptacle after the stopper has been extracted and all other component of the system have been removed. Finally, the bottom of the blind hole 52 is constituted by a material slightly softer than that the rest of the capsule, and is provided at its centre with a small projection 53 having semi-spherical shape constituting an "O" — ring adapted to guarantee a perfect hermetic seal, when such capsule is screwed on to the neck of the bottle or the receptacle, with or without the sleeve 5, therefore performing the function of a stopper. Fig. 1 shows the present bottling system with its component parts and the stopper which are reciprocally disassembled and are arranged into the arrangement order thereof into the same system. Figs. 2 and 3 show the assembling of the different component parts of the present bottling system, wherein it is noted that the stopper 26 is forced into the hole of the neck 12 of the bottle or the receptacle, after this latter has been filled with the desired liquid ; that the anchor 6 is screwed with its left-hand threaded screw 25 into the stopper 26 at the desired depth ; that the sleeve 5 is fully screwed on to the neck 12 ; that the anchor ring nut 7 is introduced into its housing seat, where its circular flat edge 41 is arranged on to the upper inner edge 20 of the sleeve 5 and its resilient tooth

37 engage one of the frusto-conical portions 30 of the anchor 6, at such a height that to allow the correct penetration into the stopper 26 of the screw 25 of the same anchor ; and that the closing capsule is applied on to the sleeve 5, by entering with its lower part 49 the corresponding circular slot 18 of such sleeve. In this way, for unscrewing the stopper 26 it is enough to rotate the sleeve 5 in the anticlockwise direction, thereby unscrewing it on the neck 12 of the bottle or the receptacle, and thus providing the raising of both the ring nut 7 and the anchor 6, thanks to the resilient tooth 37 engaging the frusto-conical portions 30, without rotation of the anchor, in that the ring nut rotates idle about the same anchor, with consequent progressive raising of the stopper up to the complete extraction thereof. The above mentioned bottling system may be assembled in an assembly line in the two manners which will be described hereinafter.

A first assembling manner consists of inserting at first the stopper 26 into the neck of the bottle or the receptacle and then to screw manually or with suitable equipment (not shown), provided in the manufacturing line, the anchor 6 into the so inserted stopper, and thereafter to apply also manually or with suitable equipment (not shown), provided in the manufacturing line, the remaining system component parts including the sleeve 5, the ring nut 7 and the capsule 8. A second assembling manner consists of inserting with suitable equipment (not shown) at first the anchor 6 into the stopper 26, and then to insert this latter into the neck of the bottle or the receptacle, and finally to apply to these component parts the remaining system component parts, including the sleeve 5, the ring nut 7 and the capsule 8 with manual operations, or with suitable equipment (not shown) provided in the assembly line. The so realized bottling system permits to obtain the following important advantages : a) To make easier and to optimize the bottling operation, by eliminating some manufacturing steps needed at the present time, thanks to the rationalization of the different operative steps with the

described criteria ; b) to permit the exceeding liquid to be collected, which is introduced again into the bottle or the

receptacle as described previously, thereby eliminating the stagnation of such liquids and any possible pollution of the contents of the bottle or the receptacle ; c) to improve the hermetic sealing of the stoppers and the air passage, thanks to the particular shape of the anchor 6 ; d) to increase the speed of the various bottling steps, with considerable savings of time and productive costs for the manufacturing firms, the whole with few and simple modifications to the currently existing bottling systems, by offering a greater safety and guarantee for the firms and greater satisfaction for the final consumer.