The present invention relates to a fitment for a container and in particular, but not exclusively, to a fitment which inhibits the refilling of a container. The present invention also relates to a container comprising the fitment.

It is known to provide containers with closures which include one-way valves or the like to inhibit the refilling of a container once the original contents have been dispensed or the topping up of a partially empty container. However, a typical one-way valve may still be overcome by pulse, over-pressure, vibration and inverted filling techniques, mechanical attack or withdrawal. This problem is particularly prevalent in the bottled drinks industry where the refilling of bottles containing spirits is of great concern. There is therefore a considerable demand for a solution to the problem and which will serve to prevent a potential counterfeiter from refilling an original bottle with a product of inferior quality.

A further problem associated with the closures of the prior art is that under certain heating/cooling conditions a partial vacuum may be created within the container preventing further egress of the container's contents by holding the one-way valve in its sealing position. A typical situation might: arise, for example, when the temperature of the container is increased by placing it in direct sunlight so that its contents of, say, whisky and air, expand causing a proportion of the air to pass through the one-way valve to atmosphere. If the bottle is then cooled by moving it into the shade or, worse still, into an air

conditioned room or refrigerator, the contents will contract. The one-way valve however, will prevent air from being sucked back into the container. As a result the one-way valve will be held firmly closed by the partial vacuum thus created. In order to enable the release of further quantities of the contents the pressure difference across the one-way valve must be reduced. Not surprisingly there is a considerable demand for a fitment which is not subject to the problems associated with the creation of a partial vacuum within the container.

One solution to the problems associated with the creation of a partial vacuum within the container is to provide a fitment which incorporates a bypass to allow air to pass back into the container when the contents contract. The difficulty with this solution however, is that, by its very nature, it tends to compromise the one-way valve and provides the fitment with a weakness which can be exploited by a potential counterfeiter. In order to counteract this problem certain designs of ^• prior art fitment have guarded this bypass with a suitable valve means of its own such as, for example, the needle valve in the applicants own earlier international application published under international publication no. WO 93/08094. Clearly however, this only increases the complexity of the fitment.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fitment for a container comprising one-way valve means adapted to enable the contents of the container to pass outwardly therefrom, the one-way valve means comprising a valve seat and a valve member moveable out of and into engagement with said valve seat to respectively open and close said

valve means, at least one of the valve seat and valve member being formed of a resiliently deformable material and at least one of the valve seat and valve member being provided with a groove such that when the valve member lightly engages the valve seat the groove defines a pathway for the passage of air both into and out of the container but that when the contact force between the valve seat and the valve member exceeds a predetermined value said at least one of the valve seat and valve member is deformed sufficiently to close said pathway.

Advantageously, the groove may be provided on a surface of the valve member. Alternatively, the groove may be provided on a surface of the valve seat .

Advantageously, the valve seat may be formed of a resiliently deformable material.

Advantageously, the valve member may be formed of a resiliently deformable material. In either case, the resiliently deformable material may comprise silicone rubber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a fitment for a container comprising one-way valve means adapted to enable the contents of the container to pass outwardly therefrom, the one-way valve means comprising a valve seat and a valve member moveable out of and into engagement with said valve seat to respectively open and close said valve means, the one-way valve means being adapted to accommodate movement relative to the container and transverse to the direction in which, when in use, the contents pass outwardly therefrom.

Advantageously, the one-way valve means may comprise resilient means and may be adapted such that

one or both of the valve member and valve seat may move resiliently relative to the container and transversely of the direction in which, when in use, the contents pass outwardly therefrom.

Advantageously, the valve seat may be adapted to flex resiliently relative to the container and transversely of the direction in which, when in use, the contents pass outwardly therefrom. Preferably, the valve seat may be formed of a resilient material and may comprise a sealing portion for engagement with the valve member and an elongate portion extending from the sealing portion, the elongate portion being held with respect to the fitment at an end remote from the sealing portion.

According to a third aspect; of the present invention there is provided a fitment for a container comprising one-way valve means adapted to enable the contents of the container to pass outwardly therefrom, the one-way valve means comprising a valve seat and a valve member moveable out of and into engagement with said valve seat to respectively cpen and close said valve means, one of the valve seat and valve member including sealing means comprising a sealing portion for engagement with the other of said valve seat and valve member, a fixing portion for retention with respect to said one of the valve seat and valve member, and a flexible portion interconnecting the sealing portion and the fixing portion, said flexible interconnecting portion being substantially elongate in axial cross-section and adapted to flex so as to allow movement of the sealing portion with respect to said one of the valve seat and valve member.

Advantageously, the interconnecting portion is adapted so as to allow movement of the sealing portion with respect to said one of the valve seat and valve member in a direction transverse to that in which the valve member moves out of and into engagement with the valve seat to respectively open and close said valve means .

Alternatively, or in addition, the interconnecting portion may be adapted so as to allow movement of the sealing portion with respect to said one of the valve seat and valve member in a direction substantially parallel to that in which the valve member moves out of and into engagement with the valve seat to respectively open and close said valve means.

Advantageously, the sealing portion may be substantially bowl-shaped and define a central opening, said interconnecting portion extending rearwardly of the sealing portion and defining a peripheral wall around said opening. Preferably the interconnecting portion extends co-axially of the central opening.

Advantageously, means may be provided on one or both of valve seat and valve member to centre the valve member with respect to the valve seat when the valve member moves into engagement therewith.

Advantageously, the interconnecting portion may be formed of a resiliently deformable material.

Advantageously, the sealing portion, fixing portion, and interconnecting portion may be provided on the valve seat .

According to a fourth aspect cf the present invention there is provided a fitment for a container comprising one-way valve means adapted to enable the contents of the container to pass outwardly therefrom,

the one-way valve means comprising a valve seat having a first valve surface and a valve member having a second valve surface, the valve member being moveable out of and into engagement with said valve seat to respectively open and close said valve means, at least one of the valve seat and valve member being formed of a resiliently deformable material and said first and second valve surfaces being shaped such that when the valve member lightly engages the valve seat said first and second surfaces define a volume of gas therebetween but that when the contact force between the valve seat and valve member exceeds a predetermined value said at least one of the valve seat and valve member is deformed to expel a proportion of the gas from said volume so that on release of the contact force a suction force is generated which acts to hold the valve member in engagement with the valve seat .

Advantageously, in axial cross section one of said first and second valve surfaces may arcuate and the other of said valve surfaces substantially plannar.

Advantageously, the valve seat may be formed of a resiliently deformable material. Alternatively or in addition, the valve member may also be formed of a resiliently deformable material.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a container comprising a fitment, the fitment being in accordance with any of the above described embodiments .

A number of embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view illustrating how a fitment embodying the present invention may be located within the neck of a bottle;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fitment of Figure 1 comprising a body portion, a ball guide, a valve member and a seal;

Figure 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the body portion of Figure 2 ;

Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the ball guide of Figure 2 ;

Figure 5 is an end view of the ball guide of Figure 4 looking along the axis of the fitment towards the mouth of the bottle;

Figure 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the valve member of Figure 2 ;

Figure 7 is an end view of the valve member of Figure 6 looking along the axis of the fitment towards the mouth of the bottle;

Figure 8 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the seal of Figure 2 ;

Figure 9 is an end view of the seal of Figure 8 looking along the axis of the fitment away from the mouth of the bottle;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a shallow groove formed in the valve member of Figures 6 and 7; and

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an alternative fitment in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, the fitment 10 is shown to be located within the neck 12 of a bottle 14.

The fitment 10 is shown in more detail in Figure 2 to comprise a body portion 16 defining a generally

cylindrical peripheral wall 18 which is held in position with respect to the neck of the bottle 12 by sealing means (not shown) . This sealing means also serves to prevent liquid either entering or leaving the annular interface defined between the body portion 16 and the neck 12.

The body portion 16 is shown in still greater detail in Figure 3. As can be seen, at an inward end of the body portion 16 the generally cylindrical peripheral wall 18 tapers radially inwardly through a tapered section 20 to a generally cylindrical end portion 22 of reduced external diameter. This end portion 22 is formed integrally with a radially inwardly disposed lip 24 which extends for a short distance towards the mouth of the bottle 14. The lip 24 is provided with an annular undercut 26 and defines with the generally cylindrical end portion 22 an annular recess 28.

Returning to Figure 2, the fitment 10 can be seen to also comprise a glass ball 30, a ball guide 32, a valve member 34 and a seal 36.

The ball guide 32, which is shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5, is held in position with respect to the body portion 16 by securing means (not shown) . As is shown however, the ball guide 32 comprises an annular ring 38 from which there project inwardly of the bottle 14 a plurality of angularly spaced fins 40. Each fin 40 is of substantially triangular shape, albeit with a flattened distal end 42, and is arranged so as to present a radially outward surface 44 which extends substantially parallel to the generally cylindrical peripheral wall 18 of the body portion 16 and a radially inward surface 46 which is inclined

towards the centre of the annular ring 38. Together, the radially inward surfaces 46 of each of the fins 40 define a frustroconical surface which tapers radially inwardly in the direction of the mouth of the bottle 14 and which is closed at the tappered end by a disc 48 which serves to interconnect the fins 40 and provide the ball guide 32 with an increased rigidity.

The valve member 34 is shown in more detail in Figures 6 and 7 to comprise a generally cylindrical hollow member 50 which is closed by an end wall 52 at an end proximate the mouth of the bottle 14. At an end of the valve member 34 remote from the end wall 52, the generally cylindrical hollow member 50 is formed integrally with a radially outwardly disposed collar portion 54. The collar portion 54 extends generally back towards the mouth of the bottle 14 and comprises a radially outwardly inclined section 56 which terminates in a generally cylindrical section 58 of larger diameter than the generally cylindrical hollow member 50. A shallow rectilinear groove 60 is formed in the surface of the radially outwardly inclined section 56 and extends from the end of the generally cylindrical hollow member remote from the end wall 52 to the start of the generally cylindrical section 58.

In addition to the collar portion 54, the generally cylindrical hollow member 50 is also prcvided with a plurality of angularly spaced ribs 62 which project radially outwardly from the hollow member at intervals around its circumference. The ribs 62 are formed integrally with the collar -portion 54 and cooperate with the end wall 52 to define an arcuate surface 64 proximate the mouth of the bottle 14 and which is flared outwardly theretowards .

The seal 36 is shown in more detail in Figures 8 and 9 to comprise a generally bowl-shaped portion 66 having an internal surface 68 that curves radially outwardly away from a central opening 70 and towards the mouth of the bottle 14. In addition, the seal 36 also comprises a generally cylindrical wall portion 72 which is formed integrally with the bowl-shaped portion 66 and which extends from an external surface 74 in a direction away from the mouth of the bottle 14. The generally cylindrical wall portion 72 surrounds the central opening 70 and is provided at an end remote from the bowl-shaped portion 66 with a radially inwardly directed annular protrusion 76. The seal 36 is formed of a resiliently deformable material such as silicone rubber which enables the bowl-shaped portion 66 to flex with respect to the cylindrical wall portion 72.

Turning back to Figure 2, it will be seen that the seal 36 is secured with respect to the body portion 16 by means of the receipt of the generally cylindrical wall portion 72 within the annular recess 28 in which position the radially inwardly directed annular protrusion 76 may engage the annular undercut 26. It is to be noted that in this position although the central opening 70 within the bowl-shaped portion 66 is in alignment with the opening defined by the radially inwardly disposed lip 24, it is in fact axially spaced from it by virtue of the axial extent of the generally cylindrical wall portion 72.

In use, the valve member 34 and seal 36 serve to provide a one-way valve means which enables the contents of the container to be dispensed while at the same time inhibiting the refilling of the container.

Thus, in the example shown where the container comprises a bottle 14, the contents of the bottle, say, whisky, may be dispensed by simply inverting the bottle and with it the fitment 10. Whisky will then flow through the openings defined by the radially inwardly disposed lip 24 and the central opening 70 filling the interior of the generally cylindrical hollow member 50 and forcing the valve member 34 to move axially away from the seal 36. The valve member 34 is guided in this movement by means of the engagement of the radially directed ribs 62 with the generally cylindrical peripheral wall 18 of the body portion 16. At the same time, in order to accommodate the movement of the valve member 34, the glass ball 30 will roll towards the disc 48 down the frustroconical surface defined by the radially inward surfaces of the fins 40.

In this position with the valve member 34 moved to the left in Figure 2, whisky is free to pass through the annular channel defined between the internal surface 68 of the seal 36 and the inclined section 56 of the collar portion 54 before then flowing towards the ball guide 32 through the annular channel defined between the generally cylindrical hollow member 50 of the valve member 34 and the generally cylindrical peripheral wall 18 of the body portion 16. Having arrived at the ball guide 32, the whisky passes through the annular channel defined between the disc 48 and annular ring 38 and on to the mouth of the bottle 14.

Despite the ease with which the contents of the bottle 14 may be dispensed, the fitment 10 also serves to inhibit the refilling of the bottle by a variety of methods commonly employed by potential counterfeiters. Thus, should an attempt be made to refill the bottle 14

while the bottle is upright, the valve member 34 will be held in engagement with the seal 36 by means of the weight of the glass ball 30 resting on the end wall 52. Likewise, should an attempt be made to refill the bottle 14 while the bottle is horizontal, the valve member 34 will again be held in engagement with the seal 36 by means of the glass ball 30 which will roll away from the disc 48 down the frustroconical surface defined by the radially inward surfaces of the fins 40 and into engagement with the end wall 52. If an attempt is made to refill the bottle 14 when the bottle is inverted, the valve member 34, which is preferably formed of polypropylene and which floats in whisky, will be held in engagement with the seal 36 by virtue of its own buoyancy. In all three situations, increasing the pressure of the product with which the counterfeiter is attempting to refill the container only serves to increase the contact force between the valve member 34 and the seal 36 since there is a tendancy for the product to collect in the annular space defined between the collar portion 54 and the generally cylindrical hollow member 50 of the valve member 34.

In passing it is to be noted that a further advantage of forming the valve member 34 of polypropylene is that its resulting light weight enables the weight of the glass ball to be similarly reduced whilst at the same time ensuring that the valve member is held in engagement with the seal 36 if an attempt is made to refill the bottle 14 when the bottle is in the horizontal position.

In addition to providing protection against the above filling techniques, the fitment 10 also provides

enhanced protection against pulsed or vibrational filling techniques. This enhanced performance arises as a result of three particular features of the present design. Firstly, because the bowl-shaped portion 66 of the seal 36 is provided with an internal surface 68 having a generally concave profile and because the valve member 34 is provided with a collar portion 54 which includes a radially outwardly inclined section 56, when the valve member is in engagement with the seal and the contact force between the two is sufficient to deform the seal, the region of contact between the two comprises a broad annular band of arcuate cross-section rather than a narrow ring as is commonly the case with the fitments of the prior art. In this way not only can a good seal be established without the need for either the valve member 34 or the seal 36 to be manufactured to tight tolerances but the seal can also be maintained for a significant part of each vibration cycle should an attempt be made to refill the bottle 14 in this way.

The second design feature which provide the fitment 10 with an enhanced protection against pulsed and vibrational filling techniques is the design of the generally cylindrical wall portion 72. Because of the axial extent of the generally cylindrical wall portion 72 and because of the nature of the material from which the seal 36 is formed, the seal is able to flex with respect to the body portion 16 both in a direction transverse to the axis of the fitment 10 and, by buckling, in an axial direction away from the mouth of the bottle 14. Furthermore, because of the nature and extent of the cooperating surfaces provided on the valve member 34 and seal 36, should the seal flex

transversely of the fitment axis, the valve member will follow to the extent allowed by the radially directed ribs 62. In this way the valve number 34 and seal 36 are able to absorb a high proportion of the vibrational movement to which they might be subjected by a potential counterfeiter without compromising the seal established between the two.

The third design feature which provides the fitment 10 with an enhanced protection against vibrational filling techniques is the sucker-like action of the seal 36. This sucker-like action arises as a result of the axial cross-sectional shape of both the radially outwardly inclined section 56 of the collar portion 54 and the internal surface 68 of the bowl-shaped portion 66 as well as as a result of the resiliently deformable nature of the material from which the seal 36 is formed. Because the radially outwardly inclined section 56 presents a sealing surface which is substantially plannar in cross-section, when the valve member 34 lightly engages the seal 36 as would be the case when the bottle 14 was resting in the upright position and the only contact force between the valve member and the seal was that generated by the combined weight of the valve member and the glass ball 30, the internal surface 68, which is arcuate in axial cross-section, will define with the radially outwardly inclined section an enclosed volume of gas. Should a potential counterfeiter attempt to refill the bottle 14, the additional axial force to which the valve member is necessarily subjected will increase the contact force between the valve member and the seal 36 causing the seal to deform. This in turn will lead to the expulsion of some, if not all, of the

gas previously enclosed between the surface of the radially outwardly inclined section 56 and the internal surface 68. Thus when the additional axial force is removed and the seal 36 resumes its original shape, a region of reduced pressure will be created between the collar portion 54 and the bowl-shaped portion 66 which will tend to hold the valve member 34 in engagement with the seal. The seal 36 is designed so that this reduced pressure region is not maintained indefinitely but slowly allows air to pass back between the two sealing surfaces. Nevertheless, the sucker-like action of the seal 36 is preferably such as to maintain the valve member 34 in engagement therewith for a significant part of each vibration cycle.

The fitment described also provides a means of equalising the pressure difference across the fitment under certain heating/cooling conditions without at the same time compromising the ability of the one-way valve to resist attack by a variety of filling techniques. This means is embodied by the shallow groove 60 formed in the collar portion 54 of the valve member 34. Thus, when the valve member 34 lightly engages the seal 36 as again would be the case when the bottle 14 was resting in the upright position and the only contact force between the valve member and the seal was that generated by the combined weight of the valve member and the glass ball 30, the shallow groove 60 defines, with the internal surface 68 of the bowl-shaped portion 66, a pathway for the passage of air both into and out of the bottle. Therefore, if the bottle 14 should be moved from one environment to another and as a result of that move there is a tendency for the contents of the bottle to contract, air will be free to pass along

the pathway and into the bottle to reduce the pressure difference across the fitment 10 thereby preventing the valve member 34 from being so held in engagement with the seal 36 that the content of the bottle 14 could not be dispensed.

At the same time ^• however, it is to be noted that the presence of shallow groove 60 does not compromise the ability of the fitment 10 to withstand the various filling techniques referred to above. In each of these filling techniques the valve member 34 is subjected to an additional force in the direction of seal 36 which results in an increased contact force between the two. As a result of this increased contact force and because of the nature of the material from which the seal is formed, the seal 36 deforms to engage the shallow groove 60 and obstruct the pathway previously defined between it and the internal surface 68 of the bowl-shaped portion 66. However, because of the resilient nature of the seal 36, once the cause of the addition contact force has been removed, the seal will return to its original configuration reopening the pathway for the passage of air into and out of the bottle 14.

Thus it can be seen that the grooved valve member 34 in combination with the resiliently deformable seal 36 provides a pathway for the passage of air both into and out of the bottle 14 which remains open at pressure differences across the fitment 10 experienced as a result of certain heating/cooling conditions, typically up to 1.0 bar (10 ⁵ Nm ^"2 ) but which closes at presure differences above this threshold. Clearly, the geometry of the shallow groove 60 is critical in determining the opening and closing

characteristrics of the pathway defined between it and the internal surface 68 of the bowl-shaped portion 66 since in general its cross-sectional width determines the minimum pressure at which the pathway begins to close while its cross-sectional radius of curvature determines the ultimate closing pressure. A currently preferred embodiment of the shallow groove 60 is shown in Figure 10 and has a width in the range of between l-4xl0 ^'3 m, a radius of curvature in the range of between l-4xl0 ^"3 m and a maximum depth of 1.0xl0 ^"3 m.

Although the present fitment 10 has been described as comprising a grooved valve member 34, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the shallow groove 60 may equally be provided on the internal surface 68 of the seal 36. Likewise, although only the seal 36 has been described as being formed of a resilient deformable material, it will be apparent that in an alternative embodiment the valve member 34 may be formed of a resiliently deformable material instead of the seal or that both the valve member and the seal may be formed of a resiliently deformable material .

It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that although the seal 36 has been described as being secured with respect to the body portion 16, this need not necessarily be the case. Thus, for example, there is shown in Figure 11 a fitment 10' in which the seal 36' is carried by the valve member 34' . To this end, the valve member 34' is provided at an end remote from the end wall 52' with a radially outwardly directed wall portion 78 which in turn is formed integrally at a distal end with a generally cylindrical wall portion 80 and which together with the hollow

member 50' defines a closed annular recess 82' for the receipt of the seal 36' . Unlike the previous embodiment, the seal 36' does not present a concave sealing face but instead is formed of a main portion 34 and a secondary annular lip portion 86 which is inclined radially outwardly in a direction away from the mouth of the bottle 14' .

As with the previous embodiment, the valve member 34' is moveable out of and into engagement with a valve seat to respectively open and close the one-way valve means. However, in the embodiment of Figure 11, the valve seat is defined by a radially inwardly directed end wall 88 of the body portion 16' .

In further contrast to the previous embodiment, it is the valve seat of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 11 and not the valve member 34' which is provided with the shallow groove 60' .