Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PCT/RU02I00572
As filed December 30, 2002
CROWN CAP
Technical field
The invention relates to corking means for containers, particularly it relates
to bottles
crown caps with lines of weakness, tearing-strips and tags.
Background Art
Different designs of crown caps for corking bottles are known, which made as a
tin cap
with a crowned skirt and provided with a tearing-tag which allows to uncork a
corked bottle
easy by means of removing a part of a back and the crowned skirt, which
overlaps a neck of the
corked bottle, along a line of weakness. As a rule, an elastic round laying is
inserted inside the
crown cap.
A number of designs stipulates a flat tearing tag which is made as a plate
having an
opening thereon and fixed to the back outside of the crown cap by means of a
rivet, and the
plate serves as a bending tag and doesn't exceed overall dimensions of the
back. The plate can
be formed as a simmetrical elongated tongue having a demicircular opening for
a finger [patent
CN 2090364U, 1992] or as a trapezium having the rounded corners [patent CN
223?607Y,
1996] or as an oval [patents CN 21159?9U, 1993; CN 2090367U, 1992].
Known crown cap is choosen as a prototype of first three offered variants, it
is provided
with a round plate having the external diameter, which doesn't exceed diameter
of a back of the
crown cap, and laying on an outer surface of the back, where the round plate
is connected to the
back by means of a rivet and has an opening which is made to form a ring-
shaped tab when the
edge of the round plate is turning up [publication WO 00/51906, 2000].
Abovementioned crown caps having separate plate-tags have low ergonomic
properties
as follows:
a) the plate is made by means of punching therefore its edge may be sharp or
have
agnails that may wound the user;
b) during transportation of the corked bottle the plate may turn around the
rivet and leave
for dimensions of the back of the crown cap by means of a casual external
force that may result
in involuntary uncorking, in particular under action of other casual external
force;
c) there is a small opening for a forger of large men in designs with
elongated tags
because diameter of standard crown caps is rather small.
Accordingly other designs it is a tearing tag which is formed as a part of a
whole back of
a crown cap, and the tag is bent and then torn off together with a part of a
crowned skirt during
uncorking [for example, patent application CN 1043678A, 1990]. As a prototype
of fourth
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offered variant it is choosen known crown cap which is made as a cap with a
crowned skirt, and
a round-shaped tag having a round-shaped opening for finger is formed on its
back [patent
CN2221558Y, 1996]. It is possible to separate the tag from the crown cap back
along a
nonclosed external generatrix whose ends are connected smoothly with lines of
weakness
forming a tearing strip having a width no more than greatest traversal size of
the tag. An elastic
round laying corresponding to diameter of a corking bottle neck is inserted
inside the crown cap.
Deficiencies of the known crown cap are connected to the following:
a) the cross-section of the ring-shaped tag has a small rigidity therefore the
user may
pinch a finger during uncorking;
b) tearing of the tag from the back along lines of weakness is connected with
significant
efforts;
c) the elastic laying may be damaged through an excision by means of an
external
action.
Accordingly other group of designs a crown cap also is made from a sheet
material as a
cap with a crowned skirt, but a tag is made as a strip entirely with the crown
cap, and one end of
the strip is provided with a ring-shaped tag having and other end of the strip
is conjugated with
periphery edge of the crowned skirt. For example, it is known crown cap which
is provided with
two lines of weakness made on the crown cap, these lines begin from places of
the conjunction
of the strip with the periphery edge of the crowned skirt with forming a
tearing strip [patent
GB 1139247, 1969]. Both the tag and the strip considerably support overall
dimensions of the
cap that creates technological difficulties during transportation of
manufactured caps and
corking bottles and also augments probability of involuntary uncorking of the
corked bottle
from a casual exposure. Also the posibility of involuntary uncorking the
corked bottle by means
of casual external action is increased.
As a prototype of fifth offered variant it is choosen known crown cap having a
strip bent
so, that one part of the strip lays on an outer surface of a crowned skirt and
other part of the strip
lays on an outer surface of the crown cap back [patent CN2205361Y, 1995]. Two
lines of
weakness made on the crown cap, these lines begin from places of conjunction
of the strip with
the periphery edge of the crowned skirt with forming a tearing strip. There
are some deficiencies
of the known crown cap as follows:
a) the ring-shaped tag extends above a surface of the crown cap back
therefore, at first,
posibility of involuntary uncorking of the corked bottle from a casual
exposure is increased, and
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As filed December 30, 2002
second, posibility of the interengagement between crown caps of corked bottles
during
transportation and storage is increased too;
b) strong materials, for example steel, are used for manufacture of crown caps
having
bent strips because the strip may burst in places of bends if it will be used
materials having
rather small durability, for example aluminum alloys, however significant
efforts for tearing the
tearing strip along the lines of weakness are necessary during uncorking when
strong materials
are used;
c) the crown cap is made by means of punching therefore its edge may be sharp
or have
agnails that may wound the user.
Disclosure of the Invention
It is a primary object of the present invention to improve the ergonomic
properties of
crown caps provided with strips detachable with the aid of a bending tag
thereof, more
specifically to increase the usability and safety of the caps. It is another
object to reduce the
possibility of self uncorking of said easy-open crown caps and the
interengagement
therebetween during transportation and storage of corked bottles.
Abovementioned objects are solved by means of five offered variants of crown
caps for
corking bottles.
Common features for first three variants are that a crown cap is made as a cap
with a
crowned skirt and provided with a plate which carries out function of a
bending tag and lays on
an outer surface of a back of the crown cap, doesn't exceeding overall
dimensions of the crown
cap back, and which is fixed to the crown cap back by means of a rivet and has
an opening
therein. A line of weakness is made on the crown cap, it begins from periphery
edge of the
crown skirt and comes to the periphery edge with forming a tearing strip
having a hole for the
rivet therein. Common new feature for these three variants is that a length of
an arc of the
tearing strip from the beginning of the line of weakness up to its extremity
does not exceed ~/2
radian, that allows to detach the tearing strip without great efforts. Also
other common new
feature for these variants is that it may be an elastic round laying
corresponding to diameter of a
corking bottle neck which is inserted inside the crown cap.
Also the new feature for the first variant is that at least a part of edge of
the plate andlor
the opening is spinned in, and besides the plate lays on the outer surface of
the back of the
crown cap by its side which the edge bent by spinning in is located on, that
excludes possibility
of wound of the user. Since the height of the location of top of the plate in
this case is
augmented by thickness of the plate it it may be a dint in it for the head of
the rivet, and in case
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the height of this head is no more than the size of the dint it is excluded
the engagement or
wound of the user by the head of the rivet or its edges.
The new feature for the second variant is that it is at least one tongue made
on an outer
surface of the crown cap back and inserted into the opening in the plate to
come ito contact with
an edge of the opening. This tongue excludes possibility of of rotation of the
plate around of the
rivet and its getting out overall dimensions of the crown cap back (in case
when the centre of the
rivet is distinct from the centre of a circle of the crown cap back). From the
point of view of
manufacturing techniques (as punching) it is better to make this tongue having
a spherical form.
Also it is better when the height of the tongue does not exceed thickness of
the plate.
Accordingly the third variant it is a plate which is round as in the
prototype, its external
diameter does not exceed diameter of the crown cap back, and the opening is
executed so to
make a ring-shaped tab when the edge of the round plate is bending up. Except
for the above
mentioned length of an arc of the the tearing strip, the new features are that
the opening has a
ring nonclosed shape and is symmetric in relation to a diametrical axis of the
round plate, and
besides the hole for the rivet is located on said diametrical axis so, that it
is in a segment of the
round plate in which there is no the ring-shaped opening. Thus the crown cap
may be remove
from the bottle neck with using both the external ring-shaped tab and/or the
internal tag having
the shape of a part of a circle and formed along internal diameter of the
opening.
It is better when a length of an arc of the ring-shaped opening is ~... 11/6
radian, and/or the
centre of the ring-shaped opening coincides with the centre of the round
plate, and/or the ring-
shaped opening has the sizes relatively of external diameter of the round
plate as follows:
external diameter - 0,5...0,9, internal diameter - 0,4...0,85.
It is better to make at least one spherical tongue on an outer surface of the
crown cap back
which is inserted into the opening as for the second variant.
It is better when there are gettings made in the ends of the ring-shaped
opening on the side of its
internal diameter that facilitates a bending of one of the tags, for example
the ends of the ring-
shaped opening may be rounded, and diameter of these rounds is more than width
of the ring-
shaped opening. In this case, the internal tagl is bent more easy if external
diameter of the ring-
shaped opening conjugates with rounds smoothly.
Also a crown cap may be made by a combination of any two or all three
abovementioned
variants.
Accordingly the fourth variant it is a crown cap for corking bottles which is
made as a
cap with a crowned skirt and provided with a round-shaped tag formed on a back
of the crown
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As filed December 30, 2002
cap entirely with it and having a round-shaped opening for finger therein. It
is possible to
separate the tag from the back along a nonclosed external generatrix whose
ends are connected
smoothly with non-intersecting lines of weakness which are ended on a
periphery edge of the
crowned skirt with forming a tearing strip having a width no more than
greatest traversal size of
the tag. An elastic round laying corresponding to diameter of a corking bottle
neck is inserted
inside the crown cap. The new features are that a rigid round laying
corresponding to diameter
of the corking bottle neck is in addition inserted inside the crown cap before
the elactic laying,
and besides each of said layings has a plate-shaped form and is made with a
recess opposite the
opening, and also the tag is separated from the crown cap back by means of a
slit located along
the nonclosed external generatrix. The rigid laying, for example made of metal
or plastic, does
not allow to break through the fragile elastic laying casually, and the recess
in it and the slit in
the back allow to hitch the tag by the finger and to bend it easily.
The rigidity of the tag, excluding its curving and pinching the finger at use,
may be increased by
using a stiffening rib made on the tag and located between edge of the opening
and the
nonclosed external generatrix, so convexity of the stiffening rib may be
directed downwards or
upwards. Also both the rigidity and safety of use may be increased when at
least a part of edge
of the opening is spinned in to inside of the crown cap.
It is better when the tag with the opening as well as the tearing sMp is
symmetric in relation to a
diametrical axis of the crown cap back. And the opening may be made in the
form of an oval so
that the greatest size of the oval is on a line which is perpendicular to axes
of a symmetry of the
tag, and the nonclosed external generatrix is equidistant to the oval
generatrix so that distance
between its extremities is less than the greatest size of the oval. The rigid
round laying may have
an open excision formed as a truncated sector, in this case lateral sides of
the sector are
coincided approximately with the lines of weakness of the crown cap.
Accordingly the fifth variant it is a crown cap for corking bottles which is
made from a
sheet material as a cap with a crowned skirt entirely with a tag-strip, that
one end of the tag-strip
is provided with a tag having an opening for forger and other end of the tag-
strip is conjugated
with periphery edge of the crowned skirt. The tag-strip is bent so, that one
its part lays on an
outer surface of the crowned skirt and other part of the tag-strip lays on an
outer surface of the
crown cap back. Two lines of weakness are made on the crown cap, they begin
from places of
the conjunction of the tag-strip with the periphery edge of the crowned skirt,
with forming a
tearing strip. The new features are that it is the plate-shaped recess made on
the crown cap back,
the center of the plate-shaped recess coincides with the centre of a circle of
the crown cap back,
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diameter of the plate-shaped recess is no more than internal diameter of a
neck of a corked
bottle and not less than diameter of circumscribing circle of the external
generatrix of the tag,
and the tag lays on the outer surface of the crown cap back in the place of
the plate-shaped
recess and does not extend over the external sizes of the plate-shaped recess.
Thus the tag
extends above a surface of the crown cap back less, and also the tag is in
addition fixed by
lateral walls of the plate-shaped recess that reduces the possibility of self
uncorking by means
of a casual external force and the coupling with other subjects during
transportation and storage.
It may be a round- or ring-shaped elastic laying corresponding to diameter of
a corking bottle
neck, which is inserted inside the crown cap.
It is better when the tag with the opening as well as the tearing strip is
symmetric in relation to a
diametrical axis of the crown cap back.
It is better when the tag has round-shaped form.
The plate-shaped recess may be made round on a plan view.
It is better when depth of the plate-shaped recess is approximately equal to
thickness of the
sheet material.
The lines of weakness may form the tearing strip which is symmetric in
relation to a diametrical
axis of the crown cap back (narrowed, extending or with equal width).
It is better for easy-uncorkning When stress concentrators are made in the
places of the
conjunction of the tag-strip with the periphery edge of the crowned skirt (as
recesses, excisions
etc.).
It is better for corking technologically when the part of the tag-strip laying
on the outer surface
of the crowned skirt is is equidistant to this outer surface (other words it
is crowned too).
It is more safe at use when at least a part of edge of the opening for the
finger or a generatrix of
this opening is spinned in. Also it serves as a a stiffening rib and and
excludes pinching the
finger. The bending rigidity of the tag may be increased by means of a
separate stiffening rib
made on the tag and located between the external generatrix of the tag and
edge of the opening
for the finger.
The term "line of weakness" by all five variants may mean a continuous line as
well a dash
line, for example which is made by punching with floturning, other words by
decrease of
thickness of the sheet material of the crown cap.
Brief description of the figures on the drawings
The invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Fig.l-3 show a crown cap having a separate combined tag: Fig.l is its top plan
view,
Fig.2 is its increased vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line A A
of Fig.l, Fig.3 is its
increased local side view 1 of Fig.2.
Fig.4-7 show a crown cap having an incorporated tag: Fig.4 is its top plan
view, Fig.S is
its local cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of Fig.4, Fig.6 is its
increased vertical
cross-sectional view taken along the line C C of Fig.4, Fig.7 is a top plan
view of a probable
embodiment of its rigid laying assembled with its elastic laying.
Fig.B-10 show a crown cap having a bent tag-strip: Fig.8 is its top plan view,
Fig.9 is its
increased vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of Fig.8,
Fig.lO is its side
elevational view E of Fig.9.
Lines of weakness on Fig. l, 2, 4, 8, 10 are shown by dotted lines.
The Example for Carrying out the Invention
Example 1. A crown cap having a separate combined tag.
The crown cap having a line 1 of weakness forming a tearing strip 2 includes a
crowned
skirt 3 and a back 4 having two spherical tongues 5 thereon. An elastic round
laying 6 is
inserted inside the crown cap, a round plate 8 including both a ring-shaped
tab 9 and a
demicircular tag 10 is fixed outside by a rivet 7, and both the tab 9 and tag
10 are formed by a
opening 11 having rounded gettings 12. Edges 13, 14, 15 of the plate 8 are
spinned in with
obtaining a bending 16. Heads of the rivet 7 are located into dints 17, 18
made in the plate 8 and
the back 4 respectively.
The crown cap may be removed from a corked bottle by means of two methods - by
bending the tab 9 with its further hitching by one finger or by bending tag 10
with its further
locking by two forgers, and then the strip 2 is tearing along the line 1.
Example 2. A crown cap having an incorporated tag.
The crown cap having lines 19 of weakness forming a tearing strip 20 includes
a
crowned skirt 21 and a back 22 having a tag 24 formed by means of both a slit
23 and an oval
opening and having a convex stiffening rib as shown on Fig.S. Both an elastic
round laying 25
and a rigid laying 26 having a plate-shaped form are inserted inside the crown
cap, and laying
26 has a recess formed by both a flat bottom 27 and slant walls 28, a bent
edge 29 fixing the
laying 25. The laying 26 may has an open excision formed as a truncated sector
as shown on
Fig.?. Material of the laying 26 is sheet metal or rather strong plastic.
Sharp edges of the tag 24
may be spinned in as shown on Fig.3.
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For uncorking the tag 24 is bent up by a finger and then removed from the
crown cap
together with the strip 20 along the lines 19.
Example 3. A crown cap having a bent tag-strip.
The crown cap having lines 30, 31 of weakness forming a tearing strip 32
includes a
crowned skirt 33 and a back 34 having a plate-shaped recess 35 having a depth
of the plate-
shaped recess 35 which is approximately equal to thickness of sheet metal
which is used for
punching the crown cap. An elastic round laying 36 is inserted inside the
crown cap, and a ring-
shaped tag 37 having a spinned edge 3$, 39 is located outside and coupled with
the crown skirt
33 by means of a strip 40. The strip 40 has bends 41, 42, and its lower part
43 has a crowned
grooves and is equidistant to a crowned grooves of the skirt 33. Gettings 44,
45 functioning as
stress concentrators are made in the places of the conjunction of the strip 40
with the skirt 33
wherein the lines 30, 31 are beginning.
For uncorking the tag 3? is preliminary bent up, then it is hitched by one
finger and
pulled upwards-apart, thus the strip 32 is torn from the crown cap along the
lines 30, 31 from
the gettings 44, 45.
The crown cap by all three examples may be made by punching of the varnished
lithographic sheet metal (it is better to use white sheet metal). The elastic
layings may be made
of a cardboard or a fuse, or they are formed of BX-plastisol, BX-granulate or
polyethylene by
express technology. Express adhesion varnishes are used for last three types,
and choice is
determined by type of the material.
