Abstract:
A dripless bottle has a body, a neck forming an opening, a shoulder physically coupling the neck to the body, and a super-water-repellant material applied to the neck substantially at the opening.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of Argentina Patent Application No. P-080102267, filed May 30, 2008; Argentina Patent Application No. P-080103279, filed Jul. 30, 2008; and Argentina Patent Application No. P-080105179, filed Nov. 27, 2008, all of which designated the U.S. and were published in English, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present patent relates to preventing the dripping or sliding of fluid over the outside of a bottle when serving the contents thereof and, more particularly, to a water-repellant material covering the outer surface of the mouth and neck of the bottle that prevents sliding of the fluid over the body of the bottle when serving the contents thereof. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    To date, countless mechanisms are known for preventing the dripping that occurs when serving wine or another fluid. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,481 discloses a device that consists in a flexible sheet material that is rolled up upon itself, part of it being inserted inside the mouth of the bottle. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,805 discloses a device that occupies half the mouth of the bottle and is placed inside the mouth of the bottle, projecting there from. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,952,288 discloses a sheet that is placed in the mouth of the bottle. 
         [0007]    In general, the above mechanisms have a geometry that ends as a sharp edge, which cuts off the drip through the effect of the minimum surface area, all said mechanisms being characterized in that they are fairly large and, in the majority of cases, have to be placed onto the lip or neck of the bottle by the end-consumer when the product is acquired. 
         [0008]    Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a device for preventing fluid drip from a bottle, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. 
         [0010]    Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures. The figures of the drawings are not drawn to scale. 
         [0011]    The invention provides a device for preventing fluid drip from a bottle that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type. 
         [0012]    With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a dripless bottle that has a body, a neck forming a mouth, a shoulder physically coupling the neck to the body, and a super-water-repellant material applied to the neck substantially at the mouth. 
         [0013]    In accordance with another feature, the invention provides a thin, water repellant coating, thereby successfully achieving less contact between the fluid and the surface, avoiding the use of mechanisms that project from the original profile of the bottle. 
         [0014]    In accordance with a further feature, the invention may be fixed to a bottle at the point of manufacture, i.e., at the bottling plant or at the premises of an intermediary, the bottle arriving at the end-consumer with the drip stop mechanism already installed. 
         [0015]    In accordance with an added feature, the invention is thin, thus allowing the original silhouette of the bottle to be displayed. 
         [0016]    In accordance with yet a further feature, the invention is small, thus minimizing contact of the device with the wine when the latter is served. 
         [0017]    In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, because of certain characteristics, it may be fixed under the original bottle cap, being installed by the supplier of the contents thereof. 
         [0018]    With the objects of the invention in view, an inventive coating over the outer part of the mouth and neck of the bottle may be placed in various types of bottles of different forms, diameters, and materials. 
         [0019]    Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. 
         [0020]    As used herein, the term “about” or “approximately” applies to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an upper portion of a bottle provided with a water-repellant material fixed to an outer surface thereof, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is an elevational cross-sectional view of two bottles, the left one being a bottle provided with a water-repellant material fixed to an outer surface thereof and the right being a prior-art bottle without a water-repellant material. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a sectional front view of the mouth and neck of the bottle, showing a sheet material with its water-repellant outer surface, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is a perspective partially cross-sectional view of an upper portion of a stopper covering water-repellant material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is an elevational cross-sectional view of an upper portion of a bottle provided with a stopper and drip stop sheet material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is an elevational cross-sectional view of an upper portion of a bottle provided with a stopper and drip stop sheet material, the base having been removed from said stopper to thereby reveal a portion of the sheet material that is sufficient to interact with fluid when the liquid is poured from within the bottle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Herein various embodiments of the present invention are described. In many of the different embodiments, features are similar. Therefore, to avoid redundancy, repetitive description of these similar features may not be made in some circumstances. It shall be understood, however, that a description of a first-appearing feature applies to the later described similar feature and each respective description, therefore, is to be incorporated therein without such repetition. 
         [0029]    The present invention provides a novel non-drip solution that is applicable to any bottle of fluid, such as wine, water, soda, or any other.  FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an upper portion of a bottle provided with a water-repellant material  1  fixed to an outer surface  2 ,  3  thereof, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, the present invention includes fixing, to a mouth  3  of a bottle neck  2 , a thin water-repellant material  1 . The material  1  can be any coating or applied layer of material that has superior water-repelling properties, i.e., no affinity with fluids, especially water, repelling said fluids from it surface. Said water-repellant material  1 , according to one embodiment, surrounds the outer periphery of the bottle mouth  3  and neck  2 , forming a closed ring. 
         [0030]    The water-repellant product  1 , referred to as a “super-water-repellant” product, preferably has an angle of contact with the water that is greater than 90 degrees and up to 180 degrees, owing to the fact that the surface thereof has microlobes that generate the “Lotus effect”. The Lotus effect refers to the very high water repellency (superhydrophobicity) exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower (Nelumbo). The hydrophobicity of a surface is determined by the contact angle. The higher the contact angle, the higher the hydrophobicity of a surface. Surfaces with a contact angle &lt;90° are referred to as hydrophilic and those with an angle &gt;90° as hydrophobic. Superhydrophobicity and its associated contact angles are known in the art. Details of such contact angles are available at, for instance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhydrophobic. 
         [0031]    The present invention provides a material that can stay dry in a manner similar to the lotus leaf. This can be achieved using special fluorochemical or silicone treatments on structured surfaces or with compositions containing micro-scale particulates, such as super-hydrophobic coatings comprising Teflon microparticles. In other embodiments, the water-resistance is achieved with combinations of polyethylene glycol with glucose and sucrose (or any insoluble particulate) in conjunction with a hydrophobic substance. 
         [0032]    Referring still to  FIG. 1 , the present invention can be applied to any bottle  4  that has a stopper, such as a cork, screw cap, etc. The fluid may be red, white, rosé or any variety of wine, and also other fluids, and the bottle drip stop solution is designed to prevent the dripping or sliding of the fluid from the mouth  3  over the outside of the bottle neck  2  when the contents of the bottle is served, i.e., pouring occurs, and the bottle  4  is returned to its vertical position. The present invention eliminates or reduces undesirable effects of pouring due to the significant adhesion properties of the fluid vis-à-vis the material from which the bottle  4  is constructed. 
         [0033]    The solution, in one embodiment, includes in a thin coating of a water-repellant product  1 , fixed to the outer surface of the bottle mouth  3  and the first section of the bottle neck  2 . The water-repellant coating  1 , which has no affinity with the fluid contained in the bottle  4 , prevents the fluid adhering to the bottle mouth  3  and bottle neck  2 . 
         [0034]    The water-repellant product  1  covers the outer peripheral surface of the bottle mouth  3  and bottle neck  2 , forming a closed ring, and it may also cover the bottle mouth  3  and bottle neck  2 , without distinction, and also the entire surface thereof or part thereof. 
         [0035]    The coating  1  can be a thin sheet material, the outer surface of which has water-repellant properties, and covers the outer surface of the mouth  3  and neck  2  of the bottle to prevent seeping of the fluid over the body of the bottle when serving the contents thereof. 
         [0036]    The sheet material can be, for instance, made from acrylic, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polystyrene, PET, metal or other similar types of material and may also have various densities or colors, and may even be transparent. The outer surface of said thin sheet material  1  has water-repellant properties, either because of the structure of the material, the surface thereof has been treated, or because a water-repellant coating has been affixed thereto to, again, exhibit the Lotus effect, as described above. 
         [0037]    The sheet material  1  forms a closed ring and is housed inside the cap surrounding the internal surface thereof. Once placed on the bottle, and by means of an easy-open mechanism, the cap reveals a small section of the sheet material  1 , just over the surface surrounding the bottle mouth  3 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The sheet material  1 , interacting with the fluid when the contents of the bottle is served, and due to the low surface tension of the surface of the sheet material  1 , prevents the adhesion of any liquid and, therefore, avoids all drips. 
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , an embodiment of the present invention provides fixing, to the inside of a stopper  11 , sheet material  12 , the surface of which has water-repellant properties (which surface has no affinity with certain fluids, especially water, repelling said fluids from its surface). The sheet material  12  runs around the internal perimeter of the stopper  11  and ends just at the edge of the base  13  thereof, forming a closed ring. 
         [0039]    The water-repellant surface is also a super-water-repellant surface, having an angle of contact with the water that is greater than 90 degrees and up to 180 degrees, having microlobes, and also displaying the Lotus effect. 
         [0040]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the present invention can be applied to any bottle  14  that has a stopper, such as a cork or screw cap, for example. The fluid may be red, white, rosé or any variety of wine, and also other fluids, and the bottle drip stop prevents the dripping or seeping of the fluid from the mouth  15  over the outside of the bottle  14  and the bottle neck  16  when the contents of the bottle is served and the bottle  14  is returned to its vertical position. 
         [0041]    Once placed in the bottle, and by means of an easy-open mechanism, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a cap  13  reveals a small section of the sheet material  12 , just over the surface surrounding the bottle mouth  15 . The sheet material  12  interacts with the fluid when the contents of the bottle is served, cutting off the drip. 
         [0042]    The sheet material  12  may be made from any material, have any hardness and also have heat-shrinkable and elastic properties.