Abstract:
A closure particularly for a bottle for a good-quality liquor which renders the difference between an intact bottle and a wrongfully opened bottle unusually clear, comprises a pourer body of predetermined axis fixed axially and angularly to the bottle, a cap having a skirt screwed onto the pourer body, a sleeve in at least two portions extending around the bottle, and a tubular appendix forming around an extension of the skirt of the cap and extending around the sleeve in order to keep the at least tow portions juxtaposed.

Description:
The present invention relates to a closure, particularly for a bottle for a good-quality liquor, of the type comprising a pourer body of predetermined axis, fixed axially and angularly to the bottle, and a cap having a skirt which is screwed onto the pourer body. 
   As is known, in a closure of this type, efforts are always made to make clear to a purchaser visually that a bottle put on sale has wrongfully or fraudulently been opened by an unauthorized person. 
   For this purpose, a closure which is in use has a cap that is made of aluminium sheet and is screwed onto the pourer body in a manner such that, when it is unscrewed, the cap is separated from a band as a result of breakage along a line of weakening. Although this closure is advantageous from various points of view and is widely used, it leaves something to be desired from the point of view of showing that opening has taken place. The aluminium band in fact remains substantially in the vicinity of the cap once the bottle has been reclosed after opening. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The problem upon which the present invention is based is that of devising a closure of the type specified which has structural and functional characteristics such as to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantage, that is, to render clearly visible the difference between an intact bottle and a bottle which has been opened in an unauthorized manner. 
   This problem is solved by a closure of the type specified which is characterized in that it comprises a sleeve composed of at least two portions extending around the bottle, and a tubular appendage or appendix forming an extension of the skirt of the cap and extending around the sleeve in order to keep the at least two portions juxtaposed. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristics and the advantages of the closure according to the present invention will become clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the appended drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a partially-sectioned, elevational view of a closure according to the invention, 
       FIG. 2  shows a detail of the closure of  FIG. 1 , in section and on an enlarged scale, and 
       FIG. 3  shows the closure of  FIG. 1  with parts separated. 
   

   With reference to the appended drawings, a closure for a bottle  2 , preferably but not exclusively a bottle intended to contain a good-quality liquor, is generally indicated  1 . 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The bottle  2  comprises a neck of axis X—X, which is defined by an inner surface  4 , by an outer surface  5 , and by a flat top  6 . 
   In the flat top  6 , towards the outer surface  5 , the bottle has a recess  7 , for example, located circumferentially at a point. 
   A groove  8  and a collar  9  are formed in the outer surface  5 . 
   The closure  1  comprises a pourer body  10  of axis X—X, associated coaxially with the neck  3  of the bottle  2  and fixed axially and angularly to the bottle. 
   The pourer body  10  comprises an inner body  11  and an outer body  12  fixed together in the manner which will be described below. 
   The inner body  11 , of axis X—X, comprises a tubular portion  13 , a flange portion  14 , projecting from the tubular portion  13  with an outer portion  15  and an inner portion  16 , and a tubular portion  17 . 
   The flange portion  14  lies on the flat top  6 . A tooth  18  projects from the outer portion  15  and engages the recess  7 . A tooth  19  projects from the opposite side of the outer portion  15  to the tooth  18  and is located at a point of its circular periphery. 
   The tubular portion  17  engages the inner surface  4  of the neck  3  with predetermined force. 
   The outer body  12  comprises a tubular portion  20  and a larger-diameter tubular portion  21 , defining an inner shoulder  22 . 
   A recess  23  is formed in the inner shoulder  22  and the tooth  19  is engaged therein. 
   A thread  24  is formed externally on the larger-diameter tubular portion  21  of the outer body  12 . 
   An annular projection  25  formed internally in the tubular portion  21 , is in engagement in the groove  8  in order to restrain the outer body  12  and the inner body  11  on the bottle  2 . 
   The tubular portion  13  of the inner body  11  and the tubular portion  20  of the outer body  12  are juxtaposed coaxially. The tubular portion  17  of the inner body  11  and the tubular portion  21  of the outer body  12 , on the other hand, are spaced apart and define an annular space  26  for housing the neck  3  of the bottle. 
   A step  27  is formed in the tubular portion  21 , defining a shoulder  28  and a locating portion  29  having an outside diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of the collar  9 . 
   The closure  1  further comprises a cap  30  which comprises a top  31  and a tubular skirt  32 . The tubular skirt  32  has an internal thread  33  engaged with the thread  24  by screwing. A tubular projection  34  projecting from the top  31  is in leaktight engagement with the inner body  11  of the pourer body  10 . 
   The closure  1  according to the invention also comprises a sleeve  35  of axis X—X, which is formed in at least two portions. In the embodiment shown, the sleeve  35  is formed in two portions, that is, it is constituted by a half-sleeve  36  and a half-sleeve  37 . The two half-sleeves  36  and  37  are juxtaposed to form the sleeve  35 . 
   The sleeve  35  extends around the bottle  2  substantially at the level of the collar  9  and also extends around the outer body  12  of the pourer body  10 , substantially at the level of the locating portion  29 . It should be noted that an end  38  of the sleeve  35  abuts the shoulder  28 . 
   The closure  1  according to the invention also comprises a tubular extension  39  which is integral with the skirt  32  and forms an extension of the skirt  32 . The tubular extension  39  constitutes a hoop relative to the sleeve  35  and keeps its two portions, that is, the two half-sleeves  36  and  37 , juxtaposed. 
   The cap and its tubular extension are preferably made of a transparent plastics material, for example, polystyrene or polycarbonate. 
   As for the sleeve  35 , it is preferably made of a plastics material of a bright colour, for example red, and bears visible accentuating marks S formed in high relief, in low relief, by painting, by printing, or by perforations in the solid material. 
   The accentuating marks S are advantageously representative of an intact state of the closure and hence of a sealed state of the bottle. 
   Breakable means  40  of engagement between the sleeve  35  and the tubular extension  39  are advantageously provided in the closure  1  according to the invention. In particular, the breakable engagement means  40  comprise a ring  41  of axis X—X, coaxial with the sleeve  35  and associated therewith by means of a line of weakening  42 . The line of weakening  42  takes the form of six equiangularly spaced breakable bridges  43  extending between the ring  41  and the end  38  of the sleeve. 
   It should be noted that, between the outer body  12  of the pourer  10  and the tubular extension  39 , there is a short space E through which the ring  41  is inserted by force so as to occupy a recess  44  formed in the tubular extension  39  and delimited by a shoulder  45 . 
   The shoulder  28  and the shoulder  45  are substantially at the same level and the space E is also at the same level, with the breakable bridges  43  extending across it. 
   To favour the forced insertion of the ring  41  in the recess  44  through the space E, lead-in chamfers, indicated  46  and  47 , respectively are provided in the ring  41  and in the outer body  12 . 
   When the closure  1  is unscrewed for the first time, the cap  30  moves upwards away from the pourer body  10 . As soon as contact takes place between the shoulder  45  and the ring  41 , there is an increase in the unscrewing effort which is perceived by the user as a security element. As the unscrewing effort continues, the line of weakening  42  breaks and the cap  30  can be removed. As soon as the cap  30  is removed, the hoop effect of the tubular extension  39  on the sleeve is lost and the two half-sleeves separate and fall to the ground. 
   If the cap  30  is screwed on again in an attempt re-establish the intact state of the bottle, the absence of the sleeve remains apparent and extremely obvious and the fact that unauthorized opening has taken place is sure to be noticed by the purchaser so that the attempt fails. 
   In other words, in operation, when the bottle is opened for the first time, the sleeve is released as a result of the unscrewing and removal of the cap so that the two half-sleeves fall to the ground and are lost. Subsequent reclosure of the cap leaves an obvious great difference between the opened bottle and intact bottles which have never been opened, precisely owing to the absence of the sleeve. 
   The main advantage of the closure according to the present invention lies in the unusual difference between the intact condition and the wrongfully or fraudulently opened condition of the bottle. 
   A further advantage of the closure according to the present invention is that it is comfortable during the opening operation. There is in fact a progression from an initial small effort to a greater effort which indicates that a security element has been overcome and, finally, a return to a small effort to complete the unscrewing. 
   A further advantage of the closure according to the present invention lies in the fact that the sleeve in at least two portions, which is visible from the exterior, can be formed by aesthetically pleasing elements so as to show off to further advantage the liquor bottle for which the closure is intended. 
   Finally, a further advantage of the closure according to the present invention is that it is structurally simple and can therefore be produced on a large or very large scale. 
   Naturally, in order to satisfy contingent and specific requirements, an expert in the art may apply to the above-described embodiment of the closure, many modifications and variations all of which, however, are included within the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.