Abstract:
An aluminum bottle outsert including a generally truncated cone-shaped inner surface configured to be received and supported by an upper neck portion of an aluminum bottle and an outer surface having diametrically opposed first and second indents adapted to operably receive prong end portions of a swing cap assembly.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/317,762 of Evan Watkins, Scott Coors and Michael Atkinson entitled OUTSERT FOR SWING CAP ASSEMBLY, filed on Apr. 4, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that it discloses. 
       RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0002]    The present application is related to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/317,771 of Evan Watkins, Scott Coors and Michael Atkinson entitled OUTSERT FOR ALUMINUM WINE BOTTLE, Attorney Docket No. ALECO US-2PRV, filed on Apr. 4, 2016. The present application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/478,035 of Evan Watkins, Scott Coors and Michael Atkinson, entitled OUTSERT FOR ALUMINUM WINE BOTTLE, Attorney Docket No. ALECO US-2CVL, filed on the same date as the present application, and which is a non-provisonal application claiming the benefit of said U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/317,771. Both US patent applications referenced in this paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Glass bottles with swing cap closure assemblies, such as made popular by Grolsch Brewery of the Netherlands, have been in use for decades. Such a swing cap assembly has a pivot structure formed by two wire members. The cap member has an associated gasket that is adapted to seal the bottle opening. The glass bottle may be placed in an open state or a closed state by operation of the pivot structure. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    An aluminum bottle outsert has a generally truncated cone-shaped inner surface configured to be received and supported by an upper neck portion of an aluminum bottle. The outsert has an outer surface with diametrically opposed first and second indents adapted to operably receive prong end portions of a swing cap assembly. 
         [0005]    A beverage bottle assembly includes an aluminum bottle having a neck with an outsert mounting region. The outsert mounting region includes a constant diameter neck portion; a rolled larger diameter neck portion integrally formed with the constant diameter neck portion at an upper end of the constant diameter neck portion; and an outwardly flared neck portion positioned below the constant diameter neck portion. The beverage bottle assembly also includes a bottle outsert. The outsert is mounted below the rolled larger diameter neck portion and engages at least the rolled larger diameter neck portion and the outwardly flared neck portion. The outsert has an outer surface with diametrically opposed first and second indents therein that are adapted to pivotally receive prong end portions of a swing cap assembly. 
         [0006]    A method of making a beverage container with a swing top closure includes fixedly mounting an outsert on a neck portion of a metal bottle. The method also includes mounting a swing cap assembly on the outsert. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  Is a side elevation view of an aluminum bottle with an outsert and a swing cap assembly in a closed operating position. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the aluminum bottle and outsert of  FIG. 1  with the swing cap assembly in a first open operating position. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the bottle outsert and the swing cap assembly of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the swing cap assembly in a second open operating position. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an isometric top view of the bottle outsert shown in  FIG. 1-3 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an isometric bottom view of the bottle outsert of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of the bottle outsert of  FIGS. 1-5 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a detail cross sectional view of the bottle outsert of  FIG. 1 -6 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an aluminum bottle with an outsert positioned thereon prior to end-roll (“curl”) formation. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the aluminum bottle and outsert shown in  FIG. 8  after end-roll formation. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  Is a side elevation view of an aluminum bottle  10  with an outsert  40  mounted thereon. The outsert  40  may be constructed from a high strength plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (“PTB”), or other relatively high strength material such as ceramics. The outsert  40  has a swing cap assembly  60  pivotally attached to it. The aluminum bottle  10  has a constant diameter barrel portion  12 , a varying diameter shoulder portion  14  and a varying diameter neck portion  16 . The neck portion  16  has an outset mounting region at its upper end as further described below. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the aluminum bottle  10  and swing cap assembly  60  of  FIG. 1 , with the swing cap assembly  60  in a first open operating position.  FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the aluminum bottle  10  and swing cap assembly  60  of  FIG. 2  with the swing cap assembly  60  in a second open operating position. As shown by  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 , the swing cap assembly  60  includes a cap member  62 , which may be constructed from plastic, glass, ceramic or other material. In one example embodiment, the cap member is construted from polypropylene homopolymer. The cap member  62  has a hole  63  extending laterally therethrough adapted to receive a corresponding portion of the swing cap assembly  60 . 
         [0018]    The swing cap assembly  60  also includes a pivot assembly  66 , which may be formed from first and second wire members  70 ,  80 . The first wire member  70  has a central body portion  72  that extends through a hole  63  in the cap member  62 . The first wire member  70  also includes arm portions  74 ,  76  that terminate in inwardly projecting prong portions  75 ,  77 . 
         [0019]    The second wire member  80  has a central arcuate portion  82  that is integrally connected at either end to loop portions  84 ,  86 . The loop portions  84 ,  86  are in turn connected to arm portions  88 ,  90  that terminate in inwardly projecting prong portions  92 ,  94 . The prong portions  92 ,  94  extend into indents  48  on opposite sides of the outsert  40 . The indents  48  may extend partially through or entirely through the wall of the outsert  40 . 
         [0020]    A flexible sealing member/gasket  64  is mounted on a bottom portion of the cap  62  and is adapted to make sealing contact with the curled end portion of the bottle  10  and the top edge  42  of the outsert  40 . The flexible sealing member  64  in one example embodiment is constructed from thermoplastic vulcanizate. The swing cap assembly  60  is hand displaceable from the closed operating position shown in  FIG. 1  to the first or initial open operating position shown in  FIG. 2 , and then to the second or fully open operating position shown in  FIG. 3 . The swing cap assembly may be closed by swinging the cap member  62  back above the bottle opening and pushing down on the arcuate portion  82  of the second wire member  80 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is an isometric top view of the bottle outsert  40  shown in  FIG. 1-3 ;  FIG. 5  is an isometric bottom view thereof; and  FIG. 6  is a side elevation view thereof. As best shown in  FIGS. 4-6 , the bottle outsert  40  is a tubular member having a generally truncated cone-shape. The outsert  40  has a sidewall  46  with an inner surface  41  and an outer surface  43  connected by an annular top edge surface  42  and an annular bottom edge surface  44 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a detail cross-sectional elevation view of the bottle outsert of  FIGS. 1 -6 . The top edge surface  42  on the outsert  40  includes an annular inner rounded nose portion  47  and an annular outer ledge portion  49 . The top edge surface  42  is adapted to have a top annular portion of the aluminum bottle plasticly deformed over it, forming a top curl portion of the bottle  10  as further described below. In this example embodiment the rounded nose portion  47  has a radius “a” of 0.020 in, the ledge portion  49  has a radius “b” of 0.005 in. The outer diameter “c” of the top edge surface  42  is 0.987 in and the inner diameter “d” is 0.868 in. The overall axial length of the outsert  60  “e” is 1.101 in. 
         [0023]    The outsert inner wall  51  has an upper axial portion  53  with a vertical inner wall parallel to the central axis AA of the outsert  40 . In this embodiment the outsert axial portion  53  has an a axial length “f” of 0.350 in. The outsert inner wall  51  has an outwardly flairing second axial portion  54  extending form the upper axial portion for an axial distance “g” of about 0.696 in. Another substantially vertical inner wall portion  55  extends axially downwardly from second wall portion  54  and may have a maximum diameter “h” of 1.024 in. Inner wall portion  55  is located at the same axial position as indents  48 . 
         [0024]    Another curved, outwardly flared inner wall portion  56  extends from wall portion  55  and has a radius of curvature “i” of 0.250 in. The annular bottom edge surface  44  has an an outer diameter “j” of 1.235 in. Dimensions for one example outsert are provided in this paragraph. Outserts having other dimensions may also be used depending upon the geometry of the associated bottle  10 . The inner surface of the outsert engages and co-acts with the outer surface of the bottle neck portion to maintain the outsert at a fixed axial position relative the bottle neck portion. 
         [0025]      FIG. 8  is a detailed cross-sectional view of an upper portion of bottle  10 , according to one example embodiment. The bottle  10  comprises a barrel portion  12 , a varying diameter shoulder portion  14 , and a varying diameter neck portion  16 . An upper part of the neck portion  14  includes an outsert mounting region  20  and an upper axial end portion  17  that is positioned immediately above the outsert mounting region  20 . In one embodiment, the neck upper axial end portion  17 , which extends above the outsert  40  when the outsert  40  is initially mounted on the bottle, has an axial length of about 0.115 in. 
         [0026]    The outsert mounting region  20  comprises a geometric configuration conforming generally to the inner wall surface  53  of the outsert  60 , as described for one specific embodiment with reference to  FIG. 7 . For example, the outsert mounting region  20  may have an overall axial length of about 1.1 in. The mounting region  20  may comprise a generally vertical annular wall region  22  having a diameter of about 0.9 in. The mounting region  20  may also have an outwardly flairing region  24  having diameters slightly larger than the diameters of corresponding inner surfaces  54 ,  55 , and  56  of the insert  60 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the aluminum bottle  10  with an outsert  40  fixedly mounted thereon. The outsert  40  is attached to the bottle neck portion  16  in the mounting region  20  thereof. The bottle axially extending top end portion  17 , which is positioned directly above the mounting region  20  in  FIG. 8 , has, in  FIG. 9 , been rolled over the top edge portion  42  of the outsert  60  to form a curl portion  18 . More specifically, the curl portion  18  curls over the rounded nose portion  47  and terminates at the ledge portion  49 . The curl portion  18  and edge portion  49  form a smooth seam at the top edge of the outsert that defines the bottle opening  19 . The curl portion  18  may be formed, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,139,324 of Watkins et al. for METAL BOTTLE TYPE CONTAINER WITH INSERT/OUTSERT AND RELATED METHODOLOGY, issued Sep. 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that it discloses. 
         [0028]    The curl portion  18  prevents the the outsert  40  from moving upwardly and forms the surface against which the swing cap assembly  40  acts to seal the bottle opening  19 . The inner surface  41  of the outsert  40  engages the outer surface of the bottle&#39;s outsert mounting region  20 , described above with reference to  FIG. 8 . The engagement of the outsert inner surface  41  with the bottle exterior surface in the outsert mounting region  20 , prevents the outsert  40  from moving downwardly on the bottle neck  16  beyond the position shown in  FIG. 9 . Thus, the outsert is effectively captured between the bottle curled portion  18  and the outer surface of the bottle  10  in the outsert mounting region  20 . 
         [0029]    Embodiments of an aluminum bottle assembly, including an outsert and a swing top capping assembly, and various components thereof and related methodologies are described in detail herein. Alternative embodiments of the aluminum bottle assembly and its components and related methodologies will occur to those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure. It is intended that the language of the appended claims be construed broadly to cover all such alternative embodiments, except to the extent limited by the prior art.