CLOSURE DEVICE AND SEALED AND PRESSURISED PACKAGE INCLUDING SAME

Abstract: A closure device for a bottle (10) has a cap (20) with a top wall (22) and a surrounding skirt (24). The skirt (24) engages with a neck (12) of the bottle (10) in the manner of a crown-type closure. A non-return valve carried by the top wall (22) has a body (40) which is disposed mainly under the top wall (22) and which is spaced inwardly of the skirt (24). An inlet passage of the non-return valve extends through the top wall (22). An outlet of the valve is disposed under the top wall (22). A sealant (26), which is disposed on a lower surface of the top wall (22) between the body (40) of the non-return valve and the surrounding skirt (24), seals against a rim (16) around the neck (12) of the bottle (10) in use, the sealing means (26) being (24).

Description: CLOSURE DEVICE AND SEALED AND PRESSURISED PACKAGE INCLUDING SAME This invention relates to a closure device for a container and is more particularly concerned with a closure device for a bottle which, in use, contains a quantity of pressurised liquid which is to be frothed when the container is opened. More particularly, the invention relates to a closure device for a bottle containing a pressurised beverage such as a milk- containing beverage. The term "milk" is intended to include not only natural milk as such, but also cream and milk substitutes having a milky appearance, such as oil/water emulsions. The present invention also resides in a sealed and pressurised beverage package comprising a bottle and a beverage under pressure sealed in the bottle by the closure device. WO 96/33618 discloses a pressurised beverage container for a milk- containing beverage in which a gas such as nitrous oxide is dissolved. The gas is dissolved by injecting it into the milk-containing beverage before packaging the beverage in the container. However, this is not a particularly convenient method to use in situations where the liquid is only to occupy about half of the volume of the container so as to permit frothing to occur within the container when the latter is opened in use. WO 98/36671 discloses a sealed and pressurised container in which there milk or cream is stored. The container has a screw-type cap fitted with a non-return valve which permits gas to be introduced into the container but which seals the gas against escape from the container until the screw-type cap is unscrewed to permit the contents of the container to be dispensed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a closure device in a particularly convenient form which not only facilitates pressurising of the contents of a bottle but also facilitates opening of the latter. According to the present invention, there is provided a closure device for a bottle, comprising (i) a cap having a top wall and a surrounding skirt, the skirt being adapted to engage with a neck of the bottle in the manner of a crown-type closure; (ii) a non-return valve carried by the top wall, said non-return valve having (a) a body which is disposed mainly under the top wall and which is spaced inwardly of the skirt, (b) an inlet passage extending through the top wall, and (c) an outlet which is disposed under the top wall; and (iii) sealing means on a lower surface of the top wall for sealing against a rim around the neck of the bottle in use, the sealing means being disposed between the body of the non-return valve and the surrounding skirt. The terms "under", "upper" " lower" and "top" as used herein are to be interpreted in relation to the orientation of the closure device when in use on an upright bottle. The closure device is easy to remove since it can be used with any of the standard designs of bottle opener which are adapted to remove crown- type closures. The body of the non-return valve, being disposed mainly under the top wall of the cap, does not interfere with correct operation of such a standard bottle opener and is also less prone to damage during handling, storage and transportation of the package. Also according to the present invention, there is provided a sealed and pressurised package comprising a bottle, a liquid under pressure only partly filling the bottle, and a closure device according to the present invention removably engaged with a neck of the bottle in the manner of a crown-type closure. Preferably, the top wall of the cap has a recess in its upper surface, a flange supporting the body of the non-return valve is mounted in the recess, an aperture is provided through the top wall in the recess, and the inlet passage extends through the aperture and through the flange. Preferably also, a blanking plug is provided for closing the inlet passage, in use, after the closure device has been fitted to the bottle and the latter pressurised. Preferably, the flange constitutes the only part of the nonreturn valve which is disposed at the upper surface of the cap. In one series of embodiments, the flange is provided on a collar which extends through the aperture in the top wall and which is engaged with a retaining member engaging the lower surface of the top wall, the flange and the retaining member having aligned apertures therein in which the body of the non-return valve is sealingly mounted. In another series of embodiments, the top flange is integrally formed with the body of the non-return valve. In a preferred embodiment, the body of the non-return valve is formed of an elastomeric material with a passage therethrough closable by sealing lips integrally formed with the body, the sealing lips being resiliently biased into mutual sealing interengagement and being disposed under the top wall so that, in use, the internal pressure within the bottle acts on the lips to augment the sealing effect. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the non-return valve is of the duckbill type where the sealing lips are defined by curved wall regions of the body. Preferably, the body is designed to be a snap-fit in the top wall of the cap. Preferably also, the aperture in the top wall of the cap is defined by a plunged hole so that there is a downwardly directed lip extending around the aperture on the lower surface of the top wall. Preferably, the bottle is opaque. For example, it may be formed of a metal such as aluminium. The blanking plug is preferably the type which provides a tamper-evident closure to prevent tampering of the package after filling, closing and pressurising of the bottle. In the package, the liquid preferably occupies about one half of the volume of the bottle so that there is ample room within the bottle to allow frothing of the liquid to take place when the pressure is released upon removal of the cap, without unwanted overflowing of the contents of the bottle prior to pouring. In this way, when pouring takes place, a liquid which has been at least partly pre-frothed is dispensed from the container. This facilitates pouring of the liquid into a glass or other receptacle without unwanted overflowing of the frothed liquid in the glass or other receptacle as a result of substantial further frothing. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is an axial section through the top of a sealed beverage container according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a similar view of a second embodiment of beverage container according to the present invention, Fig. 3 is an axial section through the central part of a further closure device according to the present invention, Fig. 4 is an axial section taken at right angles to that of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is an axial section similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing a tamper- evident blanking plug in position. Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the beverage package is for packaging a quantity of a relatively viscous alcoholic beverage containing cream, for example a whiskey-based cream liqueur sold under the Registered Trade Mark BAILEYS. This beverage is not illustrated in Fig. 1 which only shows the upper portion of a bottle 10 adjacent a neck 12 thereof. The beverage only fills about 50% of the volume of the bottle 10. In this embodiment, the bottle 10 is formed of aluminium and the neck 12 has a pouring outlet 14 with a surrounding lip 16 formed by an appropriately shaped extension to the wall of the neck 12. The lip 16 is of a size and shape such that it can be closed and sealed by a standard crown-type closure. However, in accordance with the present invention, instead of using a completely standard crown-type closure, a closure device 18 is employed in accordance with the present invention. The closure device 18 comprises a metal cap 20 having a top wall 22 and a surrounding skirt 24. The cap 20 is adapted to engage with the neck 12 of the bottle 10 in the manner of a crown-type closure. In this respect, the skirt 24 is provided crimps or corrugations therein in a manner well known for crown-type closures, the crimps or corrugations being spaced apart around the skirt 24. The skirt 24 has a lower edge region which is outwardly flared, again in a manner known per se in crown-type closures, to enable engagement by any one of the many types of per se known openers for crown-type closures. The lower surface of the top wall and part of the internal surface of the skirt 24 are provided with an adherent ring of sealant 26 for sealing against the lip 16. The cap 20 has a central circular recess 28 therein defined by a depressed region of the top wall 22. A central circular aperture 30 is provided in the base of the recess 28. The closure device further comprises a collar 32 which extends through the aperture 30 and which is provided with a surrounding flange 34 disposed within the recess 28. The portion of the collar 32 which extends downwardly through the aperture 30 is sealed to an annular retaining member 36 which abuts against the lower surface of the top wall 22 opposite the recess 28. The collar 32 and annular retaining member 36 together define a cylindrical cavity 38 in which a hollow body 40 of a non-return valve is mounted so that the body 40 is disposed totally under the upper surface of the top wall 22 of the cap 20. The hollow body 40 of the non-return valve contains a non-return mechanism, eg a spring loaded ball engageable against a seat (not shown), disposed so as to permit gas to be introduced into the bottle 10, but to prevent flow of gas through the non-return valve out of the bottle when the closure device is sealed with the bottle 10. The non-return valve has an inlet passage at its upper end and an outlet at its lower end disposed on opposite sides of the non-return mechanism within the body 40. The inlet passage and the outlet are defined by the cylindrical cavity 38 in which the body 40 is mounted. A blanking plug (not shown) may be provided in the cavity 38 above the non-return valve body 40. Such blanking plug is installed after the bottle has been pressurised through the non-return valve body 40 to prevent any unauthorised material from being introduced into the bottle. If desired, the blanking plug may be of the tamper-evident type which makes it visually apparent if an attempt has been made to remove the blanking plug. For example, the blanking plug may be secured in place in the cavity 38 by a strong adhesive such that attempted removal of the plug results in visually apparent damage to the plug and/or to the flange 34. In use, the beverage to be packaged is introduced into the bottle 10 with the closure device described above unfitted so that the beverage fills approximately half of the bottle 10, leaving a large head space. Then, the closure device is applied to the bottle 10 and sealed in place in a manner well known per se in the art for crown-type closures. Then, nitrous oxide is introduced into the closed bottle 10 through the non-return valve 40 using a gasser/shaker arrangement of a type similar to that known per se to ensure rapid dissolution of gas into liquid. If desired, the beverage may be cooled to enhance dissolution of gas. The non-return valve 40 serves to maintain the pressure within the bottle 10. Finally, the blanking plug (not shown) is applied to discourage unauthorised tampering of the bottle via the one-way valve 40 subsequent to sealing and pressurising. When it is desired to open the package, any of the usual types of bottle openers can be used which are designed to open crown-type closures can be employed. Such openers are engageable under the skirt 24 to deform the latter in one region so as to enable the cap to be removed. Upon unsealing of the cap, the pressure is released and this causes the beverage within the bottle 10 to foam and expand within the bottle 10. Thus, a frothy beverage having a pleasing appearance can be dispensed from the bottle into a suitable glass or other receptacle for consumption. The opening experience is enhanced by having the bottle 10 formed of an opaque material so that the frothing action which takes place within the bottle cannot be seen. Since frothing takes place to a large extent within the bottle, dispensing into a glass or other receptacle without risk of overflow of beverage from the latter is facilitated. However, further release of gas from the beverage can and does take place within the glass or other receptacle so as to maintain the frothy appearance. The viscosity of the beverage can be adjusted so that the frothy appearance can be maintained for an extended period of time over which the beverage can be consumed. Referring now to Fig. 2, the beverage package illustrated therein is similar to that of Fig. 1 and similar parts are accorded the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, recess 28 is rather deeper than that in the closure device of Fig. 1 so that the upper end of collar 32 is spaced below the upper surface of top wall 22 by an amount which is sufficient to allow blanking plug 50 to be accommodated wholly within recess 28. Collar 32 projects a substantial distance below the base of recess 28 and terminates at its lower end flush with the lower end of retaining member 36. O-ring seals 52 and 54 provide sealing between the base of the recess 28 and the flange 34 and the retaining member 36, respectively. The collar 32 defines the whole of the cavity 38 in which the non-return valve 40 is provided. The blanking plug 50, when fitted, has a lower end which is non-detachably secured to flange 34 whereby removal of the blanking plug 50 is made sufficiently difficult that visually evident damage to the blanking plug 50 will take place in the event that an unauthorised attempt is made to remove it. The closure device of Fig. 2 operates in the same way as that described above with reference to Fig. 1. Referring now to Fig. 3 of the drawings, the closure device operates in a similar way to those of Figs. 1 and 2 and similar parts are accorded the same reference numerals. However, in this embodiment, non-return valve 40 is mounted directly on and is sealed with the cap 20. The body 40 is integrally moulded with flange 34 which lies partly within recess 28. However, it will be seen that the working part of the valve 40 is disposed at the underside of top wall 22. In Fig. 3, annular seal 26 is present but is not illustrated. Body 40 is moulded out of an elastomeric material and has an internal hollow 62 which extends from a recess 34a in the upper surface of the flange 34 to the lower end of the body 40. The body 40 is moulded with flexible lips 70 in the form of a pair of mutually opposed, relatively thin side walls which engage one another at the lower end of the body 40 to form a linear seal at the lower ends of the lips 70. Thus, a normally closed slit is defined between the lips 70 at the lower end of the body 40 as a result of the moulding operation and there is therefore no need to form the slit by a separate cutting operation after moulding of the body 40. Above the lower end of the body 40, and as viewed in Fig. 3, the lips 70 extend heightwise upwardly and curve outwardly away from one another before merging with the remainder of the body 40. Opposite ends of the lips 70 are closed by end walls 72 moulded integrally with the body 40. This arrangement defines a so-called "duckbill" type of non-return valve. In use, when the closure device of Figs. 3 and 4 is secured to the neck of the bottle after the latter has been partly filled with liquid, pressurisation takes place with blanking plug 50 not fitted at this stage. Filling can take place by pressing a flanged filling tube (not shown) against the base of the recess 34a in the flange 34 so as to effect a seal between the tube and the body 40, and then introducing a gas such as nitrous oxide under pressure through the tube so that the gas pressure causes the lower ends of the lips 70 to become separated and permit flow of the gas into the bottle until the desired internal pressure is achieved. When flow of gas is stopped and the filling tube removed, the super-atmospheric pressure within the bottle causes the lips 70 to be urged together over an area which depends upon the internal pressure within the bottle 10. Indeed, the flexible nature of the lips 70 is such that they can abut over the majority of the curved surface area of the lips 70 so as to provide an effective seal against passage of pressurised gas out of the bottle through the non-return valve. The blanking plug 50 is then pressed into place so that an enlarged lower end 50a thereof snap engages within an enlarged region 62a of hollow 62. In this condition, a flange 50b of the blanking plug 50 is disposed wholly within the recess 34a in the flange 34. It will therefore be understood that removal of the blanking plug 50 without causing visual damage either to it and/or to the body 40 is difficult. However, engagement of the blanking plug 50 in the body 40 is facilitated because the lower end of enlarged region 50a is tapered and the upper end of the hollow 62 is outwardly flared to provide a convenient lead-in for the enlarged region 50a. The blanking plug 50 is of extended length to provide additional security against needle tampering.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A closure device for a bottle (10), comprising (i) a cap (20) having a top wall (22) and a surrounding skirt (24), the skirt (24) being adapted to engage with a neck (12) of the bottle (10) in the manner of a crown-type closure; (ii) a non-return valve carried by the top wall (22), said non-return valve having (a) a body (40) which is disposed mainly under the top wall (22) and which is spaced inwardly of the skirt (24), (b) an inlet passage extending through the top wall (22), and (c) an outlet which is disposed under the top wall (22); and (iii) sealing means (26) on a lower surface of the top wall (22) for sealing against a rim (16) around the neck (12) of the bottle (10) in use, the sealing means (26) being disposed between the body (40) of the non-return valve and the surrounding skirt (24). 2. A closure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top wall (22) of the cap (20) has a recess (28) in its upper surface, a flange (34) supporting the body (40) of the non-return valve is mounted in the recess (28), an aperture (30) is provided through the top wall (22) in the recess (28), and the inlet passage extends through the aperture and through the flange (34). 3. A closure device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the flange (34) constitutes the only part of the non-return valve which is disposed at the upper surface of the cap (20). 4. A closure device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the flange (34) is provided on a collar (32) which extends through the aperture (30) in the top wall (22) and which is engaged with a retaining member (36) engaging the lower surface of the top wall (22), the flange (34) and the retaining member (36) having aligned apertures therein in which the body of the non-return valve is sealingly mounted. 5. A closure device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the top flange (34) is integrally formed with the body (40) of the non-return valve. 6. A closure device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a blanking plug (50) is provided for closing the inlet passage, in use, after the closure device has been fitted to the bottle (10) and the latter pressurised. 7. A closure device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the blanking plug (50) is arranged to provide a tamper-evident closure 8. A closure device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the non-return valve is formed of an elastomeric material with a passage therethrough closable by sealing lips (70) integrally formed with the body (40), the sealing lips (70) being resiliently biased into mutual sealing interengagement and being disposed under the top wall (22) so that, in use, the internal pressure within the bottle (10) acts on the lips (70) to augment the sealing effect. 9. A closure device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the non-return valve is of the duckbill type where the sealing lips (70) are defined by curved wall regions of the body (40). 10. A closure device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body 40 of the non-return valve is designed to be a snap-fit in the top wall (22) of the cap. 1 1. A closure device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the aperture in the top wall (22) of the cap is defined by a plunged hole so that there is a downwardly directed lip extending around the aperture on the lower surface of the top wall (22). 12. A sealed and pressurised package comprising a bottle (10), a liquid under pressure only partly filling the bottle (10), and a closure device as claimed in any preceding claim removably engaged with a neck (12) of the bottle (10) in the manner of a crown-type closure. 13. A package as claimed in claim 12, wherein the bottle (10) is opaque. 14. A package as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the liquid occupies about one half of the volume of the bottle (10).

Inventors: SILLINCE MARK ERICH, SMITH PAUL CLIFFORD, SILLINCE, MARK, ERICH, SMITH, PAUL, CLIFFORD
Applicants: SILLINCE MARK ERICH, SMITH PAUL CLIFFORD, UNITED DISTILLERS & VINTNERS H, SILLINCE, MARK, ERICH, SMITH, PAUL, CLIFFORD, UNITED DISTILLERS & VINTNERS (HP) LIMITED
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65D79
IPC codes: B65D51, B65D79, B65D85