Patent Publication Number: US-2004045927-A1

Title: Closure cap with tear strip for bottles

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to the closure cap of bottles, in particular of sparkling wines, such as champagne or others, and particularly a relative improvement in its means of opening.  
       [0002] The sparkling wines such as champagne are in bottles closed by stoppers often equipped with cages guaranteeing the behavior of the stopper and the closure of the bottle in case of accidental overpressure.  
       [0003] The top of the bottle, in this case, is protected by a cap which surrounds the stopper provided with a sound cage. The aforementioned cap covers, in addition, the highest part of the bottle. The aforementioned cap is formed mainly of a conical-shaped skirt and generally composed of aluminum foil which is formed around the top of the bottle. The opening of the cap thus properly frees the cage to allow its removal with the stopper.  
       [0004] There are already easy-open caps. Some comprise a detachment strip called “tircell” or pull strip and others comprise a simple opening band edged by two frangible lines.  
       [0005] The existing caps, even if they are already perfected, present a certain number of disadvantages on the level of ease of use. Generally at the time of opening, folds or inopportune tears occur due to folds in the foil or relatively weak thin foil.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The invention proposes to solve these disadvantages, yet is simple, reliable, and easy to implement.  
       [0007] Another advantage is that it allows the user to remove and to detach the upper part while the base portion of the aforementioned cap remains on the bottle, and more particularly covers up the part of the collar of the bottle situated below the cage, even the glass ring which preserves the maximum of ascetic aspect of the cap, while allowing the removal of the cage.  
       [0008] Thus, according to the invention, the easy-open cap for a bottle, in particular of sparkling wines, of the type including a peripheral conical skirt, including, in the upper part, an opening band edged by two frangible lines, and is characterized by the opening band including a tircell detachment strip located between the two frangible lines.  
       [0009] According to a complementary characteristic, the pull strip is at least the length of the periphery of the bottle, and its length is longer than the length of the opening band. In this manner, its end extends beyond the opening band, to make a gripping portion for the user who, by traction and peripheral displacement, uses it to remove the opening band thanks to the frangible lines.  
       [0010] According to another characteristic, the two frangible lines are parallel and appreciably extend horizontally, while the tircell detachment strip is sensibly situated equidistance from each frangible line.  
       [0011] According to the preferred embodiment, the tircell pull strip extends horizontally and the lower frangible line is situated under the glass ring, while the upper frangible line is located above the top of the neck of the bottle.  
       [0012] The other characteristics and advantages of the invention are shown in the descriptions and drawings which follow. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0013] The invention may take form in various components and arrangement of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only given as nonrestrictive examples for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.  
     [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.  
     [0015]FIG. 2 shows in perspective the top of the bottle with the cap being opened.  
     [0016]FIG. 3 shows an external lateral view of the cap with its opening system.  
     [0017]FIG. 4 shows the peripheral part, known as the skirt, of the cap laid flat before being formed around the bottle.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0018] The invention relates to an easy-opening cap ( 1 ) for sparkling wine bottles ( 3 ). The cap ( 1 ) is produced, in a known way, from a more or less thin deformable sheet such as an aluminum sheet, a plastic sheet, or a compellation metal-plastic based on aluminum, i.e., a double-layered sheet or even a multi-layered including these two materials. Of course the cap ( 1 ) in the invention can be made in any type of material.  
     [0019] As in the prior art, the cap ( 1 ) for a bottle of sparkling or other wine, is made up of two parts, known as the head ( 8 ) and the skirt ( 4 ).  
     [0020] The head ( 8 ) has the shape of a round dome covering the top of the stopper ( 5 ), while the skirt ( 4 ) has a revolving conical form including a lower part ( 4   a ) which extends under a glass ring or rib ( 7 ) on the neck of the bottle ( 25 ), and an upper part ( 4   b ) covers the zone located above the lower edge of the glass ring.  
     [0021] The upper part ( 4   b ), includes an easy means of opening making it possible to not damage the low part ( 4   a ) of the skirt ( 4 ) of the cap ( 1 ) which is meant to remain on the bottle ( 3 ) in concern for the ascetic, while the opening of the upper part ( 4   b ) to allow access to and removal of the stopper ( 5 ) along with the cage ( 6 ).  
     [0022] According to the invention, the skirt ( 4 ) of the cap includes an opening band ( 2 ) including a part detached from the rest of cap ( 1 ) of height (H). The height (H) is determined by the distance between the bottom of the glass ring ( 7 ) and a top ( 10 ) of the bottle.  
     [0023] The opening band ( 2 ) is edged by two frangible lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) placed on the cap ( 1 ), and more precisely on the skirt, and more notably on the upper part ( 4   b ). An upper frangible line ( 22   a ) and a lower frangible line ( 22   b ) are produced, for example, by fine cuts, or by a thinning of the material, or another way. These two frangible lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) constitute the zone of detachment and run along the totality of the periphery of the cap ( 1 ), except if one desires one or more pieces to remain attached to the rest of the upper ( 4   b ) or lower ( 4   a ) part of the cap ( 1 ).  
     [0024] According to the preferred embodiment, the aforementioned frangible lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) can be stopped before going all the way around the cap ( 1 ) so that all the parts of the cap ( 1 ) stay attached by a more or less broad band.  
     [0025] According to the preferred embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the two frangible lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) lie horizontally on the totality of the periphery of the skirt ( 4 ) of the cap ( 1 ), and are parallel to each other. One could, also, imagine that the two lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) were not parallel. Also, they could be parallel but lie on a skew, so as to say not horizontally.  
     [0026] It will be added that the two frangible lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) according to the preferred embodiment, extend horizontally, in a rectilinear way. But, it could be made a different way then the preferred embodiment, not shown, according to which the aforementioned frangible lines would not be rectilinear but, for example, wavy, “zigzagged” or others, in order to give the edge a particular ascetic or original form, or to give them a particular removal characteristic.  
     [0027] According to the invention, the opening band ( 2 ) includes a detachment strip or reinforced pull strip, called a “tircell” ( 21 ), including a thin ribbon of a width at least as small as the height of the opening strip, which is made of a material resistant to tears such as metal or plastic, or another substance. The material of the opening band is chosen in order to be sufficiently resistant, but not too resistant compared to the material used for the pull strip, and because of this the pull strip is best placed between the two frangible lines.  
     [0028] The pull strip is interdependent of the interior surface ( 24 ) of the cap ( 1 ) and thus lays between the peripheral exterior surface of the top of the bottle ( 3 ) and the skirt of the cap.  
     [0029] The pull strip is of a length (L) such that it at least extends the periphery of the bottle ( 3 ). The length of the pull strip is, according to the preferred embodiment, longer than the opening band ( 2 ). Thus, the end ( 23 ) of the pull strip extends beyond the opening band ( 2 ), which means that it projects, so that the projecting end ( 23 ) of the pull strip ( 21 ) constitutes a gripping portion ( 23 ) for the user. By traction and peripheral displacement of the pull strip ( 21 ) the opening band is also removed thanks to the frangible lines.  
     [0030] According to one embodiment of the invention, the pull strip ( 21 ) is of a smaller width (H2) than the width (H1) of the opening band ( 2 ) and is advantageously positioned equidistant from the frangible lines.  
     [0031] According to another embodiment of the invention, the opening band ( 2 ) edged by the frangible lines ( 22   a ,  22   b ) includes at its end, accessible by the user, a pre-cut line ( 26 ) forms curves in the proximity of the gripping portion ( 23 ) of the extending end of the pull strip ( 21 ).  
     [0032] According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the pull strip ( 21 ) extends on the circumference from the cap ( 1 ), rectilinearly horizontal and parallel to the two frangible lines. But, of course, it could be made differently and extends in a different manner to transverse a more significant surface like, for example, in a zigzag or in waves, or at a skew, without leaving the scope of the invention.  
     [0033] Of course, the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described and shown in the title examples, but it includes also all the technical equivalents as well as their combinations.