Annular lock

• US 5,813,554 A
• Filed: 09/13/1996
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diseno Industrial MAGO SL
• Original Assignee: Diseno Industrial MAGO SL
• Inventors: Marangoni Graziani, Antonio, Gomez Cao, Jose Luis
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascua, Jes F.
• Application Number:
  US08/713,802
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 215/274, 215/273, 215/277, 215/276, 215/253, 215/364, 220/254, 220/319
• US Class Current: 215/274
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/58 Caps or cap-like covers combined with stoppers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 45/322 the clamping device being an annular member moved axially to clamp the closure by using radial pressure B65D55/0863, B65D55/0872 take precedence

Abstract

An annular lock stopper for closing an aperture of a bottle having a neck with an inner wall, an upper edge which delimits the aperture, and an outer recess situated below the upper edge on an outer wall. The annular lock stopper includes a stopper part and a ring part. The stopper part includes a central stem for insertion into the neck of the bottle, an upper part, fixed to the central stem, and an outer part, depending from the upper part and arranged to embrace the outer surface of the neck of the bottle when the stopper part is in the inserted position, the outer part having a lower end portion comprising a widening arranged to fit into the outer recess of the neck of the bottle when the stopper part is in the inserted position. The ring part is attached to the stopper part by frangible connection disposed between a lower portion of the ring part and an upper portion of the stopper part, the ring part having an inner diameter such that, once the stopper part is in the inserted position and once the frangible connection means is broken, the ring part is displaceable in a first direction to a closed position in which the ring part surrounds and embraces the outer part of the stopper part.

Claims

1. An annular lock stopper for closing an aperture of a bottle having a neck with an inner wall, an upper edge which delimits the aperture, and an outer recess (8) situated below said upper edge on an outer wall, the annular lock stopper comprising:

a stopper part comprising;

a central stem (4) for insertion into the neck of the bottle, said central stem having an outer wall with sealing rings (3) for providing sealing between the outer wall and the inner wall of the neck of the bottle;

an upper part, fixed to said central stem (4), said upper part including a cap part (9) comprising an abutment surface for abutting against the upper edge of the bottle when said stopper part is in an inserted position in which said central stem (4) is disposed inside the neck of the bottle; and

an outer part, depending from said upper part and arranged to embrace the outer surface of the neck of the bottle when said stopper part is in the inserted position, said outer part having a lower end portion comprising a widening arranged to fit into the outer recess (8) of the neck of the bottle when said stopper part is in said inserted position; and

a ring part (6) attached to said stopper part by frangible connection means (7) disposed between a lower portion of said ring part and an upper portion of said stopper part, said ring part having an inner diameter such that, once said stopper part is in the inserted position and once said frangible connection means is broken, said ring part is displaceable in a first direction to a closed position in which said ring part surrounds and embraces the outer part of said stopper part, said ring part having a lower inner flange (2) disposed below the lower end portion of said outer part of said stopper part in the closed position, in order to block said ring part so as to prevent accidental displacement of said ring part from the closed position.

2. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein the outer part of said stopper part comprises a plurality of flaps.

3. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein the outer part of said stopper part defines a sleeve having a height of approximately 1 cm.

4. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein said central stem (4) has a length of at least one centimeter.

5. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein said stopper part, said ring part and said frangible connection means are formed from a plastic material in an injection mold into a single unitary piece.

6. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein said ring part is hollow.

7. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein said ring part further comprises an upper inner flange in order to additionally secure said ring part to an upper end portion of said outer part in the closed position.

8. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein said ring part further comprises an upper outer flange (5) in order to facilitate displacement of said ring part in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, from the closed position to an opened position.

9. The annular lock stopper according to claim 1 wherein the outer part of said stopper part has a substantially vertical outer surface.

10. The annular lock stopper according to any of the preceding claims further comprising an over-stopper, wherein said central stem is hollow and wherein the upper part of said stopper part comprises a threaded portion (11) onto which said over-stopper can be applied.