Bottle stopper

Abstract

This invention relates to a bushing made of ABS, PE, PP, or TPE combined with a stopper made of PMMA. The stopper consists of a neck connecting a disc and a head. A shoulder exists between the neck and the head. The bushing has an outer shell with a closure on one side that encloses a semi-open internal space. An opening on the other side of the shell provides access to this internal space. The bushing also includes a structural reinforcement forming the outer surface of the outer shell and a ring of hooks forming the inner surface of the outer shell. When the bushing is attached to the stopper, the hooks engage the shoulder, a portion of the outer shell is supported in a conical shape by the head, and the remainder of the outer shell surrounds the neck. When the stopper is inserted into a bottle neck, the structural reinforcement contacts the inside of the bottle, forming a first-line seal for noise reduction, shock absorption, and prevention of liquid spillage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sealing technique for a bottle, particularly a non-metallic bushing combined with a transparent stopper to seal one opening of the bottle. Prior Technology

[0002] As is well known, a bottle has an internal volume that receives a certain amount of liquid. The stopper seals the bottle opening to prevent the liquid from spilling out. The smaller the gap between the bottle opening and the stopper, the better the bottle's seal, the less odor is lost, and the more concentrated or rich the liquid can be preserved.

[0003] Bottle stoppers are generally made of wood, glass, or composite materials. Cork stoppers are a common type, but they are easily affected by temperature and humidity, resulting in poor storage conditions. Glass stoppers are more expensive to produce, and gaps can easily form at the bottle opening, allowing odors to escape, making them unsuitable for long-term liquid storage. Composite stoppers typically consist of a metal cap and a gasket. The metal cap locks the outside of the bottle opening, and the gasket is inserted inside the metal cap to seal any gaps around the bottle opening. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the inventor of this case uses a bushing made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), combined with a transparent bottle stopper made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, commonly known as plexiglass or acrylic) to seal the bottle opening and achieve the purpose and effect of improving the bottle's sealing performance.

[0005] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention combines a bushing made of ABS, PE, PP, or TPE with a stopper made of PMMA. The stopper includes: a disc with at least one side; a head that is conical with an expanding end and a contracting end; a neck extending from the expanding end to the center of the side, the neck connecting the disc to the head; and a shoulder between the neck and the expanding end. The bushing includes: a housing with an internal space; a closure that encloses the housing into a semi-open internal space; an opening serving as the entrance / exit to the internal space; a structural reinforcement forming the outer surface of the housing; and a hook forming the inner surface of the housing.

[0006] When the bushing is attached to the stopper, the hook engages with the shoulder, a portion of the outer shell is supported by the head into a conical shape, and the remainder of the outer shell surrounds the neck. When the stopper, together with the bushing, enters the neck of a bottle, the structural reinforcement contacts the inside of the bottle, forming the first line of defense for sound absorption, impact protection, and prevention of liquid leakage.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the structural reinforcement is a plurality of annular ribs arranged side by side.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the bushing further includes a gasket that extends from the outer surface of the housing and is adjacent to the opening. When the stopper, together with the bushing, enters the bottle neck, the side of the disc presses the gasket into close contact with the bottle portion around the bottle neck, forming a second sealing structure that provides noise reduction, impact protection, and further leak prevention.

[0009] To make the objectives, features and advantages of the present invention readily apparent, one or more preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0010] Figure 1: A drawing of the separate stopper and bushing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2: Shows the bottle opening being sealed by the bushing and stopper. Implementation

[0011] Next, embodiments of this case will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar structures or units. It is foreseeable that the described embodiments are only some examples of this case, and not all embodiments. Other embodiments derived from the described examples, or structures modified or varied as needed, are all within the scope of protection of this case.

[0012] In the following description, directional terms such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "inside," "outside," and "side" are used only for reference to the directions in the accompanying drawings. The use of directional terms is for the purpose of better and clearer description and understanding of this application, and does not imply that the described device or element must have a specific orientation, structure, or operation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the technical content of this application.

[0013] Unless specifically and explicitly stated otherwise, in the following description, "installed," "connected," "attached," or "on" should be interpreted broadly, including, for example, fixed connection, detachable connection, integral connection, mechanical connection, direct connection, indirect connection, or connection between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the meaning of these terms in various embodiments, and even in the specific context, based on ordinary knowledge or experience.

[0014] Unless otherwise stated, in the following description, "multiple" means two or more.

[0015] In Figure 1, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, with a separate bottle stopper 10 and a bushing 20.

[0016] In terms of material, the bottle stopper 10 is made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, commonly known as plexiglass or acrylic). The polymethyl methacrylate is a highly transparent thermoplastic polymer synthesized from repeating units of methyl methacrylate (MMA), so the bottle stopper 10 is translucent.

[0017] The bushing 20 is made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The plasticity of the thermoplastic elastomer gives the bushing 20 the environmental advantage of being recyclable and reusable. The elasticity of the thermoplastic elastomer enables the bushing 20 to have a tight-fitting seal.

[0018] In some embodiments, the bushing 20, made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyethylene (PE), or polypropylene (PP), also has a tight-fitting sealing property.

[0019] Structurally, the stopper 10 is a one-piece, translucent body, connected from a disc 11 via a neck 12 to a head 13. The disc 11 is at one end of the stopper 10 (also called the top), and has two circular sides (not labeled). The neck 12 protrudes from the center of one of these sides, and one diameter of the neck 12 is smaller than the diameter of the disc 11. The head 13 is at the other end of the stopper 10 (also called the bottom), and has an enlarged end 14 connected to the neck 12. Because the diameter of the enlarged end 14 is larger than the diameter of the neck 12, there is an annular shoulder 16 between the neck 12 and the enlarged end 14 (see Figure 2). A tapered end 15 of the head 13 is away from the neck 12, and the diameter of the tapered end 15 is smaller than the diameter of the enlarged end 14, causing the head 13 to gradually taper into a cone shape from the enlarged end 14 to the tapered end 15.

[0020] Next, we see that the bushing 20 has a shell 21, which has an opening 22 and a closure 23. The closure 23 is at one end of the bushing 20, sealing the interior of the shell 21 into a semi-open internal space. The opening 22 is at the other end of the bushing 20, serving as the sole entrance and exit to the internal space of the shell 21. A hook 26 is formed on the inner surface of the shell 21. In this embodiment, a structural reinforcement 25, such as multiple annular parallel ribs 27, is formed on the outer surface of the shell 21.

[0021] Secondly, the bushing 20 also has a gasket 24 that extends out of the outer surface of the housing 21 and is adjacent to the opening 22.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, during assembly, the reduced-diameter end 15 to the expanded-diameter end 14 enters the interior space of the housing 21 through the opening 22. The reduced-diameter end 15 abuts against the closure 23, causing the hook 26 to engage the shoulder 16. A portion of the housing 21 is tightly fitted against the outer surface of the head 13, which supports the housing 21 into a conical shape. Because the shoulder 16 blocks the hook 26, the bushing 20 does not easily detach from the stopper 10. At this time, the remaining portion of the housing 21 surrounds the neck 12, supporting the gasket 24 near the side of the disc 11.

[0023] In use, the outer casing 21 and the head 13 are conical, allowing the sealing portion 23 and the tapered end 15 to easily enter the neck 31 of a bottle 30. The deeper the stopper 10 enters the neck 31, the closer the expanded end 14 of the head 13 gets to the neck 31, causing the structural reinforcement 25 to rub against the inner side 32 of the bottle 30, generating a force. The first (or lower) rib 27 of the structural reinforcement 25 contacts the inner side 32, resulting in less friction on the bottle 30. As the inner side 32 of the bottle 30 contacts the second (or upper) rib 27, the friction of the structural reinforcement 25 gradually increases. Thus, the structural reinforcement 25 forms the first sealing structure for noise reduction, impact protection, and prevention of liquid leakage.

[0024] Additionally, a portion of the neck 12 enters the bottle opening 31, and the disc 11 presses the gasket 24 against the bottle opening 31 to ensure close contact with the bottle 30 portion surrounding the bottle opening 31. Thus, the gasket 24 seals the gap between the bottle opening 31 and the stopper 10, forming a second sealing structure that provides noise reduction, impact protection, and further leak prevention.

[0025] Without departing from the broad concept of this case, those skilled in the art can understand and modify the above-described embodiments. Therefore, this case is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, and all modifications made in accordance with the spirit and technical scope of this case should be covered and protected by the textual content defined in the patent application.

[0026] 10: Bottle stopper 11: Disc 12: Neck 13: Head 14: Expanded diameter end 15: Reduced diameter end 16: Shoulders 20: Bushing 21: Outer shell 22: Opening 23: Enclosed section 24: Gasket 25: Structural Reinforcement Section 26: Hook 27: Ribs 30: Bottle 31: Bottle mouth 32: Inner side

Claims

1. A bottle stopper made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), the bottle stopper (10) being accessible through the opening (31) of a bottle (30), comprising: A disc (11) having at least one side; a head (13) of conical design having an expanding end (14) and a contracting end (15); a neck (12) extending from the expanding end (14) to the center of the side, the neck (12) connecting the disc (11) to the head (13); a shoulder (16) extending from the neck (12) to the edge of the expanding end (14); and a bushing (20) made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) for attachment to the stopper (10), the bushing (20) comprising: A shell (21) has a closed section (23) at one end to close an internal space of the shell (21) and an opening (22) at the other end to form a semi-open internal space of the shell (21). The head (13) enters the internal space through the opening (22) to support a portion of the shell (21) into a conical shape, so that the rest of the shell (21) surrounds the neck (12). A structural reinforcement (25) forms the outer surface of the shell (21) and contacts the inner side (32) of the bottle (30), forming the first sealing structure for sound absorption, impact protection and prevention of liquid leakage. A hook (26) is formed on the inner surface of the shell (21) to hold the shoulder (16) and restrict the shell (21) to be located between the stopper (10) and the bottle (30).

2. The bottle stopper as described in claim 1, wherein, The structural reinforcement (25) consists of multiple annular parallel ribs (27).

3. The bottle stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The bushing (20) also includes a gasket (24) that extends outward from the outer surface of the housing (21) and is adjacent to the opening (22). The gasket (24) is in close contact with the side of the disc (11) and the mouth (31) of the bottle (30), forming a second sealing structure for noise reduction, impact protection and leakage prevention.

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