Beverage container stopper and pressurization system

Abstract

A stopper for closing sparkling and other non-pressurized beverage containers. The stopper body may have a carrier member and a rim engaging member slidably arranged relative to each other and relative to the stopper body. The rim engaging member is arranged to engage a rim of the container neck and may be resiliently biased to move toward the carrier member to apply a seal-forming force to the sealing surface of the stopper body. The stopper may be arranged to introduce gas into the container, for example, to repressurize the container to maintain the carbonation level of the beverage during storage.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 986,014, filed March 6, 2020, and No. 63 / 037,702, filed June 11, 2020, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Background of the Invention The present invention generally relates to dispensing fluids from a container, for example pouring sparkling wine from a wine bottle, and subsequently resealing the container, for example to preserve carbonation in the beverage. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Summary of the Invention One or more embodiments according to aspects of the present invention allow a user to dispense a beverage, such as wine, from a bottle or other container. In some cases, such dispensing of liquid from a bottle may occur one or more times, and a stopper may be engaged on the bottle after each beverage dispense to seal the interior of the bottle. Thus, a beverage may be dispensed multiple times from a bottle and stored for long periods of time between dispenses with minimal impact on beverage quality. In some embodiments, little or no gas, such as air, may be introduced into the bottle after dispensing the beverage from within the bottle to react with the beverage. Thus, in some embodiments, a user may dispense wine from a wine bottle and then seal the bottle from air or other potentially harmful gases or liquids entering the bottle. In some embodiments, a pressure above ambient pressure may be maintained in the bottle after dispensing is completed, which may help maintain the carbonation level of the sparkling beverage, and such pressure may be established by introducing pressurized gas through the stopper.

[0004] In one embodiment, a stopper is provided for use with a beverage container having a neck, an opening in the neck for accessing an interior space of the beverage container, and a rim on an exterior surface of the neck. The stopper may include a stopper body having a sealing surface arranged to contact and form a seal with a portion of the neck around the opening, e.g., to seal the interior space of the bottle from gases or other external environmental conditions. A carrier member may be mounted for movement relative to the stopper body, e.g., toward and away from the stopper body and / or sealing surface. A rim engagement member may also be mounted for movement relative to the stopper body (e.g., toward and away from the stopper body and / or sealing surface) and relative to the carrier member (e.g., toward and away from the carrier member). For example, the rim engagement member may be mounted to the carrier member such that it moves with the carrier member under some conditions but is movable relative to the carrier member under other conditions. The rim engagement member may include a claw mounted to move between a rim engagement position for engaging a rim on the container neck and a release position that may prevent the claw from engaging the rim. For example, the claw may be mounted to rotate between a rim engagement position and a release position. The rim engagement member may be resiliently biased by a first resilient member to move toward the carrier member, and this resilient bias may urge the container neck into contact with the sealing surface to help establish and / or maintain a seal at the container opening. For example, with the rim engagement member engaged with the container rim, the carrier member may be moved in a direction toward the stopper body, which may cause the rim engagement member to urge the container rim, and thus a portion of the container at the opening, toward the sealing surface. The resilient bias urging the rim engagement member to move toward the carrier member may not only help establish a seal at the container opening, but may also allow the stopper to accommodate different sized container arrangements, for example, different distances between the container rim and the opening at which a seal is established with the sealing surface.The resilient bias may also be part of a detent that operates to keep the handles used to move the carrier member and the perimeter engagement members in a closed position.

[0005] In some embodiments, movement of the carrier member towards the stopper body urges the claws towards the sealing surface. For example, the rim engagement member may be resiliently biased to move towards the carrier member or otherwise coupled for movement with the carrier member, such that movement of the carrier member towards the stopper body may move the claws towards the sealing surface. This may cause the claws to urge the neck of the beverage container into contact with the sealing surface.

[0006] In some cases, the carrier member is resiliently biased by the second resilient member to move away from the stopper body during at least a portion of the range of movement of the carrier member relative to the stopper body. This bias may help to move the carrier member and the rim engaging member to a position where the neck of the beverage container is disengaged by the stopper. For example, in some cases, movement of the rim engaging member may move the claws between a rim engaging position and a release position. When movement of the carrier member is coordinated with movement of the rim engaging member, movement of the carrier member may move the claws between a rim engaging position and a release position. Thus, a bias to move the carrier member away from the stopper body may move the claws to a release position, allowing the stopper to be removed from the container.

[0007] In some embodiments, the stopper may include a carrier driver arranged to move the carrier member relative to the stopper body. When the movement of the carrier member and the movement of the periphery engagement member are coupled, the carrier driver may operate to move the periphery engagement member as well. In one embodiment, the carrier driver may include a cam and a cam follower arranged to move the carrier member relative to the stopper body based on rotation of the cam. For example, the cam may be rotatably mounted to the stopper body for rotation, and the cam follower may be arranged on the carrier member such that rotation of the cam moves the carrier member. The carrier driver may include a handle attached to the cam, for example, the handle arranged to be moved by a user to rotate the cam such that the user can move the carrier member relative to the stopper body. In other arrangements, the handle may be arranged to move the carrier member and the periphery engagement member in other ways, i.e., without the cam and cam follower arrangement, but instead via another coupling arrangement.

[0008] In some embodiments, the stopper includes a handle movable between a closed position, an intermediate position, and an open position, the intermediate position being between the open position and the closed position. The carrier member and the periphery engagement member may be coupled to the handle such that, with the handle in the open position, the carrier member and the periphery engagement member are positioned away from the stopper body and the claws are in a release position disengaged from the container neck. In this arrangement, the stopper may also be removed from the container because the claws are in the release position. Moving the handle from the open position to the closed position may move the claws to the periphery engagement position and move the carrier member and the periphery engagement member in a direction toward the stopper body. For example, after a container is received by the stopper, the handle may be moved to move the claws to engage the periphery of the container. Continuing to move the handle toward the closed position may move the periphery engagement member toward the stopper body until the claws engage the periphery and the sealing surface engages a portion of the neck around the opening. At this point, the carrier member may continue to move toward the stopper body and away from the rim engagement member against the force from the first resilient member. However, the rim engagement member may cease to move toward the stopper body because the engagement of the tabs with the rim of the container and the contact of the container with the sealing surface may prevent further movement of the rim engagement member toward the stopper body. The movement of the carrier member toward the stopper body and away from the rim engagement member against the first resilient member (urging the rim engagement member to move toward the carrier member) may help the rim engagement member to urge the container to contact the sealing surface by resilient force, establishing a seal at the container opening.

[0009] In some cases, moving the handle from the closed position to the intermediate position moves the carrier member and the perimeter engagement member away from the stopper body, breaking the seal of the sealing surface, but the tabs remain in the perimeter engagement position to prevent the stopper from being removed from the container, which may allow venting of the interior volume of the container while maintaining engagement between the container and the stopper.

[0010] In one embodiment, sliding the rim engagement member away from the stopper body moves the claws from the rim engagement position to the release position, and moving the rim engagement member toward the stopper body moves the claws from the release position to the rim engagement position. As a result, movement of the rim engagement member can control whether the claws are in the release position or the rim engagement position. For example, when the handle is in the open position, the rim engagement member can be positioned by the handle relative to the stopper body such that the claws are in the release position. Conversely, when the handle is in the closed position, the rim engagement member can be positioned relative to the stopper body such that the claws are in the rim engagement position. In one embodiment, the stopper body includes a sidewall defining a cavity in which the neck of the container is received, and the sidewall can include an opening through which the claws extend to engage the rim of the container in the rim engagement position. The pawl may be spring biased to move toward the perimeter-engaged position, and movement of the perimeter-engaging member away from the stopper body (e.g., in response to movement of the handle toward the open position) may cause a portion of the sidewall of the opening to contact the pawl and move the pawl against the spring bias to the released position. Movement of the perimeter-engaging member toward the stopper body (e.g., in response to movement of the handle toward the closed position) may cause the pawl to move out of contact with the portion of the sidewall of the opening, allowing the pawl to move to the perimeter-engaged position.

[0011] In one embodiment, the stopper body includes a cup-shaped body having a sidewall defining a cavity and an opening at a lower end for receiving the neck of the beverage container into the cavity. The sealing surface may be located within the cavity, e.g., on a side opposite the opening, such that the neck of the container must be fully received in the cavity for the portion of the container at the opening to contact the sealing surface. The rim engagement member may include a sleeve positioned around the sidewall of the stopper body and slidably movable relative to the stopper body. The claws may be rotatably mounted on the sleeve, e.g., for movement about one or more horizontal axes perpendicular to the direction of sliding movement of the rim engagement member relative to the stopper body. The carrier member may include a ring positioned around the sidewall of the stopper body and slidably movable relative to the stopper body. The carrier member may include a guide along which the sleeve of the rim engagement member is movable relative to the carrier member, the guide including a first resilient member in the form of a spring arranged to bias the sleeve toward the ring. For example, two or more guides may extend from a ring of the carrier member to engage a sleeve of the peripheral engagement member to guide movement of the sleeve relative to the ring.

[0012] In some embodiments, the stopper body includes a gas pathway extending from the gas inlet to the gas outlet and arranged to introduce pressurized gas into the container. For example, the gas pathway may extend from the top of the stopper body where the gas inlet is located to a location adjacent the sealing surface where the gas outlet is located. A check valve or other one-way valve may be provided in the gas pathway to prevent flow from the gas outlet to the inlet. Thus, pressurized gas may be introduced into a container engaged by the stopper to pressurize the beverage. The stopper may include a vent, for example, to vent pressure in the container that exceeds a threshold value and prevent a potential high pressure condition in the container. The stopper may also include a pressure indicator, for example, to indicate whether the pressure in the container is below or above a threshold value.

[0013] In some embodiments, the stopper may include a stopper body having a sealing surface arranged to contact a portion of the neck around the opening to form a seal, and a rim engagement member including a tab mounted for rotational movement between a rim engagement position for engaging a rim of the neck of the beverage container and a release position for removal from the container. The rim engagement member may be slidably mounted relative to the stopper body, and the handle may be arranged to move the rim engagement member relative to the stopper body. For example, the handle may be rotatably mounted relative to the stopper body about a horizontal axis and may be movable between a closed position, an intermediate position, and an open position, the intermediate position being between the open and closed positions. Movement of the handle relative to the stopper body may cause movement of the rim engagement member toward and away from the stopper body, and with the handle in the open position, the rim engagement member may be positioned away from the stopper body, and the tab is in a release position allowing the stopper to receive or be removed from the container neck. When the handle is in the closed position, the detents are in the peripheral engagement position and the peripheral engagement members are positioned toward the stopper body to urge the sealing surface to engage a portion of the neck around the opening to form a seal. When the handle is moved from the closed position to the intermediate position, the peripheral engagement members are moved away from the stopper body, thereby breaking the seal (allowing venting of the interior space of the container), but the detents remain in the peripheral engagement position to prevent removal of the stopper from the container.

[0014] In some embodiments, the carrier member may be slidably mounted relative to the stopper body, and the rim engagement member may be slidably movable relative to the carrier member and resiliently biased by a first resilient member to move toward the carrier member. Movement of the handle may cause movement of the carrier member toward and away from the stopper body, e.g., movement of the handle to an open position may move the carrier member away from the stopper body, and movement of the handle to a closed position may move the carrier member toward the stopper body. Movement of the carrier member toward the stopper body may urge the claws to move toward the sealing surface, and thus urge the container neck engaged by the claws to move toward the sealing surface. In some cases, the carrier member is resiliently biased by a second resilient member to move away from the stopper body.

[0015] The handle may be coupled to the perimeter engagement member in different ways, for example a cam and cam follower may be arranged to move the carrier member relative to the stopper body upon rotation of a cam coupled to the handle. The cam may be rotatably mounted to the stopper body for rotation and a cam follower may be arranged on the carrier member such that rotation of the cam causes movement of the carrier member.

[0016] In some cases, when the handle is in the open position, the carrier member and the periphery engagement member may be positioned away from the stopper body, and the claws are in a released position to receive the neck of the beverage container. When the handle is moved from the open position to the closed position, the claws move to the periphery engagement position, moving the carrier member and the periphery engagement member towards the stopper body. Movement of the periphery engagement member towards the stopper body may continue with movement of the handle towards the closed position until the claws engage the periphery and the sealing surface engages a portion of the neck around the opening, in which case the carrier member may continue to move towards the stopper body and away from the periphery engagement member against the force from the first resilient member. However, the periphery engagement member may cease to move towards the stopper body even as the handle continues to move towards the closed position.

[0017] In some embodiments, the stopper body includes a sidewall defining a cavity in which the neck of the beverage container is received, the sidewall including an opening through which the claw extends to engage the rim of the container in the rim-engaged position. The claw may be spring-biased to move toward the rim-engaged position, and movement of the rim-engaging member away from the stopper body may cause a portion of the sidewall at the opening to contact the claw and move the claw against the spring bias to the release position. For example, the stopper body may include a cup-shaped body having a sidewall defining the cavity and an opening at a lower end for receiving the neck of the container in the cavity. The sealing surface may be disposed within the cavity on a side opposite the opening. The rim-engaging member may include a sleeve positioned around the sidewall of the stopper body and may be slidably movable relative to the stopper body. As the sleeve moves away from the cup-shaped body, a portion of the pawl may contact the cup-shaped body at the opening through which the pawl extends, moving the pawl to the release position. A guide may be provided along which the sleeve of the perimeter engagement member is movable relative to the stopper body, and the guide may include a spring arranged to bias the sleeve to move in a direction toward the stopper body. In some cases, movement of the handle may move the guide relative to the stopper body, thereby causing movement of the perimeter engagement member.

[0018] In some embodiments, the stopper body includes a gas pathway extending from the gas inlet to the gas outlet and positioned to introduce pressurized gas into the container. For example, the gas pathway may extend from the top of the stopper body, where the gas inlet is located, to a location adjacent the sealing surface, where the gas outlet is located, to introduce pressurized gas into the container. A check valve or other one-way valve may be provided in the gas pathway to prevent flow from the gas outlet to the inlet. As discussed above, vents and / or pressure indicators may also be provided with the stopper.

[0019] In some embodiments, the stopper can be configured to release pressure from the interior of the container sealed by the stopper by manipulating the stopper on the container. That is, the stopper can be engaged with the container to seal the interior of the container while maintaining, for example, a pressure above ambient in the container, and the pressure in the container can be vented by moving the stopper relative to the container without removing the stopper from the container, for example, by momentary breaking of the seal between the stopper and the container. As an example, a user can tilt the stopper relative to the container such that the sealing surface that engages with the opening of the container is out of contact in one or more areas to release pressure or otherwise vent the interior of the container. In some embodiments, the seal can elastically engage the container at the opening, such that manipulation of the stopper body moves the sealing surface relative to the opening, thereby causing a momentary break in the seal engagement while the sealing surface remains elastically biased to engage the opening. Thus, the interior of the container can be vented without removing the stopper from the container.

[0020] In some embodiments, the stopper includes a stopper body having a sealing surface arranged to contact and form a seal with a portion of the neck around the opening, and a periphery engagement member including a tab configured to engage a periphery of the neck of the beverage container. A first resilient member, such as one or more springs, can be configured to resiliently engage the sealing surface with the portion of the neck around the opening. For example, the spring or other resilient member can be configured to bias the sealing surface to move into engagement with the container opening by being positioned between the sealing surface and the stopper body, between the periphery engagement member and the stopper body, between the tab and the periphery engagement member, and / or included with a coupling component between the periphery engagement member and the sealing surface (e.g., with a carrier member that couples the periphery engagement member to the stopper body). The stopper can be configured to seal the interior space of the container when the stopper body is in a rest position and the first resilient member resiliently engages the sealing surface with the portion of the neck around the opening. The rest position may be a position in which the stopper supports itself on the container, sealing the opening of the beverage container and preventing it from being touched by a user. The stopper may be configured to at least partially disengage the sealing surface from the portion of the neck around the opening in response to manipulation of the stopper body from the rest position relative to the container while the first elastic member elastically engages the sealing surface with the portion of the neck around the opening to vent the interior space. For example, a user may tilt or rotate the stopper about a horizontal axis relative to the container while the container is maintained in a generally vertical orientation, and this manipulation of the stopper may allow for venting of the container interior space.

[0021] Various exemplary embodiments of the device are further depicted and described below.

[0022] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the present invention are described with reference to various embodiments and figures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a perspective view of a stopper in an exemplary embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the stopper of FIG. 1 with the handle in the open position. [Diagram 3] 2 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the stopper of FIG. 1 showing the container neck receiving cavity. [Figure 4] 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the stopper taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the stopper taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the stopper with the outer housing and handle removed. [Figure 7] 7 shows the stopper of FIG. 6 with the sleeve portion of the peripheral engagement member removed. [Figure 8] 1 shows a perspective view of a sleeve element of a peripheral engagement member. [Figure 9] 7 shows the stopper of FIG. 6 with the sleeve portion of the peripheral engagement member and the carrier member removed. [Figure 10] 1 shows a perspective view of a carrier member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Detailed Description Although aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to illustrative embodiments, it should be understood that the aspects of the present invention are not to be construed narrowly in view of the specific embodiments described. Thus, the aspects of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described herein. It should also be understood that the various aspects of the present invention can be used alone and / or in any suitable combination with each other, and thus the various embodiments should not be construed as requiring any particular combination of features. Rather, one or more features of the described embodiments can be combined with any suitable features of other embodiments.

[0025] 1 and 2 show a stopper 1 for use with a container 5, such as a container 5 for holding a sparkling beverage, the container 5 initially having a cork or other closure that seals an opening 51 of the container 5. Thus, the cork or other closure may be removed from the opening 51 to allow the beverage to be poured from the container, and the stopper 1 may be used to reseal or close the opening 51. As discussed further below, the stopper 1 may, for example, allow for pressurization of the interior space of the container 5 so that the carbonated beverage may remain carbonated during storage with the stopper 1, although this is not required. As with many sparkling and other wine bottles, the neck of the container includes a rim 52 below the opening 51 that is used to engage a metal cap and wire retainer or other component that helps retain the cork or other closure in the opening 51. As shown in FIG. 2, with the cork retainer and cork or other closure removed, the opening 51 of the container 5 is open for dispensing the beverage. The stopper 1 may then be engaged with the container 5 to seal the opening 51 as shown in FIG. 1 and then removed as shown in FIG. 2 to allow further dispensing of the beverage from the container 5.

[0026] In this embodiment, the stopper 1 includes a handle 41 movable between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. 2. With the handle 41 in the closed position, the stopper 1 may be secured to the container 5 to prevent the stopper 1 from being removed and to seal the opening 51, for example, to maintain the pressure in the container above ambient pressure. With the stopper 1 secured to the container 5, pressurized gas may be introduced into the container 5 via the gas inlet port 14, for example, pressurized CO2 or other gas may be introduced into the container to pressurize the interior space in the container 5. The stopper 1 may include a pressure indicator 19, such as a colored light, a numerical display, or other indicator, that provides an indication of the pressure in the container 5. For example, the pressure indicator 19 may indicate a red light when the pressure in the container 5 is below a threshold value and a green light when the pressure is above the threshold value. In some cases, the pressure indicator 19 may not provide a light indication (neither red nor green) when the pressure in the container is at or near ambient pressure (which may also be the case when the stopper 1 is not engaged with the container 5). The stopper 1 may include a vent feature that releases pressure in the interior space of the container 5 that exceeds a threshold, for example to prevent the container 5 from being stored at a higher than desired pressure if too much pressurized gas is introduced into the container. With the handle 41 in the open position, the stopper 1 may be removed from the container 5 to allow pouring from the container 5 and to allow the stopper 1 to rest on the container neck. According to one aspect of the invention, and as described further below, the handle 41 may be moved to an intermediate position between the closed and open positions, whereby the seal between the stopper 1 and the container opening 51 is broken, but the stopper 1 cannot be removed as it remains fixed to the container 5. This may allow the interior space of the container 5 to be vented from any internal pressure (e.g., ambient pressure may be established in the interior space) while minimizing the risk of the stopper 1 being forced out of the container 5 by escaping gas. In some embodiments, the interior space of the container may be vented without moving the handle 41, for example while the handle 41 remains in the closed position.As described further below, some stopper configurations may allow the stopper to be manipulated relative to the container while it is engaged with the container such that the sealing surface that establishes a seal with a portion of the container at the opening 51 momentarily or otherwise releases sufficient contact with the portion of the container to vent pressure in the interior space. In some cases, the stopper 1 may be manipulated by tilting or rotating the stopper 1 about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container (e.g., the longitudinal axis may be along the direction in which a cork or other closure is inserted / removed from the opening 51 of the container and / or along the direction in which the container neck is received by the stopper 1). Tilting or rotating the stopper 1 may cause the sealing surface to lose contact or reduce contact force with the container, at least partially breaking the seal with the container and allowing pressure to escape from the container. This may allow pressure relief or other venting of the container without taking any action to remove the stopper from the container, thus reducing the risk of the stopper being completely removed from the container while pressure is retained in the interior space.

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the stopper 1 and shows the stopper body 10 located within the outer housing 2 of the stopper 1, the stopper body 10 including an opening 11 to provide access to a cavity 12 defined by a sidewall 16 of the body 10. The neck of the container 5 may be received in the cavity 12 such that the stopper 1 may engage the container 5 to seal the opening 51. In some embodiments, one or more tabs 31 may engage a periphery 52 of the container 5 to secure the stopper 1 to the container 5 and urge a sealing surface 13 on a side of the cavity 12 opposite the opening 11 to contact a portion of the neck of the container 5 around the opening 51 to form a seal with the container 5. An insert 18 of the stopper body 10 may be inserted into the opening 51 of the container 5, for example, to help stabilize the stopper 1 relative to the container 5, help form a seal with the container 5, such as by sealingly engaging an inner surface of the container neck, and / or to position a component of the stopper 1, such as a pressure sensor, within the container 5. In some cases, the insert 18 may be sized and / or shaped to allow the stopper 1 to be tilted or otherwise moved relative to the container to allow venting of the container's interior space while the stopper is engaged with the container. For example, the insert 18 may be suitably small in diameter and / or length to allow tilting of the stopper without contact or other interference with the container's interior surface by the insert 18. The insert 18 may include a gas outlet through which pressurized gas introduced at the gas inlet 14 is introduced into the container's interior space, a vent to release high pressure from the interior space, or other components. For example, Figures 4 and 5 show a check valve 15 in the gas path near the gas outlet that allows flow from the gas inlet 14 to the container 5 but resists flow from the container 5 to the gas inlet 14. The insert 18 may also include a pressure sensor disposed as a moveable plunger within the insert 18. The plunger may be spring loaded, i.e., biased to move downward in Figures 4 and 5 within the insert 18, and may otherwise be sealed in the gas path to prevent flow from the container past the plunger.Pressure within the container 5 urges the plunger to move upwardly within the insert 18 against the bias of a spring. The extent of plunger movement is indicative of the pressure within the container 5, and plunger movement may be detected by a suitable sensor or other arrangement, such as a Hall effect sensor, a magnet / reed sensor, one or more switches actuated by plunger movement, etc. The sensor arrangement may provide an indication of pressure, such as by causing the illumination of one or more LEDs, the display of a numerical pressure indication, the physical movement of a pressure dial or other indicator, etc.

[0028] 4 and 5 show cross-sectional views along lines 4-4 and 5-5 of FIG. 1, respectively, with the handle 41 of the stopper 1 and the outer housing 2 removed for clarity. When the neck of the container 5 is received in the cavity 12, for example by placing the opening 11 of the stopper 1 over the top of the container 5, the insert 18 is received in the opening 51 of the container 5, and the top surface of the neck near the opening 51 contacts or is at least positioned near the sealing surface 13, which may include a gasket including a material suitably resilient or otherwise disposed to form a seal with the container 5 at the opening 51. The sealing surface 13 may include a radially inner conical portion 13a and a radially outer flat portion 13b. The conical portion 13a may help form a seal with the opening 51 at the inner surface of the opening 51, and the flat portion 13b may help form a seal with the outer surface of the opening 51. To receive the neck portion into the cavity 12 (or remove the stopper 1 from the container 5), the handle 41 is moved to the open position shown in Fig. 2, which moves the claws 31 to the release position shown in dashed lines in Fig. 5. This allows the rim 52 and other parts of the neck portion to be received into (or removed from) the cavity 12 without interference from the claws 31. The claws 31 are rotatably mounted on the rim engagement member 30 about a rotation axis 33 so that they can move between the release position and a rim engagement position shown in solid lines in Fig. 5. To move the claws 31 to the release position, the rim engagement member 30 is moved away from the stopper body 10 and / or the sealing surface 13 (downwards in Figs. 4 and 5, as shown by the arrow and dashed lines in Fig. 5) so that a portion of the claws 31 contacts a portion of the stopper body 10 at the opening 17 through which the claws 31 can extend to engage the container neck. This contact between the pawl 31 and the stopper body 10 at the opening 17 causes the pawl 31 to rotate to the release position against the bias of the spring 32 urging the pawl 31 to move to the periphery engagement position.In some embodiments, the perimeter engagement member 30 is mounted for movement with the carrier member 20, which is also slidably movable toward and away from the stopper body 10 (up and down in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively). Movement of the carrier member 20 away from the stopper body 10 and / or sealing surface 13 also moves the perimeter engagement member 30 away from the stopper body 10 and / or sealing surface 13. (Movement of the carrier member 20 and perimeter engagement member 30 may be caused by a carrier actuator 4 (see FIG. 4), which is described in more detail below. However, in some embodiments, the carrier member 20 and carrier actuator 4 may be eliminated and the perimeter engagement member 30 may be moved in a more direct manner by a handle or other actuator. For example, a handle attached to the stopper 10 may be coupled to the perimeter engagement member 30, e.g., by a connector, to move the perimeter engagement member 30 relative to the stopper body 10.)

[0029] With the carrier member 20 and periphery engagement member 30 positioned away from the stopper body 10 and the container neck received in the cavity 12, the handle 41 can be moved toward the closed position shown in Figure 1 to engage the stopper 1 with the container 5. Movement of the handle 41 from the open position to the closed position moves the carrier member 20 and periphery engagement member 30 toward the stopper body 10 (e.g., upward in the figure). This movement of the periphery engagement member 30 moves the pawl 31 out of contact with the stopper body 10 at the opening 17 and allows the spring 32 to bias the pawl 31 into the periphery engagement position as shown in solid lines in Figure 5. The distal end of the claw 31 opposite the axis of rotation 33 is positioned under the rim 52 of the container neck, and as the handle 41 continues to move towards the closed position, the carrier member 20 and the rim engagement member 30 move towards the stopper body 10, thus moving the claw 31 towards the rim 52 of the container, towards the sealing surface 13. When the claw 31 contacts the rim 52 of the container, the rim engagement member 30 ceases moving relative to the container 5, and instead the claw 31 (and the entire rim engagement member 30) moves towards the sealing surface 13, thereby moving the container opening 51 towards the sealing surface 13. As described further below, the rim engagement member 30 is resiliently biased to move towards the carrier member 20 (e.g., upwardly relative to the carrier member 20). Thus, once the detents 31 engage the container rim 52 and the container opening 51 engages the sealing surface 13, the rim engagement member 30 will no longer move toward or upwardly towards the stopper body 10. However, the carrier member 20 will continue to move toward the stopper body 10 against the resilient bias urging the rim engagement member 30 to move toward the carrier member 20 until the handle 41 reaches the closed position.As a result, the sealing surface 13 is resiliently biased against the portion of the container 5 at the opening 51 to help maintain a proper seal at the opening 51 (in some embodiments, the resiliently biasing on the sealing surface 13 to engage the container can be provided in other ways, such as by attaching the tabs 31 to the perimeter engagement member 30 in a spring-biased manner (e.g., whereby a spring urges the tabs 31 to move upwardly relative to the perimeter engagement member 30 such that the tabs 31 engage the perimeter 51 and are compressed when the sealing surface 13 contacts the container). In this embodiment, the sealing surface 13 can be attached to the stopper body 10 such that the sealing surface 13 is spring biased to move downward relative to the stopper body 10. Thus, when the sealing surface 13 contacts the container, the spring between the sealing surface 13 and the stopper body 10 can compress to maintain a resiliently biased force on the sealing surface 13 while allowing the sealing surface 13 to move relative to the stopper body 10. These arrangements can eliminate the carrier member 20, the carrier drive 4, biasing elements between the carrier member 20 and the rim engagement member 30, etc.

[0030] To remove the stopper 1 from the container 5, the handle 41 is moved from the closed position towards the open position, which moves the carrier member 20 and the periphery engagement member 30 away from the stopper body 10. This moves the claws 31 away from the sealing surface 13, which can break the seal with the container 5 at the opening 51. This allows the gas pressure in the container 5 to be released. Although the seal with the container 5 is broken, the claws 31 remain engaged with the periphery 52 of the container 5 while the handle 41 is in an intermediate position between the open and closed positions, preventing removal of the stopper 1 from the container 5. This allows pressure to be vented or otherwise released without the stopper 1 being forced out of the container 5 by pressure. Moving the handle 41 to the open position causes the claws 31 to contact the stopper body 10 at the opening 17, which moves the claws 31 to the release position, allowing removal of the stopper 1 from the container.

[0031] 6-9 show perspective views of the stopper body 10, carrier member 20 and periphery engagement member 30 with various parts removed to illustrate how the parts move relative to one another and operate to engage and disengage with the container 5. In FIG. 6, the outer housing 2 and handle 41 have been removed. FIG. 6 shows a carrier drive 4 including a cam 43 and a cam follower 42 which, in this embodiment, serve to move the carrier member 20 and periphery engagement member 30 with movement of the handle 41. That is, the cam 43 is coupled to the handle 41, e.g., fixed to the handle 41, such that movement of the handle 41 between an open position and a closed position causes the cam 43 to rotate relative to the cam follower 42 and the carrier member 20. In FIG. 6, the cam 43 is in a position corresponding to the closed position of the handle 41 such that the carrier member 20 is located towards the stopper body 10 (the uppermost position of the carrier member 20). Because the carrier member 20 is biased by the spring 25 (see FIG. 5 ) in a direction (downward) away from the stopper body 10, when the handle 41 is moved to the closed position, the cam 43 drives the carrier member 20 to move toward the stopper body 10 against the bias of the spring 25. Similarly, when the cam 43 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 6 as the handle 41 is moved toward the open position, the lobe of the cam 43 allows the cam follower 42 and the carrier member 20 to move away from the stopper body 10 (downward in FIG. 6 ) under the bias of the spring 25. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the handle 41 may be coupled to the carrier member 20 in other ways such that rotation of the handle 41 drives movement of the carrier member 20 both toward and away from the stopper body 10, not just toward the stopper body 10 as in this embodiment. For example, coupling arrangements other than a cam and cam follower may be provided, or a cam and cam follower may be arranged to provide such movement (e.g., the cam may include a closed slot and the cam follower may include a pin that rides in the slot and drives movement of the carrier member 20 both toward and away from the stopper body 10).

[0032] Guides 21 extend downwardly from the carrier member 20 to guide movement of the perimeter engagement members 30 relative to the carrier member 20. In this embodiment, the guides 21 include four pins extending downwardly from the carrier member 20, although other guide arrangements, such as one or more rails, slots, and corresponding features on the perimeter engagement members 30 are possible. The guides 21 extend through holes in the top of the perimeter engagement members 30, and a spring 22 is attached to each guide 21 below the holes in the perimeter engagement members 30. The springs 22 are captured at the bottom ends of the guides 21 so that the springs 22 cannot move below the bottom of the guides 21, and the springs 22 are positioned to bias the perimeter engagement members 30 to move toward the carrier member 20 (upward in FIG. 6). 6 shows the perimeter engagement member 30 in a position corresponding to when a container neck is received in the cavity 12 and the detents 31 engage the perimeter 52 of the container 5 to urge the container 5 into contact with the sealing surface 13. Thus, the perimeter engagement member 30 is positioned away from the carrier member 20 and the spring 22 is compressed in FIG. 6 urging the detents 31 (and the container neck) towards the sealing surface 13. Thus, it is the spring 22 in some embodiments that provides a resilient bias to help establish and maintain a seal between the sealing surface 13 and the container opening 51. When a container neck is not received in the cavity 12 and the handle 41 is in the closed position as in FIG. 6, the perimeter engagement member 30 will be positioned towards the carrier member 20 and the spring 22 will not be compressed (or will be compressed to a lesser extent). As mentioned above, a resilient bias that helps establish and maintain a seal between the sealing surface and the container opening can be provided in other ways, for example, when the carrier member 20, guide 21 and spring 22 are eliminated and a spring coupling is provided between the peripheral engagement member 30 and / or the tabs 31 and the sealing surface 13.

[0033] In some embodiments, manipulation of the stopper 1 from a resting position relative to an engaged container can at least partially break the seal between the sealing surface 13 and the container opening 51. For example, the sealing surface 13 can be tilted or otherwise oriented to lose contact or reduce the contact force with the container opening 51, for example by tilting the stopper 1 about a horizontal axis (when the stopper and container are oriented vertically). This allows pressure within the container to be vented while the stopper 1 is fully engaged with the container, even when, for example, the handle 41 is in a closed position. Tilting or other manipulation of the stopper 1 relative to the container can be permitted in some embodiments by the springs 22 providing a resilient bias between the perimeter engagement members 30 (and the tabs 31) and the sealing surface 13. That is, movement of the stopper body 1 can cause one or more springs 22 to compress more than the other, thus allowing the sealing surface 13 to move relative to the container opening 51. This can at least momentarily break the seal between the sealing surface 13 and the container opening 51, thereby allowing pressure within the container to be vented. Release of the stopper 1 allows it to move back to a rest position where the springs 22 equally bias the sealing surface 13 into engagement with the container opening 51. Other biasing arrangements that provide a resilient force to engage the sealing surface 13 with the container opening 51 may allow for manipulation and consequent venting of the stopper 1. For example, a spring bias between the detents 31 and the rim engagement member 30, and / or a spring bias between the sealing surface 13 and the stopper body 10 may allow for manipulation and venting of the stopper 1 while it remains engaged with the container 5.

[0034] FIG. 7 shows the view of FIG. 6 with the sleeve portion of the peripheral engagement member 30 removed from view. The pawl 31 can be seen in the peripheral engagement position and extending through a corresponding opening 17 in the stopper body 10 to engage the container neck. The torsion spring 32 can also be seen biasing the pawl 31 to move towards the peripheral engagement position. The pawl pivot 33 is properly positioned relative to the opening 17 so that the pawl 31 is not in contact with the stopper body 10 at the opening 17 and can be biased by the spring 32 to move to the peripheral engagement position. However, when the peripheral engagement member 30 is moved away from the position of FIG. 7 (downward), the pivot 33 and the pawl 31 are moved such that the pawl 31 contacts the stopper body 10 at the opening 17 to move the pawl 31 to the release position. This movement occurs when the handle 41 is moved to the open position, actuated by the spring 25 urging the carrier member 20 and perimeter engagement member 30 to move away from the stopper body 10 such that the cam 43 rotates to allow the cam follower 42 to move away from the stopper body 10 (downward in FIG. 7). FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the sleeve portion of the perimeter engagement member 30 without the tabs 31 and springs 32. The sleeve portion of the perimeter engagement member 30 in this embodiment extends around the side wall 16 of the stopper body 10. Holes 34 that receive the guides 21 can be seen, as well as slots 35 that receive the rails 24 of the carrier member 20 to help guide the movement of the perimeter engagement member 30 relative to the carrier member 20.

[0035] Figure 9 shows a view of the arrangement of Figure 6 with the perimeter engagement member 30 and carrier member 20 removed from view, revealing the spring 25 biasing the carrier member 20 to move away from the stopper body 10, and the cam 43 rotatably mounted in a bushing in the side wall 16 of the stopper body 10. Figure 10 shows the carrier member 20 separated from the rest of the stopper 1, illustrating the pocket 23 for receiving the spring 25, and the rail 24 which engages with the slot 35 of the perimeter engagement member 30. In this embodiment, the carrier member 20 is arranged generally in a ring shape to support the guide 21 and rail 24, as well as the cam follower 42. The carrier member 20 supports the guide 21 such that the perimeter engagement member 30 is attached to the carrier member 20, but is movable relative to the carrier member 20.

[0036] Any suitably arranged gas source can be used to provide pressurized gas to the inlet port 14. For example, a gas source including a cylinder of pressurized CO2 may be fluidly coupled to the gas inlet port 14 by a quick-connect type fitting, a threaded fitting, a pressurized fit, or other suitable engagement such as simply having a user hold the gas source against the inlet port 14. The gas source may include a pressurized gas container such as a gas cylinder holding a suitable gas (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, etc.) under a relatively high pressure such as 100-3000 psi. The gas source may include a pressure regulator which may include one or more regulating valves, a flow restrictor such as a restricted orifice, and / or other arrangements for controlling the gas flow rate and / or pressure provided to the gas inlet port 14. Alternatively or additionally, such features may be provided in the stopper 1. The gas source may also include a valve that may be operated by a user to control the flow of gas. For example, a user may press a button on the valve to allow gas to flow into the container 5 and release the button to stop the flow of gas. The gas source may provide gas at two or more selectable pressures and / or flow rates, as desired. For example, gas may be provided at a first pressure and / or a first flow rate, e.g., to displace any air in the container 5 with a suitable inert or non-reactive gas from the gas source. The displaced air may be exhausted through the stopper 1 via a vent, as described above. In some cases, the vent may be manually operated by a user, e.g., by pressing a button. The second pressure and / or second flow rate may be higher than the first pressure and may be suitable to establish a storage pressure in the container 5, e.g., to help maintain a desired carbonation level in the container 5. Because the stopper 1 may seal the container opening 51, a pressure above ambient pressure may be maintained in the interior space of the container 5 for an extended period of time, such as a day, a week, a month, or more. The gas inlet port 14 or other portion of the gas inlet path may include a check valve or other one-way valve that allows the flow of gas into the container 5 but resists the flow of gas from the container 5. Additionally or alternatively, the gas inlet port 14 may be capped or otherwise closed to prevent pressure leakage.

[0037] Although aspects of the present invention have been shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as encompassed by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A stopper for use with a beverage container, the beverage container having a neck, an opening in the neck for accessing an interior space of the beverage container, and a peripheral edge on an exterior surface of the neck, comprising: a stopper body having a sealing surface disposed to contact a portion of the neck about the opening to form a seal; a carrier member slidably attached to the stopper body; a rim engaging member including a claw portion mounted for rotational movement between a rim engaging position and a release position for engaging the rim on the neck of the beverage container, the rim engaging member being slidably mounted relative to the stopper body and the carrier member, and being resiliently biased by a first resilient member to move toward the carrier member; The stopper includes:

2. The stopper of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral engagement member is slidably arranged to move the pawl toward or away from the sealing surface.

3. The stopper of claim 1 , wherein the carrier member and the periphery engagement member are arranged for sliding movement toward or away from the stopper body.

4. The stopper of claim 3 , wherein movement of the carrier member toward the stopper body causes the pawl to move toward the sealing surface.

5. The stopper of claim 3 , wherein the carrier member is resiliently biased to move away from the stopper body by a second resilient member.

6. The stopper of claim 5 , further comprising a carrier drive arranged to move the carrier member relative to the stopper body.

7. The stopper of claim 6 , wherein the carrier drive includes a cam and a cam follower positioned to move the carrier member relative to the stopper body upon rotation of a cam.

8. 8. The stopper of claim 7, wherein the cam is rotatably mounted to the stopper body, the cam follower is disposed on the carrier member, and the carrier actuator includes a handle attached to the cam and disposed to be movable by a user to rotate the cam.

9. 9. The stopper of claim 8, wherein the handle is movable between a closed position, an intermediate position and an open position, the intermediate position being between the open position and the closed position, and when the handle is in the open position, the carrier member and the rim engaging member are positioned away from the stopper body and the claws are in the released position to receive the neck of the beverage container, and when the handle is in the open position to the closed position, the claws move to the rim engaging position and the carrier member and the rim engaging member move in a direction towards the stopper body, the movement of the rim engaging member towards the stopper body continues until the claws engage the rim and the sealing surface engages a portion of the neck around the opening, and the carrier member continues to move towards the stopper body and away from the rim engaging member against a force from the first resilient member but the rim engaging member ceases to move towards the stopper body.

10. 2. The stopper according to claim 1, wherein when the peripheral edge engaging member slides away from the stopper body, the claw portion moves from the peripheral edge engaging position to the release position, and when the peripheral edge engaging member moves in a direction toward the stopper body, the claw portion moves from the release position to the peripheral edge engaging position.

11. The stopper of claim 10, wherein the stopper body includes a sidewall defining a cavity into which the neck portion of the beverage container is received, the sidewall including an opening through which the claw portion extends to engage the rim of the beverage container in the rim engagement position.

12. 12. The stopper of claim 11, wherein the claw portion is biased by a spring to move toward the peripheral engagement position, and movement of the peripheral engagement member in a direction away from the stopper body causes a portion of the side wall at the opening to contact the claw portion, moving the claw portion against the bias of the spring to the release position.

13. 2. The stopper of claim 1, wherein the stopper body includes a cup-shaped body having side walls defining a cavity and an opening at a lower end for receiving the neck portion of the beverage container into the cavity, and the sealing surface is disposed within the cavity on a side of the cavity opposite the opening.

14. The stopper of claim 13 , wherein the peripheral engagement member includes a sleeve positioned about the side wall of the stopper body and slidably movable relative to the stopper body.

15. The stopper of claim 14, wherein the pawl is rotatably mounted on the sleeve.

16. The stopper of claim 15 , wherein the carrier member includes a ring positioned about the side wall of the stopper body and slidably movable relative to the stopper body.

17. 17. The stopper of claim 16, wherein the carrier member includes a guide along which the sleeve of the peripheral engagement member is movable relative to the carrier member, the guide including the first resilient member being a spring arranged to be biased to move the sleeve toward the ring.

18. 2. The stopper of claim 1, wherein the stopper body includes a gas passage arranged to introduce pressurized gas into the beverage container, the gas passage extending from a top of the stopper body to a location adjacent the sealing surface.

19. The stopper of claim 1 , further comprising a handle positioned to allow a user to move said carrier member and said perimeter engagement member relative to said stopper body.

20. 20. The stopper of claim 19, wherein the handle is movable between a closed position, an intermediate position and an open position, the intermediate position being between the open position and the closed position, and when the handle is in the open position, the carrier member and the rim engaging member are positioned away from the stopper body and the claws are in the released position to receive the neck of the beverage container, and moving the handle from the open position to the closed position causes the claws to move to the rim engaging position and the carrier member and the rim engaging member to move in a direction towards the stopper body, the movement of the rim engaging member towards the stopper body continues until the claws engage the rim and the sealing surface engages a portion of the neck around the opening to form a seal, and the carrier member continues to move towards the stopper body and away from the rim engaging member against a force from the first resilient member and the rim engaging member ceases to move in a direction towards the stopper body.

21. 21. The stopper of claim 20, wherein as the handle is moved from the closed position to the intermediate position, the carrier member and the rim engagement member are moved away from the stopper body such that the seal is broken but the pawls remain in the rim engagement position.

Images