Bottle Closure With Press-Fitted Cork Stopper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bottle closures, especially those using screw-thread stoppers, fail to provide a reliable hermetic seal over time and require auxiliary tools for opening, leading to breakage and difficulties in re-closing, which affects the quality and integrity of the contents.
Innovation Solution
A closure system comprising a cap with an annular geometry and a press-fitted cork stopper, featuring a tubular extension and knurling for manual operation, allowing for easy opening and closing without tools, while maintaining a hermetic seal and compatibility with bottling machines without equipment modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw-thread stopper is used to achieve coupling with the bottle neck, then the closure achieves initial sealing, but the hermetic seal deteriorates over time and requires modification of bottling equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is divided into two functional parts: a stopper made of inert resilient material for hermetic sealing, and a separate cap with screw-thread coupling for mechanical attachment. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap and stopper are combined into a single closure assembly where the cap is screwed onto the bottle neck and the stopper is inserted through the cap into the bottle. This merging provides both reliable mechanical coupling and hermetic sealing in one integrated solution.
2Ease of operation
If a conventional stopper is used for bottle closure, then the bottle can be sealed, but auxiliary tools like corkscrews are required for opening and breakage may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed with a movable relationship to the stopper, allowing dynamic extraction where the cap can be unscrewed and pulled away from the bottle neck, bringing the stopper with it. This dynamic mechanism eliminates the need for static perforation and auxiliary extraction tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure system is self-sufficient for both closing and opening operations. The cap provides both the sealing function and the manual grip for extraction, eliminating the need for external tools like corkscrews while maintaining stopper integrity throughout the process.
3Ease of operation
If a stopper is used to close the bottle, then the contents are sealed, but re-closing the bottle after partial consumption is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cap serves multiple functions: it provides the hermetic seal when attached to the bottle, acts as a handle for extraction, and can be re-attached to the bottle neck for re-closing. This multi-functionality enables easy re-closing after partial consumption while maintaining effective sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap can be temporarily removed for access to contents and then recovered and re-attached to the bottle neck to restore the hermetic seal. This reversible removal and reattachment process enables convenient re-closing without compromising the closure effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables manual opening and closing of bottles without tools, ensuring a reliable seal and insulation, reducing breakage and costs, and allowing re-use, while maintaining the quality and integrity of the contents.
Implementation Method 1
a stopper (2), preferably made from cork, which is partially press-fitted in the cap (1)
Implementation Method 2
the incorporation of a knurling on the lateral face of the cap in order to increase the roughness thereof and thereby facilitate gripping and manipulation thereof
Implementation Method 3
stoppers are made from inert, resilient materials and capable of creating insulating conditions, generally cork or synthetic plastics
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A closure for bottles, said bottles comprising a neck and an outlet opening, wherein the closure is intended to be connected temporarily to a bottle in order to close off the latter's neck and opening, the closure being characterized in that it comprises a cap (1), for manipulating the closure, which comprises an upper face (3), a lower face (4) opposite the upper ace (3), a lateral face (5) defined between the upper (3) and lower (4) faces, a through-hole (6) that extends longitudinally between the upper face (3) and the lower face (4), and a stopper (2) made from resilient material, partially press-fitted in the hole (6) of the cap (1), intended to be inserted into the neck of the bottle.