UNIBODY BOTTLE TOP ENCLOSURE

Abstract

A closure that secures the contents of a partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid. The partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid has a neck with a contour and a mouth. The closure includes a capsule and a tie wrap. The capsule fits over the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid, and in doing so, secures the mouth of the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid. The tie wrap is operatively connected to the capsule, and selectively maintains the capsule securing the mouth of the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid.

Claims

1. A closure for securing the contents of a partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid, wherein the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid has a neck with a contour and a mouth, comprising: a) a capsule; and b) a tie wrap; wherein said capsule is for fitting over the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid, and in doing so, secures the mouth of the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid; wherein said tie wrap is operatively connected to said capsule; and wherein said tie wrap is for selectively maintaining said capsule securing the mouth of the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid. When the tie wrap is pulled tight and secure, a highlighted and red-colored region on the tie wrap zip becomes visible by the tie wrap being pulled into the highlighted and red-colored region, to thereby indicate closure.

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein said capsule is circular in lateral cross section, and has: a) a bottom; and b) a top.

3. The closure of claim 2, wherein said capsule is made from rubber.

4. The closure of claim 2, wherein said bottom of said capsule is wide and open for fitting over the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid and said top of said partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid is narrow and closed for securing the mouth of the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid.

5. The closure of claim 3, wherein said bottom of said capsule tapers upwardly to said top of said capsule, and together with said capsule being made from rubber, is for matching the contour of the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid.

6. The closure of claim 4, wherein said open wide bottom of said capsule is a sleeve, and as such, contains a channel.

7. The closure of claim 6, wherein said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule has a through slot.

8. The closure of claim 7, wherein said through slot of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule extends radially through a part of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule.

9. The closure of claim 7, wherein said through slot of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule is defined by a pair of ends of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule.

10. The closure of claim 1, wherein said tie wrap is made from nylon.

11. The closure of claim 9, wherein said tie wrap has a flexible tape section.

12. The closure of claim 11, wherein said flexible tape section of said tie wrap has: a) a free end; and b) a head end.

13. The closure of claim 12, wherein said head end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap opposes said free end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap.

14. The closure of claim 12, wherein said head end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap has a pawl.

15. The closure of claim 14, wherein said flexible tape section of said tie wrap has teeth therealong.

16. The closure of claim 15, wherein said teeth of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap engage with said pawl of said head end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap to form a type of ratchet so as to allow said free end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap to be pulled and cause said tie wrap to be tightened and not come undone.

17. The closure of claim 11, wherein said flexible tape section of said tie wrap extends movably in said channel of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule.

18. The closure of claim 15, wherein said head end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap extends outwardly from, and is affixed to, one end of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule defining said through slot of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule.

19. The closure of claim 18, wherein said free end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap extends out from the other end of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule defining said through slot of said sleeve of said open wide bottom of said capsule and passes through said head end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap, at first loosely, and then when said closure is placed over the neck of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid, said free end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap is pulled so as to allow said pawl of said head end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap to engage a tooth of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap and thereby tighten said tie wrap for affixing the closure over the neck of the bottle and does not come undone.

20. The closure of claim 12, wherein said tie wrap has a ring.

21. The closure of claim 20, wherein said ring of said tie wrap is disposed at said free end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap and is for facilitating pulling said free end of said flexible tape section of said tie wrap when tightening said tie wrap.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING

[0012] The figures of the drawing are briefly described as follows:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the closure of the embodiments of the present invention securing the contents of a partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the area generally enclosed by the dotted curve identified by ARROW 2 in FIG. 1 of the closure of the embodiments of the present invention in the tightened position;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the area generally enclosed by the dotted curve identified by ARROW 3 in FIG. 1 of the closure of the embodiments of the present invention in the un-tightened position;

[0016] FIG. 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic cross sectional view taken along LINE 4-4 in each of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0017] FIG. 4A is an enlarged diagrammatic top plan view of the tie wrap of the closure of the embodiments of the present invention identified by ARROW 4A in each of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic bottom plan view taken generally in the direction of ARROW 5 in FIG. 2; and

[0019] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic bottom plan view taken generally in the direction of ARROW 6 in FIG. 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING

Introductory

[0020] 10 closure of embodiments of present invention for securing the contents of a partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12 [0021] 12 partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid [0022] 13 neck of partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12 [0023] 13a mouth of neck 13 of partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12

Overall Configuration of Closure 10

[0024] capsule for fitting over neck 13 of partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12, and in doing so, secures mouth 13a of neck 13 of partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12 [0025] 16 tie wrap for selectively maintaining capsule 14 securing mouth 13a of neck 13 of partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12

Specific Configuration of Capsule 14

[0026] 18 bottom of capsule 14 for fitting over neck 13 of partially filled bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12 [0027] 20 top of capsule 14 for securing mouth 13a of neck 13 of partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12 [0028] 22 sleeve of open wide bottom 18 of capsule 14 [0029] 24 channel of sleeve 22 of open wide bottom 18 of capsule 14 [0030] 6through slot of sleeve 22 of open wide bottom 18 of capsule 14 [0031] 28 pair of ends of sleeve 22 of open wide bottom 18 of capsule 14 defining through slot 26 of sleeve 22 of open wide bottom 18 of capsule 14

Specific Configuration of Tie Wrap 16

[0032] 30 flexible tape section of tie wrap 16 [0033] 32 free end of flexible tape section 30 of tie wrap 16 [0034] 34 head end of flexible tape section 30 of tie wrap 16 [0035] 36 pawl of head end 34 of flexible tape section 30 of tie wrap 16 [0036] 38 teeth of flexible tape section 30 of tie wrap 16 [0037] 40 ratchet of tie wrap 16 [0038] 42 ring of tie wrap 16 for facilitating pulling free end 32 of flexible tape section 30 of tie wrap 16 when tightening tie wrap 16

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Introductory

[0039] Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts, and particularly to FIG. 1, the closure of the embodiments of the present invention is shown at 10 for securing the contents of a partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12. The partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12 has a neck 13 with a contour and a mouth 13a.

Overall Configuration of the Closure 10

[0040] The overall configuration of the closure 10 can best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.

[0041] The closure 10 comprises a capsule 14 and a tie wrap 16.

[0042] The capsule 14 is for fitting over the neck 13 of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12, and in doing so, secures the mouth 13a of the neck 13 of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12.

[0043] The tie wrap 16 is operatively connected to the capsule 14 and is for selectively maintaining the capsule 14 securing the mouth 13a of the neck 13 of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12.

Specific Configuration of the Capsule 14

[0044] The specific configuration of the capsule 14 can best be seen in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.

[0045] The capsule 14 is circular in lateral cross section, has a bottom 18 and a top 20, and is made from rubber.

[0046] The bottom 18 of the capsule 14 is wide and open for fitting over the neck 13 of the partially filled bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12.

[0047] The top 20 of the capsule 14 is narrow and closed for securing the mouth 13a of the neck 13 of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12.

[0048] The bottom 18 of the capsule 14 tapers upwardly to the top 20 of the capsule 14, and together with the capsule 14 being made from rubber, the capsule 14 is for matching the contour of the neck 13 of the partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid 12.

[0049] The open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 is a sleeve 22, and as such, the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 contains a channel 24.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 has a through slot 26.

[0051] The through slot 26 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 extends radially through a part of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14, is defined by a pair of ends 28 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14, and communicates with the channel 24 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14.

Specific Configuration of the Tie Wrap 16

[0052] The specific configuration of the tie wrap 16 can best be seen in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5, and 6, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.

[0053] The tie wrap 16 is a type of fastener for holding items together, primarily electric cables or wires. Because of its low cost and ease of use, the tie wrap 16 is ubiquitous, finding use in a wide range of other applications. Stainless steel versions, either naked or coated with a rugged plastic, cater for exterior applications and hazardous environments.

[0054] The tie wrap 16 is made from nylon and is mainly a flexible tape section 30.

[0055] The flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 has a free end 32 and a head end 34

[0056] The head end 34 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 has a pawl 36 and opposes the free end 32 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16.

[0057] The flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 further has teeth 38 therealong.

[0058] The teeth 38 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 engage with the pawl 36 of the head end 34 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 to form a type of ratchet 40 so as to allow the free end 32 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 to be pulled and cause the tie wrap 16 to be tightened and not come undone.

[0059] The flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 extends movably in the channel 24 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14, with the head end 34 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 extending outwardly from, and being affixed to, one end 28 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 defining the through slot 26 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14, and with the free end 32 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 extending out from the other end 28 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 defining the through slot 26 of the sleeve 22 of the open wide bottom 18 of the capsule 14 and passing through the head end 34 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16, at first loosely, and then when the closure 10 is placed over the neck 13 of the bottle 12, the free end 32 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 is pulled so as to allow the pawl 36 of the head end 34 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 to engage a tooth 38 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 and thereby tighten the tie wrap 16 for securing the closure 10 over the neck 13 of the bottle 12.

[0060] When the tie wrap 16 is pulled tight and secure, a highlighted and red-colored region on the tie wrap zip 16 becomes visible by the tie wrap 16 being pulled into the highlighted and red-colored region, to thereby indicate closure.

[0061] The tie wrap 16 further has a ring 42.

[0062] The ring 42 of the tie wrap 16 is disposed at the free end 32 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 and is for facilitating pulling the free end 32 of the flexible tape section 30 of the tie wrap 16 when tightening the tie wrap 16.

Impressions

[0063] It will be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

[0064] While the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described as embodied in a closure for securing the contents of a partially filled, but closed, bottle of wine, liquor, or other liquid, nevertheless, they are not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions, and changes in the forms and details of the embodiments of the present invention illustrated and their operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0065] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the embodiments of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt them for various applications without omitting features that from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the embodiments of the present invention.