Crown cork closure and closing method

Abstract

A crown cork closure and closing method. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading Abstract of the Disclosure. The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

Claims

1. A container closure structure comprising: a metallic crown cork comprising a disc-shaped main portion and a substantially ring-shaped, corrugated edge portion; said edge portion being disposed at an angle to said main portion and to surround said main portion; said edge portion comprising a plurality of projections, which projections form alternating peak portions and valley portions; upon installation of said crown cork on a container, a first section of an inside surface of said edge portion being in contact with the container, and a second section of said inside surface of said edge portion being disposed a distance from said container with hollow spaces therebetween; and a deformable sealing material being disposed at an edge of said edge portion furthest from said main portion and not extending to an outside surface of said edge portion, and on only a portion of said second section of said inside surface of said edge portion, to seal and close off said hollow spaces from the outside environment, which hollow spaces are disposed axially between said main portion and said sealing material.

2. The container closure structure according to claim 1, wherein said sealing material comprises a thickness that varies about the length thereof.

3. The container closure structure according to claim 2, wherein: the container closure structure has a central axis; said second section of said inside surface of said edge portion comprises alternating inside peak surface portions and inside valley surface portions; said inside peak surface portions are disposed further away from the central axis, in a radial direction, than said inside valley surface portions, such that, upon installation of said crown cork on a container, said inside peak surface portions are disposed further away from the outer surface of the container than said inside valley surface portions; and the thickness of said sealing material is thicker on said inside peak surface portions than on said inside valley surface portions.

4. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of said sealing material on said inside valley surface portions is at most one millimeter.

5. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of said sealing material on said inside valley surface portions is at most 0.5 millimeter.

6. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of said sealing material on said inside valley surface portions is less than 0.2 millimeter.

7. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of said sealing material on said inside valley surface portions is sufficiently small to minimize shearing of said sealing material upon installation of said crown cork on a container.

8. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein said sealing material contains a germ-inhibiting or germicidal substance.

9. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein: the container closure structure comprises a top seal disposed on said main portion and configured to seal a top edge or lip of a container; and said sealing material being separate and disposed a distance from said top seal.

10. The container closure structure according to claim 3, wherein, upon installation of said crown cork on a container, said sealing material contacts the container only at a section of said mouth portion of the container below a lip portion of the container.

11. The container closure structure according to claim 1, wherein: said sealing material is a rubber-type or foam-type material; and the outer surface of said rubber-type or foam-type material comprises no or essentially no pores in relation to the inner surface of said rubber-type or foam-type material.

12. The container closure structure according to claim 1, wherein said sealing material is a material which is activatable in respect of the volume.

13. The container closure structure according to claim 12, wherein said sealing material is a material which is activatable by the application of energy.

14. The container closure structure according to claim 12, wherein said sealing material is a material which is activatable by the application of thermal energy to expand said sealing material.

15. The container closure structure according to claim 12, wherein said sealing material exhibits a memory effect, and, after reduction by pressure, retains a compressed reduced volume form for a certain time, or, respectively, tries to regain the original enlarged volume form.

16. The container closure structure according to claim 1, wherein said sealing material comprises one or more applications of a hot and/or melt adhesive.

17. The container closure structure according to claim 1, wherein said sealing material projects radially outwards past said edge portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the top or mouth portion of a bottle with a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(2) FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(3) FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of container with a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(4) FIGS. 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C show a cross-sectional view of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(5) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(6) FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the top or mouth portion of a bottle with a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(7) FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(8) FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(9) FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(10) FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification;

(11) FIG. 9 shows steps of a method according to one possible exemplification;

(12) FIG. 10 shows steps of a method according to one possible exemplification;

(13) FIG. 11 shows steps of a method according to one possible exemplification; and

(14) FIG. 12 shows schematically the main components of one possible example of a system for filling containers.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLIFICATION OR EXEMPLIFICATIONS

(15) FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the top or mouth portion of a container, specifically a bottle 2 having a longitudinal axis 9, with a crown cork or crown cap 1 according to one possible exemplification. The crown cork 1 includes a disk-shaped main portion 3 and a substantially ring-shaped or annular edge portion 4. The edge portion 4 is corrugated or jagged such that the edge portion 4 has alternating peaks 5 and valleys 6. The peaks 5 are further from the surface of the bottle 2 than the valleys 6. The crown cork 1 also has a seal 7 that seals the top of a lip portion 8 of the bottle 2. The bottle 2 is contoured such that the outer surface curves inwardly from the lip portion 8. The edge portion 4 of the crown cork 1 is deformed or clamped around the lip portion 8 to secure the crown cork 1 to the bottle 2. However, hollow spaces 11 are formed between edge portion 4 and the surface of the bottle 2, specifically in the vicinity of the peaks 5 and valleys 6. Liquids and/or dirt and/or other contaminants could become trapped in the hollow spaces 11, which could result in dirtying of the container, buildup of hazardous contaminants, or possible contamination of the product therein. As discussed herein above, a sealing material 10 is located in the lowermost part of the edge portion 4, adjacent or at the edge of the edge portion 4, to seal off the hollow spaces 11 from the outside environment. The sealing material 10 in FIG. 1 only fills a portion of the volume of the hollow spaces, rather than the entire volume, such that there is still an open space between each of the peaks 5 and valleys 6, that is, between the interior surface of the edge portion 4 and the outside surface of the container 2. It should be noted that there is hollow or open space around the entire circumference of the container mouth portion below the lip portion, as seen in FIG. 1.

(16) FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. The sealing material 10 is a rubber-type or foam-type material, in one possible exemplification a rubber-type or foam-type material of which the outer surface comprises no or essentially no pores in relation to the inner surface.

(17) FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis 9 of the container 2, of a portion of container 2 with a crown cork or crown cap 1 installed thereon according to one possible exemplification. The corrugated or jagged design of the edge portion 4, with alternating peaks 5 and valleys 6, is shown. In FIG. 1B, the sealing material 10 is in sealing contact with both the edge portion 4 and the surface of the container or bottle 2. In FIG. 1B, the sealing material 10 forms a complete seal all around the perimeter of the container 2.

(18) As discussed above, the sealing material 10 can be a material that can change in volume or state by changing the force applied to the material and/or applying energy, such as thermal energy, to the material. The sealing material 10 can be kept in a compressed or unactivated state until the time for installation on a container. FIGS. 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C show a cross-sectional view of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification, in which the sealing material 10 is made from a material that can change in volume. Specifically, the sealing material 10 can exhibit what is referred to as a memo effect or memory effect, such as exhibited by memory foam. In FIG. 2, the sealing material 10 is in a compressed state 10.1. However, the sealing material 10, prior to compression, had an uncompressed state or volume 10.4, shown in dotted lines. FIGS. 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C show the progression from the compressed state 10.1, to a less compressed state 10.2, to an even less compressed state 10.3, and finally the original, uncompressed state or volume 10.4.

(19) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. The sealing material in FIG. 3 is a hot adhesive or melt adhesive 13.

(20) FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the top or mouth portion of a bottle with a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. In this exemplification, a portion 15 of the sealing material 10 projects radially outward, with respect to the longitudinal axis 9, beyond the lowermost edge of the edge portion 4. The portion 15 extends out such that there exposed outer surfaces of the portion 15, such as an exposed top surface 15.1, an exposed side surface 15.2, and an exposed bottom surface 15.3. In contrast, in FIG. 1, the sealing material 10 only has an exposed bottom surface since the sealing material 10 does not extend past the lowermost edge of the edge portion 4 as in FIG. 4. The sealing material 10 in the exemplification in FIG. 4 is therefore easily visible and can serve as an indicator of whether or not the crown cork 1 has been prematurely dislodged or loosened or opened due to accidental or intentional tampering.

(21) FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. In this exemplification, the thickness of the sealing material 10 is such that the sealing material 10, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 9, projects past the main part 3 by either a very small amount of less than one millimeter or less than 0.5 millimeter, or not at all, i.e., zero millimeters.

(22) FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. In this exemplification, valleys 6 of the edge portion 4 are at least partially filled with a filling material 17. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. In this exemplification, the valleys 6 of the edge portion 4 are at least partially filled with a filling material 17, and at least a portion of the peaks 6 of the edge portion 4 are covered with an edge material 19, such as a coating, lacquer, or other material. FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view, as viewed along the longitudinal axis of the container, of a portion of a crown cork or crown cap according to one possible exemplification. In this exemplification, only at least a portion of the peaks 6 of the edge portion 4 are covered with the edge material 19.

(23) FIG. 9 shows steps of a method according to one possible exemplification. As discussed herein, containers can be closed with a crown cork or crown cap closure system or structure. The containers and the crown corks are first conveyed to a closure device or closing machine. In the closure device, the edge portion of the crown cork is deformed or shaped into a crown shape. After the deformation, an activation step is performed, in which energy is applied to the sealing material, either indirectly by energy application into the crown cork, or directly by energy application into free-lying or exposed surfaces of the sealing material. The application of energy results in an at least intermittent change of form and/or state of the sealing material.

(24) FIG. 10 shows steps of a method according to one possible exemplification. Instead of the energy application taking place in the closure device as shown in FIG. 9, the energy application takes place in a transport and/or handling station downstream of the closure device. This energy application can take place during a continuous transport of the containers.

(25) According to one possible exemplification, when the change of form and/or state of the sealing material takes place, after the deformation and after the activation, a projecting portion of the sealing material covers the free shaped ends of the crown cork in the radial direction, and therefore forms a ring or rim beneath the free shaped ends.

(26) FIG. 11 shows steps of a method according to one possible exemplification. As discussed herein, the sealing material is attached to the main part of the crown cork by adhesive bonding, pressing on, or securing in an otherwise suitable manner. According to the exemplification shown in FIG. 10, the step of bringing together the sealing material and the main part takes place directly upstream or in the closure system. Specifically, the main part and the sealing material are provided from two different material-holding and storage units. They are then conveyed via corresponding feed and transfer systems respectively to a combining unit. At the combining unit, the sealing material is attached to the crown corks, before the application onto the respective container, to form one single closure structure or crown cork.

(27) FIG. 12 shows schematically the main components of one possible example of a system for filling containers, specifically, a beverage bottling plant for filling bottles 130 with at least one liquid beverage, in accordance with at least one possible exemplification, in which system or plant could possibly be utilized at least one aspect, or several aspects, of the exemplifications disclosed herein.

(28) FIG. 12 shows a rinsing arrangement or rinsing station 101, to which the containers, namely bottles 130, are fed in the direction of travel as indicated by the arrow 131, by a first conveyer arrangement 103, which can be a linear conveyor or a combination of a linear conveyor and a starwheel. Downstream of the rinsing arrangement or rinsing station 101, in the direction of travel as indicated by the arrow 131, the rinsed bottles 130 are transported to a beverage filling machine 105 by a second conveyer arrangement 104 that is formed, for example, by one or more starwheels that introduce bottles 130 into the beverage filling machine 105.

(29) The beverage filling machine 105 shown is of a revolving or rotary design, with a rotor 105, which revolves around a central, vertical machine axis. The rotor 105 is designed to receive and hold the bottles 130 for filling at a plurality of filling positions 113 located about the periphery of the rotor 105. At each of the filling positions 103 is located a filling arrangement 114 having at least one filling device, element, apparatus, or valve. The filling arrangements 114 are designed to introduce a predetermined volume or amount of liquid beverage into the interior of the bottles 130 to a predetermined or desired level.

(30) The filling arrangements 114 receive the liquid beverage material from a toroidal or annular vessel 117, in which a supply of liquid beverage material is stored under pressure by a gas. The toroidal vessel 117 is a component, for example, of the revolving rotor 105. The toroidal vessel 117 can be connected by means of a rotary coupling or a coupling that permits rotation. The toroidal vessel 117 is also connected to at least one external reservoir or supply of liquid beverage material by a conduit or supply line. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, there are two external supply reservoirs 123 and 124, each of which is configured to store either the same liquid beverage product or different products. These reservoirs 123, 124 are connected to the toroidal or annular vessel 117 by corresponding supply lines, conduits, or arrangements 121 and 122. The external supply reservoirs 123, 124 could be in the form of simple storage tanks, or in the form of liquid beverage product mixers, in at least one possible embodiment.

(31) As well as the more typical filling machines having one toroidal vessel, it is possible that in at least one possible embodiment there could be a second toroidal or annular vessel which contains a second product. In this case, each filling arrangement 114 could be connected by separate connections to each of the two toroidal vessels and have two individually-controllable fluid or control valves, so that in each bottle 130, the first product or the second product can be filled by means of an appropriate control of the filling product or fluid valves.

(32) Downstream of the beverage filling machine 105, in the direction of travel of the bottles 130, there can be a beverage bottle closing arrangement or closing station 106 which closes or caps the bottles 130. The beverage bottle closing arrangement or closing station 106 can be connected by a third conveyer arrangement 107 to a beverage bottle labeling arrangement or labeling station 108. The third conveyor arrangement may be formed, for example, by a plurality of starwheels, or may also include a linear conveyor device.

(33) In the illustrated embodiment, the beverage bottle labeling arrangement or labeling station 108 has at least one labeling unit, device, or module, for applying labels to bottles 130. In the embodiment shown, the labeling arrangement 108 is connected by a starwheel conveyer structure to three output conveyer arrangements: a first output conveyer arrangement 109, a second output conveyer arrangement 110, and a third output conveyer arrangement 111, all of which convey filled, closed, and labeled bottles 130 to different locations.

(34) The first output conveyer arrangement 109, in the embodiment shown, is designed to convey bottles 130 that are filled with a first type of liquid beverage supplied by, for example, the supply reservoir 123. The second output conveyer arrangement 110, in the embodiment shown, is designed to convey bottles 130 that are filled with a second type of liquid beverage supplied by, for example, the supply reservoir 124. The third output conveyer arrangement 111, in the embodiment shown, is designed to convey incorrectly labeled bottles 130. To further explain, the labeling arrangement 108 can comprise at least one beverage bottle inspection or monitoring device that inspects or monitors the location of labels on the bottles 130 to determine if the labels have been correctly placed or aligned on the bottles 130. The third output conveyer arrangement 111 removes any bottles 130 which have been incorrectly labeled as determined by the inspecting device.

(35) The beverage bottling plant can be controlled by a central control arrangement 112, which could be, for example, computerized control system that monitors and controls the operation of the various stations and mechanisms of the beverage bottling plant.

(36) One feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in a cap-like closure system for containers, comprising a crown cork, which comprises a plurality of prong-like or tooth-like shaped ends, as the main part, formed at least partially from a metallic and/or aluminum-containing material, and comprising an inside and an outside intended for contact with the container, wherein the main part of the crown cork is formed in such a way that the shaped ends, after specific deformation for closing the container, form one or more hollow spaces between the outer container surface and the shaped ends, wherein a deformable sealing material is provided on the inside in the region of the shaped ends, which closes the hollow spaces at least in the circumference of the end facing the container base.

(37) Another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material is a rubber-type or foam-type material, such as a rubber-type or foam-type material of which the outer surface comprises no or essentially no pores in relation to the inner surface.

(38) Yet another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material is a material which is activatable in respect of the volume.

(39) Still another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material can be activated by the application of energy, in one possible exemplification by thermal energy, in that it expands under the influence of heat.

(40) A further feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material exhibits a memo effect, and, after reduction by pressure, retains a compressed reduced volume form for a certain time, or, respectively, tries to regain the original enlarged volume form.

(41) Another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material is one or more applications of a hot and/or melt adhesive.

(42) Yet another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material projects radially outwards over the shaped ends.

(43) Still another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material projects above the main part in the region of elevations on the inside perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly or transverse by not more than one millimeter, in one possible exemplification by zero to one-half millimeter.

(44) A further feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein the sealing material contains at least in certain areas a germ-inhibiting or germicidal substance.

(45) Another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the cap-like closure system, wherein valley sections of the shaped ends on the outside of the main part are occupied at least partially with a filling material, and/or the outer edge of the main part is occupied by an edge material.

(46) One feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in a method for the closure of containers with a cap-like closure system according to the present application, wherein the containers and the crown corks are conveyed to the closure device, wherein after the step of deformation of the shaped ends, an activation step follows, with which, indirectly by energy application into the crown cork or directly by energy application into free-lying surfaces of the sealing material, an at least intermittent change of form and/or state of the sealing material is incurred.

(47) Another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the method, wherein the energy application takes place in a transport and/or handling station downstream of the closure device.

(48) Yet another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the method, wherein the energy application takes place during a continuous transport of the containers.

(49) Still another feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the method, wherein the change of form and/or state of the sealing material takes place in such a way that, after the deformation and after the activation, projecting sealing material covers the free shaped ends radially, and therefore forms a ring or rim beneath the free shaped ends.

(50) A further feature or aspect of an exemplification is believed at the time of the filing of this patent application to possibly reside broadly in the method, wherein the sealing material is adhesively bonded, pressed on, or secured in an otherwise suitable manner onto the main part of the crown cork, wherein the step of bringing together the sealing material and the main part takes place directly upstream or in the closure system, wherein the main part and the sealing material are provided from two different material-holding and storage units, and are conveyed via corresponding feed and transfer systems respectively to a combining unit, and are there combined before the application onto the respective container to form one single closure (crown cork).

(51) The components disclosed in the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents disclosed or incorporated by reference herein, may possibly be used in possible exemplifications of the present invention, as well as equivalents thereof.

(52) The purpose of the statements about the technical field is generally to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public to determine quickly, from a cursory inspection, the nature of this patent application. The description of the technical field is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately describe the technical field of this patent application. However, the description of the technical field may not be completely applicable to the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, any statements made relating to the technical field are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(53) The appended drawings in their entirety, including all dimensions, proportions and/or shapes in at least one exemplification of the invention, are accurate and are hereby included by reference into this specification.

(54) The background information is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately provide background information for this patent application. However, the background information may not be completely applicable to the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, any statements made relating to the background information are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(55) All, or substantially all, of the components and methods of the various exemplifications may be used with at least one exemplification or all of the exemplifications, if more than one exemplification is described herein.

(56) The purpose of the statements about the object or objects is generally to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public to determine quickly, from a cursory inspection, the nature of this patent application. The description of the object or objects is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately describe the object or objects of this patent application. However, the description of the object or objects may not be completely applicable to the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, any statements made relating to the object or objects are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(57) All of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited herein, and in the Declaration attached hereto, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein except for the exceptions indicated herein.

(58) The summary is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately summarize this patent application. However, portions or all of the information contained in the summary may not be completely applicable to the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, any statements made relating to the summary are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(59) It will be understood that the examples of patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents which are included in this application and which are referred to in paragraphs which state Some examples of . . . which may possibly be used in at least one possible exemplification of the present application . . . may possibly not be used or useable in any one or more exemplifications of the application.

(60) The sentence immediately above relates to patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents either incorporated by reference or not incorporated by reference.

(61) The following patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents, except for the exceptions indicated herein, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein except for the exceptions indicated herein: DE 401 81 21 A1, having the following English translation of the German title Filling and closing bottles-involves mechanism which forms seal press seat between closure and bottle, published on Dec. 12, 1991; DE 1018121 A1, having the following German title Freiluft-Hochspannungsverbundisolator aus Kunststoff, published on Oct. 24, 1957; DE 4036306 A1, having the following English translation of the German title Fitting sealing caps to filled bottles, published on Jun. 4, 1992; and DE 35 15 334 A1, having the English translation of the German title VESSEL CLOSING MACHINE, published on Oct. 30, 1986.

(62) All of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents, except for the exceptions indicated herein, which were cited in the German Office Action dated Jul. 8, 2015, and/or cited elsewhere, as well as the German Office Action document itself, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein except for the exceptions indicated herein, as follows: DE 10 2014 010 626 A1, having the German title Verschluss einer Flasche mit einem Kronkorken, published on May 7, 2015; DE 10 2005 004 996 B3, having the English translation of the German title Crown cap for bottles is produced by stamping from a metal sheet, with the seals laid in position, to give a base and a peripheral wall with a toothed structure, published on Jul. 20, 2006; and DE 40 36 306 A1, having the English translation of the German title Fitting sealing caps to filled bottles, published on Jun. 4, 1992.

(63) All of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents, except for the exceptions indicated herein, which were cited in the International Search Report dated Jun. 8, 2015, and/or cited elsewhere, as well as the International Search Report document itself, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein except for the exceptions indicated herein, as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,816 A, having the title Closing and sealing bottles and other receptacles, published on Mar. 14, 1961; U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,895 A, having the title Method for manufacturing resin products including foam products, published on Jul. 19, 1966; DE 197 13 404 A1, having the following English translation of the German title Anti-leakage closure for wine bottles, published on Oct. 8, 1998; and FR 1,317,228 A, having the French title Joint strilisateur pour bouteilles a liquides alimentaires, published on Feb. 8, 1963.

(64) The corresponding foreign and international patent publication applications, namely, Federal Republic of Germany Patent Application No. DE 10 2014 104 322.7, filed on Mar. 27, 2014, having inventors Heinz HILLMANN and Andreas KRIEG, and DE-OS DE 10 2014 104 322.7 and DE-PS DE 10 2014 104 322.7, and International Application No. PCT/EP2015/056264, filed on Mar. 24, 2015, having WIPO Publication No. WO 2015 144710 A1 and inventors Heinz HILLMANN and Andreas KRIEG, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein, except for the exceptions indicated herein, for the purpose of correcting and explaining any possible misinterpretations of the English translation thereof. In addition, the published equivalents of the above corresponding foreign and international patent publication applications, and other equivalents or corresponding applications, if any, in corresponding cases in the Federal Republic of Germany and elsewhere, and the references and documents cited in any of the documents cited herein, such as the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents, except for the exceptions indicated herein, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein except for the exceptions indicated herein.

(65) The purpose of incorporating the corresponding foreign equivalent patent application(s), that is, PCT/EP2015/056264 and German Patent Application 10 2014 104 322.7, is solely for the purposes of providing a basis of correction of any wording in the pages of the present application, which may have been mistranslated or misinterpreted by the translator, and to provide additional information relating to technical features of one or more exemplifications, which information may not be completely disclosed in the wording in the pages of this application.

(66) Statements made in the original foreign patent applications PCT/EP2015/056264 and DE DE 10 2014 104 322.7 from which this patent application claims priority which do not have to do with the correction of the translation in this patent application are not to be included in this patent application in the incorporation by reference.

(67) Any statements about admissions of prior art in the original foreign patent applications PCT/EP2015/056264 and DE 10 2014 104 322.7 are not to be included in this patent application in the incorporation by reference, since the laws relating to prior art in non-U.S. Patent Offices and courts may be substantially different from the Patent Laws of the United States.

(68) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/277,360, filed on Sep. 27, 2016, having inventors Heinz HILLMANN and Andreas KRIEG, and title CROWN CAP AND LOSING DEVICE, and its corresponding Federal Republic of Germany Patent Application No. 10 2014 104 316.2, filed on Mar. 27, 2014, and International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2015/056263, filed on Mar. 24, 2015, having WIPO Publication No. WO 2015/144709 A1and inventors Heinz HILLMANN and Andreas FAHLDIECK are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

(69) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/277,018, filed on Sep. 27, 2016, having inventors Heinz HILLMANN and Andreas KRIEG, and title CROWN CAP CLOSURE AND CLOSURE METHOD, and its corresponding Federal Republic of Germany Patent Application No. 10 2014 104 323.5, filed on Mar. 27, 2014, and International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2015/056266, filed on Mar. 24, 2015, having WIPO Publication No. WO 2015/144711 and inventors Heinz HILLMANN and Andreas FAHLDIECK are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

(70) All of the references and documents cited in any of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited herein, except for the exceptions indicated herein, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein except for the exceptions indicated herein. All of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited herein, referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, include all of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited anywhere in the present application.

(71) Words relating to the opinions and judgments of the author of all patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited herein and not directly relating to the technical details of the description of the exemplifications therein are not incorporated by reference.

(72) The words all, always, absolutely, consistently, preferably, guarantee, particularly, constantly, ensure, necessarily, immediately, endlessly, avoid, exactly, continually, expediently, ideal, need, must, only, perpetual, precise, perfect, require, requisite, simultaneous, total, unavoidable, and unnecessary, or words substantially equivalent to the above-mentioned words in this sentence, when not used to describe technical features of one or more exemplifications of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents, are not considered to be incorporated by reference herein for any of the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited herein.

(73) The description of the exemplification or exemplifications is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately describe the exemplification or exemplifications of this patent application. However, portions of the description of the exemplification or exemplifications may not be completely applicable to the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, any statements made relating to the exemplification or exemplifications are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(74) The details in the patents, patent applications, patent publications, and other documents cited herein may be considered to be incorporable, at applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentably distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.

(75) The purpose of the title of this patent application is generally to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public to determine quickly, from a cursory inspection, the nature of this patent application. The title is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately reflect the general nature of this patent application. However, the title may not be completely applicable to the technical field, the object or objects, the summary, the description of the exemplification or exemplifications, and the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, the title is not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(76) The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading Abstract of the Disclosure. The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.
Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

(77) The exemplifications of the invention described herein above in the context of the preferred exemplifications are not to be taken as limiting the exemplifications of the invention to all of the provided details thereof, since modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplifications of the invention.