A STOPPER FOR CONTAINER

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stopper made entirely or at least in part of plastic material, wherein the plastic material is a thermoplastic elastomeric polymer and includes a dispersion of activated carbon particles. The present invention also relates to a method to manufacture a stopper for a container by means of injection molding comprising: heating granules or pellets of plastic material until the granules or pellets become soft and flexible; adding activated carbon particles to the soft and flexible granules or pellets of plastic material; injecting the softened plastic into a mold, thereby obtaining a desired shape for the stopper; leaving the plastic material to cool until hardening; and opening the mold and removing the stopper.

Claims

1. A stopper for a container made entirely or at least in part of plastic material, wherein the plastic material is a thermoplastic elastomeric polymer and includes a dispersion of activated carbon particles and a dispersion of plastic microbeads.

2. (canceled)

3. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric polymer is selected from the group consisting of mixtures of vulcanized rubber, ethyl-vinyl-acetate copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymers, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyester-ether copolymer, polyamide-polyether copolymers, polyester, and/or combinations thereof.

4. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric polymer is biodegradable.

5. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric polymer is a bioplastic.

6. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric polymer degrades at a rate of 90% by weight in 6 months.

7. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric polymer comprises a biodegradable bioplastic originating from plants or fermentation.

8. The stopper for a container according to claim 7, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric polymer consists of a biodegradable bioplastic originating from plants or fermentation or of mixtures of biodegradable bioplastics originating from plants or fermentation.

9. The stopper for a container according to claim 7, wherein the biodegradable bioplastic is selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid, gum, latex, and/or combinations thereof.

10. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the density of the plastic material is comprised between 0.5 and 5 g/cm.sup.3.

11. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon is between 1% and 10% of the dry weight of the stopper for a container.

12. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon particles are powdered activated carbon or granular activated carbon.

13. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon particles have a size comprised between 100 nm and 5 mm.

14. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon particles have a size comprised between 0.5 and 100 microns.

15. The stopper for a container according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon particles are in a proportion that provides the stopper for a container a dark color with a mean color brightness value substantially lower than the mean color brightness value of an equivalent product lacking activated carbon.

16. Method to manufacture a stopper for a container by means of injection molding, comprising the following steps: heating granules or pellets of plastic material until the granules or pellets become soft and flexible; adding activated carbon particles to the soft and flexible granules or pellets of plastic material; injecting the softened plastic into a mold, thereby obtaining a desired shape for the stopper; leaving the plastic material to cool until hardening; and opening the mold and removing the stopper.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the heating of granules or pellets of plastic material are heated in a metal hopper.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the mold is a stool mold.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein plastic microbeads are added together with the activated carbon particles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0044] The foregoing and other advantages and features will be better understood based on the following detailed description of an embodiment in reference to the attached drawings which should be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting manner, in which:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a detail of a stopper for a container including activated carbon particles of several sizes, for example particles larger than 1 mm;

[0046] FIGS. 2 to 5 show four examples of stoppers including the stopper for a container, with the first two examples (FIGS. 2 and 3) being stoppers formed entirely by the plastic product material and activated carbon, the third example (FIG. 4) showing a large-headed stopper formed only partially by said plastic product material and activated carbon, and the fourth example (FIG. 5) showing a stopper in which the plastic product material and activated carbon only form a sealing ring. The activated carbon present in the plastic stopper is illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5 by means of a (lined) fill pattern.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

[0047] The attached figures show illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] According to a first embodiment of the invention, a stopper for bottles containing wine, cava, champagne, or another beverage which is formed, at least in part, by a plastic material including activated carbon particles dispersed in said plastic material, is proposed.

[0049] All the activated carbon particles contained in the stopper or part of a stopper may have a homogeneous or heterogeneous grain size distribution. For example, the mixing of particles equal to or larger than 1 mm with microparticles and/or with activated carbon nanoparticles is envisaged.

[0050] The activated carbon will be present in the product in a sufficient proportion so that the color brightness of the resulting plastic product is equal to or less than 50%, or even 40%, providing plastic products with a range of colors ranging from dark brown to black. Furthermore, a user will be able to perceive, with the naked eye, the activated carbon, particularly when the particle size is more than 1 mm, so the coloration of the stopper is not homogeneous in a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0051] The stopper according to the present invention can be formed completely by the mentioned plastic product, for example forming a stopper for wine, sparkling wine, such as cava or champagne, or a distillate or spirit, such as those schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Other possibilities envisaged in the present invention, although not shown in the figures, include a stopper for a container or part of a stopper for a container which contains cosmetic products, in which the preservation and stability of the product contained therein are critical and a stopper or part of a stopper according to the present invention solves the problem relating to the degradation and/or oxidation of these cosmetic products.

[0052] Alternatively, only a part of the stopper will be formed by the proposed plastic material and activated carbon. For example, FIG. 4 shows a large-headed stopper in which only the portion intended to be inserted into the neck of the bottle is formed by the proposed plastic material, with the head of the stopper being formed by another material. Said another material can be, for example, natural cork, agglomerated granulate cork, wood, glass, or even a plastic material without activated carbon, or with a different proportion or grain size distribution of activated carbon.

[0053] It is also proposed for the stopper to be able to include, in the different portions thereof, the proposed plastic material with activated carbon with different concentrations of activated carbon. FIG. 5 shows another embodiment whereby the stopper only includes the proposed plastic material with activated carbon in a sealing ring intended for being pressed against the mouth of a container closed by said stopper. Said sealing ring will filter the gas passing therethrough.

[0054] It will be understood that the different parts forming the invention described in an embodiment can be freely combined with the parts described in other different embodiments, although said combination has not been explicitly described, provided that the result of said combination is within the scope of the claims and provided that there is no incompatibility in the combination.