Closure-securing means for a bottle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closure guard for a bottle, comprising a first housing part and a second housing part, which are configured to non-releasably enclose an upper portion of the neck of the bottle to be secured, including the bottle closure, when in a securing state, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part are interconnected so as to be movable relative to one another and are transferable between the securing state and a release state, in which the closure guard can be released from the neck, and a locking mechanism which is associated with either the first housing part or the second housing part and is configured to lock the first housing part and the second housing part in the securing state.

Claims

1. Closure guard for a bottle, comprising: a first housing part and a second housing part, which are configured to non-releasably enclose an upper portion of the neck of the bottle to be secured, including the bottle closure, when in a securing state; the first housing part and the second housing part being interconnected so as to be movable relative to one another and being transferable between the securing state and a release state, in which the closure guard can be released from the neck; and a locking mechanism, which is associated with either the first housing part or the second housing part and configured to lock the first housing part and the second housing part in the securing state, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking pin which engages with both the first housing part and the second housing part when in the securing state in order to fix said housing parts in place in their relative orientation, and which can be displaced, by means of an actuation element, out of engagement with at least one of the first housing part and the second housing part in order to allow the first housing part and the second housing part to be transferred to the release state, and wherein the actuation element comprises an actuator which is formed at least in part by a shape-memory alloy and/or a piezoelectric element.

2. Closure guard according to claim 1, wherein the locking pin is biased toward its engagement position by a first resilient element.

3. Closure guard according to claim 2, wherein the first resilient element is a spring.

4. Closure guard according to claim 1, wherein, in the securing state, the locking pin is guided through a respective opening in both the first housing part and the second housing part in order to fix said housing parts in place against one another.

5. Closure guard according to claim 1, wherein the first housing part and the second housing are interconnected so as to be linearly movable with respect to one another.

6. Closure guard according to claim 5, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part are interconnected by means of a sliding guide.

7. Closure guard according to claim 1, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part are interconnected so as to be pivotably movable with respect to one another by means of a hinge, wherein the pivot pin of the hinge may be arranged above or in parallel with the neck in the securing state.

8. Closure guard according to claim 1, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part are biased toward their release state by a second resilient element.

9. Closure guard according to claim 8, wherein the second resilient element is a spring.

10. Closure guard according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first housing part and the second housing part is made of a transparent material at least in some portions.

11. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising at least one barb element, which is associated with either the first housing part or the second housing part and is configured to interact with a bead on the neck when the closure guard is in the securing state in such a way as to prevent the closure guard from being pulled off the neck.

12. Closure guard according to claim 11, wherein the barb element is displaceably or pivotably associated with the corresponding housing part and is biased in the direction of the neck by a third resilient element.

13. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply unit.

14. Closure guard according to claim 13, wherein the power supply unit is a battery.

15. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising a signal-receiving unit, which is operatively coupled to the actuation element and configured, upon receipt of a release-initiation signal, to instruct the actuation element to displace the locking pin out of engagement with at least one of the first housing part and the second housing part.

16. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store information about the bottle to be secured and/or the number of times the actuation element has been actuated and/or further data.

17. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator device on the outside of the first housing part or the second housing part.

18. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor unit configured to detect the establishment of the securing state, the release state, and/or a state attached to a bottle, and/or further comprising at least one alarm generator.

19. Closure guard according to claim 1, further comprising an anti-theft element configured to interact with an external anti-theft system.

Description

(1) Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof when considered together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first embodiment of a closure guard according to the invention in its release state and its securing state, respectively;

(3) FIGS. 2A and 2B show a second embodiment of a closure guard according to the invention in its release state and its securing state, respectively;

(4) FIGS. 3A and 3B show a third embodiment of a closure guard according to the invention in its release state and its securing state, respectively; and

(5) FIGS. 4A and 4B are detailed views of the locking mechanism from the first to third embodiments in its release state and its securing state, respectively.

(6) Firstly, FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first embodiment of a bottle closure guard according to the invention, denoted in general by reference sign 100. The closure guard 100 comprises a first housing part 102 and a second housing part 104, which are interconnected so as to be linearly movable with respect one another by means of a sliding guide 106.

(7) In the state shown in FIG. 1A, the first housing part 102 and the second housing part 104 are at a maximum distance from one another, so this state corresponds to a release state within the meaning of the invention. Furthermore, a helical spring 108 biases the two housing parts 102, 104 into the release state shown in FIG. 1A. In addition, it can be seen that the closure guard 100 is placed on a neck F1 of a bottle F, which further has a bead F2 at the top end in the region of its bottle closure.

(8) To non-releasably attach the closure guard 100 in the securing state shown in FIG. 1B by engaging with said bead F2, the closure guard 100 further comprises a barb element 110, which is associated with the second housing part 104 and tapers obliquely upward on the neck F1 so as to contact the bead F2 from below in the state shown in FIG. 1B and prevent the closure guard 100 from being pulled upward off the neck F1. By means of a further helical spring 112, the barb element 110, which is displaceably held on a linear guide 114, is biased in the direction of the neck F1 such that, on the one hand, secure contact of the barb element with the neck F1 is ensured in the securing state in FIG. 1B, thus ensuring that the closure guard 100 is securely fixed in place on the bottle F, while on the other hand deflecting the barb element 110 counter to the action of the helical spring 112 allows the closure guard 100 to be pushed over the neck F1 even when the closure guard 100 is in the securing state, since in this case the barb element 110 is initially deflected away from the neck F1 by the bead F2, counter to the action of the helical spring 112, and can come to rest behind the bead F2 once it has passed over the bead.

(9) FIGS. 2A and 2B now show a second embodiment of a closure guard according to the invention, denoted by reference sign 200. By contrast with the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in this case the two housing parts 202, 204 are not fastened to one another so as to be linearly displaceable with respect to one another, but rather can be pivoted with respect to one another by means of a hinge 206 having a pivot pin S1. In this case, a tension spring 208 is also provided, which biases the two housing parts 202, 204 into the release state shown in FIG. 2A in a loading direction.

(10) A further difference between the second embodiment 200 and the first embodiment 100 of a closure guard according to the invention is that the barb elements 210, of which one is associated with the first housing part 202 and one with the second housing part 204 in the embodiment in FIGS. 2A and 2B, are not mounted on a linear guide either, but rather are likewise each attached to their respective housing part so as to be pivotable about corresponding pivot pins S210. In this case, the two barb elements 210 are again biased in the direction of the neck F1 of the bottle F by the action of springs 212, such that a secure hold of the closure guard 200 on the bottle F is ensured in the securing state shown in FIG. 2B.

(11) Furthermore, FIGS. 3A and 3B show a third embodiment of a closure guard according to the invention, denoted by reference sign 300 and shown in a schematic top view in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Although the two housing parts 302, 304 are again interconnected so as to be pivotable about a pivot pin S2 by means of a hinge 306 and are biased in the direction of a release position by a resilient element 308, this pivot pin S2 is, by contrast with the pivot pin S1 in FIGS. 2A and 2B, not arranged above the bottle F but runs in parallel with and next to the neck F1. Apart from this difference in the position and orientation of the corresponding pivot pin, the two embodiments in FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIGS. 3A and 3B are substantially identical, so no further description of the additional components, in particular also of the indicated barb elements 310 and their associated springs 312, is provided at this juncture.

(12) Lastly, FIGS. 4A and 4B show the locking mechanism (denoted by reference sign 400) used in the embodiments 100, 200, 300, by means of which the respective pairs of housing parts can be fixed in place on one another in the securing state.

(13) Again, FIG. 4A shows the locking mechanism 400 in a state corresponding to the release state of the corresponding closure guard, while FIG. 4B shows the same locking mechanism 400 in a state corresponding to the securing state of the corresponding closure guard. For simplicity, the two housing parts between which the locking pin 402 of the locking mechanism 400 engages are denoted by reference signs 102 and 104 so as to match the first housing part and the second housing part in FIGS. 1A and 1B, but it goes without saying that a corresponding locking mechanism 400 may also be provided at suitable locations in the other embodiments 200, 300 of closure guards according to the invention.

(14) Respective openings 102a, 104a are provided in the two housing parts 102, 104, through which openings the locking pin 402 extends in the securing state so as to fix the relative position between the first housing part and the second housing part 102, 104. By contrast, in FIG. 4A the locking pin 402 merely protrudes into the opening 104a in the second housing part, to which the locking mechanism 400 is attached, so it is clear that relative movement between the first housing part 102 and the second housing part 104 is readily possible.

(15) In addition to the aforementioned locking pin 402, the locking mechanism 400 further comprises a helical spring 404, which biases the locking pin 402 into the engagement position shown in FIG. 4B. If the locking pin 402 is now to be moved out of engagement with the first housing part 102 counter to the action of the helical spring 404, i.e., is to be moved out of the state in FIG. 4B to the state in FIG. 4A, the shape-memory alloy 406 acting as the actuation element must be made to contract in order to displace the locking pin 402 away from the first housing part 102 until it emerges from the opening 102a. To initiate this actuation, the locking mechanism 400 further comprises electronic components 408, in particular a signal-receiving unit 408a, by means of which release-initiation signals can be received from an external apparatus, as well as a battery 408b, which provides the energy for operating the signal-receiving unit and the actuation element.