ANTI-REFILLLING DEVICE FOR THE NECK OF A CONTAINER, TYPICALLY A BOTTLE, AND A COMPOSITE STOPPER CAP INCLUDING SAID DEVICE

Abstract

An anti-refilling device, designed to be fixed irreversibly to the neck of a container containing a liquid and to be closed by a stopper cap. The device has an axis coinciding with the axis of the neck when it is fixed on the neck, and has an axial dispensing duct for the liquid through which a transverse wall extends, fixed irreversibly to the anti-refilling device and provided with a plurality of traversing channels, each of the channels connecting an external opening, directed towards the outside of the container, to an internal opening, directed towards the inside of the container. The smallest dimension of the external opening is less than a critical dimension determined according to the critical surface tension of the material making up the transverse wall, typically about 0.7 mm, and the smallest dimension of the internal opening is greater than the critical dimension.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of stopper caps, and more particularly that of anti-fraud stopper caps for the conditioning of liquid products of great value or great fame, typically in the field of wines, alcohols, liquors or spirits. In the following we will use the expression “anti-fraud” for the function of anti-refilling, preventing or indicating any fraudulent re-use of a container by filling with a liquid different from the original liquid. The term “tamper resistance” will be used for the “first opening indicator” function, in general performed by a strip or a skirt connected to the capsule by a line of breakable bridges, also known as a “weakening line”, which is detached when first opening.

BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART

A great number of patents describing capsules providing an anti-fraud or anti-refilling function have already been disclosed.

The following may be quoted, as examples: French patents no 2 730 705, 2 406 578, 2 387 1 66, 2 248 209, 2 738 802, English patents no 2 293 158, 2 283 004, 2 274 837,2, 274 824, 2 274 638, 2 274 637, 2 274 639, 2 251 846, 2 244 691, 2 244 048, 2 239 009, 2 238 288, 2 236 999, 2 236 998, 2 231 304, 2 219 570, 2 195 974, 2 178 000, 2 176 467, 2 153 331, 2 057 3902 008 531, 1 532 652, 1 476 542, 1 245 034, and international requests WO 98/42587, WO 96/04179.

International request WO 00/07898, American patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,937 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,047,791, English patent GB 491 737, and French patent FR 1 087 750 are also known.

In spite of the large number of already known devices, none of these devices has been able to impose itself in current practice as an efficient way of meeting with the objective of making containers equipped with these devices unfillable or of making any fraudulent re-use of a container by filling with a liquid different from the original liquid detectable, either because these devices were not very effective or not effective at all, or because they were too complicated to manufacture or to assemble with a container.

As the damages caused to manufacturers of famous brand products, for example famous brand alcohols, are considerable, the applicant continued searching to find a more suitable solution to the problem posed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first object according to the invention is an anti-refilling device, designed to be fixed irreversibly to the neck of a container containing a liquid and to be closed by a stopper cap, said device having an axis coinciding with the axis of said neck when it is fixed on the latter, characterized in that it has an axial dispensing duct for said liquid through which a transverse wall extends, fixed irreversibly to said anti-refilling device and provided with a plurality of traversing channels, each one of said traversing channels connecting an external opening, directed towards the outside of the container, to an internal opening, directed towards the inside of the container, the smallest dimension of said external opening being lower than a critical dimension determined according to the critical surface tension of the material making up said transverse wall and in which the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than said critical dimension.

According to the invention, the traversing channels have a variable section; this section can be defined by two extreme dimensions, measured along the main directions of said section. This section changes from the inside of the container to the outside so that the smallest dimension decreases until it reaches a value lower than a critical value which depends on a number of parameters, of which the ability of the liquid to wet the surface of the transverse wall seems to be the most important one. This critical value also depends on the viscosity of the liquid but the latter is in general an alcohol for drinking, typically a cognac, and almost always has the same viscosity behavior.

Within a liquid (or a solid), all the bonding forces cancel each other out. However, on the surface, these bonding forces have a resultant other than zero which is directed towards the interior of the liquid. The surface then behaves as if it were subjected to an external pressure. The surface tension is by definition a force per unit of length. It is often expressed in mN/m. The liquids concerned in the present invention are alcoholic beverages whose critical surface tension is close to 50-70 mN/m.

The critical surface tension of a material is associated with the wettability of this material. Wetting of the transverse wall depends initially on the surface tension of the liquid and on the critical surface tension of the material making up the transverse wall. By choosing a material whose surface tension is lower than that of the liquid, the incorrect wetting which results from this can be used to prevent the liquid from passing through in one direction while allowing it through in the other.

The critical surface tension of solid substrates may be determined using the contact angle measurement method. A very rapid determination of approximate values can be made by means of special test inks (for example, using the method ASTM 0 2578/67).

The applicant found that it was initially necessary to check the size of the smallest dimensions of the opening: as, on the external side, the edges and the wall of the channels are not wetted, or only slightly so by said liquid because of the critical surface tension of the material making up the transverse wall, the liquid cannot easily penetrate into the traversing channel. In contrast, on the internal side, the edges and the entry of the wall of the traversing channels are more easily wet: the liquid can penetrate into the channel and pass through it to the outlet opening and be ejected by means of the dynamic effect of the liquid flow and the pressure of the column of liquid still contained in the bottle. Obviously, for the liquid contained in the container to leave easily down to the last drop, the smallest dimension of the external opening must indeed be lower than, but as close as possible to, said critical value.

Advantageously, said transverse wall is made of plastic with a surface tension ranging between 25 and 50 mN/m. Preferably the smallest dimension of the external openings of the traversing channels is lower than 0.7 mm, while the smallest dimension of their internal openings is greater than 0.7 mm Preferably also, the smallest dimension of the external openings is lower than 0.6 mm, which makes fraudulent use even more difficult. Advantageously, the smallest dimension of the internal openings is greater than 0.8 mm, which facilitates the flow of liquid contained in the bottle.

The transverse wall is substantially perpendicular to the axis of said device. Preferably, the central part of said transverse wall appears as a grid with a traversing channel system with sections whose shape factor, defined by the ratio of the largest dimension to the smallest dimension, is less than 2, and preferably close to 1. Advantageously, to facilitate flow, the internal openings are square or rectangular in shape.

Said transverse wall may be plane. In this case, said traversing channels all are substantially directed along the axis. In another method, they all are tilted at an angle α in relation to the axial direction of the device, angle α typically lying between 30 and 60°. In still another method said traversing channels are made up of two axial parts communicating between each other but offset from each other in relation to the axis.

Said transverse wall may also be convex with its convexity turned towards the outside, typically in the shape of a hemispherical dome. The traversing channels are then preferably tilted in relation to the normal direction to said transverse wall so that they remain substantially parallel to said axial direction.

Such a transverse wall makes it possible to prevent or at least to give warning of any fraudulent re-use of the container by filling with a liquid different from the original liquid: to introduce this liquid fraudulently, it is necessary to inject it under pressure while allowing the air contained in the bottle to escape. Provided said transverse wall is endowed with suitable mechanical properties, the forces to be brought into play will necessarily destroy said wall. The invention therefore becomes particularly advantageous if said transverse wall is made of a sufficiently rigid and fragile material for any fraudulent attempt to refill said container to be made visible by the destruction or the deterioration of all or part of said transverse wall.

Preferably, said transverse wall is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polystyrene (PS), in particular high-impact polystyrene (SB) or crystal polystyrene. Its thickness ranges between 0.5 and 2 mm.

To facilitate destruction of the device in the event of fraudulent handling, a single-piece molded device including a substantially cylindrical side wall to which said transverse wall is connected via a plurality of N easily breakable bridges is used, N being preferably lower than 12, of unit section less than 2 mm², and preferably less than 1 mm². Advantageously, said transverse wall includes in its central part a grid provided with said plurality of traversing channels and on the periphery a plurality of curvilinear slits, the smallest dimension of which is less than said critical dimension, typically, for a plastic transverse wall, less than 0.7 mm, and preferably less than 0.6 mm. The plurality of curvilinear slits is bounded by a crown attached to said side wall by easily breakable external bridges and to said grid by internal bridges, also easily breakable.

Preferably, each plurality of internal and external bridges is regularly distributed and preferably offset angularly by π/N in relation to the other plurality of bridges, N being preferably less than 12, of unit section less than 2 mm², and preferably less than 1 mm².

For it to be fixed onto the neck of the container, the anti-refilling device also comprises a cylindrical wall provided with at least one irreversible means of fixing. This wall may have several possible aspects:

• a) designed to be fixed around the glass ring (a device known as an “out bore”), it has an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the glass ring; in this case, said irreversible means of fixing may include:
• a1) at least one hook or a typically ring-shaped rib working in conjunction with the fixing zone of the counter-ring, or
• a2) at least one typically metal flange, surrounding said cylindrical wall and made interdependent of the later, typically by crimping, said flange being designed to be crimped onto the fixing zone of the counter-ring.
• b) designed to be inserted inside the neck (an “in bore” device), said cylindrical wall has an external diameter less than the internal diameter of the neck; in this case, said irreversible means of fixing includes at least one circular wing designed to work in conjunction with said internal wall of the neck, its end, when the device has not yet been inserted into said neck, being at a distance from the axis of the device greater than that of the internal diameter of the neck.

The anti-refilling device according to the invention is advantageously assembled with a stopper cap including at least one metal shell provided with a metal skirt. It includes a temporary or removable means of interdependence, typically a screw thread or a reversible clip rib, designed to work in conjunction with said composite stopper cap. For this purpose, said metal skirt is provided with a complementary means of temporary interdependence or is assembled to an insert provided with said means of complementary temporary interdependence.

In this way, an autonomous assembly can be obtained which includes the stopper cap itself and the anti-refilling device and which can be fixed onto the neck in a single stage when capping the container, typically by axial depression or screwing. In the following, we will refer to such a unit as “composite stopper caps”. To facilitate handling of said composite stopper cap, said cylindrical wall is given a diameter substantially equal to that of the internal diameter of said metal skirt, and it is typically provided with a peripheral annular groove, so that said device can be inserted inside said shell and made interdependent with it, by forming a crimping ring. In order to also provide said composite stopper cap with a tamperproof function, the metal skirt is provided with an annular weakening line which separates the metal shell into a top section and a bottom section. After rupture of the weakening zone, the top section belongs to the removable stopper cap and the bottom section, crimped either to the neck or to the bottom part of the anti-refilling device, remains fixed to the bottle.

Advantageously, the anti-refilling device is completed with a part acting as a check valve. For this purpose, the anti-refilling device includes:

• a) an upper part bearing said transverse wall,
• b) a lower part able to provide a tight and typically irreversible fit of said device to said neck and having a wall bounding a cavity, and
• c) an anti-return device forming a moving part in said cavity which cooperates with said lower part by forming a check valve.

The upper part is advantageously made irreversibly interdependent of the lower part by means of the joint working of complementary means of assembly belonging to each of the two parts or by means of the flange which is used to fix the device onto the neck and which in fact also acts as an outer interdependence ring.

To perform its role as a non-return valve, the lower part includes a central section preferably obstructing said cavity, typically in its upper section, so as to imprison said mobile means of said non-return device within said cavity. It also includes an internal wall, equipped with a lower lip bounding a typically circular lower opening of surface So ranging typically from 50 to 150 mm². Said lower lip forms a seat working in conjunction with said moving part, so as to form said check valve, said moving part tending to seal said lower opening by gravity, being held up against said lower lip when said container is typically upright, and to separate axially from said lower seat and thereby to open said lower opening when said container is tilted in order to pour out said liquid. The lower part also includes a transverse wall designed to form an axial stop when fitting said anti-refilling device to said neck, said transverse wall coming up against the mouth of said neck, so as to ensure automatic axial positioning of said device in relation to said neck during said fitting.

In so-called “in bore” devices, the central section of the lower part advantageously includes said axial duct which bears said cylindrical wall provided with at least one circular wing designed to work in conjunction with the internal wall of the neck. At the top of this axial conduit is said transverse wall coming up against the mouth of the neck and onto which is fixed a flexible lip forming a pouring device, typically with a thinned-down part forming an annular hinge. In several preferred methods, the lower part includes an axial central section, the upper part is provided with a central wall onto which said transverse wall is fixed and the axial dispensing duct is provided with an irreversible means of interdependence, typically a ring-shaped internal rib with a significant radial height, and the edge of the transverse wall is an edge whose diameter is such that, after axial depression of said top part on said lower part until the bottom end of said axial central wall comes up against the central section of the lower part, said edge is blocked axially upwards by said means of irreversible interdependence.

Advantageously, the central section of the lower part is provided with a reversible means of interdependence working in conjunction with those of the stopper cap and the axial central section of the top part is a sleeve inside which said temporary means of interdependence of the bottom section, and said temporary means of interdependence of the cap can move and cooperate.

In so-called “out bore” devices the edge of the lower part of the transverse wall is preferably fixed onto the inner face of a sleeve belonging to the upper part. Advantageously, the lower part also includes a means of protection prohibiting access to the anti-return device, located above the central section of the lower part. Said means of protection is, for example, a full metal pellet which can move between the upper opening of the lower part and a crown which is connected to the lower part by a plurality of axial arms surrounding said upper opening, and whose internal diameter is lower than the diameter of said full pellet.

Another object of the invention is a unit made up of a stopper cap and an anti-refilling device, said device being assembled temporarily or removably onto said stopper cap, so that said anti-refilling device and said stopper cap can be assembled to said neck in a single stage when capping said container.

Another object of the invention is a composite stopper cap including a stopper cap and the anti-refilling device according to the invention, said device being assembled temporarily or removably to said stopper cap, characterized in that said stopper cap includes a metal shell provided with a metal skirt. Preferably, said skirt includes at least one annular weakening line, and one typically annular crimping zone, said weakening line being located above said crimping zone, said weakening line being designed to facilitate initial opening of said cap or to provide an indication of initial opening of said cap, after said composite stopper cap has sealed said neck of said container during a capping phase of said container, said weakening line bounding a top part of said shell located above said weakening line and a lower section of said shell located below said weakening line, said lower section being crimped to said lower part typically by spinning or metal crimping of said lower part into an annular groove in said external wall, or designed to be crimped to said neck, under its glass ring.

FIGURES

FIG. 1 a schematically represents an anti-refilling device according to the invention as a diametrical half-section.

FIG. 1 b is a view from above of an anti-refilling device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 schematically represents several transverse walls according to the invention as diametrical half-sections.

FIG. 3 schematically represents a cross-section of several types of traversing channels according to the invention.

FIG. 4 schematically represents as a diametrical half-section another anti-refilling device according to the invention, able to be associated with a composite stopper cap

FIG. 5 represents schematically as diametrical half-section an anti-refilling device according to the invention, similar to that of FIG. 4 but having an additional anti return device.

FIG. 6 represents as a diametrical half-section an anti-refilling device according to the invention, of the “out bore” type, similar to that of FIG. 5, having a threaded insert with a thick skirt.

FIG. 7 represents as a diametrical half-section an anti-refilling device according to the invention, of the “out bore” type in which the cap does not have an insert (the screw thread is made directly, using serrated rollers, on the threaded glass ring during capping).

FIG. 8 represents as a diametrical half-section an anti-refilling device according to the invention, of the “out bore” type, whose top and bottom parts are assembled using a flange acting as an external interdependence ring of and which is also used to fix said device onto the neck by crimping. In this version, the cap has no tamperproof means.

FIG. 9 represents, as a diametrical half-section, an anti-refilling device according to the invention, of the “out bore” type, whose lower and upper parts are assembled using a flange which has been inserted inside a metal shell provided with a weakening line in order to provide tamper-resistance for said cap.

FIG. 10 represents as a diametrical half section, an anti-refilling device according to the invention, of the “in bore” type, also acting as a pourer and assembled with a composite stopper cap provided with a lid (21′) and with a metal shell whose skirt is threaded by rolling on the thread of the glass ring. The device includes a complementary means for fixing to the neck, including an adhesive (70) borne by the surface of the wing (334).

FIG. 11 represents as diametrical half section an anti-refilling device according to the invention, of the “in bore” type, similar to the device shown in FIG. 10 but assembled to a composite stopper cap provided with a threaded insert (21). The device includes a complementary means for fixing to the neck, including an elastomer O-ring (71) placed on the cylindrical wall (36′).

EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS

A. Transverse Wall (FIGS. 1a, 1b and 2; FIGS. 5 to 9, FIG. 3, FIGS. 10 and 11)

FIG. 1 a illustrates the characteristics common to all the anti-refilling devices according to the invention: said device has an axis (10) which coincides with the axis of the neck (40) of the container when it is fixed to the latter. It has an is axial duct (39) for dispensing said liquid through which a transverse wall (6) passes, fixed irreversibly to said anti-refilling device (3) and provided with a plurality of traversing channels (63). Each traversing channel (63) connects an external opening (60) directed towards the outside of the container to an internal opening (61) directed towards the inside of the container. The smallest dimension of said external opening (60) is selected for it to remain lower than a critical dimension determined according to the critical surface tension of the material used to make said transverse wall. On the other hand, the smallest dimension of said internal opening (61) is selected to be greater than said critical dimension.

The transverse wall (6) is made from plastic which has a critical surface tension ranging between 25 and 50 mN/m. The smallest dimension of said external opening (60) is lower than 0.6 mm and the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than 0.8 mm. The transverse wall (6) appears as a grid with a network of traversing channels with roughly square sections which decrease gradually from the inside to the outside.

The transverse wall (6) is convex with its convexity turned towards the outside, typically in the shape of a hemispherical dome. It is made of a sufficiently rigid and fragile material for any fraudulent attempt to refill said container to be made visible by the destruction or the deterioration of all or part of said transverse wall.

Preferably the device and the transverse wall are molded in a single piece, from a material such as high-impact polystyrene or crystal polystyrene. The axial dispensing duct (39) and the transverse wall (6) are connected via a plurality of bridges (65) whose section is less than 1 mm². The transverse wall (6) includes in its central section a grid provided with said plurality of traversing channels (63) and around the edge a plurality of curvilinear slits (64), whose smallest dimension is less than 0.6 mm. Said plurality of curvilinear slits is bounded by a crown (67) attached to said axial duct (39) by 8 regularly distributed external bridges (65) and to said grid (6) by 8 internal regularly distributed bridges (66), offset angularly by π/8 in relation to the external bridges (67).

In the more specific examples given in FIGS. 5 to 9, the transverse wall (6a) is presented as flat and perpendicular to the axis, like the walls illustrated in FIG. 3. The traversing channels (63) are axial, i.e. are directed substantially along a normal direction to said transverse wall as illustrated in FIG. 3a). In other variants, they are tilted differently in order to prevent, or at least to obstruct, the insertion of a tapered object towards the inside of the container. For example, case b) in FIG. 3a illustrates channels tilted at an angle α to the axial direction (10) of the device (3), angle α typically ranging between 30 and 60°. In case c), the traversing channels (63) are made up of two axial prismatic sections (630, 631) communicating between each other but offset from each other in relation to the axis. The section (631) directed towards the inside is larger in section. In FIG. 3D, we have schematically shown the molding tooling used to obtain the transverse wall illustrated in 3c.

On the “out bore” versions (FIGS. 5 to 9) we have shown in dotted lines an alternative in which the wall is convex in the shape of hemispherical dome. Lastly, for the “in bore” versions in FIGS. 10 and 11, the transverse wall is in the form of a portion of an O-ring or hemispherical dome without a central part, the latter being occupied by the axial central part (310′) of the top part (31′) of the device.

B. Fixing to the Neck

All the anti-refilling devices according to the invention have a cylindrical wall (36, 36′) provided with at least one irreversible means of fixing to said neck.

B.1 Fixing by Clipping (FIGS. 1a, 4,5 and 6)

In these examples, said cylindrical wall (36) has an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the glass ring, and the irreversible means of fixing is a hook (360) working in conjunction with the fixing zone (405) of the counter-ring (403).

B.2 Fixing by Crimping (FIGS. 7,8 and 9)

In these examples, said cylindrical wall (36) has an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the glass ring and said means of irreversible fixing includes at least one metal flange (38), which surrounds said cylindrical wall (36) and which is interdependent of it, said flange being designed to be crimped onto the fixing zone (404) of the counter-ring (403). The flange (38) was made interdependent with said cylindrical wall (36) by at least one crimp onto an upper annular peripheral shoulder (362) adjacent to said cylindrical wall (36).

• B.3 Fixing by Insertion Inside the Neck (FIGS. 10 and 11)

In these examples, said cylindrical wall (36′) has an external diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the neck (40) and said irreversible means of fixing includes at least one circular wing (334) designed to work in conjunction with said internal wall of the neck, its end, when the device has not been inserted into said neck, being at a greater distance from the axis (10) than said internal diameter of the neck. It may include a complementary means of fixing (7) to the neck (40) including either an adhesive (70) borne by the surface of said wing (334) (FIG. 10) or an elastomer O-ring (71) placed on the cylindrical wall (36′) (FIG. 11), or both, so as to ensure a tight fit of said device (3) to said neck (40).

C. Tamper-Resistance (or First Opening Indicator) (FIGS. 4,5,6,7,9,10,11)

Except for the example in FIG. 8, which has a simple cap, without a tamper-evident device, the caps in FIGS. 4,5,6,7,9,10 and 11 are tamperproof composite caps (1).

The anti-refilling device is provided with a temporary means of interdependence, typically a screw thread (370) (FIGS. 4 to 7 and 9) or a reversible clipping rib (371) (FIGS. 10 and 11), designed to work in conjunction with the stopper cap (2). The latter includes a metal shell (20) said metal skirt (200) of which is provided with a complementary means of temporary interdependence (204) (FIG. 7) or which is assembled with an insert (21) or an obturator (21′) provided with said means of complementary temporary interdependence (214), complementary to 370, FIG. 4 (identical system in the examples shown in FIGS. 5,6,8 and 9), (214′ is complementary to 371, FIGS. 10 and 11). The temporary assembly of the anti-refilling device and the cap forms a composite “ready-to-fit” cap on the neck of a container.

During capping, the composite cap is fitted onto the neck by axial depression until the transverse section (34, 34′) of the lower part (30, 30′) comes up against the mouth (400) (except for the device shown in FIG. 4, which is cast solid and consequently does not have a lower part, but which is fitted in the same way, mutatis mutandis). The “out bore” devices shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are clipped onto the glass ring. As far as the other “out bore” devices (FIGS. 7 and 9) and the “in bore” devices (FIGS. 10 and 11), are concerned, the skirt (200) of the metal shell (20) is crimped onto the fixing zone (404) of the counter-ring (403). For all these examples (clipped “out bore” in FIGS. 4,5 and 6, non-clipped “out bore” in FIGS. 7 and 9 and “in bore” in FIGS. 10 and 11), the skirt (200) of the shell (20) is provided with a weakening line (201). The weakening line (201) is designed to facilitate initial opening of the cap (2) or to provide an indication of initial opening of said cap (2). It bounds an upper section (202) of the shell (20), located above said weakening line (201), and a lower section (203) of said shell (20) located below said weakening line (201).

As far as caps with non-clipped “out bore” device and “in bore” device are concerned, the lower part (203) has a zone (205) which is crimped to the neck under its glass ring (401) As far as capsules with clipped “out bore” device are concerned, the lower part (203) has a zone (206) which is crimped onto the lower part (30), in an annular groove (361) of the external wall (36).

D. Two Part Anti-Refilling Device, Including a Check Valve (FIGS. 5,6,7,8,9,10,11)

This device includes an upper part (31, 31′) bearing said transverse wall (6, 6′) and a lower part (30, 30′) bounding a cavity (300, 300′), said lower part (30, 30′) being able to provide a tight and typically irreversible fit for said device (3, 3′) onto said neck (40), and an anti-return device (5) forming a mobile part (50) within said cavity and working in conjunction with said lower part (30, 30′) to form a check valve.

Said upper part (31, 31′) is made irreversibly interdependent of said lower part (30, 30′),

a) by means of joint working of complementary means of assembly belonging to each of the two parts:

• • ring-shaped ribs (302) on the lower part and (312) on the upper part. These ribs are illustrated in FIG. 5, but not shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
  • ribs (302′) worked into the upper end of the axial dispensing duct (39′) working in conjunction with the edge (68′) of the transverse wall (6′) (“in bore” versions, illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11)

b) or by means of a flange (38) which acts as an external interdependence ring and is also used for fixing onto the neck (illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9).

The lower part (30, 30′) includes a central section (301, 301′) obstructing said cavity (300, 300′) at its top part, so as to imprison said mobile means (50) of said anti-return device (5) in said cavity (300, 300′). Said lower part (30, 30′) includes an internal wall (33, 33′), equipped with a lower lip (330, 330′) bounding a typically circular lower opening (331, 331′) of surface S_0., typically ranging from 50 to 150 mm², said lower lip forming a seat working in conjunction with said moving part (50), so as to form said check valve, said moving part (50) tending by gravity to close said lower opening, being pressed up against said lower lip when said container is typically upright, and to separate axially from said lower seat and therefore to open said lower opening when said container (4) is tilted in order to pour out said liquid. It also includes a transverse wall (34, 34′) designed to form an axial stop when fitting said device (3, 3′) to said neck (40), said transverse wall (34, 34′) coming up against the mouth (400) of said neck (40), so as to ensure automatic axial positioning of said device in relation to said

D1. “In Bore” Devices (FIGS. 10 and 11)

The lower part (30′) includes said axial duct (39′) which bears said cylindrical wall (36′) provided with at least one circular wing (334) designed to work in conjunction with the internal wall of the neck and at the top of which said transverse wall (34′) is located, coming up against the mouth of the neck and to which is fixed a flexible lip (340) forming a pourer, typically with a thinned-down part (341) forming an annular hinge.

The lower part (30′) includes a central section (301′). The upper part (31′) is provided with an axial central wall (310′) onto which is fixed said transverse wall (6′). The axial dispensing duct (39′) is provided with an irreversible means of interdependence (302′), typically an internal ring-shaped rib. The periphery (68′) of the transverse wall (6′) is an edge whose diameter is such that, after axial depression of said upper part (31′) onto said lower part (30′) until the bottom end of said axial central wall (310′) comes up against said central section (301′) of the lower part (30′), said edge is blocked axially upwards by said means of irreversible interdependence (302′).

The central section (301′) of the lower part (30′) is provided with a reversible means of interdependence (371) cooperating with those (214′) of the stopper cap and the axial central part (310′) of the upper part (310′) is a sleeve (311′) inside which said temporary means of interdependence of the bottom section (371), and said temporary means of interdependence of the cap (214′) can move and work in conjunction.

D2. “Out Bore” Devices (FIGS. 5 to 9)

The lower part (30) also includes optional means of protection (8) which prohibit access to said anti-return device. These means of protection are positioned above the central section (301) of said lower part (30). They appear as a full metal pellet (8′) which can move between the upper opening (335) of the lower part (30) and a crown (351) which is connected to the lower part (30) by a plurality of axial arms (350) surrounding said upper opening. In order for said edge of the upper opening (335), the crown (351) and the axial arms (350) to imprison the full pellet (8′), the internal diameter of the crown (351) is smaller than the diameter of said full pellet.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
Composite stopper cap            1
Axial direction                  10
Composite stopper cap of 1       2
Simple stopper cap               2′
Metal shell                      20
Skirt of 20                      200
Weakening line                   201
Top section of 20                202
Lower section of 20              203
Thread of 200                    204
Crimping ring on 40, 401         205
Crimping ring on 3               206
Plastic insert                   21
Lid                              21′
Threaded skirt                   210, 210′
Means of sealing                 211, 211′
Flat seal                        212
Circular lip                     213
Screw thread                     214
Reversible clipping rib          214′
Anti-refilling device of 1       3, 3′
Lower part                       30, 30′
Bottom cavity                    300, 300′
Central section of 30 obstructing 300 301, 301′
Means of interdependence with 31, 31′ 302, 302′
Upper part                       31, 31′
Central axial section            310′
Sleeve                           311, 311′
Means of interdependence with 30 312
Inside wall of 30, 30′           33, 33′
Lower lip/lower seat             330, 330′
Lower opening                    331
Annular wing of 33               334
Upper opening                    335
Transversal section of 30        34, 34′
Flexible lip acting as pourer    340
Thinned-out part forming a hinge 341
Axial arm                        350
Crown                            351
Cylindrical wall of 30, 30′      36, 36′
Hook for fixing to 40            360
Annular groove                   361
Upper peripheral annular shoulder 362
Means of interdependence of 3 with 2 37
Thread                           370
Reversible clipping rib          371
Flange                           38
Outer interdependence ring       381, 381′
Crimping ring on 401             382
Axial dispensing duct            39, 39′
Container
Neck                             40
Mouth                            400
Glass ring                       401
Anti-rotation notch              402
Counter-ring                     403
Fixing zone                      404
Anti-return device               5
Moving part                      50
Ball                             51
Transverse wall                  6, 6′
Grid 6a, 6b, 6c
External openings                60, 60a, 60b, 60c
Internal openings                61
Traversing channels              63
Communicating axial parts        630, 631
Curvilinear slits                64
External bridge                  65
Internal bridge                  66
Attachment crown                 67
Periphery                        68, 68′
Further means of fixing 3′ to 40 7
Adhesive                         70
Elastomer O-ring seal            71
Means of protecting the check valve 8
Metal pellet                     8′

Claims

1. An anti-refilling device, designed to be fixed irreversibly to the neck of a container containing a liquid and to be closed by a stopper cap, said device having an axis coinciding with the axis of said neck when it is fixed on the latter, characterized in that it presents an axial dispensing duct for said liquid through which a transverse wall extends, fixed irreversibly to said anti-refilling device and provided with a plurality of traversing channels, each one of said traversing channels connecting an external opening, directed towards the outside of the container, to an internal opening, directed towards the inside of the container, the smallest dimension of said external opening being lower than a critical dimension determined according to the critical surface tension of the material making up said transverse wall and in which the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than said critical dimension.

2. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which the smallest dimension of said external opening is less than 0.7 mm and the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than 0.7 mm.

3. An anti-refilling device according to claim 2 in which the smallest dimension of said external opening is less than 0.6 mm and the smallest dimension of said internal opening is greater than 0.8 mm.

4. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which the central section of said transverse wall appears as a grid with a network of traversing channels with sections whose shape factor, defined by the ratio of the greatest dimension to the smallest dimension, is less than 2, and preferably close to 1.

5. An anti-refilling device according to claim 4 in which said internal openings have a square or rectangular shape.

6. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1, in which said transverse wall is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polystyrene (PS), in particular high-impact polystyrene (SB) or crystal polystyrene.

7. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said transverse wall has a thickness ranging between 0.5 and 2 mm.

8. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said traversing channels are directed substantially along a normal direction to said transverse wall.

9. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said transverse wall is plane and in which said traversing channels (63) are tilted by an angle α in relation to the axial direction (10) of the device (3), angle α typically ranging between 30 and 60°.

10. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said transverse wall is plane and in which said traversing channels are composed of two axial parts communicating with each other but offset from each other in relation to the axis.

11. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said transverse wall is convex and has its convexity towards the outside, having typically the shape of a hemispherical dome.

12. An anti-refilling device according to claim 11 in which said traversing channels are tilted in relation to the normal direction to said transverse wall so that they remain substantially parallel to said axial direction.

13. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said transverse wall is made of a sufficiently rigid and fragile material for any fraudulent attempt to refill said container to be made visible by the destruction or the deterioration of all or part of said transverse wall.

14. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said axial dispensing duct and said transverse wall are connected via a plurality of N bridges, N being preferably less than 12, of unit section less than 2 mm2, and preferably less than 1 mm2.

15. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1 in which said transverse wall includes in its central section a grid provided with said plurality of traversing channel and around the edge a plurality of curvilinear slits, whose smallest dimension is less than said critical dimension, typically, for a plastic transverse wall, less than 0.7 mm, and preferably less than 0.6 mm.

16. An anti-refilling device according to claim 15 in which said plurality of curvilinear slits is bounded by a crown attached to said axial duct by external bridges and to said grid by internal bridges.

17. An anti-refilling device according to claim 16 in which said plurality of slits is bound by a crown attached to said side wall by a plurality of N external bridges and to said grid by a plurality of N internal bridges, each plurality of bridges being regularly distributed and being preferably offset angularly by π/N in relation to the other plurality of bridges, N being preferably less than 12, of unit section less than 2 mm2, and preferably less than 1 mm2.

18. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical wall provided with at least one irreversible means of fixing to said neck.

19-23. (canceled)

24. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1, designed to be assembled to a composite stopper cap including at least one metal shell provided with a metal skirt having, characterized in that it includes a temporary or removable means of interdependence, typically a screw thread or a reversible clipping rib designed to work in conjunction with said composite stopper cap, said metal skirt being provided with a complementary temporary means of interdependence or being assembled onto an insert provided with said means of complementary temporary interdependence.

25. (canceled)

26. An anti-refilling device according to claim 1, further including an upper part bearing said transverse wall and a lower part bounding a cavity, said lower part being able to provide a tight and typically irreversible fit for said device onto said neck, and an anti-return device forming a mobile part within said cavity and working in conjunction with said lower part to form a check valve.

27-29. (canceled)

30. An anti-refilling device according to claim 26, in which said lower part also includes a transverse wall designed to form an axial stop when fitting said device to said neck, said transverse wall coming up against the mouth of said neck, so as to ensure automatic axial positioning of said device in relation to said neck during said fitting.

31-34. (canceled)

35. An anti-refilling device according to claim 26, in which the periphery of said transverse wall is fixed onto the internal surface of a sleeve belonging to said upper part.

36. An anti-refilling device according to claim 26, in which said lower part also includes means of protection prohibiting access to said anti-return device, positioned above the central section of said lower part.

37. (canceled)

38. A unit made up of a stopper cap and an anti-refilling device according to claim 24, said device being assembled temporarily or removably onto said stopper cap, so as to be able to assemble said anti-refilling device and said stopper cap to said neck, during capping of said container, and in a single stage.

39. (canceled)

40. A composite stopper cap according to claim 24 in which said skirt includes at least one annular weakening line, and one typically annular crimping zone, said weakening line being located above said crimping zone, said weakening line being designed to facilitate initial opening of said cap or to provide an indication of initial opening of said cap, after said composite stopper cap has sealed said neck of said container during a capping phase of said container, said weakening line bounding an upper part of said shell located above said weakening line and a lower section of said shell located below said weakening line, said lower section being crimped to said lower part typically by spinning or metal crimping of said lower part in an annular groove on said external wall, or designed to be crimped to said neck, under its glass ring.