Wine Bottle

Abstract

A 750 ml wine bottle configured to contain a clearly marked reduced content of 375 ml achieved by an increased thickness of the base of the bottle or from an enlarged punt of sufficient size extending into the interior of the bottle or a combination of both and optionally a removable cap formed of a suitable liquid impervious material secured about the base of the bottle to contain a quantity of coolant, for example, ice disposed within the enlarged punt to cool the contents of the bottle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon the disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/963,245 filed Nov. 27, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject of this invention resides in the field of wine bottles and more particularly relates to a wine bottle that has a normal size exterior appearance but yet which holds approximately one-half of the volume content.

2. History of the Prior Art

Wine has been a staple commodity in commerce for many centuries. Although wine has been bottled in different sizes, the most typical size is now referred to as a standard size holding 750 ml. Typically, these standard size bottles measure approximately two and seven-eights to three inches in diameter to between eleven and thirteen inches in height depending upon the design. Standard size bottles can have straight or curved sides and can be sealed with corks or other types of sealing means. The bottom of the bottle is usually formed with an inwardly extending portion, referred to as a punt, which allows sediment in the wine to settle within the outer circular perimeter around the punt. Such a bottle is very traditional for both wines and champagnes. Another traditional size of wine is a half-bottle which holds 375 ml of wine and which is approximately half the size of a regular wine bottle. It should be noted that although the contents of a bottle of hard liquor, once the bottle has been opened, can be enjoyed over a period of time, the contents of a bottle of wine and champagne, once the bottle has been opened, degrades over time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a wine bottle that is standard sized in outward appearance yet holds half the content of a standard wine bottle. The reason for desiring such a bottle is that, for example, when two people are dining at a restaurant and order a bottle of wine, a standard bottle may be too much for the pair to consume. To address this problem half-size bottles are available to order. The problem with half-sized bottles is that they are small and do not look as impressive as standard size bottles and give the appearance of cheapness even though they may contain expensive wine. To avoid such appearance, the bottle of this invention will provide the smaller amount of contents, but will give the appearance of a standard size bottle of wine to any observer. According to a recent report by Morgan Stanley analysts, there is currently a global wine shortage in that worldwide wine production has fallen to a 40 year low and is approximately 300 million cases short of meeting international demand. It is therefore also desirable not to waste wine since the majority of people who open a bottle of wine or champagne do not finish the entire bottle at one sitting. Thus the leftover wine is either wasted or its taste degrades. In one embodiment the bottle of this invention utilizes an enlarged punt that extends much further up into the bottle so as to occupy space that would otherwise contain wine so that the bottle only contains 375 ml of wine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a standard size wine bottle having an increased thickness at its base such that it volume content holds 375 ml of wine. In either embodiment, the actual volume must be clearly marked on the bottle by, for example, a label or molding into the surface during manufacture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a prior art bottle of wine showing a normal sized punt.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of one embodiment of the bottle of this invention showing the enlarged punt extending further into the bottle so as to reduce the bottle's volume of content.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the bottle of FIG. 2 showing the exterior of the body in dashed lines and the extended punt within the bottle in solid lines.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the bottle of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom view of the bottle of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the bottle of this invention having an increased thickness at its base.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of an additional embodiment of the bottle of this invention showing an additional function of the bottle of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a side view of prior art wine bottle 8 which is typical of a standard size bottle holding 750 ml of wine or champagne within interior 14. Seen in this view is punt 12 which extends upward into the bottle a distance 20, leaving a perimeter base area 22 for sediment to accumulate there around.

FIG. 2 illustrates bottle 10 of this invention with an expanded punt 16 extending a much longer distance 18 within bottle 10 compared to the punt of bottle 8, thereby reducing the volume content within the bottle to half the volume of prior art bottle 8, thereby creating a standard size bottle that holds only half the amount of liquid compared to the amount held in a standard size bottle.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of enlarged punt 16 of this invention where the sides and top of bottle 10 are depicted in dashed lines. FIG. 4 is a top view of bottle 10 of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view of bottle 10 of FIG. 3.

By incorporating the enlarged punt design of this invention within bottle 10, the bottle will give the same appearance as a standard bottle as enlarged punt 16 is generally not visible through the sides of the bottle since wine bottles are frequently tinted to prevent light from affecting the bottle's contents. Upon viewing bottle 10 of this invention, a casual observer would not discern that bottle 10 of wine contains only half the contents of standard prior art bottle 8. Bottle 10 can be especially desirable when dealing with expensive wines which can cost many hundreds of dollars so that the desirable identifying labels can show that it is a high quality wine but yet since the contents are half the typical amount, the cost should be significantly less.

Enlarged punt 16 can be molded into position when the bottle is manufactured or if bottle 10 is made of multiple parts, it can be formed on each portion of the molded piece to be later joined together. The exact size and desired shape of punt 16 will depend on the bottle's exterior wall shape and can be mathematically determined to create a bottle holding one-half the fluid amount of a standard bottle by adjusting the size and shape of the punt within the bottle.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of standard size wine bottle 24 of this invention of a style that does not utilize a punt. In this embodiment base 26 of bottle 24 is of increased thickness so as to fill the interior volume of the bottle so as to reduce its volume content to 375 ml of wine.

FIG. 7 illustrates an additional embodiment of the invention to utilize the extended and enlarged punt 16 as a chamber for holding a quantity of solid or liquid coolant, preferably ice 28, to cool the contents of bottle 10. Cap 30 is arranged to fit tightly about and seal the bottom of the base and may be constructed of, for example, a liquid impermeable stretchable material such as rubber or similar suitable synthetic composition. Optionally, a coaster 32 may be mounted on the bottom surface of the cap.

By use of the cap the coolant is retained within the punt obviating the need for a traditional wine cooler or ice bucket.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be substituted therefor without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A 750 ml standard size wine bottle of an approximate base diameter of two and seven-eights to three inches and an approximate height of eleven to thirteen inches configured to contain a reduced volume of 375 ml wherein said reduced volume is achieved by forming said bottle with an enlarged and extended punt thereby resulting in a 375 ml interior capacity of said bottle.

2. A 750 ml standard size wine bottle of an approximate base diameter of two and seven-eights to three inches and an approximate height of eleven to thirteen inches configured to contain a reduced volume of 375 ml wherein said reduced volume is achieved by forming said bottle with an increased base thickness thereby resulting in a 375 ml interior capacity of said bottle.

3. The wine bottle of claim 1 wherein said 375 ml capacity is achieved by a combination of said enlarged and extended punt and an increased base thickness.

4. The wine bottle of claim 2 wherein said 375 ml capacity is achieved by a combination of said increased base thickness and an enlarged and extended punt.

5. The wine bottle of claim 1 further including a liquid impervious cap sealingly disposed about the base of said bottle to secure a quantity of coolant disposed therein.

6. The wine bottle of claim 3 further including a liquid impervious cap sealingly disposed about the base of said bottle to secure a quantity of coolant disposed therein.

7. The wine bottle of claim 5 wherein said cap is comprised of a stretchable material.

8. The wine bottle of claim 6 wherein said cap is comprised of a stretchable material.