Disposable Wineskin

Abstract

A disposable wineskin. The disposable wineskin has a receptacle of disposable plastic material in a traditional boot shape, a mouth of the receptacle for introduction of wine, a pouring spout provided with means of attachment to the mouth of the receptacle, comprising a compact tubular piece of hard plastic with an upper thread to screw into a plug, and a sealing ring between the pouring spout and the mouth that blocks any liquid flow making the wineskin watertight.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C § 119(a) from Spanish application 201830868 filed on Jun. 7, 2018, and 201831240 filed Aug. 3, 2018; which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a disposable liquid containers, more specifically to disposable plastic wineskins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present, skin and latex wineskins are available. These wineskins or boots are filled with wine before use, and during excursions or parties they are often broken or lost due to distractions.

Glass containers for wine can be obtained with difficulty, but their use is dangerous at town parties, etc. Multilayer prismatic containers are also available with a cardboard base layer for example (Tetra Brik®) but they don't allow drinking comfortably directly from the container, nor do they have a portable shape such as a traditional wineskin.

These problems are resolved with the use of this innovative wineskin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disposable wineskin has a configuration that resolves the described problems. According to one embodiment, the wineskin (boot) comprises a receptacle of disposable plastic material in the shape of a traditional boot, a mouth to the receptacle for the introduction of the wine, a pouring spout provided with means of attachment to the receptacle mouth and that comprises a compact tubular piece of hard plastic with an upper thread for screwing a plug, and a sealing ring between the spout and the mouth that blocks any liquid and leaves the boot watertight. It is contemplated that the wineskin can be filled with any type of liquid and is not limited to wine.

In this way, you get a container in the form of the traditional boot, with the advantage of ease of carrying afforded by its shape and the cord tied to the plug. Additional advantages are its recyclability (minimum effect on the environmental), its low cost compared with a traditional boot, and its disposability. Nor is it a great loss if lost before consuming the entire contents.

In addition, it is anticipated that the attachment method of the spout to the mouth can include claws to close the mouth without the possibility of re-opening it, thus preventing the possibility of manipulating the drink to affect its quality or even preventing the refill of the container for sanitary or any other reasons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the disposable wineskin will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an external view of the boot in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a magnified view of the area of the mouth, spout, and plug, from inside the boot, where the mouth is divided.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the boot in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of one embodiment of the boot with the plug removed.

FIG. 5 shows an external view of a variation of the boot in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged cutaway joint view in the area of the mouth, cover, and plug in a variation where the attachment method to the cover is threaded.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the mouth, cover, and plug in one embodiment where the attachment of the cover is threaded.

FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the mouth, cover, and plug in another embodiment where the attachment method of the cover includes anti-extraction protrusions inserted in the mouth or the cover complementary to some recesses respectively set in the plug or the mouth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Beginning with the FIGS. 1 to 4, the disposable wineskin (1) of the invention comprises a receptacle (2) of disposable plastic material in the shape of a traditional boot, a mouth (3) of the receptacle (2) for the introduction of the wine, a pouring spout (4) provided with an attachment method to the receptacle (2) mouth (3), and that comprises a compact tubular piece of hard plastic with an upper thread (41) (see FIG. 2) for screwing a plug (5), and a sealing ring (50) between the spout (4) and the mouth (3) that blocks any liquid flow and leaves the boot watertight (1).

Provision is also made for plastic cords (disposable and recyclable); a plug cord (10) for the plug (5) and a second cord (11) as a shoulder strap that are attached to lateral fixtures (12) on the receptacle (2), to prevent, on the one hand, losing the plug (5), and on the other hand to facilitate portability of the boot (1).

It is preferential that the means of attachment of the spout (4) to the mouth (3) includes claws (14) to close the mouth (3) without the possibility of re-opening it, including ramps (20) to facilitate its insertion, similar to a clamp that opens when the pouring spout (4) is introduced. These claws (14) are inserted into some interior recesses (30) in the mouth (3) to avoid rotation when unscrewing the plug (5).

It is also envisaged that the receptacle (2) preferably has a base (15) in the form of a bottle bottom to set it in a standing position and to support it for example along linear sales shelves.

Indicate that the receptacle (2) be made preferably of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), obtaining a smooth appearance, pleasant to the touch, flexible, lightweight, durable, and attractive.

Also indicate that the receptacle (2) would ideally have an exterior colour to identify the type of wine inside (red, white, etc.), in preference to a label, to offer a quick identification.

In other embodiments of the invention, (see FIGS. 5 to 8) the disposable wineskin (1) can include the receptacle (2) of disposable plastic material in the shape of a traditional boot, the mouth (3) of the receptacle (2) for the introduction of the wine, the cover (101) to close the mouth (3), fitted with an internal tubular duct (103) that is extended to the outside to make the pouring spout (4), that is where the cover (101) includes the pouring spout (4), some means of securing the cover (101) to the mouth (3), or where the means of securing the pouring spout (4) to the mouth (3) are provided in the cover (101) that includes the pouring spout (4), a first upper thread (41) provided on this pouring spout (4), and a plug (5) fitted with a second thread (106) to screw into the first thread (41) and to close the pouring spout (4), with the corresponding means of sealing the threaded couplings (seals (50), truncated cone extensions, etc.). In this way the mouth (3) of the receptacle can be completely cleared by simply uncoupling the cover (101), manually if it is threaded or requiring the appropriate equipment if it is fitted with anti-extraction devices which prevents incorrect sanitary handling of the contents, with the advantage in both cases of the economic manufacture of the cover (101) in avoiding the negative effects of removing them from moulds, and with the advantages of being an easily transportable boot with the appearance of a traditional boot, and of being disposable.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the plug (5) preferably includes a flange (115) to connect the plug cord (10) (see FIG. 5) to prevent its loss, being able to include a second cord (11) as a shoulder-strap similar to the traditional boot. To avoid moulding hooks for the second cord (11) on the receptacle (2), it is preferred that the second cord (11) emanates from a carrier bag (113), which ideally is made of plastic mesh since it is achievable in plastic and therefore is recyclable, and also allows you to view the receptacle (2), giving the appearance of a traditional boot. It is also anticipated that the second cord (11) be installed in the carrier bag (113) as detachable to enable its exchange, for example, for second cords (11) of different colours depending on the feast (red in San Fermin, green for festivals in Huesca, etc.). In this example, furthermore, the plug cord (10) is detachably connected to the carrier bag (113) to allow its removal but avoiding loss of the plug (5) during use as the receptacle will then be positioned inside the carrier bag (113).

Also, in this example, the receptacle (2) can have a base (15) (see FIG. 5) in the form of a bottle bottom to be able to put it in a standing position and to support it for example in linear sales shelves.

In addition, the enclosure (2) can be made preferably from PET, obtaining a smooth appearance, pleasant to the touch, flexible, lightweight, durable, and attractive, and ideally having an exterior identification colour for the type of wine inside (red, white, etc.), in preference to a label, to offer a quick identification.

In this example, the means of securing the cover (101) to the mouth (3) may include a third thread (100) (see FIG. 7) in the mouth (3) of the receptacle (2), a fourth thread (102) provided in the cover (101) to screw into the third thread (100). This permits opening the receptacle to fill the boot. Optionally it is considered that the cover (101) can include anti-unscrewing means, to avoid refilling the receptacle (2) without the proper equipment to remove the cover (101), thus preventing sanitary problems.

Alternatively, it is envisaged that the means of securing the cover (101) to the mouth (3) include (see FIG. 8) anti-extraction protrusions (66) inserted in the mouth (3) or on the cover (101), complementary to some recesses (67) respectively installed in the cover (101) or in the mouth (3). This also prevents that the receptacle (2) can be opened for the same reasons of preservation of the sanitary qualities.

Having sufficiently described the nature of the invention, as well as the manner in which to embody it in practice, it should be noted that the preceding provisions, indicated and represented in the attached drawings, are susceptible to changes in detail that do not alter the main principle.

Claims

1. A disposable wineskin, comprising:

a receptacle of disposable plastic material in a traditional boot shape,

a mouth of the receptacle for introduction of wine,

a pouring spout provided with means of attachment to the mouth of the receptacle, comprising a compact tubular piece of hard plastic with an upper thread to screw into a plug, and

a sealing ring between the pouring spout and the mouth that blocks any liquid flow making the wineskin watertight.

2. The disposable wineskin of claim 1, wherein the receptacle has a base in the form of a bottle bottom.

3. The disposable wineskin of claim 2, wherein the receptacle is made of polyethylene terephthalate.

4. The disposable wineskin of claim 1, wherein the receptacle has an exterior identification colour based on a type of wine contained in the wineskin.

5. The disposable wineskin of claim 1, wherein the receptacle comprises one or more of a plug cord and a shoulder strap cord attached to lateral handles of the receptacle.

6. The disposable wineskin of claim 1, wherein the means of attachment of the pouring spout to the mouth include claws to close the mouth without the possibility of re-opening it, leaving those claws inserted in interior recesses of the mouth.

7. The disposable wineskin according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cover to close the mouth, fitted with an internal tubular duct that is extended away from the mouth to configure the pouring spout,

a means of securing the cover to the mouth,

a first upper thread provided in the pouring spout, and

a plug fitted with a second thread to screw into the first thread and to close the pouring spout.

8. The disposable wineskin of claim 7, wherein the plug comprises a flange for attaching a plug cord and includes a second shoulder strap cord that comes out of a carrier bag.

9. The disposable wineskin of claim 8, wherein the carrier bag is made of a plastic mesh.

10. The disposable wineskin of claim 9, wherein the second cord is attached in the carrier bag in a removable manner.

11. The disposable wineskin of claim 10, wherein the cover attachment methods to the mouth include: a third thread installed in the mouth of the receptacle, a fourth thread provided in the cover to screw into the third thread.

12. The disposable wineskin of claim 11, wherein the cover includes an anti-unscrewing method.

13. The disposable wineskin of claim 10, wherein the means of attaching the cover to the mouth comprise some anti-extraction protrusions inserted in the mouth or on the cover complementary to some recesses respectively inserted in the cover or the mouth.