Bottle closure with chamber for holding an item
View Patent ↗A closure for beverage containers, such as wine bottles, champagne bottles, beer bottles, liquor bottles, soda bottles, and the like, may include a head portion defining a chamber for housing an item and an opening for providing access to the item. The closure may further include a stub portion for sealing a mouth of the bottle and a cap that releasably engages the opening.
1. A closure for a bottle, the bottle having a rim and an inside surface defining a mouth, the closure comprising:
a stopper comprising:
a head portion comprising:
a chamber for housing an item;
an open top providing access to the chamber;
a cylindrical sidewall;
an annular upper lip surrounding the open top and extending inwardly from a top of the cylindrical sidewall; and
an annular base extending inwardly from a bottom of the cylindrical sidewall, the annular base configured to abut the rim of the bottle; and
an imperforate stub body protruding downwardly from the annular base of the head portion, the stub body comprising:
a circumferential sidewall;
a closed base;
wherein the stub body extends across the mouth and engages the inside surface of the bottle to seal the bottle and provide a releasable interference fit; and
a removable cap closing the open top of the head portion, the cap comprising:
an annular sidewall; and
a closed top wall comprising:
an upper disc surface; and
an annular lower surface surrounding the annular sidewall;
wherein the annular sidewall and the annular lower surface engage the annular upper lip of the head portion to enclose the item within the chamber.
2. The closure of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical sidewall further comprises a grip having at least one of a plurality of longitudinally oriented protrusions and a plurality of longitudinally oriented depressions.
3. The closure of claim 1 , wherein annular base of the head portion controls an insertion depth of the stub body in the bottle.
4. The closure of claim 1 , wherein the head portion is integrally formed with the stub body to form the stopper.
5. The closure of claim 1 , wherein the cap is transparent to provide visual access to the item in the chamber.
6. The closure of claim 1 , wherein a peripheral portion of the closed top wall and the annular lower surface of the cap define a lip extending axially outward from the annular sidewall to approximately a transition between the annular upper lip and the annular sidewall of the head portion, wherein a bottom edge of the lip is accessible to pry the cap from the head portion.
7. The closure of claim 1 , wherein the upper disc surface is a convex top surface to form a lens.
8. The closure of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the head portion and the stub body comprise a thermochromic property.
9. The closure of claim 1 , wherein the annular sidewall extending from the closed top wall of the cap comprises a bell-shaped profile having a base larger than a neck.
10. The closure of claim 9 , wherein the neck of the annular sidewall engages the open top and releasably secures the cap to the head portion.
11. The closure of claim 10 , wherein annular upper lip engages the neck of the annular sidewall.
12. The closure of claim 11 , wherein the annular upper lip comprises a clearance with the neck and an interference with the base of the annular sidewall of the cap.
13. The closure of claim 11 , wherein the annular upper lip is resilient and cooperates with the base and the neck of the annular sidewall of the cap.