Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D9/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of wood or substitutes therefor
  • B65D9/32—Details of wooden walls; Connections between walls
  • B65D9/34—Joints; Local reinforcements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D15/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, sections made of different materials
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D9/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of wood or substitutes therefor
  • B65D9/06—Boxes or crates of polygonal cross-section

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a wine vat or barrel for the storing and maturing of wine.
• Wine barrels or vats are usually constructed from wood such as oak which assists in the ageing of the wine. Through an interaction between the wood and the wine and due to variations of temperature and of atmospheric pressure the wine in the barrel undergoes a metamo ⁇ hosis resulting in a quality of the wine which is highly prized.
• a barrel is typically made by planing wooden staves into the desired shape, assembling them to form a circumferential wall and then compressing them to form the traditional barrel shape using metal hoops driven by hydraulic rams. Wooden barrels and vats are expensive and difficult to maintain and have to be replaced often.
• the present invention provides a wine barrel comprising: an open rigid frame having sides, a top and a bottom; a plurality of wooden side panels sealingly arranged on the sides of the open frame; and a top and a bottom plate for completing the barrel.
• the frame may be made of steel, for example stainless steel.
• the top and bottom plates are preferably made of stainless steel.
• the frame preferably comprises vertical and horizontal ribs.
• the frame is preferably of rectangular shape as this is a shape which may be stored in regular arrays while using a maximum of the space usefully.
• the present invention may provide a method of refurbishing the above barrel comprising the steps of removing the wooden panels, exposing new wood by removing a portion of the panels exposed to the wine and replacing the panels.
• the present invention may also provide a method of controlling the maturing of wine by the provision of a wine barrel which allows easy attachment of temperature and air pressure controlling devices.
• Fig. 1 shows a schematic front view of a wane barrel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 2 shows a cross-section along II-II of Fig. 1
• Fig. 3 shows a cross-section along III-III of Fig. 1
• Fig. 4 shows a cross-section through the junction between a top plate and a side rib of a wine barrel in accordance with the present invention.
• Fig. 5 shows detail of the top left corner of the barrel shown in Fig. 4.
• Fig. 1 shows a schematic front view of a wine barrel 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention which comprises an open and rigid metal frame 2 having a plurality of vertical and horizontal ribs. At least the inner side of the frame 2 is faced with or is made of stainless steel. Wooden panels 3 are clamped together on the sides of the barrel to complete circumferential side walls. As an example clamping means 10, 11 may be used as shown in Fig.4, e.g. fastening plates 10 and screws 11.
• the panels 3 are preferably made of straight flat wooden panels without loss of material, instead of staves with a complicated curved shape as with conventional barrels, e.g.
• a plate 5, 6 of suitable material such as stainless steel or wood is provided, thus forming a container for the wine.
• the top and bottom plates 5, 6 are sealed to the frame 2 to form a pressure tight barrel.
• a seal 4 of food quality material which is also resistant to wine acids is provided as shown for example in Fig. 4 and 5.
• the top plate 5 may have a raised point 7 for provision of a vent 8 for releasing gas from the inside of the barrel 1 as shown in Fig.4.
• the gas release may also be achieved via a part of the frame 2 if this is hollow and suitable opening are provided.
• a drain 9 may be provided in the bottom plate 6 at a depressed point for tapping off the wine. This lowest point can also be located in bottom part of a vertical rib of the frame 2, i.e. the frame, if hollow may be used to drain off the wine.
• Top and bottom plates 5, 6 may be reinforced
• the barrel 1 has a roughly cubic shape but the present invention is not limited thereto.
• a rectangular shape to the barrel 1 allows efficient vertical and/or horizontal stacking.
• the wooden panels 3 are straight and therefore easy to manufacture and replace.
• the basic construction, i.e. the frame 2 has to be built only once for a barrel and afterwards only the panels 3 and possibly the seals 4 have to be replaced.
• the panel can be ground, shaved or planed to expose fresh wood and then reused.
• 2 or 3 shavings the panels 3 can be replaced. This results in a reduction of material use, hence saving material and reducing price. This is good for the environment as the consumption of slow growing oak trees is reduced. A lot of space is saved compared to the conventional barrels.
• the ripening of the wine can be completely controlled as the temperature and atmospheric pressure can be artificially manipulated. Hence, fast, slow or optimal ripening of the wine can be achieved.
• Maturing of the wine can be controlled by alternating high and low pressure, so that there is supply of air to the barrel or release of gas from the wine to the air.
• the frame and/or the top plate 5 and/or the bottom plate 6 allow attachment of a variety of devices in a secure manner, e.g. air pressurisation supplies, or heating and cooling devices and systems, thermocouples, acidity sensors, sugar sensors.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Table Equipment (AREA)
• Micro-Organisms Or Cultivation Processes Thereof (AREA)
• Distillation Of Fermentation Liquor, Processing Of Alcohols, Vinegar And Beer (AREA)
• Medicines Containing Plant Substances (AREA)
• Alcoholic Beverages (AREA)
• Rolls And Other Rotary Bodies (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9889464

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (15)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2000
  • 2000-04-10 GB GBGB0008627.2A patent/GB0008627D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2001
  • 2001-04-10 AT AT01929530T patent/ATE273854T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-04-10 US US10/240,798 patent/US20040129680A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-04-10 HU HU0300625A patent/HUP0300625A2/hu unknown
  • 2001-04-10 SK SK1441-2002A patent/SK14412002A3/sk unknown
  • 2001-04-10 NZ NZ521586A patent/NZ521586A/xx unknown
  • 2001-04-10 YU YU76602A patent/YU76602A/sh unknown
  • 2001-04-10 RO ROA200201274A patent/RO121019B1/ro unknown
  • 2001-04-10 WO PCT/EP2001/004090 patent/WO2001076962A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2001-04-10 AU AU56273/01A patent/AU776121B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2001-04-10 EP EP01929530A patent/EP1272396B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-04-10 DE DE60105002T patent/DE60105002D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-04-10 DZ DZ013305A patent/DZ3305A1/fr active
• 2002
  • 2002-09-25 ZA ZA200207682A patent/ZA200207682B/xx unknown
  • 2002-10-08 BG BG107176A patent/BG107176A/xx unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events