ES1296559U - VACUUM DEVICE FOR FOLDING PLASTIC BOTTLES (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Vacuum device for folding plastic bottles, characterized in that for carbonated beverage bottles, the thread allows a sufficient margin to loosen its cap (2) at least 1/8 of a turn without disengaging from the bottle (3), in order to create a minimum space for the operation of the vacuum valve (1) and an outlet for the air coming from inside the bottle (3), the device comprises a vacuum valve (1) , circular in shape and with an approximate thickness of 0.3 to 0.8 mm, printable on both sides, elastic, with some resistance to liquids and with a diameter that depends on the standard of the cover (2), but throughout case less than the diameter of its internal thread, to avoid interference when inserting it. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

PLASTIC BOTTLE FOLDING DEVICE

TECHNIQUE SECTOR

The purpose of the device for folding plastic bottles described here is to facilitate the manual compression of plastic bottles mainly from the food industry, among others, thereby contributing to more effective recycling in homes; therefore, the technical sector in which this innovation is included is that of accessories for domestic consumption to facilitate the recycling of plastic material containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, the system adopted mainly by most still water bottling companies is well known, consisting of providing the containers with a series of transverse notches along them, the purpose of which is to facilitate the final crushing of the bottle once its content has been consumed; As these bottles are made of a plastic material (generally PET) with a minimum thickness due to the fact that they do not contain gas, the resistance to crushing of the container is greatly reduced and as a consequence, the bottles are easy to compact as the consumer is constantly reminded. on the labels. This is a solution that has endured over time but remains partial to this day, since it is basically applied to water and non-carbonated soft drinks, among other products. The other existing solutions in the form of more or less complex devices and mechanisms also correct the problem for bottles of carbonated drinks, but focus on the solution by acting on the containers exclusively from robust external structures, manually or automatically.

On the other hand, in patent ES 1077289 U with publication date of 06/27/2012, which refers to a "Dynamometric knob for plastic beverage containers", a dynamometric device is exposed.

gaseous, which contains inside a vacuum valve that operates in a similar way to the one described here. Although the purpose was also to facilitate the later crushing of the bottle, the operation was very debatable since the travel of the vacuum valve was very long and it was slower in its response, in addition to be very vulnerable to the deformations to which it was forced. However, the biggest difference with the device that is claimed here is that in this case, all the elements that already exist and accompany the bottle as it is marketed are used, and the only additional element is the vacuum valve, which is very simple. and cheap to build. On the other hand, in said patent reference is also made to a procedure for crushing the bottle acting from the sides, which is similar to the one mentioned in the following section.

Finally, it is important to highlight that there is also another initiative of Israeli origin, with the brand name "Bakbuk", whose purpose is exactly the same and uses an elastic and recyclable band that closes the container once it has been rolled up on itself. ; In our opinion, this invention has some disadvantages with respect to the innovation claimed here, since it works well with bottles of non-carbonated drinks, but as we have made clear, for these it is not necessary to use any additional element; however, with those of carbonated drinks that are the real problem, the system is not so adequate since the base of these containers of the "Elephant's Foot" type is very hard and difficult to manipulate in this way; furthermore, the invention is not very suitable for printing advertising, since the band is as narrow as a common rubber band, typical of stationery material.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

Actually, the problem that is intended to be solved with the present invention is daily and very recurring; Every time we consume the contents of a plastic bottle, and especially if it is a carbonated drink, a storage problem arises for empty bottles that accumulate in homes until they are thrown away, because they are very resistant and difficult to compress if you do not have some device or mechanism for this purpose. For this, and unlike the rest of the existing solutions on the market, patented or not, the solution proposed here essentially consists of a set of 3 elements; the first is a very thin and circular vacuum valve, which operates inside the second element, which is the lid of the container; The third and last element is the container itself that we want to compress. Thus, the device in its simplest version comprises at least one circular element similar to a coin, but thinner, with smooth faces and preferably plastic or equivalent material with some resistance to contact with liquids, which it is inserted into the standard cap of the bottle when it is already empty and acts as a vacuum valve that only opens to let out the air inside of the bottle every time we manually deform it, but it closes afterwards to prevent its entry; Thus, once the device has been inserted into the bottom of the cap, it is screwed back onto the empty bottle until it comes to a stop at the aforementioned vacuum valve and then it is slightly unscrewed at least about 1/8 of a turn, with the object of creating a working space for the vacuum valve for which a few tenths of a millimeter are sufficient, space in which the vacuum valve moves, releasing the air inside the bottle through the gaps and standard interruptions that they present the threads of the lid and of the container, then closing thanks to the action of atmospheric pressure, which responds to the stimuli of a simple complementary procedure for folding the bottle, which consists of carrying out, through one or several passes, a series of folds manually practicing several pairs of deep and transversal deformations that, as far as possible, end up joining the walls of the bottle; each pair of deformations must be rotated 1/4 of a turn with respect to the preceding pair. Finally, it is enough to remove the device and screw the cap back on to prevent the bottle from recovering. The described device presents at least 3 other variants that are described later, with slight nuances that only affect the way it is installed, but in no way compromise its effectiveness. The volumes of bottles most recommended for crushing range from 0.75 L onwards, since in those that are smaller, there are fewer differences in volume before and after folding. Among the advantages of the present invention with respect to other known devices are the ease of manufacture, distribution and use without forgetting its effectiveness; In addition, it does not use brute force and it is a very suitable innovation for people of any age; it can also be distributed as a recyclable consumable attached to the bottle or a pack of bottles etc. and it is compatible with other plastic bottles that are not necessarily for drinks, such as those for some detergents as long as they are approximately cylindrical; It does not require installation either and due to its great simplicity it can be manufactured in multiple materials, it can be printed on at least one side and it can be the object of promotion for any beverage bottler or any other interested company or institution, quickly and at a very low cost. content; In any case, perhaps the main advantage of this innovation compared to other existing ones is the fact that it is very easy to use and at the same time yields very surprising results that can lead the consumer to a more systematic recycling; It is also viable for any recycling system, be it the container in the streets 24 hours a day, the door-to-door collection system, the return and return system in stores or the return system in recovery machines with barcode reading; for the latter, it would suffice to apply the process to the bottle without the label and then insert it together with the crushed container to be recognized by the machine. For recovery machines with artificial vision, in which the bottles must be introduced without any deformation, the folding operation should be applied when emptying the machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, what has been represented has been following:

Figure 1 shows us a perspective of the location of the device for the 2 simplest variants and a section is also indicated that shows its operation with the vacuum valve in both positions, closed and open respectively.

Figure 2 illustrates the same as Figure 1, but for the other 2 variants of the device, in which the lid and the vacuum valve form a "retrievable" permanent assembly. Figure 3 shows the recommended folding system that follows device installation, with both hand gestures and corresponding 1/4 turn turns throughout the process.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Basically we could talk about 4 variants of the device, in which 3 basic elements that work as a vacuum group are always involved; a first element that acts as a vacuum valve (1), (4), (6) or (8) depending on the variant, a second element that always acts as a lid (2), (7) or (9) also according to the variant and finally the bottle itself (3) in all cases, which is the element from which the air is extracted to crush it, creating a relative vacuum; of these 4 variants, two of them require a loosening of the cap (2) of a minimum of 1/8 of a turn, just after screwing it on the bottle (3) and the other two caps (7) and (9) do not . The variants that require turning are only viable for cases in which the amount of thread on the lid (2) allows it, as is the case with most soft drinks; This is not usually the case with still water bottles, which have increasingly narrow caps, which would make the internal operation of the vacuum valve very difficult.

Fig. 1 shows the first and simplest of the variants of the vacuum device, in which a loosening of the cover (2) of at least 1/8 of a turn is required and which contains only the vacuum valve ( 1) as an additional element; this can be obtained by cutting a circle of flexible sheet of almost any plastic or some equivalent material such as silicone, with an approximate thickness of 0.3 to 0.8 mm, which presents a minimum resistance to liquids; the diameter depends on the standard of the cover (2), but it is enough that it is slightly less than the internal diameter of the thread of said cover (2), so that the vacuum valve (1) can be inserted without difficulty to the bottom Of the same. In this variant of the device, each cap (2) and each bottle (3) are used so that the only additional element is the vacuum valve (1) that is recovered after each folding operation.

The second variant that is also illustrated in Fig. 1 and that likewise requires a counterclockwise rotation of at least 1/8 of a turn to be operational, only differs from the previous one in the centering element (4a) that forms part of the integral part of the vacuum valve (4) and that allows direct introduction into the mouth of the bottle (3) instead of installing it as previously on the lid (2); Said centering element (4a) can be made with any material attached to the vacuum valve, which presents a certain resistance to liquids, circular, cruciform or polygonal, etc., contained in a diameter a few tenths of a millimeter less than the internal diameter. from the mouth of the bottle (3) and a height of a few millimeters, which is sufficient to facilitate its extraction if the vacuum valve (4) were to eventually come out together with the cap (2) at the time of its recovery. In this variant, each lid (2) and each bottle (3) is also used so that the only additional recoverable element is the vacuum valve (4).

The third variant of the vacuum device shown in Fig. 2, presents a vacuum valve (6) permanently installed and by conventional adhesion or fixing means such as thumbtack (5) or some equivalent, in such a way that is located in a concentric position and above the cap (7), thus constituting a unit that is completely screwed onto the bottle (3) before folding it, but this time without unscrewing 1/8 of a turn, since the cap itself (7) has a series of holes (7a) similar to those on the lid of a salt shaker, which are sufficient for the circulation of air from the inside to the outside of the bottle (3) thanks to the flexibility of the vacuum valve ( 6). In this case, said vacuum valve (6) does not move inside the cover (7) as in the two previous variants, since on this occasion it deforms elastically. For this variant, it would be enough to take advantage of and modify a lid (2) of any bottle (3) and therefore the additional elements would be the vacuum valve (6), the adhesion or conventional fixation as in the case of the thumbtack (5) and the mechanized modification of the radial holes (7a). Naturally, the entire assembly is recoverable after each folding process.

The fourth and last variant of the vacuum device comprises a vacuum valve (8) that incorporates its own support cover (9), specially created for this purpose and with a greater height, as can also be seen in Fig. 2; the vacuum valve (8) is once again permanently attached to the cover (9) as in the previous case and the prior 1/8 turn of a turn would also be unnecessary, since when tightened it would fit conveniently to the geometry of the bottle (3) closing the passage of air through the thread, in such a way that only the windows (9a) would be enabled for the exit of internal air from the bottle (3). In this variant, the cover (9) would be newly created by plastic injection or by machining and adhesion of a supplement to increase the height of a standard cover (2) that you want to take advantage of; in such a way that once screwed up to the stop in the bottle (3), it provides the necessary space for the performance of the vacuum valve (8) that with its projections (8a) is always attached to the cap (9) operating between the limits of the windows (9a) belonging to the cover (9); this configuration prevents accidental disengagement of the assembly.

All the elements described can be manufactured by cutting, machining or plastic injection among other systems and can also add some additional magnetic support, to fix them in highly visible places such as the door of a refrigerator.

Claims (4)

1. Vacuum device for folding plastic bottles, characterized in that for bottles of carbonated beverages, whose thread allows a sufficient margin to loosen its cap (2) at least 1/8 of a turn without disengaging from the bottle (3), in order to create a minimum space for the operation of the vacuum valve (1) and an outlet for the air coming from inside the bottle (3), the device comprises a vacuum valve (1 ), circular in shape and with an approximate thickness of 0.3 to 0.8 mm, printable on both sides, elastic, with some resistance to liquids and with a diameter that depends on the standard of the cover (2), but in in any case less than the diameter of its internal thread, to avoid interference when inserting it. 2. Vacuum device for folding plastic bottles, according to claim 1, characterized in that the vacuum valve (4) is printable on one side, and on the other it has an additional centering element (4a), which has circular, cruciform, polygonal or any other suitable shape, contained in a diameter a few tenths of a millimeter less than the internal diameter of the mouth of the bottle (3) for easy insertion and which has a height of a few millimeters, which is sufficient to facilitate its extraction if eventually said vacuum valve (4) came out attached to the cover (2) when it was recovered. 3. Vacuum device for folding plastic bottles, characterized in that for non-carbonated beverage bottles, with a margin that is too narrow to loosen its cap (2) by 1/8 of a turn without risk of it coming loose from the bottle again. bottle (3), the device comprises a vacuum valve (6), circular, flexible and with an approximate thickness of 0.3 to 0.8 mm, printable on the visible side and held concentrically by conventional means of adhesion or suitable fastening like a thumbtack (5), to a lid (7) provided with holes (7a) located radially and at a convenient distance to vent the air inside the bottle (3), covering said holes, and leaving these holes uncovered, when the aforementioned vacuum valve (6) flexes due to the pressure of the air outlet from the bottle (3) during the crushing process. 4. Vacuum device for folding plastic bottles, characterized in that for non-carbonated beverage bottles, with a margin that is too narrow to loosen its cap (2) by 1/8 of a turn without risk of it coming loose from the bottle again. bottle (3), the device comprises: - A vacuum valve (8), circular, flexible, with a thickness of approximately 0.3 to 0.8 mm, and provided with at least two projections (8a). - A cover (9) provided with windows (9a) in its cylindrical walls to accommodate the projections (8a) with clearance for movement, with a printable flat face, and provided with a standard internal thread, the cover being of sufficient length for the performance of the vacuum valve (8) inside the cap (9) once screwed to the bottle (3).