The present device relates to bottle openers for removing crimped caps from bottles. More particularly, the device herein relates to a hand shaped bottle opener having a cavity-housed tool engaged thereto which can be customized for multiple uses.
For decades manufacturers of drinks such as soda and beer, have provided such in bottles and more recently cans, which hold the liquid drink sealed within the container until the buyer opens it for use. In the case of glass bottled beverages, especially those which are carbonated, many manufacturers employ a metal cap which is crimped to seal the bottle opening.
Such beverage containers frequently have a metal bottle cap affixed to the rim of the neck of a bottle. During a crimping of the metal cap, the circumference of the cap becomes pleated or ruffled around the rim. To remove such pleated and compression engaged caps, a bottle opener is conventionally employed. Such bottle openers conventionally are configured as a specialized lever, with one side thereof which inserted beneath the pleated metalwork on the side of the cap adjacent the user.
Thereafter, with a ledge of the opener positioned underneath an edge of the cap on the side of the cap closest to the user, the user removes the cap by lifting the distal end of the lever in a direction away from their person. During this hand actuated lifting of the opener member a point on the bottle cap functions as a fulcrum on which to pivot and remove the cap. The cap, in such conventional configurations of bottle openers is pulled from the compressive engagement to the bottle, and it dismounts on the opposite side of the bottle from the contact point of the ledge of the opener with the cap, and the hand of the user holding it.
The forgoing examples of hand actuated bottle cap openers and the like are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various other limitations of the related art are known or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.
The device herein disclosed features a two-piece construction which includes a bottle cap gripping component on one end and an elongated lever extending therefrom. The elongated handle or member is removably connected to the cap gripping component with mating connectors positioned on both the cap gripping component and a second end of the elongated handle. By mating connectors is meant that a first mating connector on the cap gripping component is removably connectable with a second mating connector positioned on the second end of the handle, such as with threads, bayonet style mounts, sliding connectors or twist and lock connectors, or any other mating connectors as would occur to those skilled in the art.
Particularly preferred in all modes of the device herein, is the configuration of the cap gripping component in the form of a human hand. It was found during experimentation that forming the cap gripping component as a hand, rendered the device intuitively engageable to the correct position to remove the cap. Additionally preferred is a configuration of the cap gripping component with a ledge which is positionable underneath an edge of the cap to be removed, where that edge is on the opposite side of the cap from the user. This configuration was found to provide a much easier dismount of compression engaged metal caps as it formed the fulcrum employed to lift the opposite side of the cap, closer to the user than the ledge engaging the cap.
Using this configuration, the cap is disengaged in a direction toward the user, and the fulcrum located closer to the user thereby requiring less force to remove the cap. This is significant in that with conventional openers, which position the fulcrum on the side of the cap opposite the user, more gripping strength is required to overcome the force exerted on the fulcrum point, to hold the bottle upright during cap removal. Additionally, it was found that the rotational force exerted on the arm of the user gripping the bottle was less where the fulcrum of the opener is positioned on the side of the cap closer to the user. Forming the cap gripping component in the shape of the hand was found to render the proper engagement of the device intuitive to the users who are used to engaging conventional openers, which places the ledge removing the cap on the opposite side from the device herein. As such, the hand appearance of the cap gripping component is preferred.
Additionally provided in the device herein, is one or a plurality of tools which may be removably engaged to a first end of the cap gripping component. The device can be provided with permanently engaged tools for use in specific endeavors, such as a divot repair tool having a ball marking stencil for golf use, or with permanently engaged tools adapted for other uses such as surfing or skating.
However, also preferred is the provision of the device wherein the cap gripping component is removably engageable to any of a kit of tools. Each of the tools is configured with one half of a cooperative fastener which engages with a second half of a cooperative fastener located on the cap gripping component. Such a configuration with a kit of engageable tools allows the user to choose the appropriate tool to connect, depending on their upcoming task or play.
In all modes of the device herein, the handle which removably engages with the cap gripping component, has an interior cavity running axially within a sidewall surrounding the interior cavity. The permanent or chosen tool is positioned within this interior cavity when the cap gripping component is removably engaged to the handle. The exterior of the sidewall defining the handle is employed for gripping by a hand of the user during removal of a bottle cap.
In a particularly preferred mode of the device herein employable for golfing, a ball marker is engaged to the exterior of the handle at a first end thereof. It is preferable that the means for engagement is a magnetic attraction between the ball marker and the first end of the handle. Such allows the user to temporarily remove the marker without having to open or disengage the components of the device to mark a ball position and to easily re-mount it once finished.
Also particularly preferred, in the mode of the device employing a divot tool, is the formation of a ball marking stencil communicating through the member forming the divot tool. This stencil allows the user to mark their golf balls with a player identifier by holding the stencil adjacent the ball and using a marker to place the shape of the stencil on the ball. This stencil can be a custom shaped player identifier, or can be provided with a standard identifier.
With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed bottle opener with engageable tools in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The bottle opener invention herein described and shown is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other bottle opening devices and for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
As used in the claims to describe the various inventive aspects and embodiments, “comprising” means including, but not limited to, whatever follows the word “comprising”. Thus, use of the term “comprising” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present. By “consisting of” is meant including, and limited to, whatever follows the phrase “consisting of”. Thus, the phrase “consisting of” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, and that no other elements may be present. By “consisting essentially of” is meant including any elements listed after the phrase, and limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified in the disclosure for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase “consisting essentially of” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they affect the activity or action of the listed elements. Where used, if not otherwise defined, the term “substantially” means plus or minus ten percent.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bottle cap opener which is configured to place the fulcrum thereof adjacent the user and pull the cap from the opposite side and toward the user.
It is another object of the invention herein, to form the cap gripping component of the device in a configuration to encourage the user to intuitively position the cap gripping component in a correct engagement with the cap.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide such a bottle cap opener which includes a fixed or a removably engageable tool housed within the handle which is adapted to user for the sport or task anticipated by a user.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present bottle opener system, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements described in this specification and hereinafter described in the following detailed description which fully discloses the invention, but should not be considered as placing limitations thereon.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate some, but not the only or exclusive examples of embodiments and/or features of the disclosed bottle opener with engageable tools. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative of the invention herein, rather than limiting in any fashion.
In the drawings:
In this description, the directional prepositions of up, upwardly, down, downwardly, front, back, top, upper, bottom, lower, left, right and other such terms refer to the device as it is oriented and appears in the drawings and are used for convenience only and such are not intended to be limiting or to imply that the device has to be used or positioned in any particular orientation.
Now referring to drawings in
In
At a second end of the connector 20 is positioned a handle fastener 22 such as threads which will removably engage with mating handle fasteners 24 on a first end of the handle 12. Of course the handle fastener 22 which removably engage with the mating handle fastener 24, may be other mating fasteners which will engage and disengage as needed such as frictional connectors or a slot and twist type bayonet mount, or other means for removably engaging the handle 12 to the cap gripping component 14 as would occur to those skilled in the art. Also, while a connector 20 is shown as the interface connection, the cap gripping component 14 could also simply have the handle fastener 22 formed as part thereof, so long as the first end of the cap gripping component 14 is in a removable engagement to the first end of the handle 12.
Shown in
The stencil 30 can be formed in any shape such as family crest or initial, or any other shape, or can be provided as standard configurations chosen by the user. In the mode of the device 10, configured specifically for golf, the tool 26 forming the divot tool 28 can be provided in a standard configuration. In other modes of the device 10, the user can purchase or choose one of a plurality of tools 26 provided in a kit of available tools 26 such as shown in
In
Additionally depicted in
Such for example can be a magnet positioned on the handle 12 and forming the position marker 36 with magnetically attractive metal, or reversing such and placing the magnet on the position marker 36 which will magnetically engage with magnetically attractive metal on the handle 12. When the device 10 is provided pre-configured for golf, the device 10 will preferably include both the divot repair tool 28 with a stencil 30 as well as the position marker 36.
In
Also shown in
The employment of the connector 20 works best to allow the user to engage one or any of a plurality of tools 26 to the cap gripper component 14 from the kit available. The connector 20 is configured with the handle fastener 22 on one end, and has a second fastener 46 on the opposite end to engage the connector 20 with a mating second fastener 48 on the first end of the cap gripping component 14. As shown the second fastener 46 is depicted as threads which will connect with complimentary threads forming the mating second fastener 48 within a recess on the first end of the cap gripping component 14. However, other removable connections to form a removable engagement of the connectors 20 to the cap gripping component 14 may be employed such as a twist lock, bayonet mount, or ball and detent, or others those skilled in the art may employ.
In
In
Operation of the device 10 is shown in
With the device 10 in the engaged position of
With the device in the engaged position with the bottle cap 18 positioned in the cap cavity 16 with the ledge 15 in contact with the lower edge 19 of the bottle cap 18 at the second side of the bottle cap 18 opposite the side from which the handle 12 is projection, the user holding the handle 12 can push the handle 12 downward toward the underlying bottle 21 on the side they are holding it. This removal, as noted above, is preferred as it allows users to exert more force on the handle 12 while holding the bottle 21. This is because the positioning of the ledge 15 at the second side of the bottle cap 18 locates the fulcrum 50 closer to the user, allowing the user to push the handle 12 toward the bottle 21 which the user is holding or pulling toward the handle 12.
Experimentation showed that users more easily controlled the forces exerted when pushing their hands toward each other rather than pushing them away from each other when using conventional bottle openers. As such, the positioning of the ledge 15 at the second side of the bottle cap 18 and the interior edge 54 extending at an angle substantially matching that of the side surface 25 of the bottle cap 18 in contact with the side surface 25, thereby locates the fulcrum 50 at the first side of the bottle cap 18 during use. Additionally, as shown in
As noted, shown in
Each connector 20 also has a handle fastener 22. With the connector in a removable connection with the cap gripping component 14, the handle fastener 22 is employed to form the removable engagement or connection of the cap gripping component 14 to the handle 12. Any of the tools in the kit such as in
Shown in
As noted above, the views of the device in
It should be noted that any of the different depicted and described configurations and tools and components of the disclosed bottle opener herein, can be employed with any other configuration or component or tool shown and described as part of the device herein. Additionally, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof and/or steps in use, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it will be appreciated that in some instance some features, or configurations, of the invention could be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. All such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.
Further, the purpose of any abstract of this specification is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. Any such abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting, as to the scope of the invention in any way.