Claims
- 1. A hand tool for removing a stopper, a foil and a wire basket having a series of vertical spaced wire ribs and a wire loop, all together simultaneously, from a bottle of champagne, the tool comprising:
- a first half and a second half and a pivot means pivotally connecting the two halves, each half comprising a rigid elongated element having a handle portion at one end configured for manually grasping and manipulating the tool, one of a pair of opposing gripping heads at the other end configured with a gripping means for engaging the stopper, foil, and wire basket of the bottle of champagne between the pair of gripping heads, and a pivot portion between the handle and the gripping heads, at which pivot portion the two halves overlap and are pivotally secured together by the pivot means so that pivoting the handle portions apart pivots the gripping heads apart to admit the stopper, foil, and wire basket therebetween and pivoting the handle portions closer together engages the gripping heads with the stopper, foil, and wire basket to secure them within the tool so that turning the tool and pulling at the stopper releases the stopper, foil, and wire basket all together simultaneously from the bottle;
- the gripping means comprising a semi-circular configuration on each of the gripping heads on each of the two halves, the semi-circular configuration capable of surrounding and enclosing the stopper, foil, and wire basket, the gripping means further comprising a lower side surface facing the stopper and an upper side surface facing away from the stopper on each of the gripping heads and a pair of elongated pointed teeth protruding inwardly from the semi-circular configuration on each of the gripping heads adjacent to the lower side surface, the pair of teeth spaced apart a sufficient width to straddle a vertical rib of the series of vertical ribs of the wire basket, each of the pair of teeth being sufficiently long to pierce the foil and penetrate and firmly grip the stopper while straddling the vertical rib, the teeth capable of penetrating the stopper a sufficient distance to enable the teeth to exert a torsion force on the stopper to twist the stopper when the tool is twisted and a resisting force when the stopper is released to retain the stopper within the tool, and each of the gripping heads further provided with a recess sufficiently deep between the pair of teeth to enable the teeth to penetrate into the stopper while the rib of the wire basket fits in the recess, and the gripping means further comprising a guard in the form of an inwardly protruding retention ledge on the upper side surface on each of the gripping heads, the guard spaced apart from the pair of teeth, providing a stopper portion retaining recess between a lower surface of the guard and an upper surface of the teeth to retain a portion of the stopper therein, so that with the pair of teeth piercing the foil and penetrating the stopper while straddling the rib of the wire basket, the guard is capable of resting on top of the stopper, foil, and wire basket, so that the guards, the teeth, and the semicircular arms are capable of acting cooperatively to twist the stopper to remove it from the bottle and to retain the stopper, foil, and wire basket within the gripping heads of the tool and prevent the stopper, foil, and wire basket from escaping the tool.
- 2. The tool of claim 1 wherein each of the teeth is configured in a generally elongated pyramid shape with a sharp pointed tip which is slightly blunted by a single abrasion of the sharp point to prevent injury and prevent tearing the stopper.
- 3. The tool of claim 2 wherein each of the teeth is longer than the thickness of the rib of the wire basket and the foil.
- 4. The tool of claim 2 wherein the pair of teeth is spaced apart by a distance equal to half the diameter of the stopper.
- 5. The tool of claim 1 wherein the stopper is a cork stopper and the recess is sufficiently deep to enable penetration of each of the teeth into the cork stopper to the full length of each of the teeth.
- 6. The tool of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional tooth on each of the gripping heads positioned immediately adjacent to and above one of the pair of teeth, thereby adding to the gripping and retaining power of the tool.
- 7. The tool of claim 1 wherein the guard intrudes inwardly a greater distance than the pair of teeth so that the teeth are not exposed when the tool is stored with the guard facing upwardly, and the guard of one of the two halves does not fully mate with the guard of the other of the two halves so that with the tool engaged around the wire basket, foil, and stopper, a portion of the wire basket, foil, and stopper is visible between the two guards to insure proper engagement of the tool.
- 8. The tool of claim 1 further comprising a hook means at the gripping head end of at least one of the halves, the hook configured to engage the loop of the wire basket so that closing the gripping heads secures the loop and enables the tool to be twisted to unwind the wire basket and loosen it from around the neck of the champagne bottle.
- 9. The tool of claim 8 wherein the hook means comprises a first of the gripping heads terminating in a pointed hook that angles inwardly toward the second of the gripping heads, the hook having an end point for penetrating the foil and grasping the wire loop of the wire basket, the hook having an inwardly angled outer edge and the second of the gripping heads terminating in a rounded tip having a matingly angled inner groove so that when the gripping heads are pivoted together, the inner groove of the rounded tip overlaps and mates with the hook, the outer edge of the hook resting in contact with the inner groove of the rounded tip forming a closed ring, so that the closed ring is capable of encircling the wire loop and entrapping the wire loop therein, the tool being capable of twisting the wire loop to loosen the basket, the rounded tip being capable of shielding the hook when the gripping heads are closed together during transportation and storage of the tool.
- 10. The tool of claim 1 wherein the pivot portion of each half comprises a flat surface recessed from the handle to accommodate the flat surface of the other half so that as the two halves pivot through a range of motion, the range of motion is restricted by the length of the pivot portion between the handle portions of the two halves which act as a stop to the pivoting.
- 11. The tool of claim 10 wherein the pivot portion extends inwardly from the handle portion at a 45 degree angle.
- 12. The tool of claim 10 wherein the pivot portion of each of the two halves is provided with an opening therethrough and the pivot means comprises a rigid shaft through each opening pivotally connecting the two halves.
- 13. The tool of claim 1 further comprising a tension means connected between the first and second half for biasing the handle portions to remain apart.
- 14. The tool of claim 1 wherein at least one half is provided with a recess in the handle portion to accommodate at least one additional tool pivotally housed within the recess.
- 15. The tool of claim 14 wherein the at least one additional tool comprises a cork screw.
- 16. The tool of claim 14 wherein the at least one additional tool comprises a bottle cap opener.
- 17. A hand tool for removing a stopper, a foil and a wire basket having a series of vertical spaced wire ribs and a wire loop, all together simultaneously, from a bottle of champagne, the tool comprising:
- a first half and a second half and a pivot means pivotally connecting the two halves, each half comprising a rigid elongated element having a handle portion at one end configured for manually grasping and manipulating the tool, one of a pair of opposing gripping heads at the other end configured with a gripping means for engaging the stopper, foil, and wire basket of the bottle of champagne between the pair of gripping heads, and a pivot portion between the handle and the gripping heads, at which pivot portion the two halves overlap and are pivotally secured together by the pivot means so that pivoting the handle portions apart pivots the gripping heads apart to admit the stopper, foil, and wire basket therebetween and pivoting the handle portions closer together engages the gripping heads with the stopper, foil, and wire basket to secure them within the tool so that turning the tool and pulling at the stopper releases the stopper, foil, and wire basket all together simultaneously from the bottle;
- the gripping means comprising a semi-circular configuration on each of the gripping heads on each of the two halves, the semi-circular configuration capable of surrounding and enclosing the stopper, foil, and wire basket, the gripping means further comprising a lower side surface facing the stopper and an upper side surface facing away from the stopper on each of the gripping heads and a pair of elongated pointed teeth protruding inwardly from the semi-circular configuration on each of the gripping heads adjacent to the lower side surface, the pair of teeth spaced apart a sufficient width to straddle a vertical rib of the series of vertical ribs of the wire basket, each of the pair of teeth being sufficiently long to pierce the foil and penetrate and firmly grip the stopper while straddling the vertical rib, the teeth capable of penetrating the stopper a sufficient distance to enable the teeth to exert a torsion force on the stopper to twist the stopper when the tool is twisted and a resisting force when the stopper is released to retain the stopper within the tool, and each of the gripping heads further provided with a recess sufficiently deep between the pair of teeth to enable the teeth to penetrate into the stopper while the rib of the wire basket fits in the recess, and the gripping means further comprising a guard in the form of an inwardly protruding retention ledge on the upper side surface on each of the gripping heads, the guard spaced apart from the pair of teeth so that with the pair of teeth piercing the foil and penetrating the stopper while straddling the rib of the wire basket, the guard is capable of resting on top of the stopper, foil, and wire basket, so that the guards, the teeth, and the semicircular arms are capable of acting cooperatively to twist the stopper to remove it from the bottle and to retain the stopper, foil, and wire basket within the gripping heads of the tool and prevent the stopper, foil, and wire basket from escaping the tool;
- a hook means at the gripping head end of at least one of the halves, the hook configured to engage the loop of the wire basket so that closing the gripping heads secures the loop and enables the tool to be twisted to unwind the wire basket and loosen it from around the neck of the champagne bottle;
- wherein the hook means comprises a first of the gripping heads terminating in a pointed hook that angles inwardly toward the second of the gripping heads, the hook having an end point for penetrating the foil and grasping the wire loop of the wire basket, the hook having an inwardly angled outer edge and the second of the gripping heads terminating in a rounded tip having a matingly angled inner groove so that when the gripping heads are pivoted together, the inner groove of the rounded tip overlaps and mates with the hook, the outer edge of the hook resting in contact with the inner groove of the rounded tip forming a closed ring, so that the closed ring is capable of encircling the wire loop and entrapping the wire loop therein, the tool being capable of twisting the wire loop to loosen the basket, the rounded tip being capable of shielding the hook when the gripping heads are closed together during transportation and storage of the tool.
REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/798,028 filed Feb. 6, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
2948171 |
Lucibello |
Aug 1960 |
|
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
997139 |
Jan 1952 |
FRX |
3410333 |
Jun 1985 |
DEX |
19945 |
Jan 1908 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
798028 |
Feb 1997 |
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