1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a tool for opening and closing bottles containing beverages such as wine or champagne, more particularly, to a multi-function tool designed to facilitate extracting cork from beverage bottles and preserving beverage in partially consumed bottles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bottles containing fermented or carbonated beverages such as wine or champagne are typically closed and sealed by a cork stopper made of natural or synthetic materials. Tools such as corkscrews have been developed for extracting the cork stopper from such bottles prior to consumption. While corkscrews are commonly used for removing corks from wine bottles, there are drawbacks associated with conventional corkscrews. If the coil of the corkscrew is not centered properly while being inserted into the cork, the corkscrew can cause the cork to chip and disintegrate. Moreover, insertion of the corkscrew into the cork is not a simple process as it requires one to apply force to cause the metal coil to penetrate into the cork all the while making sure that the coil is centered relative to the cork. In addition to the corkscrew, another type of known cork extractor operates by injecting air via a needle-like device through the cork into the bottle. The increased air pressure inside the bottle would in turn eject the cork. While the air pressure based cork extractors are easier to operate as compared to the corkscrew, they are typically single-function bar accessory tools that must be purchased individually and take up separate storage space.
Once the cork is removed, the wine is exposed to oxygen in the air and thus becomes susceptible to oxidation. It is generally known that prolonged exposure to oxygen can detrimentally affect the quality and flavor of the wine. Wine that remains in a partially consumed bottle can quickly deteriorate in taste even if the bottle is recorked. This is often due to the wine being oxidized by oxygen that entered the bottle when the cork was removed. In an effort to preserve partially consumed wine, various vacuum sealers have been developed to remove air from the headspace of the bottle after recorking so as to minimize oxidation of the wine. The conventional vacuum sealer assemblies typically utilize a hand pump working in conjunction with a specially designed stopper fitted with a one-way valve to evacuate air from the bottle. The hand pump usually operates by moving a piston through the bore of a cylinder to evacuate air from the bottle. The piston itself also acts as a release valve to adjust the pressure differential inside the cylinder so that the piston can be easily moved back and forth in the bore.
The conventional vacuum sealers direct air to flow in a reverse direction as that of the aforementioned air pressure based cork extractor. The vacuum sealer operates to pump air out of the wine bottle while the air pressure based cork extractor functions to introduce air into the bottle to pressurize the bottle. The reversed directions of air flow would typically require separate air passageways and pump systems, which make it not feasible to combine both tools into a single, compact device. As such, these tools are usually configured as separate, individual units that would have to be purchased and stored separately.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a compact, unitary, multi-function device for opening and closing wine, champagne, or other beverage bottles. To this end, there is a particular need for a single, compact tool that can effectively serve the functions of both a cork extractor and a vacuum sealer.
In one aspect, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a combination cork extractor and vacuum sealer device. The device comprises a housing, preferably a cylindrical housing, wherein the housing has an inner wall and an air passageway defined by the inner wall, and a piston assembly coupled to one of the housing. Preferably, the piston assembly slidably engages with the inner wall of the housing so as to move air along the air passageway. The device further includes a sealing assembly coupled to the housing, wherein the sealing assembly is in fluid communication with the air passageway. Preferably, the sealing assembly has a one-way valve configured to permit air to flow into the air passageway in the housing. The device further comprises an air injector assembly coupled to the housing, wherein the air injector assembly is in fluid communication with the air passageway of the housing. Preferably, the air injector assembly has an opening and a one-way valve configured to permit air to flow from the air passageway to the opening. In one embodiment, the air injector assembly comprises a needle configured to be inserted into a cork. In another embodiment, the sealing assembly comprises a resilient member adapted to sealingly engage with a stopper. In a preferred embodiment, the piston is configured to extend into the air passageway to drive air therein through the one-way valve of the air injector assembly and through the opening of the air injector assembly. In another embodiment, the piston is configured to retract from the air passageway to draw external air through the sealing assembly through the one-way valve of the sealing assembly and into the air passageway in the housing. In yet another embodiment, the piston assembly comprises a piston which sealingly engages with the inner walls of the housing so as to substantially inhibit air in the air passageway from passing from one side of the piston to the other.
In another aspect, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a combination cork extractor and air evacuator device for wine bottles. The device comprises an elongated housing having an air passageway therein, wherein the housing has a first and a second opening. The device further includes a one-way valve positioned adjacent the first opening of the housing, wherein the one-way valve is in fluid communication with the air passageway. Preferably, the one-way valve permits air to flow from the air passageway through the opening to outside of the housing and the one-way valve substantially prevents external air from entering the air passageway through the first opening. The device further includes a second one-way valve positioned adjacent the second opening of the housing, wherein the second one-way valve is in fluid communication with the air passageway. Preferably, the second one-way valve permits external air to flow into the air passageway and the second one-way valve substantially prevents air in the air passageway to exit the housing through the second opening. In one embodiment, the device further comprises a piston assembly, wherein the piston assembly is coupled to the housing and can be extended and retracted through the air passageway. In another embodiment, the device further comprises a needle assembly coupled to the one-way valve, wherein the needle assembly is hollow and is in fluid communication with ambient air. In yet another embodiment, the device further comprises a sealing assembly coupled to the second one-way valve, wherein the sealing assembly is in fluid communication with ambient air.
A combination cork extractor and vacuum sealer device 100 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in
The elongated housing 102 has a generally cylindrical shape and can be made of a variety of different materials such as metals, plastics, or composite materials. Air can be moved in and out of the air passageway in the housing 102 by way of the piston assembly 104 and the one-way valves 116, 124 in a manner to be described in greater detail below. The piston assembly 104 generally a piston (not shown) positioned inside the air passageway, a handle portion 110, and a rod 112 coupled to the handle portion 110 and the piston. The handle portion 110 can be maneuvered to extend or retract the piston through the air passageway to move air therethrough. In a preferred embodiment, the piston sealingly engages with the inner walls of the air passageway so that air in the air passageway is substantially inhibited from passing from one side of the piston to the other. As such, substantially no air flows past the piston when the piston is either retracted or extended configuration in the air passageway. Thus, unlike conventional hand pump type of cork extractors or vacuum sealers, the piston assembly does not act as a release valve.
As
As
As also shown in
Advantageously, the combination cork extractor and vacuum sealing device of the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a compact tool that can be used to inject air into a wine bottle and also to evacuate air from the bottle. The device utilizes a piston, a single air passageway in conjunction with a plurality of one-way valves to cause the air to flow in reverse directions depending on the function. It will be appreciated that the device of the preferred embodiments can be applied to a variety of different types of corked beverage bottles, including wine, champagne and the like.
Although the foregoing description of some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the detail of the system, apparatus, and methods as illustrated as well as the uses thereof, may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the foregoing discussions, where claim language carries an ordinary meaning as in customary usage and not by special definition unless specifically stated as providing a definition.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/522,579, filed Oct. 16, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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60522579 | Oct 2004 | US |