Patent Application
20150135906
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,455 of Taylor, some bottles, such as wine bottles, have a stopper or cork-like structure to retain the bottle's contents inside the bottle. One tool used to remove stoppers from bottles is a corkscrew with a handle or lever. Another device used to remove stoppers or corks from bottles is a device commonly referred to as an “ah-so.” The ah-so has two thin, slender elements, one typically longer than the other, connected to a handle. The '455 Patent of Taylor describes a device which combines elements of the so-called “ah-so” cork remover with a more traditional corkscrew.
Briefly described, in an example form the present invention comprises an opener for removing a stopper from a bottle. The opener includes a handle, first and second prongs extending from the handle, and at least one barb formed on at least one of the prongs for engaging the bottom of the stopper. In one form, the barb is flexible and flexes to and fro relative to the prong between a first position lying substantially coplanar with the prong and a second position extending therefrom to assist in pulling the stopper from the bottle.
Defined another way, the opener includes a handle and first and second prongs for manipulation by the handle. Each of the prongs has an inside surface and an outside surface, and they have a distal end and a proximal end nearer the handle. At least one of the prongs has a barb portion, and the prongs are adapted to be inserted between the stopper and an inner surface of the bottle. The barb portion is positioned along the inside surface of the prong, whereby the handle can be used to apply physical force to cause the prongs to be moved between the stopper and the inside surface of the bottle and the barb is adapted to be moved past the end of the stopper so that the barb can engage an underside of the stopper, and the barb is adapted so that as the handle is pulled upwardly and the prongs are extracted from the bottle, the prongs and the barb pull on the stopper to remove the stopper from the bottle.
Optionally, each of the prongs includes a barb portion. Preferably, the barb portion is movable relative to the prong so as to move in a first direction out of the way as the prong is inserted between the bottle and the stopper and to move in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, as the barb portion moves past a bottom end of the stopper.
In a preferred form, the prongs are flat, elongate strip-like elements and the barbs are formed integrally with the prongs.
Optionally, the prongs are rigidly secured to the handle and are moved in unison therewith. Alternatively, the handle comprises a pair of handle portions and one handle portion can be moved relative to the other and the prongs are separately insertable into the bottle between the bottle and the stopper one at a time.
In an alternative form, the prongs are wire-like elements with barbs that generally face toward each other. Optionally, these barbs are substantially rigid relative to the prongs. Alternatively, the barbs can fold out of the way as the prongs are inserted into the bottle and between the bottle and the stopper and can unfold once the barbs clear the bottom of the stopper for engaging and pulling on the bottom of the stopper as the prongs are pulled upwardly for removing the stopper.
Optionally, the prongs are much longer than they are wide and are much wider than they are thick and they each have a barb.
With reference now to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout the several views,
In example forms, the stopper remover 10 generally comprises a loop-shaped handle 20, first and second prongs 28, 42 extending from the handle 20, and wherein at least one barb 37 is formed on at least one of the prongs 28, 42. Preferably, as will be described below, the at least one barb 37 is configured for engaging the bottom end of the stopper C such that the prongs 28, 42 and the at least one barb 37 cooperate to help remove the stopper C from the bottle B.
The handle 20 is generally orientated substantially transversely relative to the prongs 28, 42 and defines an opening 25 therein for receiving one or more fingers of the user. For example, when operating the stopper remover 10, the user grasps the handle and generally one or more fingers of the user extend through the opening 25. Optionally, the handle 20 can be substantially solid (e.g., without an opening) such that a user's fingers are wrapped around the handle 20. In this latter example, the handle can be more or less rod-like to facilitate a wrap-around grip by the user.
The first and second prongs 28, 42 are generally flat, elongate strip-like elements that extend from the handle 20 at their proximal ends 32, 46 to their distal ends 30, 44. In some example forms, the prongs 28, 42 are generally much longer than they are wide and much wider than they are thick. In one example form, the first prong 28 has a length of about three and one-half inches and the second prong 42 has a length of about two and three-quarters inches, for example to facilitate insertion into the bottle B (between the inner surface BI of the bottle B and the stopper C). Optionally, the prongs 28, 42 may be of other lengths as desired. In example forms, the prongs 28, 42 are generally laterally offset and substantially parallel to one another near the proximal ends 32, 46 and gradually curve outwardly toward the distal ends 30, 44. Thus, the curvature of the prongs 28, 42 near the distal ends 30, 44 is such that outer surfaces 36, 50 of the prongs 28, 42 are typically somewhat convex-shaped, whereas inner surfaces 34, 47 of the prongs 28, 42 are typically concave-shaped. For example, in one example form as depicted in
Barb 37 preferably is formed on the prong 28 generally near the distal end 30 thereof. Preferably, barb 37 is positioned along the prong 28 such that the barb 37 is free to engage the bottom or underside of the stopper C when the prong is inserted between the stopper and the inner surface BI of the bottle B. In one example form, the barb 37 is generally tongue-shaped and integrally formed with the prong 28 to be movable between a first position in a first direction and a second position in a second direction. Optionally, this movement is accomplished by a to and fro flexing of the tongue-shaped barbs.
In one form, a portion of the prong adjacent the barb 37 is slightly bent such that when the prong is in a relaxed position, the barb 37 protrudes inwardly beyond the inner surface 34 of the prong 28 (e.g., the second position). For example, as depicted in
Optionally, the second prong 42 can include a barb 52 that is substantially similar to the barb 37. Generally, the barbs 37, 52 are positioned along the prongs 28, 42 at a substantially similar distance measured from the proximal ends 32, 46 of the prongs 28, 42. Optionally, the barbs 37, 52 can be positioned at different lengths, for example to accommodate for stoppers C of different lengths. Thus, in some forms, the barbs 37, 52 are positioned at different lengths on the prongs 28, 42 such that the stopper remover 10 is operable with stoppers C of different lengths.
In use, the distal end 30 of the first prong 28 is inserted between the stopper C and the inner surface BI of the bottle B, and with the user applying a physical force to the handle 20, the first prong 28 begins to move downwardly between the stopper C and inner surface BI. Eventually, after enough downward movement of the first prong 28, the second prong 42 is inserted between the stopper C and the inner surface BI, and then both the first and second prongs 28, 42 move downwardly together within the bottle B. As the prongs 28, 42 continue moving downwards, the barbs 37, 52 each engage the stopper C where they are forced to move laterally or flex relative to the prongs 28, 42 in the first direction to the first position. While the barbs 37, 52 remain in the first position, the prongs 28, 42 continue moving downwards until the proximal ends 32, 46 of the prongs 28, 42 generally abut the top of the bottle. As this point, the prongs 28, 42 have moved a substantial amount within the bottle (between the stopper C and the inner surface BI) such that the barbs 37, 52 have moved past the bottom end of the stopper C (no longer engaged with the stopper C).
Once the barbs 37, 52 are no longer contacting the stopper C, the barbs 37, 52 move (flex) in a second direction from the first position to the second position (see
In example embodiments, the stopper remover 10 can be constructed from a variety of materials including metals, plastics, composites, synthetic materials, natural materials, other materials and/or combinations thereof. In one example form, the handle is formed from aluminum and the prongs are formed from stainless steel. Preferably, in some embodiments, the prongs are constructed from a material that allows for the at least one barb to move relative to the prong between the first position and the second position.
It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “one” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.
While the invention has been shown and described in exemplary forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
