Cork-extracting apparatus

• US 4,703,673 A
• Filed: 04/08/1985
• Issued: 11/03/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VZ Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hallen Company
• Inventors: Allen, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): PARKER JR, ROSCOE
• Application Number:
  US06/721,235
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 81/3.29, 81/3.34, 81/3.48, 81/177.2, 81/3.45, 16/115
• US Class Current: 81/3.29
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 7/0447 whereby the supporting means abut around parts of the periphery of the neck of the bottle

Abstract

Apparatus for extracting a cork from a bottle comprises a movable portion, a handle, and a holder. The movable portion includes a helical corkscrew. The handle includes at least one elongate arm and is associated with the movable portion such that the arm may extend radially outwardly with respect to the corkscrew in an operating position of the handle. The arm has a restraining formation disposed distal the corkscrew in the operating position and adapted to engage a human finger and restrain it against movement radially outwardly. The holder is engageable with a bottle and defines an opening for receipt of a cork as it emerges from the bottle. The holder has a guide which allows rotational and longitudinal movement of the movable portion relative to the holder whereby the corkscrew can be driven downwardly into the cork and to a lowered position with respect to the holder upon rotation of the movable portion in a first direction. The movable portion and the holder have force transmitting formations interengageable, when the movable portion is in its lowered position, and adapted to cause the cork to be removed from the bottle upon further rotation of the movable portion.

Claims

1. Apparatus for extracting a cork from a bottle, said apparatus being of the self-puller type comprising:

a movable portion comprising

a corkscrew including a generally helical central body and an outer layer of friction-reducing material,

and downwardly facing abutment means carried on said corkscrew;

a handle including at least one elongate arm, said handle being associated with said movable portion such that said arm may extend radially outwardly with respect to said corkscrew in an operating position of said handle, said arm having a restraining formation dispose distal said corkscrew in said operating position, and adapted to engage a human finger and restrain such finger against movement radially outwardly with respect to said arm in said operating position thereby facilitating continuous rotation of said arm by more than 360°

, about the axis of said corkscrew, buy such finger;

and a holder portion comprising

bottle-engaging means for positioning said holder portion with respect to such bottle, said bottle-engaging means including stop means engageable with the top of such bottle for limiting downward movement of said holder portion with respect to such bottle, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced gripping elements extending below said stop means, said gripping elements being radially deflectable for gripping the sides of such bottle;

spacer means extending upwardly from said bottle-engaging means and defining an opening for receipt of a cork as it emerges from such bottle;

and guide means supported on said spacer means, engageable with said movable portion, and adapted to allow rotational and longitudinal movement of said movable portion relative to said holder portion, whereby said corkscrew can be driven downwardly into such cork and to a lowered position with respect to said holder portion upon rotation of said movable portion, said guide means having upwardly facing abutment means engageable with said abutment means of said movable portion to limit downward movement of said movable portion with respect to said holder portion to said lowered position;

said corkscrew being of a length such that, when in said lowered position, said corkscrew extends downwardly below said stop means as well as upwardly into said cork-receiving opening whereby, after said helical body has been so driven into such cork and to said lowered position, then such cork may move threadedly upwardly on said corkscrew as said corkscrew is further rotated without longitudinal movement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said restraining formation defines a hollow configures to confine such human finger and opening generally upwardly in said operating position.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said hollow is defined by an aperture sized and configured to substantially surround such human finger.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the distance between the centerline of said corkscrew and said restraining formation, with said handle in said operating position, is at least as great as the vertical length of said spacer means.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said holder portion comprises at least two circumferentially spaced legs, the upper portions of said legs defining said spacer means, and the lower portions of said legs defining said gripping elements, said stop means being defined by shoulders formed generally intermediate the upper and lower portions of said legs.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said legs are diametrically opposed and separate from each other along substantially their entire length, said legs being connected to each other adjacent their upper ends by said guide means.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said handle is pivotally connected to said movable portion adjacent the upper end thereof, said handle being pivotally movable from a resting position, lying generally alongside said corkscrew, to said operating position.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said movable portion comprises an uppermost mounting base, said corkscrew being fixedly mounted in said mounting base and extending downwardly therefrom, said handle being so pivotally mounted on one lateral side of said mounting base, said handle overlying said mounting base in said operating position, and said mounting base having an uppermost support surface engageable with said handle to support said handle in said operating position.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said handle and said movable portion are releasably connectable, said handle and said movable portion having respective connection means comprising wrench surfaces whereby said movable portion may be rotated by said handle, and said connection means further being adapted to prevent radially outward movement of said arm when said handle is in said operating position.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said connection means are engageable, when said handle is positioned with said arm extending laterally with respect to said movable portion, by relative downward movement of said handle to mount said handle on said movable portion in said operating position, and are separable by relative upward movement of said handle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said connection means are further operative to prevent radially inward movement of said arm.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said connection means comprises an upstanding hub on said movable portion and a socket, adapted for receipt of said hub, in said handle and spaced from said restraining formation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said handle comprises first and second elongate handle elements, said first handle element having a bore telescopically receiving said second handle element for extension and retraction of the length of said arm.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said restraining formation is an enclosure sized and configured to substantially surround a human finger.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said enclosure defines an aperture opening upwardly and downwardly in said operating position.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said enclosure is formed on said first handle element, said bore of said first handle element extending transverse to said enclosure and opening thereinto at one end of said bore.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein one end of said second handle element is so telescopically mounted in said bore of said first handle element and extending therefrom into said enclosure, said one end of said second handle element having retainer means projecting laterally outwardly therefrom for engagement with the inner wall of said enclosure adjacent the end of said bore of said first handle element to limit such telescopic extension, the inner wall of said hollow opposite said bore of said first handle element being engageable with said one end of said second handle element to limit such telescopic retraction, and the other end of said second handle element projecting outwardly from said first handle element and having said socket formed therein.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said second handle element has a central bore therethrough from end to end.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said retainer means are forcibly inwardly deflectable to allow assembly of said one end of said second handle element into said bore of said first handle element.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said first and second handle elements have means frictionally engageable, when said handle elements are telescopically retracted, to yieldably resist telescopic extension.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said first and second handle elements have means frictionally engageable, when said handle elements are fully telescopically extended, to yieldably resist telescopic retraction.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said bore of said second handle element is sized for lengthwise receipt of said corkscrew, whereby, when said handle is removed from said movable portion, and said movable portion is disposed in said lowered position with respect to said holder portion, said handle may be stowed on that part of said corkscrew extending downwardly from said guide means by inserting such extending part of said corkscrew into said bore of said second handle elements.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said bore of said second handle element is at least as long as such extending part of said corkscrew.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 including means for releasably frictionally binding said handle in such stowed disposition on said holder.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said holder portion comprises diametrically opposed inner surfaces facing laterally inwardly toward said corkscrew and sized for frictional engagement with the outer surfaces of said handle when said handle is thus stowed, the midline between said inner surfaces being slightly offset from the centerline of said guide means, and said corkscrew being resiliently flexible.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said inner surfaces are on said spacer means and are so frictionally engageable with the outer surfaces of said other end of said second handle element.

27. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the side walls of said hub are tapered laterally outwardly from their upper to their lower extremity, and wherein said socket has correspondingly tapered side walls.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said socket is defined by a cross bore extending transversely through said handle, said cross bore being tapered outwardly from its midplane to each end.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said handle has a bore extending along the length of said arm and opening through one end of said handle, said bore being sized for lengthwise receipt of said corkscrew, whereby, when said handle is removed from said movable portion, and said movable portion is disposed in said lowered position with respect to said holder portion, said handle may be stowed on that part of said corkscrew extending downwardly from said guide means by inserting such extending part of said corkscrew into said bore of said handle.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said bore of said handle is at least as long as such extending part of said corkscrew.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 including means for releasably frictionally binding said handle in such stowed disposition on said holder.

32. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said friction-reducing material is polymeric.

33. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder further comprises catch means disposed adjacent said cork-receiving opening engageable with said cork as it emerges from said bottle to prevent relative rotation between said cork and said holder portion.