Abstract:
An opener to assist in the opening of a threaded lid from a threaded jar. The opener is a body at least partially to embrace the peripheral wall of a lid. Preferably it allows for an expansion to facilitate application, and a shoulder to be abutted by a thumb or finger to add torque to the removal efforts.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   A moderately sized unitary encircling opener to facilitate the removal of a tightly attached threaded lid from a jar. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Bottles and jars for containing food are necessarily closed by lids which are tightly threaded on. This is a necessary function to protect the contents from leakage into the jar of harmful substances. In many situations, such as for baby foods, the packaging operation leaves the inside of the jar under a negative pressure in order to secure the tightness. This adds to the force necessary to release the jar. In fact, it is a solid surface to surface contact under substantial compressive load. 
   Consumers, especially women and new mothers often lack sufficient strength in their hands and wrists to exert the necessary torque on the lid. This is further complicated by the small height of the lid, which provides little area to be gripped. Besides, this area is usually smooth and circular. 
   This situation has not gone unnoticed, and the market is replete with devices to give some advantage to the person who seeks to open the container. These extend from simple sheets or cones of conformable material to make the grip more comfortable, to plier-like gripping devices that require a squeeze, but also provide leverage. All of these have advantages and disadvantages, but usually they will in fact assist a person to open the jar. 
   In view of the above, one can reasonably and logically ask why another opener is needed, and whether it can provide any overall advantage beyond what already exists. The applicant herein believes he has done so by providing a small, conveniently applied opener which inherently grips the lid and which in its preferred embodiment includes an abutment readily engaged by the thumb or a finger to exert an additional torque. 
   It is an object of this invention to provide an opener of relatively small and elegantly simple construction which can be molded to shape and readily used. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   An opener according to this invention comprises a unitary body of stiffly flexible material, preferably rubber or rubber-like, with an arcuate boundary to fit around a major portion of a lid which it is to grip. It has an inner peripheral wall to engage the lid, and an outer peripheral wall to be engaged by the hand of the user. 
   According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention, the body extends around less than the full periphery of the lid, leaving a gap between the ends of the arcuate structure. This grip is bridged by an abutment which preferably is U-shaped, that projects outwardly from the outer peripheral wall so as to be engageable by a thumb or finger. Preferably this abutment is stiffly flexible so as to permit limited spreading apart of the ends of the body to facilitate engagement with the lid. 
   According to yet another preferred but optional feature of the invention, the inner peripheral wall of the body includes a limit stop which will engage a portion of the lid (such as bead around its lower edge) before the lower edge of the body will contact the jar where it could create a drag that would add to the torque necessary to turn the lid. 
   According to yet another preferred but optional feature of the invention a limit shoulder is incorporated in the body to limit the ultimate passage of the lid into the body. 
   The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevation of the presently-preferred embodiment of the invention, applied to a jar closed by a lid to be removed by the opener of this invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top view taken at line  2 — 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary cross-section taken at line  3 — 3  in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the opener of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the opener of  FIG. 1 , modified to illustrate another embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The presently-preferred embodiment of an opener  10  according to this invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . It is shown in the configuration for the use whose earliest use is anticipated. It is applied to a typical food jar  11 . Such a jar has a bottom  12  a peripheral sidewall  13  and an open upper mouth  14  with a thread  15  around it ( FIG. 3 ). A sloping shoulder  16  is formed in the wall below the thread. 
   A typical lid  20  for this jar has a closed top  21 , a peripheral sidewall  22 , and a reinforcing peripheral rib  23  at the bottom of its sidewall. An internal thread (not shown) engages the thread on the jar. Frequently the metal lid itself is not threaded. Instead a ring of sealant material is placed inside the lid adjacent to the mouth and the sidewall which solidifies to form a thread-like contour on the jar thread. This both seals the jar and enables removal of the lid by twisting it around the vertical axis of the jar. It is the function of this opener to grasp the lid and transmit torque from the user&#39;s hand to the lid. 
   Opener  10  is a unitary body  30  C-shaped, comprising an internal sidewall  31 , external side wall  32 , and a gap  33  between ends  34  and  35  of the body. The body is circularly arcuate in plan view. The internal sidewall is dimensioned so as to make a snug fit on the lid when placed around the lid. The internal sidewall will then grip the lid, and the lid can be turned. 
   The product is preferably made of a rubber or rubber-like material so it is self-shape retaining, but flexible enough that the body can be stretched open to accommodate somewhat larger lids. 
   Axial grooves  36  are formed in the outer sidewall to provide a firmer grip for the user&#39;s hand. The wall thickness of the opener provides a better size for the user to grip, and amplifies the torque on the smaller-diameter lid. 
   The opener as described above forms a useful embodiment of this invention, and is intended to be encompassed in this invention, useful for all kinds of jars and threaded lids. However, this invention also includes additional features which facilitate its use, which will now be described. 
   An abutment  40  is unitarily formed as part of the body. It projects beyond the outer sidewall of the body where it can be pressed against by the thumb or finger of the user. For this purpose it has arms  41 ,  42  formed as sides of an arch that connects the two ends of the body. The arms are connected by a bight  43 . This abutment is flexible so as to allow the ends of the body to be spread apart to receive lids of various sizes. It is self-shape retaining, so as to tend to return to its original undistorted shape when no lid is inside it. This is an optional feature. It is shown as a rather rectangular structure. It could instead by a continuous curved arc. 
   Another optional feature is best shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The inner sidewall  31  has portions  45 ,  46  of different diameter portion  45  being larger. This forms a shoulder  47  between them. The purpose of this shoulder is to stop the rim  23  before lower edge  48  of the body can strike shoulder  16  of the jar. This prevents the body from pushing down on the shoulder, which would cause a drag that resists the turning of the lid. 
   Shoulder  47  would not be provided if only lids without a seal were to be removed. Also it is not necessary even when beaded lids are used. It is however, a convenience when lids with beads are to be removed from a jar. 
   A stop  50  may optionally be formed on the inside top of the body. It forms an ultimate stop for a lid, especially useful when an abutment  47 , or a shoulder  16  is not involved. Stop  50  may include a central reinforcement area  51 . This will stiffen the body somewhat, and is also available for identification and advertising material. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates the simplest embodiment of the invention. It includes only body  20 , and not abutment  40 . All of the shapes described above can be utilized in the same manner. 
   Another useful embodiment of the invention (not shown) comprises the construction of  FIG. 5  without a gap, but instead a continuous circular structure with the inner surfaces adapted to engage a rim on the lid. 
   This opener is a conveniently molded, single piece article in all of its embodiments. It may be made of any suitably flexible and agreeable material such as natural and synthetic rubbers, and various organic plastic materials. 
   The dimensions are arbitrary, and will be made suitable for an intended size or range of sizes. The opener can be provided in sets of several sizes to accommodate a full range of lids. 
   This invention is not to be limited by the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the description, which are given by way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.