Abstract:
A device inhibits oxidation of wine remaining in a bottle. A stopper and an inflatable bladder replace the cork. In a first embodiment, a wine duct formed in the stopper is open when the stopper is in an extended position and is closed when the stopper is retracted. Air displaces but does not contact the wine by filling the bladder through an air duct formed in the stopper. After decanting, air that seeps into the wine chamber is removed by forcing air into the bladder, using an external hand pump inserted into the air duct. When sufficient air is pumped into the bladder to raise the wine level to contact the stopper, the stopper is placed into its retracted position. In an additional embodiment, a valve controls opening and closing of the wine duct and the stopper has no extended and retracted position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DISCLOSURE  
       [0001]    This application claims priority of a provisional application entitled: “Device to Limit Wine Exposure to Air in Opened Wine Bottles,” filed Mar. 19, 2003 by the present inventor and bearing application No. 60/320,020. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates, generally, to the art of protecting wine and other liquid fluids from oxidation. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus that includes an inflatable bladder disposed within a bottle that displaces air from the bottle and provides an air-impermeable barrier that protects the contents of the bottle from the effects of oxidation.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Wine exposed to oxygen suffers a loss in quality of color, taste, and composition due to the process of oxidation. Excessive oxidation leads to spoilage and thus complete loss of the wine. Accordingly, several methods have been developed to prevent such oxidation during production and aging of quality wine.  
           [0006]    Methods have also been developed to protect wine in a bottle from oxidation after the bottle has been opened.  
           [0007]    One known method requires that the wine be frozen after the bottle has been opened. This technique prevents oxidation, but few customers are willing to wait for a bottle of wine to thaw out after it has been frozen.  
           [0008]    Another method includes the steps of decanting the contents of the wine bottle into a container that is sized to exactly hold the wine poured into it, and to seal such container. The theory behind this method is that there will be little or no air between the wine and the seal for the container. However, this requires that a large supply of containers of varying sizes be kept on hand. Moreover, an exact match of container capacity and the volume of wine being decanted is seldom if ever achieved.  
           [0009]    Still another method includes the steps of spraying an inert gas into the original wine bottle. The gas displaces the air from the bottle. Problems arise, however, when an effort is made to place a stopper in the bottle after the air has been supplanted by the inert gas. Specifically, some air will almost always be introduced into the bottle during the time required to remove the source of the gas from the mouth of the bottle and to install the stopper. Nor does this method provide a visual indication that the air in the bottle has actually been displaced.  
           [0010]    A stopper and pump may also be employed to evacuate air from a bottle. This method reduces the amount of air in contact with the wine, but a perfect vacuum is unattainable. Thus, significant residual air remains in the space above the wine after the vacuuming operation has been completed.  
           [0011]    Each of the known methods also exposes the wine to air every time the wine is dispensed.  
           [0012]    What is needed, then, is an improved method for preventing or inhibiting oxidation that is not subject to the limitations of prior art methods.  
           [0013]    However, in view of the prior art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill how the identified need could be fulfilled.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0014]    The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for a means for protecting bottled wine or other bottled liquid fluids from oxidation is now met by a new, useful, and non-obvious invention.  
           [0015]    In a first embodiment, the novel device for dispensing wine from a wine bottle and for protecting unpoured wine from excessive oxidation by reducing ullage includes a stopper having a first, extended position relative to the neck of a wine bottle and a second, retracted position relative to said neck. Wine may be poured from the bottle when the stopper is in the extended position but not when the stopper is in the retracted position.  
           [0016]    In this first embodiment, there are two bores formed in the stopper. The first bore provides an air duct. It has a relatively small diameter and extends from a top wall of the stopper to a bottom wall thereof. A mounting tube is positioned in the first bore such that a top end of the mounting tube extends slightly above the top wall of the stopper and a bottom end of the mounting tube extends slightly below the bottom wall of the stopper.  
           [0017]    A pump or inflating means is thus easily attachable to the top end of the mounting tube and a disposable, inflatable bladder is attachable to the bottom end of the mounting tube. The lumen of the mounting tube is an air duct because it enables air to be pumped into the bladder. The bladder is positioned inside the wine chamber, i.e., the space inside the wine bottle. Thus, inflation of the bladder causes it to expand within the wine chamber, thereby displacing wine and thereby preventing oxygen from contacting the wine.  
           [0018]    No mounting tube is employed in an alternative construction. The pump or inflating means has a neck that is inserted directly into the upper end of the air duct. A boss may be formed integrally with the lower end of the air duct to provide a mount for the neck of the air bladder. In another alternative embodiment, the mounting tube is connected to the bladder and the free end of the mounting tube is directly inserted into the lower end of the air duct.  
           [0019]    The second bore has a ninety degree bend formed therein. More particularly, the second bore has a radially-extending part and a longitudinally-extending part. The radially-extending part has a radially outermost end in open communication with a sidewall of the stopper. A radially innermost end thereof is in open communication with the upper end of the longitudinally-extending part.  
           [0020]    The second bore provides a wine duct. The air duct and the wine duct do not intersect one another, i.e., there is no fluid communication between said ducts.  
           [0021]    If the stopper is in its retracted position, the radially-outermost end of the wine duct abuts the neck of the wine bottle and wine cannot be poured. If the stopper is in its extended position, wine flows through the longitudinally-extending part of the wine duct and through the radially-extending part thereof into a wine glass.  
           [0022]    After such decanting, the stopper is pushed back into its retracted position and any suitable inflating means may be employed to inflate the bladder. As the bladder inflates, it displaces the wine in the wine chamber until the wine reaches the bottom of the stopper. This prevents oxygen from contacting the wine. The air duct is then plugged by any suitable means to prevent air in the bladder from flowing into the ambient environment.  
           [0023]    In this first embodiment, the means for inflating the bladder includes a hand-held air pump having a flexible neck terminating in a fee end that is removably mountable to the top end of the mounting tube so that alternately squeezing and releasing the hand-held air pump causes air to flow through the flexible neck, through the mounting tube, and into the bladder. A squeeze bulb having a straight, relatively stiff neck may also be used where no mounting tube is employed. The neck is inserted directly into the upper end of the air duct as mentioned earlier.  
           [0024]    In a second embodiment, the inflating means is a pump having a cylindrical main body, a plunger mounted for reciprocation with the main body, a handle secured to a trailing end of the plunger and an outlet nozzle in fluid communication with the top end of the mounting tube. Operation of the inflating means causes air to flow through the mounting tube into the bladder.  
           [0025]    The outlet nozzle may be adapted to fit directly into the upper end of the air duct, thereby obviating any need for a mounting tube or a mounting boss at said upper end.  
           [0026]    A third embodiment adds a restrictor that prevents inadvertent removal of the stopper from the wine bottle.  
           [0027]    In a fourth embodiment, the air duct has a ninety degree (90°) bend formed therein so it does not extend from the top wall to the bottom wall of the stopper as in the first three embodiments. A first or radially-extending part of the air duct has an outermost end in open communication with a sidewall of the stopper. A second or longitudinally-extending part of the air duct has an upper end in open communication with the radially-innermost end of the first part. The lower end of the second part is in open communication with the bottom wall of the stopper.  
           [0028]    A flexible mounting tube may be positioned within the air duct having the ninety degree (90°) bend so that a first end thereof extends slightly beyond the opening in the stopper side wall to provide a mount for an air pump and a lower end thereof extends slightly beyond the bottom wall of the stopper to provide a mount for the bladder.  
           [0029]    However, no such flexible mounting tube having a ninety degree (90°) bend is needed if an air pump of the type having a relatively stiff neck is used and the neck is simply inserted into the radially-extending part of the air duct to inflate the bladder, and if a straight mounting tube is attached to the bladder so that the mounting tube is directly attachable to the lower end of the second, longitudinally-extending part of the air duct.  
           [0030]    A wine duct is also formed in the fourth embodiment of the stopper. It has a diameter greater than that of the air duct and extends longitudinally from a top wall of the stopper to a bottom wall of the stopper.  
           [0031]    A removable cap closes the upper end of the wine duct when the wine is in storage. To pour wine using this fourth embodiment, the cap is removed so that wine in the bottle may flow into a wine glass through the wine duct. When the pouring is completed, an inflating means is attached to the part of the mounting tube that extends from the radially extending part of the air duct, or no mounting tube is used and an inflating means is inserted directly into the radially-extending part of the duct. The bladder is inflated until the wine reaches the bottom of the stopper or the top of the wine duct at which time the cap is attached in closing relation to the upper end of the wine duct. The stopper is then pressed down into the neck so that the air duct is sealed.  
           [0032]    In a fifth embodiment, a wine dispensing assembly includes a thumb-operated valve, a dispenser having a spout, and a stopper. The valve surmounts the dispenser and the dispenser surmounts the stopper. The valve is normally closed, i.e., it is closed when in its position of repose.  
           [0033]    A wine duct formed in the stopper extends longitudinally from a top wall to a bottom wall of the stopper. The wine duct extends further from the top wall of the stopper into the dispenser and has a ninety degree (90°) bend formed therein in the dispenser so that it terminates in fluid communication with the spout.  
           [0034]    An air duct also has a ninety degree (90°) bend formed therein but said air duct is formed wholly within the stopper as in the fourth embodiment. However, the stopper has only one position. Thus, there is no extended position for pouring and no retracted position for sealing. In this fifth embodiment, the radially outermost end of the air duct is in open communication with a side wall of the stopper and hence the ambient environment at all times.  
           [0035]    As in all other embodiments, the wine duct and air duct are not in fluid communication with one another.  
           [0036]    The stopper has a top part having a first diameter greater than an internal diameter of a neck of a wine bottle and a base having a second diameter that is reduced with respect to the top part so that said base may extend into the neck of the wine bottle.  
           [0037]    Flexible and resilient sealing means are disposed in circumscribing relation to the base to prevent leakage of wine from the bottle when the base of the stopper is inserted into the neck of the bottle.  
           [0038]    An internally threaded bore is formed in the top part of the stopper.  
           [0039]    The dispenser that surmounts the stopper has a main body having a first diameter and a second, reduced diameter hollow part that is externally threaded for screw-threaded engagement with the internally threaded bore formed in the top part of the stopper.  
           [0040]    The wine duct formed in the stopper extends longitudinally from a top wall of the stopper to a bottom wall of the stopper as mentioned above. The internal threads formed in the top part of the stopper are formed in an upper end of said wine duct.  
           [0041]    A pour spout is formed integrally with the dispenser and extends radially outwardly from said dispenser in open fluid communication with the radially-extending part of the wine duct.  
           [0042]    A mounting tube is attached to the bladder and the free uppermost end of said mounting tube is inserted directly into the lowermost end of the longitudinally-extending part of the air duct.  
           [0043]    The valve that surmounts the dispenser is normally closed and said valve must be opened before wine or other fluid may be poured from the bottle. The valve must also be open when the bladder is being inflated after wine has been poured from the bottle.  
           [0044]    This invention further includes a novel method for inserting an inflatable bladder into a bottle without touching the inflatable bladder. The novel method includes the steps of providing a stopper with a main body and a neck having a reduced diameter relative to the maiin body and forming an air duct and a wine duct in the main body and the neck. The mouth of the bladder is sealed to a mounting tube so that a first end of the mounting tube protrudes from the bladder and a second end of the mounting tube extends into the hollow interior of the bladder. The bladder is folded along a plurality of longitudinal folding lines that are parallel to one another and equidistantly spaced apart from one another to create an accordion fold so that a width of the bladder when accordion-folded is only slightly greater than a width of the mounting tube.  
           [0045]    The bladder is also folded along a transverse folding line so that a bottom of the bladder is spaced slightly downwardly from a top of the bladder. The longitudinally and transverely folded bladder is removed from a wrapper by withdrawing the wrapper until the first end of the mounting tube protrudes from the wrapper. The stopper is positioned in an upright configuration and the first end of the mounting tube is inserted into the air duct while holding the wrapper. The wrapper and the stopper are inverted and the wrapper is withdrawn further until the bottom end of the bladder protrudes from the wrapper.  
           [0046]    The bottom end of the bladder is inserted into a neck of a bottle while holding the wrapper. The wrapper is further withdrawn until the bladder is fully removed therefrom. The stopper is then returned to the upright position and the bladder is further inserted into the bottle until the bladder is fully received within the bottle.  
           [0047]    The neck of the stopper is inserted into sealing relation to the neck of the bottle so that the stopper and bladder are fully inserted into the bottle without touching the bladder.  
           [0048]    The primary advantage of the invention is that the bladder, when inflated, causes the level of liquid fluid within the bottle to rise until no air is left in the bottle. Another advantage is that, in the first three embodiments, it is a simple matter to configure the stopper for pouring by placing it into a first, extended position and to configure the stopper for storage by pushing it into a retracted position within the neck of the wine bottle.  
           [0049]    An advantage of the fourth embodiment is that wine is easily dispensed upon removing the cap and protected from oxygen by attaching the cap.  
           [0050]    An important advantage of the fifth embodiment is its integration of parts so that said fifth embodiment is easy to use.  
           [0051]    Another major advantage of the fifth embodiment is that the stopper is not extended to enable pouring nor is it retracted to cut-off pouring.  
           [0052]    A further advantage of the fifth embodiment is that a user may dispense wine in controlled amounts by the simple expedient of lifting a thumb from a handle to stop the flow of wine.  
           [0053]    These and other advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds. The invention includes the features of construction, arrangement of parts, and combination of elements set forth herein, and the scope of the invention is set forth in the claims appended hereto. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0054]    For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 1A is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the novel stopper when inserted into the neck of a wine bottle in its open or “pour” configuration;  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 1B is a side elevational view of the first embodiment when inserted into the neck of a wine bottle in its closed configuration;  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the first embodiment of the stopper;  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 3 is a top view of said first embodiment;  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of said first embodiment;  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the novel stopper;  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a novel stopper restrictor device;  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 7 is a top view of said stopper restrictor device;  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the novel restrictor when installed in its operative configuration;  
         [0064]    [0064]FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a fourth embodiment that includes a cap;  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the structure depicted in FIG. 9;  
         [0066]    [0066]FIG. 11A is an exploded perspective view of the valve of the fifth embodiment;  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 11B is an exploded perspective view of the stopper and dispenser parts of the fifth embodiment;  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 11C is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment when in its assembled configuration;  
         [0069]    [0069]FIG. 11D is a top plan view of the stopper of the fifth embodiment;  
         [0070]    [0070]FIG. 11E is a bottom plan view of the stopper of the fifth embodiment;  
         [0071]    [0071]FIG. 11F is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line  11 F- 11 F in FIG. 11D and along line  11 F- 11 F in FIG. 11E;  
         [0072]    [0072]FIG. 11G is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 11B;  
         [0073]    [0073]FIG. 12A depicts the novel wrapper when in its unopened configuration;  
         [0074]    [0074]FIG. 12B depicts how the mounting tube attached to the bladder is inserted into the lower end of the air duct of the fifth embodiment of the novel stopper without the user&#39;s hands touching the bladder;  
         [0075]    [0075]FIG. 12C depicts how the novel structure is inverted so that the lower end of the bladder may be inserted into the wine chamber as the bladder is withdrawn from its wrapper;  
         [0076]    [0076]FIG. 12D depicts the novel bladder, in its unfolded configuration, when being inserted into a wine bottle;  
         [0077]    [0077]FIG. 12E is a perspective view depicting a user holding down the novel handle when pouring wine into a wine glass; and  
         [0078]    [0078]FIG. 12F is a front elevational view of the bladder in its unfolded configuration. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0079]    Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, it will there be seen that an illustrative embodiment of the invention when connected to a wine bottle is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral  10 . The wine bottle is denoted  12 ; it includes neck  12   a  and rim  12   b.    
         [0080]    The invention has equal utility with liquids other than wine. It is described in detail in the context of wine for convenience purposes.  
         [0081]    An inflatable bladder  14  is positioned in the interior of wine bottle  12  and is depicted in an inflated configuration in FIG. 1. Elongate neck  16  of bladder  14  has a diameter substantially less than the diameter of bladder  14  when the bladder is in its inflated configuration.  
         [0082]    Stopper  18  is depicted in its first, extended or “pour” configuration relative to bottle  12  in FIG. 1A and in its second, retracted or “closed” position in FIG. 1B. Stopper  18  has a solid cylindrical construction and a diameter that enables it to be press fit by slidingly insertion into neck  12   a  of bottle  12 . A plurality of vertically spaced apart O-rings, collectively denoted  20 , circumscribe cylindrical main body  22  of stopper  18  and serve to seal the stopper against leakage when said cylindrical main body is positioned within neck  12   a.    
         [0083]    Upper rim  24  surmounts stopper  18  and has a diameter greater than the inner diameter of neck  12   a  so that said upper rim cannot be inserted into said neck. Upper rim  24  also provides a gripping surface having utility when it is desired to re-position stopper  18  from its second, retracted position (FIG. 1B) to its first, extended position (FIG. 1A) or to remove stopper  18  completely from bottle neck  12   a.    
         [0084]    Stopper  18  is depicted in greater detail in FIGS. 2-4. First bore or air duct  26  is formed in stopper main body  22  and extends from top wall  28  of stopper  18  to bottom wall  30  thereof.  
         [0085]    Mounting tube  32  is slidingly received within first bore  26  so that the upper end of mounting tube  32  extends a little above top wall  28  and so that its lower end extends a little below bottom wall  30 . However, neither the top nor the bottom extension is required as will become increasingly clear as this disclosure proceeds.  
         [0086]    Accordingly, attaching elongate neck  16  of bladder  14  to mounting tube  32  as at  34  (FIGS. 1A and 1B) provides fluid communication between the interior of bladder  14  and the ambient environment at the top end of said mounting tube.  
         [0087]    A second bore or wine duct  36  is formed in stopper  18  and has a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of first bore  26 .  
         [0088]    More particularly, second bore  36  has a ninety degree (90°) bend formed therein. Thus, it includes a radially-extending first part  36   a  (FIGS. 3 and 4), hereinafter sometimes referred to as a pour vent, and a longitudinally-extending second part  36   b , sometimes hereinafter referred to as a wine duct, that are in open communication with one another. The outermost end of radially-extending pour vent  36   a  is in open communication with a sidewall of stopper  18 . The innermost end of pour vent  36   a  is in open communication with longitudinally-extending wine duct  36   b  as aforesaid. The lowermost end of wine duct  36   b  is in open communication with bottom wall  30  of stopper  18 .  
         [0089]    Returning now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there it will be seen that a hand-held air pump includes squeeze bulb  40  and flexible neck  42  that is secured to the upper end of mounting tube  32  in fluid communication therewith. The pump is used after wine has been decanted. After decanting, an air space exists above the wine and it is this air that must be removed if the wine is to avoid oxidation.  
         [0090]    With the pour vent open by placing the novel stopper in its FIG. 1A position, alternately squeezing and releasing squeeze bulb  40  pumps air into bladder  14 . As bladder  14  expands, wine inside bottle  12  is displaced upwardly until it supplants all air within the wine chamber. The stopper is then placed into its FIG. 2 position, closing the pour vent. The inflating means is then removed and the wine bottle can be placed into storage with no air contacting the wine.  
         [0091]    [0091]FIG. 5 depicts a second embodiment where squeeze bulb  40  and flexible neck  42  are eliminated in favor of a more advanced pump structure denoted  44  as a whole. Pump  44  includes a main body  46 , a boss  48  that surmounts said main body, plunger  50 , and handle  52  secured to the trailing end of plunger  50 . An outlet nozzle, not illustrated, positioned at the leading end of main body  46 , is in fluid communication with the upper end of mounting tube  32  so that operation of the inflating means causes air to flow through the mounting tube into the bladder.  
         [0092]    Locking device  54  holds handle  52  in its fully “down” position when said locking device engages boss  48  and is turned one half revolution. When so locked, plunger  50  cannot travel upwardly and no wine can be dispensed.  
         [0093]    A pump mechanism within pump body  46 , not illustrated to simplify the drawing, pushes air into bladder  14  on the down stroke of handle  52 .  
         [0094]    Air enters the wine chamber (the hollow interior of bottle  12 ) if stopper  18  is completely removed from neck  12   a . To prevent such removal of stopper  18 , a third embodiment (FIGS. 6-8) includes a restrictor that prevents stopper  18  from being pulled out of bottle neck  12   a.    
         [0095]    As best understood in connection with FIGS. 6-8, restrictor  56  includes top wall  58  having central aperture  58   a  (FIGS. 6 and 7) that slideably receives pump body  46 , a compression fitting  60  that engages bottle neck  12   a , a pair of diametrically opposed straight interconnecting rods  62   a ,  62   b  that interconnect top wall  58  and compression fitting  60 , and a release handle  64  that disengages compression fitting  60  from bottle neck  12   a  and thereby enables removal of restrictor  56  from said bottle neck  12   a . Release handle  64  includes a hinge  64   a  that enables release handle  64  to swing out as indicated by directional arrow  64   b . When handle  64  is swung out, compression fitting  60  is enlarged so that it can be slipped over bottle rim  12   b . The structure is like that of a watchband where a pair of links are pivotally attached to one another so that when opened the band can receive a hand therethrough. Other such means for enlarging the diameter of compression fitting  60  are within the scope of this invention.  
         [0096]    Pump main body  46  is slideably received within central aperture  58   a  as aforesaid. Note that top wall  58  of restrictor  56  overlies rim  24  of stopper  18  and that the diameter of central opening  58   a  is less than the diameter of said rim  24 . Accordingly, pump main body  46  is displaced downwardly when stopper  18  is displaced downwardly from its FIG. 8 position, as indicated by directional arrow  66 , when stopper  18  is placed into its second, retracted, or closed configuration.  
         [0097]    A fourth embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10. The radially-disposed part  68   a  of air duct  68  is formed in enlarged top part  22   a  of stopper  18   a . The longitudinally-disposed part  68   b  thereof extends from the radially-innermost end of said radially-disposed part  68   a  to bottom wall  30  of said stopper. Mounting tube  32  has a longitudinally-extending section disposed in longitudinally-disposed part  68   b  of air duct  68  and a ninety degree (90°) bend is formed in said mounting tube so that a radially-extending part thereof extends into said radially-extending part  68   a  of said air duct  68 .  
         [0098]    An air pump like that of the first embodiment may be employed to pump air into bladder  14  through said air duct  68 .  
         [0099]    In the alternative, as in the other embodiments, no mounting tube is employed and the outlet nozzle of the air pump is inserted directly into radially-disposed part  68   a  of the air duct.  
         [0100]    In this fourth embodiment, base  22  of stopper  18  is hollow, forming wine duct  70 , as indicated in FIG. 10. Thus, wine duct  70  of this embodiment extends from the top wall of the stopper to the bottom wall thereof. Cap  72  includes top wall  74  and plug  76 . Plug  76  is press fit into the upper end of wine duct  70  of stopper  18  and top wall  74  limits the insertion depth of said plug  74  because its diameter exceeds the inner diameter of said wine duct  70 .  
         [0101]    To decant wine from bottle  12 , flexible neck  16  of bladder  14  is connected to the lower end of mounting tube  32 , (or, as in the other embodiments, the upper end of a mounting tube attached to the bladder is inserted into the lower end of longitudinally-extending part  68   b  of the air duct). Air duct stopper main body  18   a  is inserted into bottle neck  12   a , and cap  72  is removed. As the wine is poured, it flows through wine duct  70  into a wine glass. Air flows into the wine chamber (i.e., the inside of the bottle) through wine duct  70  and into bladder  14  through air duct  68 .  
         [0102]    When the pouring has been completed and it is desired to place the wine bottle into its storage mode where the wine remaining in the bottle is not contacted by air, flexible neck  42  of air pump  40  is placed into fluid communication with the radially-extending outer end of mounting tube  32  or directly into radially-extending part  68   a  of air duct  68  if no mounting tube is used. The pump is operated to inflate the bladder until wine reaches a level just below top wall  28  of stopper  18 . The distance from top wall  28  to the wine level is slightly less than the depth or length of plug  76 .  
         [0103]    In the alternative, bladder  14  may be inflated until wine in the bottle is level with top wall  28 . This results in some spillage when cap  72  is installed but ensures that no air pocket is formed between the bottom of plug  76  and said wine. Cap  72  is inserted into wine duct  70  as indicated by directional arrow  78  in FIG. 9. The inflating means is then removed from its fluid communication with the air duct.  
         [0104]    A fifth embodiment of the novel stopper is denoted  80  as a whole in FIG. 11C and its structure is best understood by comparing FIGS.  11 A-C. Valve handle  82  includes a trailing end  84  that is depressed by a user&#39;s thumb to open a normally closed valve when wine is being poured. A spring  86  (FIG. 11A) is positioned in spring housing  88  and maintains handle  82  in its position of repose unless a user depresses the handle to overcome the bias supplied by spring  86 .  
         [0105]    Post  90  is also disposed within spring housing  88  and spring  86  ensleeves the post as indicated by the assembly line in FIG. 11A.  
         [0106]    Spring housing  88  is formed of a flexible, resilient plastic and includes large diameter part  92  and reduced diameter part  94 .  
         [0107]    Cap  96  is internally threaded and screwthreadedly engages external screws  98  (FIG. 11B) formed in the upper rim of dispenser part  100 .  
         [0108]    The valve assembly depicted in FIG. 11A is commercially available from Tomlinson Hall &amp; Co. company of Cleveland, Ohio.  
         [0109]    Spout  102  is in open fluid communication with the radially-extending part  114   a  of wine duct  114 . The longitudinally-extending part of said wine duct is denoted  114   b.    
         [0110]    External threads are formed in reduced diameter part  104  that depends from centrally apertured bottom wall  106  of dispenser  100  and said threads  104  engage internal threads  108  formed in stopper  110 . O-ring  107  seals that connection.  
         [0111]    Stopper main body  110  includes main body  115  and base  112  having a reduced diameter relative to said main body. The external diameter of stopper base  112 , including the diameter of resilient and compressible O-rings  20 , is slightly greater than the internal diameter of wine bottle neck  12   a . The diameter of main body  115  is greater than the diameter of the bottle neck. Thus, bottom wall  117  (FIG. 11F) of said main body abuts rim  12   b  of bottle  12  when this fifth embodiment is in use.  
         [0112]    Wine conduit  114  extends from the top wall to the bottom wall of stopper main body  110 . As best understood in connection with FIG. 11B, said wine conduit  114  also extends into dispenser part  100  where its longitudinally-extending part is denoted  114   b  and its radially-extending part is denoted  114   a.    
         [0113]    Radially-extending part  116   a  of air duct  116  is formed in main body  115  and longitudinally-extending part  116   b  thereof extends from the radially inner end of said radially-extending part  116   a  to bottom wall  113  of base  112 .  
         [0114]    Air duct  116  is not in fluid communication with wine conduit  114  because partition  124  (FIGS.  11 D-F) formed in base  110  separates wine conduit  114  from said air duct.  
         [0115]    A resilient plastic seal  118  having a plurality of parallel ribs, collectively denoted  120 , overlies base  112  in the embodiment of FIG. 1C. Seal  118  and ribs  120  prevent leakage of wine when stopper  80  is in use. Although O-rings  20  are depicted in FIGS. 11B and 11F, it should be understood that plastic seal  118  having ribs  120  which overlies and covers base  112 , or O-rings  20  which are secured to said base  112 , are interchangeable with one another and both are depicted in the illustrations of the fifth embodiment for that reason. Other suitable sealing means are also within the scope of this invention.  
         [0116]    To use this fifth embodiment, base  112  of stopper  110  is inserted into the neck of a wine bottle until bottom wall  113  of base  112  abuts the rim of said bottle neck. Handle  84  is pressed to allow wine to flow through wine duct  114  and through spout  102  into a wine glass (see FIG. 12E). More particularly, the bottle is tilted about thirty degrees (30°) over horizontal (or one hundred twenty degrees (120°) from a vertical position, and handle  84  is not pressed until the bottle is in that ready-to-pour position. Accordingly, when handle  84  is pressed, the valve supplied by Tomlinson Hall &amp; Co. as aforesaid is opened and wine flows out of the bottle into a glass with no air flowing into the wine chamber. Air flows into the bladder from the ambient environment through air duct  116 . thereby expanding the bladder as wine is poured from the wine chamber.  
         [0117]    When the pouring is completed, air is pumped into the bladder by attaching the outlet nozzle of a suitable inflating means to radially-extending part  116   a  of air duct  116  and operating said inflating means until the wine within the wine chamber rises to the top of the bottle, thereby supplanting air therefrom. Handle  84  is held down during the inflation of bladder  14  so that the wine duct valve is open. When all air is out of the bottle, releasing handle  84  returns the valve to its normally closed configuration, thereby maintaining the air-less condition of the wine chamber. As in the other embodiments, the inflating means is then disengaged from its fluid communication with the air duct and the bottle is placed into storage.  
         [0118]    In all embodiments, a vacuum is created in the wine chamber as wine flows out the pour spout. The vacuum draws air in through the air duct and fills the bladder to displace the dispensed wine. After completion of a decanting procedure, with the bottle in an upright configuration, air is forced into the air duct by a suitable inflating means, forcing the bladder to expand inside the bottle thus causing the surface level of the wine in the bottle to rise until all air is supplanted from the wine chamber. Closing the wine duct than locks the vacuum so that the inflating means may be removed from the air duct without affecting the level of wine in said wine chamber.  
         [0119]    [0119]FIGS. 12A F depict how bladder  14  is packaged and disclose how said bladder is inserted into the hollow interior of bottle  12  without being touched by the hand of the installer.  
         [0120]    Bladder  14  is accordion or fan-folded as indicated in FIG. 12A by the straight dotted lines denoted  14   a  so that it is narrow enough, when folded along said lines, to fit within wrapper  130  (FIG. 12B). Bladder  14  is also folded along transverse folding line  14   b . More particularly, bladder  14  is accordion or fan-folded along straight dotted lines  14   a  first, and then folded transversely about folding line  14   b.    
         [0121]    When fan-folded and transversely folded as aforesaid, bottom  14   c  of bladder  14  is spaced only slightly downwardly from the top of said bladder as depicted in FIG. 12B.  
         [0122]    [0122]FIG. 12B depicts wrapper  130  when in its unopened configuration. Lines  129  and  131  are sealing lines where wrapper  130  is sealed. Since top removal is required, upper seal line  129  is perforated.  
         [0123]    [0123]FIG. 12C depicts wrapper  130  when opened at the top along perforation line  129 . Such opening enables insertion of the upper end of mounting tube  32  into the bottom of air duct  116  without the user&#39;s hands touching bladder  14 .  
         [0124]    [0124]FIG. 12C depicts how stopper assembly  80  is inverted and how bladder  14  unfolds about transverse folding line  133  into a “V”-shape under its inherent bias, enhanced by the fan-fold, as said bladder is gradually withdrawn from wrapper  130 .  
         [0125]    As depicted in FIG. 12D, this enables bottom  14   c  of bladder  14  to be fed into the wine chamber as said bladder is withdrawn from wrapper  130 .  
         [0126]    After bladder  14  is fully removed from wrapper  130 , stopper assembly  80  is brought to its FIG. 12E position and bladder  14  is lowered into the wine chamber as indicated by directional arrow  132  until stopper assembly  80  is fully seated atop rim  12   b  of neck  12   a  of bottle  12 , i.e., until annular step  117 , formed where stopper main body  110  meets base  112 , abuts said rim  12   b.    
         [0127]    [0127]FIG. 12F is a perspective view depicting a user holding down the novel handle when pouring wine into wine glass  140 . As mentioned earlier, ambient air flows through air duct  116  into bladder  14  during such pouring, advantageously inflating said bladder as said wine is poured. When the pouring is completed, the user releases handle  84 , thereby closing the valve in the wine duct and stopping further wine flow. The wine bottle is placed upright on a level support surface and the user again depresses handle  84  while pumping air into bladder  14  using any suitable inflating means such as a squeeze pump until the wine level rises to the top of the wine chamber, supplanting all air therefrom. The air escapes through the valve opened by depressing handle  84 . Accordingly, releasing said handle when the wine level has risen to the desired height prevents air from flowing back into the wine chamber. Air duct  116  remains open but the vacuum created by closing the wine duct valve prevents air from flowing in either direction through the air duct.  
         [0128]    It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.  
         [0129]    It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention that, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.  
         [0130]    Now that the invention has been described,