Method and apparatus for removing a cork or plastic stopper from a champagne bottle

Apparatus and method for removing a stopper from a bottle having an internal pressure greater than the ambient pressure surrounding the bottle, e.g. a champagne bottle. At least one generally vertical edge of the apparatus is placed in a generally vertical groove in the periphery of the stopper, in some cases cutting the groove simultaneously as it is moved downward over the stopper. The apparatus is then oscillated or rotated, whereupon the internal pressure in the bottle can overcome the sliding friction between the stopper and the bottle. The apparatus is also adapted to control the stopper, once expelled.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates, generally, to apparatus for removing a bottle 
stopper, and specifically to apparatus for controlling the removal of a 
stopper used in bottling champagne or sparkling wines having internal 
pressures greater than ambient. 
2. Description of the Background 
The difficulty of removing a cork from a champagne bottle, as well as the 
difficulty of controlling the cork once it exits from the bottle, are both 
well known. It has been reported throughout the years, perhaps centuries, 
that emancipated champagne corks have flown through the air with such 
force as to cause an untold number of eye injuries to unsuspecting wine 
stewards. 
The task of removing the cork or stopper, however, has baffled those 
skilled in this art. The prior art is typified by various schemes which 
call for a vertical lifting force to be applied to the cork, for example, 
such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,338 to Charles H. A. Hardy; 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,609 to Marvin F. Polsfuss; U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,277 to 
Clifford G. Raab; U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,360: and U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,735 to 
Allen Chance et al. Again, each of these prior art devices has 
concentrated upon the concept of applying a pulling force to the cork or 
stopper to remove it from the bottle. Pulling a cork in this manner can 
require a great deal of force. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accord with the present invention, it is unnecessary to apply any 
external lifting force to the cork. The invention uses the pressure in a 
champagne bottle. Moreover, the static friction between the sides of the 
cork and the interior neck of the bottle is much greater than the sliding 
friction between those same surfaces. By applying a rotary motion to the 
cork, with no external lifting force, the internal pressure of the bottle 
overcomes the sliding friction between the cork and the bottle surfaces, 
and the cork comes right out. The rotary action needed to establish 
sliding friction is quite easy to apply, compared to a pulling action. In 
addition, the inventor has discovered that he can make use of the fact 
that champagne bottles have wire grooves or indentations in the top of the 
stopper. 
The invention therefore comprises an apparatus and method which uses one or 
more edges to engage the grooves in the top of a stopper, and that by then 
rotating the apparatus with respect to the bottle, the internal pressure 
of the bottle will overcome the sliding friction of the rotating stopper 
and the stopper is thus extracted. 
The apparatus and method according to the invention also use the edges 
and/or the center of the apparatus to control the stopper once extracted. 
When using the method and apparatus of the present invention with a cork 
stopper, the edges of the apparatus, if sufficiently sharp knife edges, 
can make their own indentations or grooves prior to imparting the rotary 
motion to the cork. 
Further features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be 
better understood from the following detailed description when taken in 
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated an apparatus 10, 
preferably formed as a single piece, metal body. Although shown as a 
single body, the apparatus 10 can be considered as a pair of inverted 
U-shaped members 12 and 14 secured at their midpoint 16, so that their 
four legs 18, 20, 22 and 24 are disposed at 90.degree. from each adjacent 
leg. Each of the legs 18, 20, 22 and 24 has a knife edge 19 (not 
illustrated), 21, 23 and 25 (not illustrated), respectively, with each of 
the knife edges angled generally upwardly and inwardly toward the axis A 
through center point 16. 
As used herein, words such as "upwardly" and "downwardly" will refer to the 
position of the apparatus in ordinary use upon an upright bottle, and as 
shown in the drawings, and should not be construed in a limiting sense. 
When an edge, surface or other member is said herein to be "generally 
vertical," as are the edges 19, 21, 23 and 25, this will mean that, if 
broken down into horizontal and vertical vector components of direction, 
there is a substantial vertical component. 
The knife edge 21 in FIG. 2 is angled upwardly and inwardly through the 
angle .theta. toward the intended rotational axis A of the apparatus 10, 
coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the cork or plastic stopper and 
also with the longitudinal axis of the bottle. Although the angle .theta. 
in the preferred embodiment may vary a few degrees, the preferred angle 
.theta. is approximately 15 to 20 degrees. It has been found that an angle 
.theta. of approximately 15 to 20 degrees will allow the apparatus to 
firmly and properly engage a wide variety of champagne stoppers, indeed 
virtually all types of champagne stoppers currently known to the present 
inventor. If the edges are sharp knife edges capable of cutting their own 
grooves, relatively wide angles can be employed. If the edges are longer 
axially, much smaller angles can be used. 
FIGS. 7, 9 and 10 illustrate a cork stopper 80, first in place in a 
champagne bottle 82 as secured by a wire 84. While in place, the cork 
stopper typically has a metal foil cap 86 which acts to prevent the wire 
84 from cutting too deeply into the cork. As can best be seen in FIGS. 9 
and 10, after the wire 84 is removed, there are four orthogonally spaced, 
generally vertical grooves 90, 92, 94 and 96 in the upper peripheral 
surface of the cork stopper 80 caused by the wire 84. 
In the operation of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, the wire 84 is 
first cut and removed from the top of stopper 80 in the conventional way. 
The apparatus 10 is then placed downwardly over the top of the stopper 80, 
such that the knife edges 19, 21, 23 and 25 enter the grooves 90, 92, 94 
and 96 in the stopper 80 with a sort of sliding action. Alternatively, the 
knife edges can cut their own grooves in the top side of the cork stopper, 
or they can cut deeper into the existing grooves. The apparatus 10 is then 
rotated, or can be oscillated back and forth a few degrees about the 
longitudinal axis of the bottle 82 and stopper 80, thus allowing the 
internal pressure of the bottle 84 to overcome the sliding friction 
between the stopper and the bottle, thus causing the stopper to be 
expelled. It should be appreciated that the converging knife edges 19, 21, 
23 and 25 and the center 16 of the apparatus 10 will safely control the 
exit of the stopper 80. 
It should also be appreciated that when the apparatus 10 is used to extract 
a plastic stopper 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 11, the knife edges 
19, 21, 23 and 25 can be easily inserted into the generally vertical 
serrations 102 in the plastic stopper. After the knife edges are in the 
serrations 102, the operation of the apparatus 10 is identical to that 
described above with respect to the removal of a cork stopper. 
FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. The 
apparatus 40 comprises a handle 42 attached to leg 48 of an inverted 
U-shaped member 44 having a generally vertical knife edge 46 on the leg 48 
of the inverted U-shaped member 44, and a generally vertical knife edge 47 
on the other leg 52. On the leg 52, at the free, i.e. the end distal the 
base of the U-shape, there is also a laterally inwardly extending 
hook-like projection 50. The knife edge 47 is angled upwardly and inwardly 
through the angle .theta. toward the intended rotational axis A', 
coincident with the centerline of the U-shape. As with the embodiment 
illustrated in FIG. 2, the preferred angle .theta. is approximately 15 
degrees, but may vary. The knife edge 46 is angled upwardly and inwardly 
through the angle .phi. towards the axis A'. The preferred angle .phi. is 
approximately 30 degrees, but may also vary. The reason angle .phi. is 
greater than angle .theta. is to allow the knife edge 46 to roll over the 
top of the stopper after first placing the hook 50 under the lower lip 98 
of the stopper. As in the case of the apparatus 10 of FIG. 1, the 
apparatus 40 is preferably made as a single unit, metal body. 
In the operation of the apparatus 40, handle 42 is angled upward and 
hook-like projection 50 is placed under the lip 98 of the stopper 80 
illustrated in FIG. 10. As the handle 42 is moved downward to a lateral 
position, with hook 50 providing a pivot point, the knife edge 46 then 
rolls over the top of the stopper and enters one of the grooves 90, 92, 94 
or 96, or can make its own groove if a cork stopper is to be removed. 
Meanwhile, edge 47 enters an opposite groove or makes one of its own. The 
handle 42 is then rotated, or oscillated back and forth to expel the cork 
stopper. When used with the plastic stopper 100 of FIG. 11, the hook 50 is 
first placed under the lower lip 106 and then the knife edge 46 rolls over 
the top of the stopper and is placed in one of the serrations 102, 
followed by the rotation or oscillation of the apparatus 40. It should be 
appreciated that the angled knife edges 46 and 47 and the shape of 
U-shaped member 44 will safely control the expulsion of the stopper, 
whether plastic or cork. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention. The 
apparatus 60 comprises a molded plastic body having integral handles 62 
and 64 extending laterally outwardly from the body of apparatus 60. A 
central throughbore 66 is sized to allow the entrance of stoppers 80 or 
100. The annular upper flange 68 surrounding throughbore 66 has an 
internal diameter smaller than the diameter of the stopper, thus providing 
a control of the stopper once it is expelled from the bottle. On opposite 
sides of the throughbore 66, a pair of knife-edge rollers 72 and 74 are 
rotatably mounted so that their edges project into the throughbore and lie 
generally vertical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the 
throughbore, and hence the longitudinal axis of the bottle. 
In the operation of the apparatus 60, as the device is lowered over the 
stopper in the champagne bottle, the edges of the rollers 72 and 74 engage 
a pair of the grooves or serrations in the cork or plastic stopper. The 
rollers 72 and 74 are preferably made of metal and can be designed, 
depending upon the degree of sharpness, to merely roll into the grooves or 
to cut their own grooves, or to dig deeper into the existing grooves, in 
the case of a cork stopper. Once the rollers 72 and 74 are in a pair of 
grooves or serrations, the operation is identical to that described above 
with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3. 
Thus, there has been described herein three embodiments of the present 
invention which can be used to safely remove a champagne stopper without 
using any external pulling force. Although the specification refers 
generally to the removal of a stopper from a champagne bottle, the 
invention can be used in removing a stopper from any bottle having a 
sufficient internal pressure to overcome the sliding friction between the 
stopper and the interior neck of the bottle. Moreover, because of the 
angled nature of the knife edges used in the various embodiments, the 
invention works equally well with almost any size of stopper used in this 
industry. 
Obvious variations of the preferred embodiment will become apparent from a 
reading of the foregoing specification. Although "knife edges" are used in 
the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will immediately 
recognize that the degree of sharpness can vary considerably, from razor 
sharp to well rounded, depending upon the extent to which a cutting action 
is desired. Thus, the invention contemplates the use of means to enter and 
utilize the preformed grooves or serrations to rotate the stopper, without 
regard for the sharpness of the edges or members being used. Moreover, 
although the second preferred embodiment contemplates the use of a hook, 
those skilled in the art will recognize that other types of abutments can 
be used on one side of the stopper opposed from a single knife edge to 
enable rotation of the stopper. 
The first embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 has been described as a pair of 
inverted U-shaped plate-like members orthogonally joined together. An 
acceptable device can be made utilizing a single such inverted U-shaped 
member. Still other modifications will suggest themselves to those of 
skill in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the 
invention be limited only by the following claims.