Powered bottle opening device with integrated wrapper cutter

The present disclosure provides a bottle opening device comprising first and second receptacles to receive at least a portion of a neck of a bottle, with the first receptacle including a wrapper cutting apparatus having at least one cutting element configured to cut a sever in a wrapper on the neck of the bottle, wherein the cutting element is movable towards and away from the wrapper on the neck of the bottle, and the second receptacle including a stopper extractor apparatus configured to remove a stopper from the bottle.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to bottle opening devices, and more particularly to a bottle opening device with an integrated wrapper cutter.

BACKGROUND

The opening of a bottle may be closed with a bottle closure to preserve the contents therein. For example, the opening of a wine bottle may be closed with a resilient wine stopper, such as a cork, to preserve the wine therein. Wine and other bottle stoppers may be made of cork from the lightweight elastic outer bark of the cork oak, as well as other materials, such as plastic or rubber, that suitably form a seal with the bottle opening when used as a stopper.

The wine stopper may be positioned and compressed within the opening at the neck of the wine bottle to form a leak proof seal with the walls of the bottle. The wine stopper may not only prevent the wine from escaping from the bottle, but may also protect the wine from the surrounding conditions. For example, the favorable characteristics of wine may be negatively impacted by exposure to the elements of the surrounding environment, such as air. As such, it is advantageous to maintain the seal created between the bottle and the stopper.

The seal created between the bottle and stopper at the bottle opening may also be affected by the surrounding conditions. In particular, cork may be susceptible to drying, which may reduce the resiliency thereof, and cause the seal to fail. To better protect the cork from exposure to surrounding conditions, the neck of the wine bottle, with the cork positioned therein, may be covered with a wrapper. The material for the wrapper may be a metal foil or other material that is durable and helps keep the cork from drying or other damage. The wrapper may also protect the top of the bottle from damage, such as chipping. In addition to its protective function, the wrapper can also be used to add aesthetic appeal to the bottle.

When a bottle stopper, such as a cork, may be used in combination with a protective wrapper, opening the bottle may necessarily be performed in two steps. For example, the wrapper may first be removed, and thereafter the bottle stopper may be extracted from the bottle. A knife or a tool employing a blade may be used to cut the wrapper on the neck of the bottle. Then, a second tool, usually equipped with a spiral-shaped screw, which may be referred to as a corkscrew, may be used to manually capture the bottle stopper and manually pull the bottle stopper from the bottle opening. This technique of opening a bottle, such as a wine bottle, has the disadvantage of requiring two separate tools, such as a knife and a corkscrew.

Furthermore, the tools that may be employed to remove the wrapper and stopper as set forth above may be difficult to use. For example, in order to better function, the wrapper around the neck of the bottle may be relatively thick, and thus, the wrapper may be difficult to cut with a blade such as provided by a knife. In addition, a corkscrew may be difficult to manipulate. The user may have to manually rotate the corkscrew into the cork, involving the difficult task of applying enough force to cause penetration while keeping the corkscrew properly aligned with the center of the cork. Assuming the corkscrew is properly aligned and securely positioned in the cork, the user may then exert additional force to extract the cork, which may require the awkward task of positioning the bottle to gain proper leverage. If the corkscrew is not properly aligned or securely positioned in the cork, or the bottle may not be positioned to gain proper leverage to extract the cork, the result of these efforts may be a failure to successfully extract the cork.

While devices may have been developed to improve either the removal of the wrapper from the neck of the bottle or the extraction of the cork, such improvements still appear to suffer from significant disadvantages. In particular, like the bottle opening technique described above, these improvements may still require the user to utilize multiple devices with a varying range of motions to open a bottle.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, a need exists for a more user-friendly device which integrates functionality for removing the wrapper surrounding the neck of a bottle and for extracting a bottle stopper from the bottle, which may reduce the amount of manual effort and motion required of the user to perform and achieve such tasks. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a bottle opening device that removes the wrapper and automatically extracts the bottle stopper from the bottle by integrating a wrapper cutter with a simple-to-use bottle stopper extractor to overcome the aforementioned difficulties of the art.

In an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides a bottle opening device comprising first and second receptacles configured to receive a neck of a bottle. The first receptacle may have a first receptacle longitudinal axis and include a wrapper cutting apparatus having at least one cutting element configured to form a sever in a wrapper on the neck of the bottle. The cutting element may be movable towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when a movable member moves in a first direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards a retracted position in the first receptacle, and the cutting element may be movable away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member moves in a second direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards an extended position in the first receptacle, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

The bottle opening device may include a spring arranged to provide a bias force against the movable member in the first receptacle being moved towards the retracted position. The spring may be located in the first receptacle between the movable member that engages a top end of the bottle and a stationary member that receives and operably cooperates with the movable member.

The cutting element may be configured to form a sever in a shape of a ring when the bottle is received in the first receptacle and rotated about the first receptacle longitudinal axis in either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise direction. The cutting element may be at least partially concealed in the first receptacle when the movable member is not in the retracted position. The cutting element may be at least partially concealed in the first receptacle by a cover.

The cutting element may be positionable so as to contact the wrapper when the movable member is moved in the first direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards the retracted position in the first receptacle and positionable so as not to contact the wrapper when the movable member is moved in the second direction (opposite the first direction) along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards the extended position in the first receptacle.

The cutting element may be carried by the movable member, and more particularly located on a cutter support of the movable member. The cutter support may be configured to move the cutting element. The cutter support may be movable towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member is moved in the first direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards the retracted position in the first receptacle and movable away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member is moved in the second direction (opposite the first direction) along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards an extended position in the first receptacle. The cutter support may be movable towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member is moved in the first direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards the retracted position in the first receptacle by contact with an abutting structure, wherein for one exemplary embodiment a wedge shaped section of the cutter support comes in contact with the abutting structure in a surrounding wall of the stationary member.

A second receptacle may have a second receptacle longitudinal axis and include a stopper extractor apparatus configured to extract a stopper from the bottle by capturing the stopper on an auger when the auger rotates in a first direction. The stopper extractor apparatus further configured to remove the stopper from the auger and a stopper holder when the auger rotates in a second direction, opposite of the first direction. The bottle opening device may further comprise a power source to provide power to the auger so that the auger may rotate is both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1illustrates the details of a bottle10, such as a wine bottle, which may be opened with a bottle opening device100of the present disclosure. The bottle10has an opening20which may be closed by a bottle closure30comprising a stopper40, such as a cork and a wrapper50. The opening20is positioned at a top end22of the bottle10. The bottle10may include an elongated, cylindrical neck16that extends upwardly from a main body12of the bottle10. The stopper40may have a cylindrical or frustoconical shape that is positioned within and forms a seal with the cylindrical walls18of the neck16of the bottle10. The stopper40may prevent the contents of the bottle10from escaping through the opening20and/or from being exposed to the conditions of the environment outside the bottle10. In addition, the opening20that is closed by the stopper40may be further covered with the wrapper50overlying the neck16of the bottle10. The wrapper50may be made from a suitable material such as foil, paper, or plastic and may help protect the stopper40and the seal it forms with the bottle10. As discussed herein, the stopper40may be inserted and extracted from the opening20of the bottle10.

Illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,FIG. 2shows an electrically powered, and more particularly a rechargeable, bottle opening device100which can be used to remove a bottle closure30from a bottle, such as the wrapper50and stopper40from the bottle10ofFIG. 1. It should be understood that, although the embodiments described herein may be described with respect to opening a bottle, the present disclosure may be used to open other types of containers.

As shown, the bottle opening device100may comprise first and second receptacles200and300, respectively, which may each be configured to receive the bottle10, and more particularly at least portions of the neck16thereof. As discussed in greater detail below, the first receptacle200may include a wrapper cutting apparatus, and the second receptacle300may include a stopper extractor apparatus.

As shown inFIGS. 2-4, the bottle opening device100may have an elongated, arcuate main housing body102comprising a bottom portion104and a top portion108that may be narrower than the bottom portion104. Bottom portion104, which may terminate in a planar bottom surface106, may be wider than the top portion108to help inhibit the device100from being easily tipped onto its side. The top portion108may be rounded or configured to fit comfortably within the palm of most users' hands.

Referring now toFIG. 5, the outer housing of bottle opening device100has been removed to expose the internal components thereof. As shown inFIG. 5, a wrapper cutting apparatus206may be located within the first receptacle200shown inFIG. 2. The wrapper cutting apparatus206may be particularly configured to sever the wrapper50on the neck16of the bottle10(shown inFIG. 1) in a ring. In the preferred embodiment, the cutting apparatus206may be configured to form a sever48(shown inFIG. 1) in the wrapper50in a shape of a 360 degree ring.

As shown inFIG. 6, the wrapper cutting apparatus206may include at least one cutting element214that may be circular or otherwise suitably shaped. The at least one cutting element214may be configured to be movable radially towards a first receptacle longitudinal axis212when a movable member216is moved axially towards a retracted position220in the first receptacle200and to be movable radially away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis212when the movable member216is moved axially towards an extended position222in the first receptacle200. The movable member216may be made by plastic injection molding or may be made of any suitable polymer, such as, for example polyoxymethylene, polyacetal, polyformaldehyde, polycarbonate, polypropylene, or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.

As shown, a plurality of cutting elements214may be spaced around the first receptacle longitudinal axis212, wherein in the preferred embodiment, the plurality of cutting elements214are equally spaced around the periphery of the movable member216. The at least one cutting element214may be operable so as to radially contract into contact with the wrapper50on the neck16of the bottle10when the movable member216moves towards or is in the retracted position220in the first receptacle200by applying sufficient force such as pressing the top end22of the bottle10against the movable member216in the first receptacle200. At this time, the at least one cutting element214may be configured to form sever48in a shape of a ring when the bottle10is received into the first receptacle200and rotated about the first receptacle longitudinal axis212in either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise direction. The at least one cutting element214may also be operable so as to radially expand out of contact with the wrapper50when the movable member216moves towards or is in the extended position222. In the foregoing manner, bottles with different neck sizes may be accommodated for use with the wrapper cutting apparatus206.

Turning briefly toFIG. 9, an outer cover250may at least partially conceal the at least one cutting element214in the first receptacle200when the movable member216of the first receptacle200is in the extended position222(shown inFIG. 6). The outer cover250may be removable with screws, plastic snap tabs, or other suitable fasteners; whereby, the movable member216or cutting elements214may be removed from the bottle opening device100to service cutting elements214which may become dull after repeated use thereof.

Returning toFIG. 6, the movable member216may include a bottle engagement section226, which may be arranged substantially perpendicular to the first receptacle longitudinal axis212and configured to engage the top end22of the bottle10. As shown in the preferred embodiment, the bottle engagement section226is circular but may be alternatively shaped. The at least one cutting element214may be supported on a cutter support230located on the movable member216; whereby, the cutter support230may be substantially parallel to the first receptacle longitudinal axis212and perpendicular to the bottle engagement section226. Cutter support230may be connected to the bottle engagement section226by a hinge232, wherein in one preferred embodiment, the hinge is an integral hinge (shown inFIG. 6) and another preferred embodiment is a barrel hinge (shown inFIG. 8).

The movable member216may be arranged coaxially within a stationary member236and configured to slide within the stationary member236. In its extended position222, the movable member216is extended towards a first opening202(shown inFIG. 9) of the first receptacle200by a decompression force of a cutter spring240arranged to provide a bias (compression) force opposing the movable member216being moved towards the retracted position220. In the present embodiment, the cutter spring240is a compression spring but may also be a cantilever or other suitable type of spring. The cutter spring240may be located between a rear side242of the movable member216and a front side244of the stationary member236. The front side244of the stationary member236may include a containment channel246in which to locate and seat the cutter spring240.

The movable member216may travel towards the first opening202of the first receptacle200until a front edge283of the movable member216makes contact and engages with at least one snap tab252on the stationary member236, which is preferably cantilevered. The movable member216may be removed from the confines of the stationary member236by deforming the at least one cantilevered snap tab252of the stationary member236radially away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis212. A cutting element214may be replaced with a new cutting element214as part of a new movable member216. Alternatively, after removal of the outer cover250(shown inFIG. 9), a cutting element214may be replaced, by being removed from movable member216by the removal of fastener260, preferably a threaded fastener (e.g. screw) or plastic snap tab, then being replaced with a new cutting element214followed by the replacement of the outer cover250.

When the bottle10is placed into the first receptacle200with a force sufficient such to overcome the compression force of the cutter spring240, the movable member216will begin to retract into the first receptacle200. At the same time as the axial displacement is occurring, the at least one cutter support230is configured to move with radial displacement towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis212. More particularly, while the movable member216moves towards the retracted position220in the first receptacle200, the at least one cutter support230may simultaneously move towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis212due to contact between the at least one cutter support230and an abutting structure.

Even more particularly, the cutter support230may pivot with elastic strain, particularly along hinge232, which in the present embodiment is an integral hinge, so that the cutter element214may simultaneously move towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis212due to contact of a wedge shaped section266of the cutter support230with an abutting structure provided by a surrounding wall270of the stationary member236. In the foregoing manner, as the wedge shaped section266extends into greater overlap with the surrounding wall270, the cutter support230may pivot towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis212until the cutting member214carried thereby makes contact with the wrapper50of bottle10.

As shown inFIG. 6, the wedge shaped section266may extend up a side and along a length of the cutter support230, with the wedge shaped section increasing in size as it approaches the top of the cutter support230and farthest away from the bottle engagement section226. Thus, cutter supports230are configured to move the cutting elements214, which may be supported at the top of the cutter supports230and attached thereto by fasteners260.

Alternatively, when the bottle10is being or is removed from the first receptacle200, the decompression force of the cutter spring240forces the movable member216towards its extended position222, and cutter supports230may pivot and simultaneously move away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis212, particularly along the hinge232in response to a release of the elastic strain previously induced in hinge232.

The movable member216and the stationary member236may further include longitudinally orientated mating portions to inhibit the movable member216and the stationary member236from rotating relative to one another around the first receptacle longitudinal axis212. More particularly, the movable member may include a semi-circular key280which is configured to mate with a semicircular keyway recess282in the stationary member236.

In an alternative embodiment, the stationary member236may be provided as an integral part of housing body102, such as being molded therewith as a single piece (unitary/monolithic) plastic molding, which may reduce the number of components of bottle opening device100. In such instance, it should be understood that all the features of the separate stationary member236may be integrated into housing body102. Also, in another embodiment, the travel of the movable member216towards the first opening may be limited by outer cover250, thus eliminating a need for the snap tabs252of the stationary member236.

In another alternative embodiment, as shown inFIGS. 7 and 8, a cutter support230and hinge232may be separate distinct pieces from the bottle engagement section226of the movable member216. The cutter support230may operate similar as in the prior embodiment, however, rather than utilizing a hinge232with elastic strain and recovery to facilitate movement of the cutter support230, a hinge232with a pivot pin234may be used. As shown inFIGS. 7 and 8, the hinge232, which in the present embodiment is a barrel hinge, comprises a pivot pin234, which extends through a barrel235formed in the cutter support230and is connected at each end thereof to the movable member216.

Similar to the prior embodiment, simultaneous with a cutter spring240being compressed as a movable member216is moved towards a retracted position220, a plurality of cutter supports230may move towards a first receptacle longitudinal axis212in a first receptacle200through contact between a plurality of wedge shaped sections266on the cutter supports230and abutting structures provided by a surrounding wall270of a stationary member236.

Thereafter, when the bottle10is being or is removed from the first receptacle200, the decompression force of the cutter spring240forces the movable member216towards its extended position222, and the cutter supports230may simultaneously move away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis212by force of the cutter spring240.

After the wrapper50on the bottle10has been severed, at least the top of the wrapper50may be removed to expose the stopper40. The bottle10may now be transferred to the second receptacle300to extract the stopper40. As shown inFIG. 2, the second receptacle300may be accessed through a planar bottom surface106of the bottle opening device100.

Referring now toFIGS. 5,9, and10, the stopper extractor apparatus310may be located within the second receptacle300and configured to extract the stopper40from the bottle10by capturing the stopper40on an auger314when the auger314is rotated in a first direction.

As shown inFIG. 5, the stopper extractor apparatus310may include a power delivery assembly318to rotate the auger314in a first direction to extract the stopper40from the opening20of the bottle10and in a second direction to remove the stopper40from the auger314. The power delivery apparatus318may comprise a power source321, an electric motor323, a gear box324, and a switch326to activate and rotate the auger314in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. Wiring may electrically couple the electric motor323to the power source321and to the switch326for user control of the electric motor323.

The electric motor323may be any type of motor capable of imparting rotation to the auger314with sufficient torque to remove the stopper40from the bottle10. More particularly, in one embodiment, the electric motor323may be a 3.7 volt reversible DC motor designed for relatively high torque operation while drawing a current below maximum amounts of current deliverable from the power source321.

In one embodiment, the power source321may comprise a set of 3.6 volt DC alkaline, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries having a battery size designation of 3×AA. However, any power source delivering electric power at the appropriate voltage and current levels may be used. Preferably, the power source321is of a rechargeable type.

The gear box324may include a gear reduction system coupled to the auger314. This gear reduction system may decrease speed and increase torque delivered by the electric motor323. The gears in the gear reduction system may be of a planetary type to reduce the amount of space devoted to gear reduction.

In one embodiment, the switch326may comprise a rocker switch configured such that when depressed on one end thereof the auger314rotates in the first direction to remove the stopper40from the bottle10, and when depressed on the opposite end thereof the auger314rotates in the second direction, being opposite the first direction, to remove the stopper40from a stopper holder332in the stopper extractor apparatus310. When the switch326is not depressed on either end, the switch326will default to a center or off position.

As best shown inFIGS. 5 and 10, the stopper holder332of the stopper extractor apparatus310may be located within the second receptacle300of the bottle opening device100and may be slidable within the bottom portion104of the bottle opening device100(shown inFIG. 2). The stopper holder332may include a receiving channel334configured to receive the stopper40therein, as well as a plurality of ribs336oriented towards a second receptacle longitudinal axis306in the second receptacle300and extending along a length of the receiving channel334. The ribs336may be configured to frictionally engage with the stopper40. An opener spring340may be located between an end of a power delivery apparatus318and the stopper holder332to provide a decompression force which forces the stopper holder332towards an extended position322in proximity to the planar bottom surface106of the bottle opening device100(shown inFIG. 2), as well as to provide a bias force against the stopper holder332being moved towards a retracted position320along the second receptacle longitudinal axis306. The opener spring340may be a compression, cantilever, or other suitable type of spring. The stopper holder332may travel towards the second opening302for the second receptacle300until a shoulder335of the stopper holder332makes contact with a shoulder303of the second receptacle300(shown inFIG. 9).

The stopper extractor apparatus310may be operated by a single hand of the user by first placing the top end22of the bottle10into contact with the shoulder335of the stopper holder332, and thereafter into the second receptacle300by a force sufficient to overcome the compression force of the opener spring340. As a result of the applied force, the stopper holder332will begin to retract axially from the extended position322towards the retracted position320along the second receptacle longitudinal axis306and into the second receptacle300until a distal end portion of the auger314makes contact with the stopper40. Next, upon activating the auger314, the neck16of the bottle10may be drawn further into the second receptacle300due to increasing engagement of the auger314with the stopper40, during which time the stopper holder332will continue to axially retract from the extended position322towards the retracted position320along the second receptacle longitudinal axis306.

Thereafter, when the stopper holder332reaches retracted position320, the stopper40may then be drawn from the bottle10and into the receiving channel334of the stopper holder332with continued activation of the auger314, during which time the stopper40is moved along the second receptacle longitudinal axis306into retracted position320. The stopper40may then be removed from the stopper holder332by reversing the operation of the electric motor323, via switch326, so that the auger314rotates in a second direction, opposite to the first direction.

It should be understood that the stopper holder332need not be fully retracted to retracted position320before the stopper40may be drawn from the bottle10. For example, if a bottle has a relatively short neck16, the main body12of the bottle10may make contact with the portion of the shoulder303defining the opening302of the second receptacle300before the stopper holder332reaches retracted position320. However, regardless, the interference between the bottle10and the portion of the shoulder303defining the opening302of the second receptacle300may now hold the bottle10against any further movement towards retracted position320, thus enabling the auger314to now remove the stopper40.

The exterior of stopper holder332and the second receptacle300may include a plurality of interlocking members342and344, respectively, (shown inFIG. 9) which extend longitudinally parallel to the second receptacle longitudinal axis306and at least a portion of the length of the second receptacle300. The interlocking members342and344inhibit the stopper holder332from rotating about the second receptacle longitudinal axis306particularly when the stopper extractor apparatus310is in the process of removing the stopper40from the bottle10. When the stopper40is removed from the bottle10and the stopper holder332has been moved towards or is in the retracted position320, the interlocking members may disengage allowing the stopper holder332to rotate with further rotation of the auger314. As the bottle10is removed from the second receptacle300, the opener spring340may decompress, allowing the interlocking members342and344to reengage with each other to inhibit rotation of the stopper holder332during removal of the stopper40from the stopper holder332and the auger314.

As best shown inFIGS. 2,9and11, in order to be recharged, the bottle opening device100may have at least two opener electrical contacts331in a planar bottom surface106of the bottle opener device100to be used in conjunction with a recharging base328configured with a receiving section325to capture a bottom portion104of the bottle opening device100. The receiving section325of the recharging base328may include at least two base electrical contacts327to charge the power source321in the bottle opening device100by mating with the opener electrical contacts331and an electrical connector329configured to connect with a mating connector and wiring (not shown) which connects the recharging base328to 110 volt AC residential voltage. The recharging base328, the wiring, or an adapter connected to the wiring may include a transformer to transform the AC to DC current.