Corkscrew

Abstract: In a pocket corkscrew, handle 1 is pivotally operating around two fulcra (4,6), around the first one (4) during a first run of the cork (14) and around the second one (6) during the second and definitive run of the same cork. Increase of arm 2-4 into arm 2-6 allows cork to run a further path d2, avoiding a second screwing of extracting means 3.

Description: The present invention relates to a pocket corkscrew, comprising a main body, on said main body cork extraction means and propping means against a bottle neck being pivotable, said extraction means being pivotable in a middle position with respect to axial development of said main body and being adapted to be screwed inside said cork, whereas said extraction means are pivotable substantially in correspondence of an end of said main body. It is longtime that pocket corkscrews replaced professional use of traditional corkscrews, which are cumbersome, as well as not handy and not functional especially when they are used by professional operators in restaurants, hotels, communities, etc. This is the reason why a new corkscrew was conceived at the level of a pocket knife, which is provided with blades and with various tools, and which is, therefore, light and handy, as well as available to be inserted in a small pocket, after pivoting the various tools in their rest position. Also if cost reduction doesn't represent the main reason why it was conceived, neverthless the fact is not secondary that a pocket corkscrew is much cheaper than a traditional one. A cork extracting element and propping element of a pocket corkscrew, whenever they are in rest position, are pivoted in such a way that they are as a whole with the main body, like the blades of a pocket knife. When a bottle should be uncorked, propping element is pivoted externally, whereas extracting element is operated in such a way that it can take up a substantially vertical position with regard to main body. So, it is possible to screw it along cork axis. At this point, propping element is pivoted, in order that its external end can lean on the edge of bottle neck. Main body, as a second class lever, is turned around its fulcrum, which is situated on an end with resistance substantially close to point where strength is applied. The handle, as soon as corkscrew is activated, is pivoted around propping element fulcrum, which operates as rotation fulcrum, whereby extraction element is lifted and cork is extracted from bottle neck. The main drawback of devices conceived according to such a way, lies in that it is usually not possible to extract, with such a corkscrew, a cork from bottle neck and it is not possible to avoid, after a first extraction run of cork, a further and final screwing of extraction element and, finally, a consequent leaning operation of propping element on bottle neck in order to complete cork extraction. This operation is referred to a middle and middle-long sizes of corks (up to 5 cm.), which can be definitively extracted also according a different way: after first extraction operation is made, bottle is locked with one hand, whereas the other hand extracts cork, trying to move main body of corkscrew from bottle. Some solutions were conceived, which allow a cork extraction from bottle neck, avoiding second cork screwing operation of extraction element. In a first known device, relating to EP-A O41 O26, propping element is indeed made of two elements the shorter one being leant on bottle neck during first run of extraction element, whereas second element replaces, afterwards, the shorter one in order to complete cork extraction run. DE-C 571 272 which is the basis of the preamble of claim 1 relates to a pocket corkscrew having means for extracting a cork in only one stroke. This object is achieved by a varibale pivoting connection between the handle and the propping element in the form of a thoothed rack meshing with the thoothed crown end of the handle. Said toothed crown end rotates around one pin only of a bearing shoe sliding in a groove of the propping element. A U shaped bracket is fixed to said pin and embraces the propping element. A further device is oject of EP-A 143 475 corresponding to US-A 4,584,911. Said patent describes a slot, which is provided with two notches with which a pin is adapted to cooperate, said pin being adapted to represent fulcrum of propping element. Said pin can be manually adjusted into said slot, in order to increase arm length between said pin and the pin of extraction element during second run of cork extraction. As previously described, a manual adjustment operation is necessary, which makes operator lose time. In addition, after extracting cork, said pin is to be replaced in the starting position. A variant provides a slot into which pivot of main body runs from a first position to a second position of a pin, thanks to action of propping element against a cam which belongs to the end of main body. Advantage of such a solution consists mainly in the fact that arm length is gradually and automatically increased during passage from first and second cork extraction run. Beside production cost of pieces a fulcrum is to be returned back before arranging various tools (extraction element and propping element) in their rest positions, otherwise propping element is not allowed to be positioned on edge of bottle neck for operating first cork extraction run. Therefore, said device requires both high production costs and a reloading operation before a further use. An other device was suggested in an Italian patent application No.83416-A/9O, where, instead of slot and cam of above mentioned device, a pin around which propping element turns, is pivotally and eccentricly mounted on a second pin which is, in its turn, adapted to pivot in a seat obtained at one end of main body. Propping element is adapted to acquire an initial position (so that it can cover the first cork extraction run). In correspondence of said position, pin around which propping element is pivotally mounted, shapes a certain arm with pin of extraction element, whereas the pin around which propping element is pivotally mounted, acquires a position, which causes said arm substantially increased. Said device can represent a functional simplification of the previous one, but, indeed, it gives rise to a complication, in the sense that: a) if an activation of corkscrew is required, it is necessary to open both extraction element and propping element, and a position of fulcrum belonging to propping element is reached, which is intermediate between first and second position previously described; b) after a first cork extraction run is completed, it is often necessary to manually make sure that propping element is so positioned that second extraction run can be completed. In conclusion, none of described solutions satisfies the aim to automatically achieve a positioning between two fulcra of extraction element and propping element, which represents the ideal solution for both production cost and simple handing, whenever first and second cork extraction run are made, avoiding two successive screwings of extracting element and control of optimate poisitioning of propping element, on the occasion of first extraction operation and/or of second and definitive cork extraction operation. The corkscrew according to the invention intends to overcome the already described drawbacks by automatic and instantaneous variation means from an first arm to a second arm, said arms being adapted to represent distance between a pin of said extraction element and a fulcrum of said main body. These and other characteristics will be apparent from following description and alleged drawings, where: Fig.1 represents a perspective view of a corskscrew according to the invention; Fig.2 represents a front view of the same corkscrew in a initial operating positioning; Fig.3 represents a front view of corkscrew in an intermediate initial operation position; Fig.4 represents a front view of corkscrew in a final operation position; Figs.5,6,7 represent a functional scheme of corkscrew respectively in operation positions of Figures.2,3,4; Figs.8,9 represent two functional schemes of corkscrew according to the invention. The Corkscrew according to the invention comprises a handle 1, which represents the main body of said corkscrew (Fig.1). Said handle represents, as it will explained later, a second class lever. It is made of shorn and folded metal sheet, so that it can make up, internally to two parallel faces, a room, into which a screw element 3 is applied. Said element 3 is pivotally mounted in a pin 2, and represents extraction means of corkscrew according to the invention. In correspondence of one end of handle 1 a propping element 7 is pivotally mounted, by means of two pins 4,6, which is made of a metal shorn and folded metal sheet, too. Said element 7 is so thick, as to be arranged inside said room, which is defined by two faces of handle 1. Pins 4,6 are, indeed, as it will be described forwards, two fulcra, around which handle 1 is adapted to turn during operation phase. Said pins 4,6 are mounted on two faces of element 7, both the front face, which can be seen in the drawings, and the rear one, which is not represented in the drawings, in such a way that they can slide, as it will be seen forwards, in the front and in the rear face, respectively within two elements 8,9 of a slot 10. Said elements 8,9 (Fig.2) are really one slot 1O, which are joined by a common element 11. The outline of each one of said elements 8,9 represents a circular sector, whose center is, respectively, formed by pin 6 and pin 4. The pins 4,6, together with said three elements 8,9,11 represent, as it will be apparent forwards, automatic and instantaneous variation means of arm c1 between pin 2 and fulcrum 4. Said arm c1 becomes arm c2 between pin 2 and fulcrum 6 (Figs.5,6,7) during corkscrew operation. Handle 1 rotates, during a first working phase, around fulcrum 4 and, then, during a second working phase, around fulcrum 6. Propping element 7 (Figs.1,2,3,4) is provided, in correspondence of its lower part, with a shoulder 12, which cooperates with an edge 13 (Figs.3,4) of a bottle neck, in order to have a cork extracted therefrom. Shoulder 12 is obtained both on front and rear face of element 7, in such a way that both faces can lean on edge of bottle neck. Element 7 is provided, in correspondence of its upper part, with a shoulder 16, whose path is always out from run of a profile 17 of left end of handle 1, as represented in the drawings. Fig.5 schematically shows what happens when an extraction operation of cork 14 is starting. Arm between pin 2 and fulcrum 4 shapes an angle α with respect to a horizontal line. Handle 1 initially turns around fulcrum 4 and cork extraction is starting. First exctration run b1 (Fig.3) corresponds to rotation of handle 1, starting from position of Fig.2 to position of Fig.3. A further rotation of handle 1, which is substantially equal to α, is made no more around fulcrum 4, but around fulcrum 6. Thanks to this rotation, cork extraction run is equal to b2 (Figs.4,7). It is apparent that, thanks to a further small rotation of handle 1 around fulcrum 6, cork 14 is definitively extracted from bottle neck. Figs.5,6,7,8,9 explain how it is possible to effect a complete extraction of cork 14, avoiding further losetime operations. In detail, Fig.8 points out how a traditional corkscrew is working, which is not in the condition to increase length of arm 2-4. Practically, cork extraction run could correspond to d1 run. At contrary, in the device according to the invention, arm 2-4, together with handle 1, initially makes a rotation equal to α, passing from line C-D to line C-D'. At this moment, arm 2-4 is increased up to 2-6 (Fig.6), as fulcrum 4 is replaced by new fulcrum 6. Fig.8 shows this passage with line B-C. Further rotation, which is still substantially equal to α, causes an increase of cork extraction run, wich is practically equal to O,5 d1 + d2 and this further increase d2 causes a definitive extraction of cork from bottle neck, as explained before. Fig.7 schematically explains what happens, whereas diagram in Fig.9 shows how, after a first rotation equal to α, arm c1 is replaced by arm c2, causing, in such a way, increase of cork extraction run. It is apparent that said increase is instantaneous, and therefore, not gradual, during rotation of arm 1. During first rotation of arm 1, which is substantially equal to α angle, fulcrum 6 slides along element 9 of slot 1O, according to a circular path with center in 4, whereas second rotation of arm 1, which is substantially equal to α angle, and which starts from fulcra position represented in Fig.6, makes pin 4 rotate along element 8 of slot 1O, according to circular path with center in 6 (Fig.7). It is therefore apparent that pocket corkscrew according to the invention completely satisfies requirements of a substantial handiness, production costs substantially lower than similar devices, whereas no operation is required for reloading corkscrew, after extracting cork, so that it can be again used.

Claims: Pocket corkscrew comprising a main body (1) forming a handle on which a cork extraction element (3) and a propping means (7) are pivotable, said propping means (7) being adapted to operate against a bottle neck, said extraction element (3) being pivotable in a middle position (pin 2) with respect to the axial development of said main body (1) and being adapted to be screwed into a cork, whereas said propping means (7) is pivotable substantially at a bearing end of said main body (1), characterised by variation means (4, 6, 8, 9, 11) for automatically and instantaneously altering the length (c1, c2) of the lever arm of the main body (1) between said pin (2) of the extraction element (3) and said bearing end of the propping means (7), said variation means comprising two pins (4, 6) representing the fulcra of the main body (1) in two different operating phases, i.e. first pin (4) in a first lifting stroke (b1) and second pin (6) in a second lifting stroke (b2) for extracting the cork, and further comprising a slot (10) having two circular sectors (8, 9) representing guiding slots for said pins (4, 6), first pin (4) being the centre of the one circular sector (9) and second pin (6) being the centre of the other circular sector (8). Pocket corkscrew according to claim 1, characterised in that said main body (1) is adapted to be rotated, between its initial position and an intermediate position, through an angle α, having first pin (4) as its fulcrum, which fulcrum instantaneously and automatically changes to second pin (6) at the beginning of the subsequent rotation angle. Pocket corkscrew according to claim 2, characterised in that to said first rotation of angle α corresponds a lifting stroke b1 of the cork, and that a subsequent rotation of the same angle α causes an increased lifting stroke b2 increased by d2.

Inventors: MISTRO LICINIO, MISTRO, LICINIO
Applicants: EFFEGI SRL, EFFEGI S.R.L.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: B67B7
IPC codes: B67B7