Abstract:
A bottle stopper is constructed to include a stepped tubular stopper body, a split inner cap capped on a split bottom shank of the stopper body, a flexible outer cap capped on the inner cap, a press member mounted in the stopper body and movable between a first position where the press member gives no pressure to the inner cap and the outer cap and a second position where the press member forces the split bottom shank of the stopper body to stretch the inner cap and the outer cap radially outwards against the periphery of the bottle neck of the bottle in which the bottle stopper is inserted, and a return member adapted to return the press member from the second position to the first position after the stopper body been biased relative to the inner cap and the outer cap.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a bottle stopper and, more particularly, to such a bottle stopper that can be used repeatedly. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     When using a bottle to hold a liquid material it must be sealed with a cork or bottle cap, preventing direct contact of the liquid material with the outside air. If the bottle is not well sealed, the outside air-deteriorates the contained liquid material quickly. For example, glass bottles are commonly used to contain wine and sealed with a cork or bottle cap. The sealing status of a bottle directly affects the quality of the substance contained in the bottle. 
     However, if a bottle of wine is not drunk empty when opened, the cork or bottle cap must be fastened to the bottle again, preventing deterioration of contained wine. However, a metal bottle cap cannot be used again due to structural damage when removed from the bottle. If a bottle is sealed with a cork, the user may have to use a corkscrew to remove the cork from the bottle. When removed from the bottle by a corkscrew, the cork is damaged and cannot be used again to seal the bottle tightly. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide a bottle stopper that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a bottle stopper, which can be used repeatedly to seal the bottle in an airtight status. 
     To achieve this object of the present invention, the bottle stopper comprises a hollow tubular stopper body a press member, a return member, an inner cap and a flexible outer cap. The stopper body has a receiving open chamber in an upper part thereof and a lower part formed of two symmetrical halves. The two symmetrical halves each have a protruding block and a stop edge. The press member is inserted into the stopper body and movable between a first position and a second position. The press member has a bottom end terminating in a stop portion and a front tip. The return member is mounted within the receiving open chamber of the stopper body around the press member and adapted to support the press member in the first position. The inner cap is capped on the lower part of the stopper body and rotatable relative to the stopper body. The inner cap has a plug hole in a bottom side of a split lower part thereof. The outer cap is capped on the inner cap. When the press member moved to the second position, the stop portion of the press member is stopped below the stop edges of the stopper body against the protruding blocks of the symmetrical halves of the stopper body to force the two symmetrical halves of the lower part of the stopper body bilaterally radially outwards, and the front tip of the press member is plugged into the plug hole of the inner cap to stretch the split lower part of the inner cap outwards. When the stopper body rotated relative to the inner cap through a predetermined angle, the stop edge is moved away from the stop portion of the press member, and the return member returns the press member to the first position, releasing stretching force from the outer cap. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a bottle stopper according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective assembly view of the bottle stopper according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view in section of the stopper body for the bottle stopper according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a part of the stopper body for the bottle stopper according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a side view, partially in section, of the bottle stopper according to the present invention, showing the first position status of the press member. 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 5 showing the two symmetrical halves of the stopper body not stretched. 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 5, showing the inner cap not stretched. 
     FIG. 8 is another side view, partially in section, of the bottle stopper according to the present invention, showing the second position status of the press member. 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line  9 — 9  of FIG. 8 showing the second position status of the press member. 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line  10 — 10  of FIG. 8 showing the inner cap stretched. 
     FIG. 11 is an applied view of the present invention, showing the bottle stopper fastened to the bottleneck of a bottle and the stopper body rotated. 
     FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the present invention showing the relative positioning between the press member and the stopper body after rotation of the stopper body. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a bottle stopper  1  is shown comprised of a stopper body  10 , a press member  20 , a return member  30 , an inner cap  40 , and an outer cap  50 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 and FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the stopper body  10  is a substantially T-shaped tubular member having a head  11  at the top, a tubular shank  12  at the bottom, an embossed pattern  111  around the periphery of the head  11 , a circular receiving opening chamber  112  in the top of the head  11 , an inside annular flange  113  radially inwardly projecting from the periphery of the circular receiving open chamber  112  at the top side, and a plug hole  114  in the bottom of the receiving open chamber  112 . The tubular shank  12  comprises two symmetrical halves, namely, the left half  122  and the right half  123  separated by a longitudinal crevice  121 . The two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  each have a longitudinal guide rail  124  extended along the longitudinal crevice  121  from the bottom side to the receiving open chamber  112 , a protruding block  125  projecting from the inside wall at the bottom side, and an arched guide rib  126  protruding from the inside wall and spaced from the protruding block  125  at one side opposite to the longitudinal guide rail  124 . The left half  122  further comprises a guide peg  127  projecting from the periphery. 
     The protruding block  125  comprises a main body  125   a , a first sloping face  125   b  at one side of the main body  125   a , a hooked stop edge  125   c  at the connecting area between the main body  125   a  and the first sloping face  125   b , a second sloping face  125   d  extended from the smoothly arched inside wall of the respective half  122  or  123  and abutted against the first sloping face  125   b , and a step  125   e  connected between the second sloping face  125   d  and the main body  125   a . The arched guide rib  126  is spaced from the protruding block  125  at a distance. The top end of the arched guide rid  126  is suspended above the protruding block  125  corresponding to the step  125   e.    
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the press member  20  is inserted into the receiving open chamber  112  of the stopper body  10 , and moved between the first position P 1  (see also FIG. 5) and the second position P 2  (see also FIG.  8 ), comprising a disk-like press head  21  and a flat shank body  22  perpendicularly extended from the bottom side of the press head  21 . The press head  21  has a flange  211  extended around the periphery. The maximum outer diameter of the press head  21  is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the receiving open chamber  112  so that the press head  21  can be received in the receiving open chamber  112 . The shank body  22  is a flat elongated stepped member inserted through the receiving open chamber  112  into the inside of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 , having a rectangular cross section, a bilaterally outwardly protruded stop portion  221 , and a double-beveled front tip  222  downwardly extended from the bottom side of the stop portion  221 . The width of the stop portion  221  is passable through the gap between the guide rib  126  and the second sloping face  125   d.    
     Referring to FIG.  5  and FIG. 1 again, the return member  30  is a return spring mounted within the receiving open chamber  112  of the stopper body  10  around the press member  20 , having a top end terminating in a rectangular frame  31 , which is sleeved onto the shank body  22  of the press member  20 , and a bottom end terminating in a plug tip  32 , which is plugged into the plug hole  114  of the stopper body  10 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the inner cap  40  is a hollow cylindrical member sleeved onto the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 , having a bottom plug hole  41  in the bottom wall, two elongated crevices  42  longitudinally upwardly extended from two ends of the bottom plug hole  41 , a guide slot  43  transversely extended around the periphery, and antiskid threads  44  around the periphery. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the outer cap  50  is a flexible cap capped on the inner cap  40  and insertable into the bottle neck of a bottle, having antiskid threads  51  extended around the inside wall and adapted to engage the antiskid threads  44  of the inner cap  40 . 
     The installation and use of the bottle stopper  1  are described hereinafter. During assembly process, the inner cap  40  is capped on the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 . Because the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  are radially inwardly compressible, the shank  12  of the stopper body  10  can easily be inserted into the inner cap  40  to suspend the guide peg  127  in the guide slot  43 , for enabling the stopper body  10  to be rotated relative to the inner cap  40  within a predetermined angle. Thereafter, the return member  30  is put in the receiving open chamber  112  of the stopper body  10 , enabling the plug tip  32  to be plugged into the plug hole  114 , and then the shank body  22  of the press member  20  is inserted through the frame  31  of the return member  30  and transversely supported between the longitudinal guide rails  124  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10  (see FIG.  6 ), and then press the press head  21  to force the flange  211  of the press head  21  downwards over the inside annular flange  113  of the stopper body  10 , keeping the flange  211  stopped below the inside annular flange  113  of the stopper body  10 , and then the outer cap  50  is capped on the inner cap  40  to complete the assembly (see FIG.  2 ). When assembled, the return member  30  imparts a torsional force in one direction, keeping the two opposite lateral sides of the press member  20  positively stopped at the longitudinal guide rails  124  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 . 
     When the bottle stopper  1  assembled, the return member  30  supports the press member  20  in the first position P 1  (see FIG.  5 ), where the stop portion  221  of the press member  20  is disposed above the protruding blocks  125  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10  (see FIG.  6 ), and the front tip  222  of the press member  20  is not inserted into the plug hole  41  of the inner cap  40  (as shown in FIG. 7, in which the stopper body is now shown), i.e., the outer cap  50  is not stretched to deform. 
     Referring to FIGS. from  8  through  10 , when pressing the press member  20  from the first position P 1  to the second position P 2 , the press member  20  is lowered along the guide rails  124 , and the stop portion  221  is moved to the first sloping faces  125   b  of the protruding blocks  125  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10  to force the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  bilaterally outwards (see FIG.  9 ), i.e., to expand the width of the crevice  121 , resulting in a primary stretching action at the outer cap  50 . Due to the effect of the upward push force of the return spring  30 , the top side of the stop portion  221  of the press member  20  is stopped below the hooked stop edges  125   c  of the protruding blocks  125  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 , and the lateral sides of the stop portion  221  are stopped against the steps  125   c  of the protruding blocks  125 , keeping the stretching status in action. 
     When the double-beveled front tip  222  of the press member  20  inserted into the narrow plug hole  41  as shown in FIG. 10, the press member  20  is prohibited from rotary motion, and the peripheral wall of the inner cap  40  is bilaterally outwardly stretched to expand the crevice  42 , giving a secondary stretching effect to the outer cap  50 . Therefore, when pressing the press member  20  after insertion of the bottle stopper  1  into the bottleneck of a bottle, the outer cap  50  is stretched by the aforesaid primary and secondary stretching effects in different directions to seal the bottleneck of the bottle. 
     Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, when wishing to remove the bottle stopper  1  from the bottle, rotate the stopper body  10  in one direction relative to the inner cap  40  and the press member  20  to move the stop portion  221  along the second sloping faces  125   d  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10  into the gap between the arched guide rib  126  and second sloping face  125   d  of each half  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 . At this time, the stop portion  221  is disconnected from the hooked stop edges  125   c  of the protruding blocks  125  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10 , and the return member  30  pushes the press member  20  from the second position P 2  back to the first position P 1 . During up stroke of the press member  20 , the stop portion  221  is forced against the arched guide ribs  126  of the protruding blocks  125  of the two symmetrical halves  122  and  123  of the shank  12  of the stopper body  10  thereby causing the stopper body  10  to be biased horizontally through an angle till the longitudinal guide rails  124  touch the shank body  22  of the press member  20  again. When the press member  20  returned to the first position P 1 , the stretching force is disappeared, and the outer cap  50  returns to its former shape, enabling the bottle stopper  1  to be removed from the bottleneck of the bottle. 
     As indicated above, the bottle stopper  1  can be plugged into the bottleneck of the bottle again when opened and the bottle stopper  1  seals the bottle tightly when the user pressed the press member  20 . Therefore, the bottle stopper  1  can be used repeatedly without lowering its sealing power.