Patent Publication Number: US-9422144-B2

Title: Method and apparatus for engaging a beverage extraction device with a container

Description:
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/793,370, filed Mar. 11, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/641,874, filed May 2, 2012, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the dispensing or other extraction of fluids from within a container, e.g., in the dispensing of wine from a wine bottle. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     One or more embodiments in accordance with aspects of the invention allow a user to withdraw or otherwise extract a beverage, such as wine, from within a container that is sealed by a cork, plug, elastomeric septum or other closure without removing the closure. In some cases, removal of liquid from such a container may be performed one or more times, yet the closure may remain in place during and after each beverage extraction to maintain a seal for the container. Thus, the beverage may be dispensed from the bottle multiple times and stored for extended periods between each extraction with little or no effect on beverage quality. In some embodiments, little or no gas, such as air, which is reactive with the beverage may be introduced into the container either during or after extraction of beverage from within the container. Thus, in some embodiments, a user may withdraw wine from a wine bottle without removal of, or damage to, the cork, and without allowing air or other potentially damaging gasses or liquids entry into the bottle. 
     In one aspect of the invention, a beverage extraction device includes a base for supporting components of the beverage extraction device, and at least one clamp arm mounted to the base and movable to clamp a beverage container neck and support the base on the beverage container. For example, a pair of clamp arms may be mounted to the base and be made movable relative to each other, such as by having one of the clamp arms pivotally mounted to the base, to engage with the beverage container neck. The clamp arms may engage the neck with force sufficient to support the device on the container neck, e.g., so that the device may be suspended or hang from the neck otherwise unsupported. A body may be movably mounted to the base, and a needle, having at least one lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end, may be mounted to the body and be arranged to be inserted through a closure at an opening of a beverage container with movement of the body relative to the base. For example, if the one or more clamp arms engages the base such that the container neck is immobile relative to the base, the body and needle may be moved relative to the base to insert the needle through the cork or other closure of the container. In an embodiment having a pair of clamp arms, the body may be slidably movable relative to the base to move the distal end of the needle in a space between the clamp arms. 
     In one embodiment, the one or more clamp arms may be arranged to support the device in an upright orientation on a flat, horizontal surface such that the needle depends from the body with the distal end below the proximal end. For example, a pair of clamp arms may have a downwardly extending portion that are capable of contacting a table or countertop surface so that the device can be “stood” on the surface. In some arrangements, the body includes a lowermost portion, such as a bottom of a gas cylinder cover, that cooperates with the at least one clamp arm to support the device in the upright orientation on a flat, horizontal surface such that the needle depends from the body with the distal end below the proximal end. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a beverage extraction device includes a base for supporting components of the beverage extraction device, and a pair of clamp arms mounted to the base and having distal portions movable relative to each other to clamp a beverage container neck and support the base on the beverage container. Each distal portion of the clamp arms may have an inner surface with a distal tab and a proximal ridge arranged to contact the neck of a beverage container positioned between the distal portions of the clamp arms. For example, the distal tabs may contact the neck and urge the neck into a proper position relative to the clamp arms and the base. The proximal ridges may present a surface that helps engage the clamp arms with the neck, e.g., so that the ridges contact a lip of the container to prevent the neck from being withdrawn from the space between the clamp arms. A body may be movably mounted to the base, and a needle, having at least one lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end, may be mounted to the body and arranged to be inserted through a closure at an opening of a beverage container with movement of the body relative to the base. 
     In one embodiment, the distal portions of the clamp arms are spring biased to move toward each other such that the tab and ridge of each clamp arm contacts a beverage container neck and urges the neck to move proximally relative to the clamp arms. This movement may cause the neck to engage with a resilient pad between the clamp arms and suitably position the cork or other closure for penetration by the needle. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a beverage extraction device includes a base for supporting components of the beverage extraction device and at least one clamp arm movably mounted to the base and having a distal portion arranged to clamp a beverage container neck and support the base on the beverage container. The at least one clamp arm may be arranged to urge the beverage container neck proximally and into contact with a pad on the base when the at least one clamp arm clamps the neck. Such contact may properly position the neck with respect to a needle of the device that is arranged to be inserted through a closure at an opening of a beverage container with movement relative to the base. For example, the at least one clamp arm and pad may position the neck so that the needle penetrates the cork or other closure at a desired position, e.g., away from a center of the cork that minimizes the chance of the needle penetrating the cork in a place that has been previously penetrated. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a beverage extraction device includes a base for supporting components of the beverage extraction device, and at least one clamp arm mounted to the base and movable to clamp a beverage container neck. The at least one clamp arm may be spring biased to move and clamp the container neck with a spring force sufficient to suspend the device on the beverage container, e.g., so that the container may be lifted and manipulated by lifting only the extraction device. This may allow a user to pour beverage from the container by handling the device only, and/or help ensure reliable insertion of a needle of the device into a cork or other closure of the container. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a beverage extraction device includes a base for supporting components of the beverage extraction device, and at least one clamp arm mounted to the base and movable to clamp a beverage container neck. The clamp arm may have a distal portion arranged to engage the container neck and be spring biased to move away from a clamping position, e.g., away from a neck positioned adjacent the base. A locking mechanism may be arranged to engage the clamp arm in a clamping position such that the clamp arm engages the container neck with a force sufficient to suspend the device on the beverage container. For example, a user may move the clamp arm against the spring bias to bring the clamp arm into a clamping position in contact with a neck, and the locking mechanism may lock the clamp arm in engagement with the neck. The locking mechanism, which may include a buckle, ratchet/pawl mechanism, etc., may keep the clamp arm in a clamping position until the locking mechanism is released by a user. 
     Various embodiments may include a gas source fluidly coupled to the needle of the extraction device which is arranged to deliver pressurized gas to the at least one lumen at the proximal end of the needle. This may allow the device to introduce pressure into the container which is used to allow extraction of beverage from the container. For example, the gas source may include a compressed gas cylinder, pressure regulator, valve, etc. Thus, the needle of the device may be arranged for insertion through a cork of a wine bottle for delivery of a gas into a wine bottle and/or for delivery of wine from the bottle. The needle may be arranged to be used with closures that include a material capable of resealing upon withdrawal of the needle from the closure. For example, typical wine bottle corks may allow a needle to be passed through the cork to extract wine from the bottle, and then reseal upon removal of the needle such that gas and/or liquid are prevented from passing through the cork after needle removal. 
     Various exemplary embodiments of the device are further depicted and described below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Aspects of the invention are described with reference to various embodiments, and to the figures, which include: 
         FIG. 1  shows a sectional side view of a beverage extraction device in preparation for introducing a needle through a closure of a beverage container; 
         FIG. 2  shows the  FIG. 1  embodiment with the needle passed through the closure; 
         FIG. 3  shows the  FIG. 1  embodiment while introducing gas into the container; 
         FIG. 4  shows the  FIG. 1  embodiment while dispensing beverage from the container; 
         FIG. 5  shows a side view of a beverage extraction device having a clamp arrangement for supporting the device in an upright orientation in an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  shows a front perspective view of the  FIG. 5  embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  shows a bottom view of the clamp arms of the  FIG. 5  embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  shows a side view of an inner surface of a clamp arm of the  FIG. 5  embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of the base in the  FIG. 5  embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of a locking mechanism for a clamp in an illustrative embodiment in an open condition; 
         FIG. 11  shows the  FIG. 10  embodiment with the clamp in a closed condition; 
         FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of a clamp arm in an alternate embodiment including a rocker element; 
         FIG. 13  shows an exploded view of the  FIG. 12  embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  shows a beverage extraction device having a clamp arm arranged as in  FIG. 12  engaging the neck of a container; 
         FIG. 15  shows a beverage extraction device having a clamp arm arranged as in  FIGS. 7-9  engaging the neck of a container; 
         FIG. 16  shows an illustrative embodiment in which the clamp arms are arranged to position a center of a container closure off-center with respect to a needle penetration point; 
         FIG. 17  shows an illustrative embodiment of a clamp arrangement having a single clamp arm; 
         FIG. 18  shows the  FIG. 17  embodiment with the clamp arm in the closed position; and 
         FIG. 19  shows an exploded view of a locking mechanism used with the  FIG. 17  embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Aspects of the invention are described below with reference to illustrative embodiments, but it should be understood that aspects of the invention are not to be construed narrowly in view of the specific embodiments described. Thus, aspects of the invention are not limited to the embodiments described herein. It should also be understood that various aspects of the invention may be used alone and/or in any suitable combination with each other, and thus various embodiments should not be interpreted as requiring any particular combination or combinations of features. Instead, one or more features of the embodiments described may be combined with any other suitable features of other embodiments. 
       FIGS. 1-4  show schematic views of one embodiment of a beverage extraction device  1  that may incorporate one or more aspects of the invention. This illustrative system  1  includes a body  3  with an attached pressurized source of gas  100  (such as a compressed gas cylinder) that provides gas under pressure (e.g., 2600 psi or less as dispensed from the cylinder) to a regulator  600 . In this arrangement, the cylinder  100  is secured to the body  3  and regulator  600  by a threaded connection, although other configurations are possible, such as those described below and/or in U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,209; U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,395; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,909 which are hereby incorporated by reference with respect to their teachings regarding mechanisms for engaging a gas cylinder with a cylinder receiver. The regulator  600  is shown schematically and without detail, but can be any of a variety of commercially available or other single or multi-stage pressure regulators capable of regulating gas pressures to a pre-set or variable outlet pressure. The main function of the regulator  600  is to provide gas at a pressure and flow rate suitable for delivery to the container  700  (such as a wine bottle), e.g., so that a pressure established inside the container  700  does not exceed a desired level. 
     In this embodiment, the body  3  also includes a valve  300  operable to control the flow of gas from the regulator  600 . The valve  300  may be a 3-way toggle valve that includes a single operation button and functions to selectively introduce pressurized gas into the container  700  and extract beverage  710  (such as wine) from the container  700  via a needle  200 . Details regarding the operation of such a valve  300  are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,225,959, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Of course, other valve arrangements for controlling pressurized gas and beverage flow are possible. For example, the 3-way valve  300  could be replaced with a pair of on/off valves, one for controlling gas introduction to the container  700 , and another for controlling flow of beverage from the container  700 . Each valve could have its own actuator, allowing a user to selectively open and close the valves, whether individually or simultaneously. In short, details regarding the operation of the regulator  600  and valve  300  or other mechanisms for introducing gas into a container, and removing beverage from the container  700  are not necessarily limitations on aspects of the invention and may be modified as suitable. 
     To introduce gas into the container  700  and extract beverage, a needle  200  attached to the body  3  is inserted through a cork or other closure  730  that seals an opening of the container  700 . This illustrative system  1  uses a pencil-tip non-coring needle  200  with a needle opening  220  along a sidewall of the needle near the needle tip. While the needle  200  may be inserted into the cork or other closure  730  in different ways, in this embodiment, the system  1  includes a base  2  with a pair of channels  21  that receive and guide movement of respective rails  31  of the body  3 . Thus, movement of the body  3  and attached needle  200  relative to the container closure  730  may be guided by the base  2 , e.g., the body  3  may slide relative to the base  2  to move the needle  200  into/out of the closure  730 . In addition, movement of the needle  200  may be guided by a needle guide  202  that is attached to the base  2  and positioned over the closure  730 . Other arrangements for guiding movement of the body  3  relative to the base  2  are possible, such as providing one or more rails on the base  2  which engage with a channel or other receiver of the body  3 , providing an elongated slot, channel or groove on the body or base which engages with a corresponding feature (e.g., a tab) on the other of the body or base and allows for sliding movement, a linkage that connects the body and base together and allows for movement of the body to insert the needle into the closure, and others. 
     In some embodiments, the base  2  may be fixed or otherwise held in place relative to the container  700 , e.g., by a clamp arm, sleeve, strap or other device that engages with the container  700 . Clamp arrangements in accordance with aspects of the invention are described in more detail below and may be used to temporarily or releasably secure the device  1  to a wine bottle neck or other container  700 . By restraining movement of the base  2  relative to the container  700 , such an arrangement may help guide motion of a needle  200  relative to the container  700  when penetrating a closure  730 , or when being withdrawn from the closure  730 . Alternately, the container  700  may be manipulated by grasping and manipulating the device  1  since the clamp engaging the device  1  to the container  700  may securely hold the device  1  and container  700  together. 
     To insert the needle  200  through the closure  730 , a user may push downwardly on the body  3  while maintaining the base  2  and the container  700  at least somewhat stationary relative to each other. The needle  200  will pass through the closure  730 , guided in its motion, at least in part, by the guided motion of the body  3  relative to the base  2  (e.g., by the rails  31  and channels  21 ). With the needle  200  suitably inserted as shown in  FIG. 2 , a needle opening  220  at the needle tip may be positioned below the closure  730  and within the enclosed space of the container  700 . The container  700  may then be tilted, e.g., so that the beverage  710  flows to near the closure  730  and any air or other gas  720  in the container  700  flows away from the closure. Pressurized gas  120  may then be introduced into the container  700  by actuating the valve  300  and causing gas from the cylinder  100  to flow through the valve  300  and needle  200  to exit at the needle opening  220 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Alternately, pressurized gas  120  can be introduced into the container  700  prior to tilting of the container, followed by tilting and dispensing of beverage. Thereafter, the valve  300  may be operated to stop the flow of pressurized gas and allow beverage  710  to flow into the needle opening  220  and through the needle  200  to be dispensed from the valve  300 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     As discussed above, a beverage extraction device may include a clamp configured to engage the device with a container, e.g., by clamping the device to the neck of a bottle. For example, the device can include one or more clamp arms that are movably mounted to the device and are arranged to engage with a container to support the device on the container during use. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the beverage extraction device may include one or more clamp arms that are arranged to not only engage a container during use of the device, but also support the device in an upright orientation on a flat, horizontal surface (such as a table top) so that the needle depends from the body with the distal end below the proximal end. This configuration may make the device more easily handled by a user, e.g., by positioning a handle of the device at an uppermost location for easy grasping. In addition, or alternately, allowing the device to stand upright may allow maintenance of the device more convenient, such as by positioning the device to allow a user to readily observe and/or replace the needle. Moreover, this arrangement may help prevent the beverage dispensing outlet from contacting potentially contaminating surfaces, e.g., because the outlet may be held up and out of contact with surrounding surfaces and so that a user can grasp the device handle with reduced risk of touching the outlet. As another example, the upright orientation may allow for convenient and space-saving storage of the device, e.g., in a cabinet or other location. In short, upright orientation of the device has been found to be an attractive feature to users for a variety of different reasons. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show a illustrative embodiment of a beverage extraction device  1  that incorporates aspects of the invention. This embodiment is similar in operation to that of  FIGS. 1-4 , but has a few different features. In this embodiment, the body  3  includes a handle  33 , that may be gripped by a user for moving the body  3  relative to the base  2  in upward and downward motions to insert a needle  200  through a cork or other closure of a container  700 . Also, a lever  32  is provided for operating the valve  300 , e.g., to dispense beverage from an outlet  301  and/or deliver gas to the container  700  via the needle  200 . To allow movement of the body  3  relative to the base  2 , the body  3  includes a rail  31  that has T-shaped cross section, and is arranged to move within a T-shaped receiving slot or channel  21  of the base  2 . As discussed above, however, other arrangements are possible for engaging the body  3  and base  2  while allowing for movement of the needle  200 . Also, a gas cylinder cover  101  threadedly engages with the body  3  at the regulator  600  to engage and hold the cylinder  100  in place relative to the body  3 . (A gas cylinder cover  101  in this embodiment is a kind of cap that covers the gas cylinder  100  and threadedly engages with another part of the body  3  to hold the gas cylinder  100  in place.) This arrangement of a gas cylinder cover  101  allows for the use of gas cylinders  100  that do not threadedly engage with the regulator  600 , but rather are held in engagement with the regulator  600  by the cover  101 . 
     Also included in this embodiment is a clamp  4  having a pair of clamp arms  41  that are arranged to support the device  1  in an upright orientation on a flat, horizontal surface  10 , such as a table or counter top. (It should be appreciated, however, that a single clamp arm may be provided instead of a pair, as described in more detail below.) In this embodiment, the clamp arms  41  each include a downwardly extending portion  41   c  that contacts the surface  10  along with a lowermost portion of the body  3 , which in this example is a lower end of gas cylinder cover  101 . Thus, the clamp arms  41  and cover  101  may provide three points of contact with the surface  10 , although additional (or fewer) points of contact may be provided. Note that in this embodiment, the lowermost portions of the downwardly extending portions  41   c  that contact the surface  10  are located proximally, relatively near the cover  101 , and the lower surfaces of the downwardly extending portions  41   c  nearest the surface  10  form an angle with the surface  10  such that distal ends of the lower surfaces are uplifted from the surface  10 . This arrangement may help prevent tipping of the device  1  forward. For example, if the device  1  is contacted while standing upright so that the device  1  begins to tip forward, the lower surfaces of the downwardly extending portions  41   c  may contact the surface  10  and help arrest movement of the device  1  and complete tipping over. Also, the cover  101  need not contact the surface  10  to help support the device  1 , and instead other portions of the body  3  or the base  2  may contact the surface  10  to support the device  1  in an upright orientation. In another arrangement, the clamp arms  41  alone may contact the surface  10  and support the device  1 . For example, a clamp arm  41  may include a “foot” or other structure that contacts the surface  10  to suitably support the device  1  without assistance from other parts of the device  1 . 
     In this embodiment, the clamp arms  41  are arranged to support the device  1  in an upright orientation when the body  3  is in an uppermost position relative to the base  2 , i.e., when the body  3  is moved upwardly as far as possible relative to the base  2 . However, the clamp arms  41  may be arranged to support the device  1  in the upright orientation for other positions of the body  3  relative to the base  2 , such as for upper positions of the body  3  relative to the base  2  (where the body  3  is positioned in an upper half of its range of movement relative to the base  2 ) or for any suitable position of the body  3  relative to the base  2 . Thus, the clamp arms  41  may be arranged to help hold the device  1  in an upright position when the body  3  is in two or more positions relative to the base  2 . 
     In this embodiment, the device  1  includes a detent that resiliently holds the body  3  in an upper position relative to the base  2 , e.g., to help ensure that the body  3  does not move relative to the base  2  while at rest on a counter top. For example, the detent may include a spring-loaded ball or other element mounted on the base  2  that engages with a suitable groove on the body  3  to hold the body  3  and base  2  stationary relative to each other until suitable force is exerted to overcome the detent holding function. (See, for example,  FIG. 9  which shows a detent  23  that includes a spring loaded plunger mounted to the base  2  that is arranged to engage with a groove or other feature on the rail  31  of the body  3 .) Other detent arrangements are possible, such as a spring-loaded tab and slot, and others as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Moreover, a detent is not required to releasably hold the body  3  and base  2  in one or more positions relative to each other. For example, a friction element (such as a rubber strip positioned between the rail  31  and channel  21 ) may be included to provide a friction force that maintains the body and base stationary in the absence of a force over a threshold level. The friction element may provide the friction force for specific body/base positions, or throughout the full range of body/base movement. (As one example, the guides  24  shown in  FIG. 9  that form part of the channel  21  may include portions that contact the rail  31  of the body  3  to provide suitable friction in movement of the rail  31  in the channel  21 .) Other configurations are possible to help hold the body  3  and base  2  in one or more positions relative to each other, such as a spring-loaded pin, latch or other lock, a thumbscrew on the base  2  that can be tightened to engage the rail  31  and prevent body/base movement, etc. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the clamp arm(s) may include a feature to help properly engage the clamp arm(s) with a variety of different bottle necks. For example, different bottles may have different neck diameters, different lip diameters or lengths (as used herein, a lip is a feature of many wine bottles near the top of the neck in which the bottle flares, steps or otherwise protrudes outwardly in size). In one embodiment, the clamp arm(s) include a distal tab feature and a proximal ridge feature that cooperate to properly engage with different neck configurations.  FIGS. 7-9  show one illustrative embodiment in which each clamp arm  41  includes a distal tab  43  and a proximal ridge  44 . The tab  43  may extend radially inwardly somewhat more than the ridge  44 , and thus help to center the bottle neck or otherwise appropriately position the neck relative to the clamp arms  41 . For example, as the clamp arms  41  are closed on a neck, the tabs  43  may contact the neck before the ridges  44 , helping to center or otherwise appropriately position the neck relative to the device  1 . In some embodiments, the tabs  43  and/or the ridges  44  may have portions that contact the container neck have a relatively hard, low-friction surface to help allow the clamp arms  41  engage the neck while allowing the neck to shift in position relative to the clamp arms  41 . 
     In another aspect of the invention, the tabs  43  may help urge the neck proximally relative to the base  2 , e.g., to move the neck toward a pad  22  located on the base  2  between the clamp arms  41 . By urging the neck to move proximally and into contact with the pad  22  or other component, the clamp arms  41  may help position the neck in a consistent way relative to the needle guide  202  and the needle  200 . This may help ensure that the needle  200  penetrates the closure  730  in a desired location. For example, the needle guide  202  and needle  200  may be arranged to pierce a closure  730  in a location that is offset from a center of the closure  730  with the neck positioned in contact with the pad  22 . This may help avoid having the needle  200  penetrate the closure in the same location if the device  1  is used two or more times to extract beverage from the container  700 . (As noted above, beverage can be extracted without removal of the closure  730 , and since the closure can reseal after removal of the needle, beverage can be extracted multiple times from a container  700  without removal of the closure  730 , although the closure  730  may be pierced several times to do so.) Alternately, the needle  200  and guide  202  may be configured to penetrate a closure at its center with the neck in contact with the pad  22 , and by positioning the neck proximally and in contact with the pad  22 , the closure  730  may be penetrated at the center as desired. In another arrangement in which the device is arranged to penetrate the closure  730  at a center position, the clamp arms  41  may each include semi-circular or other suitably arranged surfaces that contact the neck so the center of the closure  730  is always positioned for penetration by the needle  200 . 
     The ridge  44  may have a length measured in a direction perpendicular to a bottle neck (or in a direction perpendicular to the length of the needle  200 ) that is greater than the tab  43 , e.g., to help the ridge  43  provide a suitably long contact surface for the lip of the bottle. For example, while the tabs  43  may help center the neck between the clamp arms  41  and urge the neck to move proximally, the ridges  43  may contact an underside of the bottle lip with a suitably long surface to help prevent the neck from moving downwardly relative to the clamp arms  41  more than a desired distance. The extended length of the ridges  44  may provide the ridges  44  with greater strength and help the clamp arms operate with a wide array of bottle neck and lip sizes and shapes. In addition, the ridges  44  may have a variable radial length, e.g., increasing proximally as shown in  FIG. 7 , to help ensure that the ridges  44  will provide suitable engagement with a variety of different necks having different lip dimensions. 
     The pad  22  in this illustrative embodiment includes a strip of resilient material, such as a rubber, that can help the device grip the bottle neck when engaged by the clamp arms  41 . In some embodiments, the pad  22  may include a protrusion or step near a lower portion of the pad  22  (see  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) so that the pad  22  can engage with a lower surface of a lip on a bottle neck, e.g., similarly to the ridge  44 . The pad  22  may extend in a direction along the length of the needle, i.e., along a length of the bottle neck, and may have any suitable length. Generally, however, the pad  22  will have a length that is equal to or shorter than a length of the shortest bottle necks to be engaged by the device  1 . Similar is true of the clamp arms  41 . That is, the clamp arms  41  may have distal portions  41   b  that extend downwardly, in a direction along the length of the needle  200 , to an extent that allows the clamp arms  41  to receive and engage bottles that have a somewhat short neck. In one embodiment, the distal portions  41   b  of the clamp arms  41  may extend downwardly at least to an extent equal to or greater than a lowermost position of the distal end of the needle  200  when the body  3  is positioned at a lowermost position relative to the base  2 . In this way, the needle  200  may be prevented from contacting a surface  10  when the device is standing upright on the surface  10 . Also, the needle  200  may be movable relative to the clamp arms  41  to be positioned within a space between the clamp arms  41  throughout its full range of movement. 
     In this illustrative embodiment, the clamp arms  41  are pivotally mounted to the base  2  such that the distal portions  41   b  are normally biased to move toward each other, e.g., to clamp a bottle neck positioned between the arms  41 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the clamp arms  41  are mounted to the base  2  via pivot pins  45  and bushings  46 . However, the clamp arms  41  may be movably mounted relative to the base  2  in other ways, such as by a linkage, living hinge, a sliding engagement (such as by having a portion of a clamp arm move in a channel of the base), and others. Also, one arm may be fixed to the base while the other is made movable (although in this embodiment the arms are still said to be moveable relative to each other). Torsion or other springs may be used to provide the biasing force (if provided at all) on the clamp arms  41 . For example, in this embodiment, torsion springs  47  are mounted over the bushings  46  and are arranged to engage the base  2  and a clamp arm  41  so that the clamp arms are biased to move the distal portions  41   b  toward each other. This clamping force of the clamp arms  41  may be sufficiently robust to support the device  1  on the container  700 , or even to allow a user to lift and pour beverage from the container  700  by grasping and manipulating the device  1 . The clamp arms  41  may also include proximal portions  41   a  that can be grasped by a user and moved together (overcoming the biasing force of the springs  47 ) so that the distal portions  41   b  are moved away from each other to receive a bottle neck. For example, in this embodiment, a user may pinch the proximal portions  41   a  together to position a bottle neck between the distal portions  41   b , and then release the proximal portions  41   a  to allow the clamp arms  41  to clamp the bottle neck. However, other arrangements are possible. For example, the distal portions  41   b  may instead be biased to move away from each other and move toward each other when a user applies suitable force, e.g., to the distal portions  41   b , to overcome the biasing force. In another embodiment, the clamp arms  41  need not be spring biased at all. In such arrangements where the clamp arms  41  are biased to move the distal portions  41   b  apart or are not biased at all, a locking mechanism may be used to engage the clamp arms  41  to the container. 
     That is, whether the clamp arms  41  are spring biased or not, movement of the arms may be restricted or otherwise controlled in some way by a locking mechanism. For example, the arms  41  may be secured together by a ratchet and pawl mechanism that allows the distal portions  41   b  of the clamp arms  41  to move freely toward each other, but prevents movement of the distal portions  41   b  away from each other unless the pawl is first cleared from the ratchet. This arrangement may allow a user to securely clamp the arms  41  onto a bottle neck with the ratchet and pawl ensuring that the arms  41  will not move away from each other to release the neck until the user releases the pawl. In other embodiments, the arms  41  may be secured against movement away from each other in alternate ways, such as by a buckle and strap (with the strap secured to one arm  41  and the buckle secured to the other arm  41 ), a screw and nut (in which the screw engages one arm  41 , the nut engages the other arm  41 , and the screw and nut threadedly engage each other to secure the arms  41  together), a hook-and-loop closure element that spans across the arms  41  at their distal end, or other arrangement suited to engage the arms  41  with the container  700 . 
     For example,  FIGS. 10 and 11  show an illustrative embodiment in which the clamp arms  41  include a locking mechanism  6  in the form of a buckle similar to that found in some ski boots. In this embodiment, the locking mechanism  6  includes a handle  49   a  that is pivotally mounted to a clamp arm  41  and carries a bail  49   b . The bail  49   b  is arranged to selectively engage with one of the bail-engaging slots  49   c  formed in the other clamp arm  41 . Accordingly, the locking mechanism  6  in this embodiment is arranged to provide three different positions of the bail  49   b  on the bail-engaging slots  49   c , thus allowing the locking mechanism to provide three different adjustment positions for engaging different sized container necks. To engage the clamp arms  41  to a neck, the bail  49   b  is engaged with a suitable slot  49   c , and the handle  49   a  is rotated to lock the clamp arms  41  is place. Of course, other locking mechanisms are possible. Thus, the clamp  4  may include a locking mechanism that has a single locking position, multiple locking positions, a continuously variable locking position, a series of indexed or stepped locking positions, and/or a user defined locking position. Such clamp arm securing arrangements may be used whether the distal portions  41   b  of the clamp arms  41  are biased to move toward each other, away from each other, or with no bias at all. 
       FIGS. 12 and 13  show another illustrative embodiment of a clamp arm  41  having an alternate configuration for a tab  43  and ridge  44 . In this embodiment, the tab  43  has a rocker component with an upper lip-contacting part  43   a  and a lower lip-engagement part  43   b . The tab  43  in this embodiment operates such that as the clamp arm  41  is engaged with a bottle neck, the upper part  43   a  contacts a lip of the neck before the lower part  43   b  contacts the neck. This causes the rocker component to pivot about a rocker fulcrum  48  (see  FIG. 13 —the fulcrum  48  is formed on the arm  41 ), causing the lower part  43   b  to be moved inwardly toward the neck. This presses the lower part  43   b  against the narrower diameter section of the neck below the lip. In this embodiment, the ridge  44  is provided by an elastomeric part (e.g., made of molded rubber) that is attached to the inner surface of the clamp arm  41  and includes a pair of openings through which the upper and lower parts  43   a ,  43   b  protrude. This adaptive arrangement for the tab  43  may allow the clamp arm  41  to operate more effectively with a wide variety of different neck and lip diameters, lengths and shapes because the tab  43  can move to accommodate different conditions. 
       FIG. 14  shows a device  1  having clamp arms  41  arranged like that shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11  engaged with an illustrative neck of a container  700 . The upper part  43   a  of the tab  43  is shown contacting the lip  701  of the container  701 , causing the lower part  43   b  to pivot outwardly about the fulcrum  48  and contact the container  700  below the lip  701 . The lower part  43   b  of the tab may include a notch or step feature with a substantially flat surface that faces a lower edge of the neck lip  701 , potentially maximizing interlock between the lower part  43   b  and the lip  701 . The tab  43 , as well as the ridge  44  and other container-contacting parts may present a low friction or high friction surface to the container. High friction surfaces may help with neck engagement, e.g., to help prevent slipping of the neck relative to the clamp  4 , whereas lower friction surfaces may allow the neck to more easily center or otherwise position itself relative to the device  1  during clamping and/or provide for more positive engagement between the clamp and the container. In this embodiment, the ridge  44  presents a relatively high friction surface (e.g., a molded rubber component) whereas the tab  43  presents a lower friction surface (e.g., a molded plastic of a higher durometer than the rubber part). 
       FIG. 15  shows a sectional view of a device arranged as in  FIGS. 5-9  engaged with the neck of a container  700 . As can be seen in this view, the neck has been urged proximally relative to the device  1  so that the neck contacts the pad  22  on the base  2 . The needle guide  202  is positioned over the closure  730 , and the lip  701  contacts the pad  22  along with another portion of the neck below the lip  701 . As a result, the upper face of the closure  730  is presented at an angle to the needle guide, e.g., is not necessarily perpendicular to needle  200  as the needle penetrates the closure  730 . The step in the surface of the pad  22  facing the neck can alleviate this somewhat, e.g., help to position the closure  730  so that its upper face is more perpendicular to the needle  200 , although such positioning is not necessarily critical. Also shown is the ridge  44  of the clamp arm  44  positioned below the lip  701 . As a result, if the container  700  is moved downwardly relative to the base  2 , the ridge  44  may contact the lip  701  and prevent such downward movement beyond a certain point. In some embodiments, engagement of the clamp arms  41  and base  2  with the container  700  may allow a user to lift the container  700  by simply lifting the device  1 , e.g., a user may pour beverage from the container  700  by gripping the device  1  only. The downwardly extending portions  41   c  of the clamp arms  41  in this embodiment extend along the neck and may assist in better engaging the container  700  with the device  1 . For example, and as can be seen in  FIG. 15 , a lower end of the downwardly extending portions  41   c  may contact the container neck, helping to urge the container into contact with the pad  22  as well as provide another point of contact with the neck to help prevent movement of the neck relative to the clamp arms  41 . This lower end of the clamp arms  41  may bear a high friction surface, such as a rubber element, to provide enhanced grip. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a device may be arranged such that the needle penetrates the closure of containers at a location positioned away from the center of the closure. For example, as can be seen in  FIG. 15 , the needle guide  202  is positioned relative to the closure  730  such that the needle  200  (not shown) will be guided into a portion of the closure  730  away from a center of the closure  720  (shown by a vertical dashed line in  FIG. 15 ). As described above, penetrating the closure  730  away from the center of the closure  730  may help allow the closure to reseal after needle removal if the closure is penetrated more than once by a needle. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, ensuring that the closure  730  is penetrated at an off-center position can be achieved in a variety of ways. For example, in the embodiment of  FIG. 15 , the clamp arms  41  urge the bottle neck to move proximally into contact with the pad  22 . Thus, every time this particular bottle neck is engaged by the device  1 , the neck will be positioned in contact with the pad  22 . If the needle guide  202  and needle  200  are positioned relative to the pad  22  such that the needle  200  is off-center relative to the closure  720 , the needle  200  will always pierce the closure at an off-center position. Also, if the horizontal distance between the needle/needle guide and the pad is less than the radial distance from the center of the closure to the outer edge of the bottle lip for the smallest size bottle necks to be used with the device  1 , the device will reliably penetrate the closure of all bottles at an off-center position. 
     Off-center penetration of a closure can be achieved in other ways than simply offsetting the needle and needle guide with respect to the pad a certain distance. For example, the clamp arms  41  may be arranged to engage a bottle neck so that the center of the closure is always offset from the needle penetrating area regardless of neck diameter. In doing so, the clamp arms  41  need not necessarily place the bottle neck in contact with a pad  22  or similar reference surface, but rather may engage the neck without contact of any other part of the device with the neck. In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 16 , one or both of the pivot pins  45  for the clamp arms  41  may be offset relative to the base  2  so that the clamp arms  41  engage the bottle neck and shift the center of the closure  730  relative to the needle guide  202 . In this embodiment, one or both of the pivot pins  45  of the clamp arms  41  are shifted so that the neck is positioned with the center of the closure  731  located to the left (as seen in  FIG. 16 ) of the penetration point  203  of the needle  200  as guided by the needle guide  202 . Thus, according to this embodiment, regardless of the diameter of the bottle neck, the center of the closure  731  will always be positioned to the left of the needle penetration point  203 . This feature, along with an appropriate offset of the needle guide  202  relative to the clamp arms  41  and/or the pad  22 , may ensure not only that the closure center  731  is located to the left (or right) of the penetration point  203 , but also that the closure center  731  is located forward (or rearward) of the penetration point  203 . Such closure center  731  positioning can be achieved in other ways as well, such as by having the torsion springs  47  arranged with different spring constants, arranging the tabs  43  (if present) to have different radial lengths, providing a user adjustment feature (such as a thumbscrew that shifts the position of the clamp arms on the base  2 ), and others. 
       FIGS. 17-19  show another embodiment of a container clamp arrangement that includes a single clamp arm and that optionally can be configured to engage a container neck so that the closure is penetrated at an off-center position. (It should be appreciated, however, that the  FIGS. 17-19  clamp arrangement could be used in a device that penetrates the closure at a center position as well.) In this embodiment, the clamp arrangement includes a single clamp arm  41  that is pivotally mounted to the base  2 . A locking mechanism  6  is arranged to permit a user to freely move the clamp arm  41  from an open position (shown in  FIG. 17 ) toward a closed position (shown in  FIG. 18 ), but resists movement of the arm  41  from a closed position toward an open position. As a result, the device  1  can be associated with a container neck as in  FIG. 17 , and the clamp arm  41  moved to engage the neck as in  FIG. 18  so that the device  1  is supported on the container. With the clamp arm  41  engaging the neck in a closed or clamping position, the arm  41  cannot be moved toward an open position unless the locking mechanism  6  is released. Thus, the device  1  may be engaged with the container and remain engaged with the container until a user releases the clamp arm  41 . The clamp arm  41  and/or the pad  22  (see  FIG. 19 ) may be arranged so that the neck is engaged to position a center of the closure  730  away from a penetration point of the needle  200 , and thus ensure off-center penetration. For example, the pad  22  may have a semi-circular surface that contacts a container neck so as to offset the center of the closure  730  from a penetration point of the needle  200 . 
     While the locking mechanism  6  may be arranged in other ways, in this embodiment the locking mechanism  6  includes a clutch spring  61  that is fitted over, and is engageable with an upper binding post  62  that is fixed to the clamp arm  41  and a lower binding post  65  that is fixed to the base  2 . As will be understood by those of skill in the art, the clutch spring  61  may engage the binding posts  62 ,  65  so as to allow movement of the clamp arm  41  in a clockwise direction (as viewed from above) relative to the lower binding post  65 , yet resist counterclockwise movement. A sleeve  63  may house the clutch spring  61  and a release tab  64  may be movable by a user to release the clutch spring  61  from the upper binding post  62  so as to allow the clamp arm  41  to move in the counterclockwise direction. Another spring (not shown) may be used to bias the clamp arm  41  to move toward the open position, e.g., so that the arm  41  moves under the spring bias to the open position when the release tab  64  is activated. Other arrangements for the locking mechanism are possible, such as ratchet and pawl configurations, rotary detents, etc. 
     Note also that aspects of the invention may be used with clamping arrangements that include a single clamp arm, or more than one clamp arm. Thus, embodiments are not restricted to use of two clamp arms. For example, the  FIGS. 17-19  embodiment may be modified to allow the clamp arm to support the device in an upright position, as discussed in connection with  FIGS. 5-7 . 
     It has been found that needles having a smooth walled exterior, pencil point or Huber point needle of 16 gauge or higher are effective to penetrate through a wine bottle cork or other closure, while sealing effectively with the cork to prevent the ingress or egress of gases or fluids during beverage extraction. Moreover, such needles allow the cork to reseal after withdrawal of the needle, allowing the container and any remaining beverage to be stored for months or years without abnormal alteration of the beverage flavor. Further, such needles may be used to penetrate a foil cover or other wrapping commonly found on wine bottles and other containers. Thus, the needle may penetrate the foil cover or other element as well as the closure, eliminating any need to remove the foil or other wrapping prior to beverage extraction. Other needle profiles and gauges are also usable with the system. 
     While in the above embodiments the needle guide  202  and needle are positioned to have the needle penetrate the center of the closure  730 , the lower opening or through hole of the guide  202  could be arranged to introduce the needle at a location offset from the center of cork  730 . This may decrease the chances that a needle penetrates the closure  730  in a same location if the system  1  is used to dispense beverage from the container several times and may allow the closure  730  to better reseal upon needle withdrawal. 
     While in the above embodiments, a user moves the body  3  in a linear fashion relative to the base  2  to insert/remove a needle with respect to a container closure, a manual or powered drive mechanism may be used to move a needle relative to a closure. For example, a rail  31  may include a toothed rack, while the base  2  may include a powered pinion gear that engages the rack and serves to move the body  3  relative to the base  2 . The pinion may be powered by a user-operated handle, a motor, or other suitable arrangement. In another embodiment, the needle may be moved by a pneumatic or hydraulic piston/cylinder, e.g., which is powered by pressure from the gas cylinder  100  or other source. 
     A needle used in a beverage extraction device may be a smooth exterior walled, cylindrical needle with a non-coring tip that can be passed through a cork without removing material from the cork. One non-coring tip is a pencil-tip that dilates a passageway through the cork, although deflected-tip and stylet needles have also been found to work properly and could be used in alternative embodiments. The pencil-tip needle preferably has at least one lumen extending along its length from at least one inlet on the end opposite the pencil-tip and at least one outlet proximal to the pencil-tip. As shown above, a needle outlet may be positioned in the side-wall of the needle at the distal end of the needle, although proximal of the extreme needle tip. 
     With the correct needle gauge, it has been found that a passageway (if any) that remains following removal of the needle from a cork self-seals against egress or ingress of fluids and/or gasses under normal storage conditions. Thus, a needle may be inserted through a closure to extract beverage, and then be removed, allowing the closure to reseal such that beverage and gas passage through the closure is prevented. While multiple needle gauges can work, preferred needle gauges range from 16 to 22 gauge, with an optimal needle gauge in some embodiments being between 17 and 20 gauge. These needles gauges may offer optimal fluid flow with minimal pressures inside the container while doing an acceptably low level of damage to the cork even after repeated insertions and extractions. 
     Multiple needle lengths can be adapted to work properly in various embodiments, but it has been found that a minimum needle length of about 1.5 inches is generally required to pass through standard wine bottle corks. Needles as long as 9 inches could be employed, but the optimal range of length for some embodiments has been found to be between 2 and 2.6 inches. (Needle length is the length of a needle that is operable to penetrate a closure and/or contact a needle guide for guidance in moving through the closure.) The needle may be fluidly connected to the valve directly through any standard fitting (e.g. NPT, RPT, Leur, quick-connect or standard thread) or alternatively may be connected to the valve through an intervening element such as a flexible or rigid tube. When two or more needles are used, the needle lengths may be the same or different and vary from 0.25 inches to 10 inches. Creating distance between the inlet/outlets of the needles can prevent the formation of bubbles. 
     In some embodiments, a suitable gas pressure is introduced into a container to extract beverage from the container. For example, with some wine bottles, it has been found that a maximum pressure of between around 40 and 50 psi may be introduced into the bottle without risking leakage at, or ejection of, the cork, although pressures of between around 15 and 30 psi have been found to work well. These pressures are well tolerated by even the weakest of cork-to-bottle seals at the bottle opening without causing cork dislodging or passage of liquid or gas by the cork, and provide for relatively fast beverage extraction. The lower pressure limit in the container during wine extraction for some embodiments has been found to be between about 0 and 20 psi. That is, a pressure between about 0 and 20 psi has been found needed in a bottle to provide a suitably fast extraction of beverage from the bottle. In one example using a single 17 to 20 gauge needle, a pressure of 30 psi was used to establish an initial pressure in a wine bottle, and rapid wine extraction was experienced even as the internal pressure dropped to about 15-20 psi. 
     The source of pressurized gas can be any of a variety of regulated or unregulated pressurized gas containers filled with any of a variety of non-reactive gasses. In a preferred embodiment, the gas cylinder contains gas at an initial pressure of about 2000-3000 psi. This pressure has been found to allow the use of a single relatively small compressed gas cylinder (e.g., about 3 inches in length and 0.75 inches in diameter) for the complete extraction of the contents of several bottles of wine. Multiple gasses have been tested successfully over extended storage periods, and preferably the gas used is non-reactive with the beverage within the container, such as wine, and can serve to protect the beverage oxidation or other damage. Suitable gases include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, neon and others. Mixtures of gas are also possible. For example, a mixture of argon and another lighter gas could blanket wine or other beverage in argon while the lighter gas could occupy volume within the bottle and perhaps reduce the overall cost of the gas. 
     The embodiment above, a single needle with a single lumen is used to introduce gas into the container and extract beverage from the container. However, in other embodiments two or more needles may be used, e.g., one needle for gas delivery and one needle for beverage extraction. In such an embodiment, the valve  300  may operate to simultaneously open a flow of gas to the container and open a flow of beverage from the container. The needles may have the same or different diameters or the same or different length varying from 0.25 to 10 inches. For example, one needle delivering gas could be longer than another that extracts wine from the bottle. Alternately, a two lumen needle may be employed where gas travels in one lumen and beverage travels in the other. Each lumen could have a separate entrance and exit, and the exits could be spaced from each other within the bottle to prevent circulation of gas. 
     Multiples of these components could be combined into single parts or components serving multiple functions. For example, the needle guide may be made part of a container clamp. 
     While aspects of the invention have been shown and described with reference to illustrative embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.