Patent Abstract:
Openers for opening a twist cap of a bottle while simultaneously cutting a seal adjacent the twist cap are disclosed. An example opener may include a body a first arm and a second arm projecting therefrom. The body may have an inner curved surface. The first arm and the second arm may be designed to be moved closer to one another during use of the opener. A first gripping region may be defined along the inner curved surface. The first gripping region may be designed to engage and grip the twist cap during use of the opener. A plurality of cutting members may be positioned along the inner curved surface. The cutting members may be designed to pierce and cut the seal during use of the opener.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/155,135, filed Apr. 30, 2015, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure pertains to openers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A wide variety of openers have been developed. Of the known openers, each has certain advantages and disadvantages. There is an ongoing need to provide alternative openers as well as alternative methods for manufacturing and using openers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the disclosure in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example opener. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a top view of an example opener. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of an example opener. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a side view of an example opener. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a side view of an example opener. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an example opener. 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a top view of an example opener. 
       
    
    
       [0012]    While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this specification. 
         [0014]    All numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about,” whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances, the terms “about” may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. 
         [0015]    The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range (e.g. 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5). 
         [0016]    As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0017]    The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings in which similar elements in different drawings are numbered the same. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict illustrative embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0018]    A variety of containers exist for the packaging of consumer liquids, beverages and/or drinks. In some instances, the container and/or packaging includes a two-piece system including a cap (e.g. twist off) coupled to a bottle. Further, in some instances, a unitary sheet of foil and/or a plastic seal may extend around both the cap and the bottle. In order to remove the cap, a user may have to cut, slice and/or tear the seal to disengage the cap from the bottle. In some instances, it may be desirable to grip and twist the cap and foil seal with sufficient force such that both the cap and the seal are removed from the bottle at the same time. For example, in some instances it may be desirable to remove both the seal and the cap of a 5-HOUR ENERGY™ drink and/or other similar energy drinks or the like. In particular, the twist cap of a miniature energy drink bottle may be sufficiently small (e.g., having a diameter less than about 1 inch or about 0.875±0.1 inches) such that it may be difficult for a user to easily use their hands to twist off the cap. In other words, the size of the twist cap and the force required to twist a cap of such dimensions may require a reasonably high amount of force, making it challenging to open the bottle while simultaneously cutting the plastic seal around the bottle cap. Therefore, it may be desirable to utilize materials and/or design a dual combination opener that can both cut a foil/plastic seal and remove a bottle cap simultaneously. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an example dual combination cutting and twisting opener  10 . Opener  10  may be a unitary body that includes opener body portion  14  coupled to gripping arms  12 A and  12 B. Gripping arms  12 A and  12 B may extend away from body portion  14 . Further, one or more attachment members  24  may extend away from gripping arm  12 A and/or  12 B. Opener  10  may include an interior surface  28  which includes the interior surface of gripping arms  12 A,  12 B and body portion  14 . Similarly, opener  10  may include an exterior facing surface  30  defined by an exterior surface of gripping arms  12 A,  12 B and body portion  14 . 
         [0020]    Body portion  14  may include curved body wall  20 . As stated above, interior surface  28  may extend along and be partially defined by the inner surface of the body wall  20 . In some instances, body wall  20  may include one or more cap gripping surfaces  16 . Cap gripping surface  16  may include projections, textures, ridges, ribs, grooves, channels, cuts, notches, flutes or the like extending along a portion or all of interior surface  28 . 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , cap gripping surface  16  may extend from a bottom surface  38  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) to a top surface  36  of interior surface  28  of body portion  14 . In other words, it is contemplated that in some embodiments gripping surface  16  may extend the entire “thickness” of body portion  14 . Gripping surface  16  may be designed to be able to grip a variety of materials. For example, gripping surface  16  may designed to grip and/or embed in a variety of polymer or metallic materials. The ability to grip and/or embed in a variety of materials may allow a user to more easily apply leverage via opener  10  to twist and remove a bottle cap, for example. This may also make it easier to twist and remove a bottle cap while simultaneously cutting a seal disposed around the bottle cap. 
         [0022]    In some instances, body portion  14  may include one or more teeth members  18 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , teeth members  18  may be positioned and aligned along the bottom surface  38  (e.g. the bottom “edge”) of body  14 . Further, teeth  18  may extend along a portion or all of the interior surface  28 . Teeth members  18  may project away from interior surface  28 . 
         [0023]    It is contemplated that teeth members  18  may be a variety of shapes. For example, teeth  18  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  may bear some resemblance to the shape of a shark fin or, similarly, the teeth of a circular saw blade. In other words, an individual tooth  18  may extend away from interior surface  18  and project to a “tip” or “point.” Further, it is contemplated that teeth  18  may assume a variety of shapes. For example, teeth  18  may be square, triangular, hooked, angled, rounded, beveled, scalloped, pegged, slanted or the like. 
         [0024]    While the above discussion described teeth  18  as being positioned along the bottom edge of body  14 , it is contemplated that teeth  18  may be positioned at other locations along interior surface  28 . For example, teeth  18  may be positioned along a top edge, the middle portion or dispersed intermittently along interior surface  28 . As described above, the alignment of multiple teeth  18  permits opener  10  to cut and/or slice a foil or plastic seal, for example, as opener  10  is twisted to simultaneously remove cap (discussed above). 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , curved body wall  20  may define a central opening  26 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , central opening  26  may be substantial circular and include an inner radius identified in  FIG. 2  as dimension “X 1 .” In some embodiments, radius X 1  may be about 0.3-0.6 inches, or about 0.4-0.5 inches, or about 0.483 inches. 
         [0026]    Additionally, body portion  14  may include an outer radius identified in  FIG. 2  as dimension “X 2 .” In some embodiments, radius X 2  may be about 0.4-0.8 inches, or about 0.6-0.7 inches, or about 0.683 inches. 
         [0027]    Central opening  26  may be sized to accept a variety of cap sizes and configurations. Central opening  26  may define a portion of an arc or circle. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , central opening  26  extends approximately 270 degrees of a complete circle. It is contemplated that circular opening  26  could extend more or less than the partial circle shown in  FIG. 2 , depending on the particular application that the opener was designed to accommodate. 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 , body portion  14  may be coupled to gripping arms  12 A and  12 B. Gripping arms  12 A and  12 B may be substantially parallel to one another. In particular, interior surface  28  of gripping arms  12 A and  12 B may be substantially parallel (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). By contrast, the exterior surface  30  of gripping arms  12 A and  12 B may widen (e.g. flare) from the point at which gripping arms  12 A and  12 B are coupled to body portion  14  to the end of the gripping arm  12 A/ 12 B. 
         [0029]    Gripping arms  12 A &amp;  12 B may include a finger gripping surface  22  (shown in  FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 ). In some embodiments, finger gripping surface  22  may be substantially similar to the gripping surface describe above with respect to cap gripping surface  16 . For example, finger gripping surface  22  may include projections, textures, ridges, ribs, grooves, channels, cuts, notches, flutes or the like extending along a portion or all of exterior surface  30 . Exterior surface  30  may include an ergonomic shape. The ergonomic shape may be one that follows the contours of a user&#39;s finger. 
         [0030]    Additionally,  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2  show an attachment member  24  extending from and end of gripping arm  12 A. While  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2  show attachment member extending from gripping arm  12 A, it is contemplated that attachment member may extend from gripping arm  12 B or any other portion of opener  10 . In some instances, attachment member may allow opener  10  to be coupled, clipped and/or attached to a key ring or the like. As shown, attachment member includes an attachment opening  42 . Attachment opening  42  may be sized to permit a variety of different size key rings, etc. to attach to opener  10 . While shown as a circle in  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 , it is contemplated that attachment opening  42  may include other shapes. For example, attachment opening  42  may be a triangle, oval, or the like. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows bottom view of opener  10 . Opener  10  may include one or more cavities  40 . Cavities  40  may be defined as voids, recesses, etc. in which material is removed from opener  10 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , cavities  40  may be separated from one another. For example,  FIG. 3  shows four independent cavities  40 . 
         [0032]      FIGS. 4 &amp; 5  show side views of opener  10 . As shown in each of  FIGS. 4 &amp; 5 , finger gripping surfaces  22  may extend along a portion of the exterior surface  30  of opener  10 . 
         [0033]    In some instances, removing the cap and foil seal of a bottle simultaneously may include inserting the cap (along with the foil seal) into central opening  26 . In some instances, the thickness of the opener  10  may be designed such that when the cap is inserted into central opening  26 , teeth  18  may be aligned with the bottom of the cap. In other instances, teeth  18  may be aligned at a different location. After inserting the cap into central opening  26 , a user may then “squeeze” gripping arms  12 A &amp;  12 B such that gripping arms move toward each another. The movement of gripping arms toward one another may reduce the radius of central opening  26 . This reduction in radius may effectively “tighten” opener  10  around an example cap. Once tightened, a user may spin the “ungripped” portion of the example container (e.g. bottle). Opener  10 , through the gripping action of gripping surface  16  and the cutting action of teeth  18 , may then effectively hold the cap stationary while the remainder of the container is twisted relative to the cap. This action may not only untwist the cap, but may also simultaneously cut the foil seal at the location where teeth  18  are aligned. 
         [0034]    Dimensions of opener  10  (as shown in  FIGS. 1-5 ) may include a length of about 1-5 inches, or about 2-3 inches, or about 2.718 inches. The opening may have a width of about 0.5-1.5 inches, or about 0.6-1 inches, or about 0.8 inches. The width across arms  12 A/ 12 B may be about 1-4 inches, or about 1.5-2.5 inches, or about 2.146 inches. The height of opener  10  may be about 0.2-0.8 inches, or about 0.3-0.5 inches, or about 0.4 inches. These are just examples. 
         [0035]      FIGS. 6-7  shows an alternative opener  110 . As shown, opener  110  may include a secondary opening  144 . As shown, secondary opening  144  may be positioned adjacent to central opening  126 . Secondary opening  144  may be similarly designed and perform substantially similar to central opening  126 . For example, secondary opening  144  may include secondary gripping surface  146 . Secondary gripping surface  146  may be similar to cap gripping surface  116 . 
         [0036]    Opening  126  may be sized to include a radius X 1  of about 0.3-0.6 inches, or about 0.4-0.5 inches, or about 0.483 inches (e.g., similar to what is shown in  FIG. 2 ). Secondary opening  144  may include a radius “Y”. In some embodiments, radius Y may be about 0.3-0.8 inches, or about 0.5-0.7 inches, or about 0.600 inches. 
         [0037]    In some instances, radius “Y” may be larger than the radius “X 1 ” of central opening  126 . It is contemplated that secondary opening  144  may be sized to facilitate the removal of caps different in diameter to that of the caps designed to be removed by central opening  126 . For example, secondary opening  144  may be sized to remove the caps of a larger bottle (e.g. water bottle, soda, beer, etc.). In other instances, radius “Y” may be the same size or smaller than the radius “X 1 ”. Secondary opening  144  may include a gripping surface. In some of these and in other instances, secondary opening  144  may include teeth (not shown), similar to teeth  18 . Alternatively, secondary opening  144  may be free of teeth and, instead, may only include the gripping surface for gripping the cap of a bottle. 
         [0038]    Opener  110  and/or other components of opener  110  may be made from a metal or polymer (some examples of which are disclosed below), a metal-polymer composite, combinations thereof, and the like, or other suitable material. 
         [0039]    Dimensions of opener  110  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ) may include a length of about 1-5 inches, or about 2-3 inches, or about 2.718 inches. The opening may have a width of about 0.5-1.5 inches, or about 0.6-1.2 inches, or about 0.996 inches. The width across arms  12 A/ 12 B may be about 1-4 inches, or about 1.5-2.5 inches, or about 2.146 inches. The height of opener  110  may be about 0.2-0.8 inches, or about 0.3-0.5 inches, or about 0.4 inches. The distance between the center of opening  126  and opening  144  may be about 0.5-2.5 inches, or about 1-1.5 inches, or about 1.25 inches. These are just examples. 
         [0040]    Opener  10  and  110  described herein may be made from a polymer or other suitable material. Some examples of suitable polymers may include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyoxymethylene (POM, for example, DELRIN® available from DuPont), polyether block ester, polyurethane (for example, Polyurethane 85A), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyether-ester (for example, ARNITEL® available from DSM Engineering Plastics), ether or ester based copolymers (for example, butylene/poly(alkylene ether) phthalate and/or other polyester elastomers such as HYTREL® available from DuPont), polyamide (for example, DURETHAN® available from Bayer or CRISTAMID® available from Elf Atochem), elastomeric polyamides, block polyamide/ethers, polyether block amide (PEBA, for example available under the trade name PEBAX®), ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), silicones, polyethylene (PE), Marlex high-density polyethylene, Marlex low-density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene (for example REXELL®), polyester, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyimide (PI), polyetherimide (PEI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphenylene oxide (PPO), poly paraphenylene terephthalamide (for example, KEVLAR®), polysulfone, nylon, nylon-12 (such as GRILAMID® available from EMS American Grilon), perfluoro(propyl vinyl ether) (PFA), ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyolefin, polystyrene, epoxy, polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC), poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) (for example, SIBS and/or SIBS 50A), polycarbonates, ionomers, biocompatible polymers, other suitable materials, or mixtures, combinations, copolymers thereof, polymer/metal composites, and the like. 
         [0041]    Forming the openers disclosed herein may include a molding (e.g., injection molding), casting, 3-D printing, or other suitable processes. 
         [0042]    It should be understood that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of steps without exceeding the scope of the disclosure. This may include, to the extent that it is appropriate, the use of any of the features of one example embodiment being used in other embodiments. The invention&#39;s scope is, of course, defined in the language in which the appended claims are expressed.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1