Patent ID: 7168337

Claim:
An opener to facilitate the removal of a threaded lid from the top of a jar, said jar having an open mouth surrounded by a thread, said opener comprising a body having an circularly arcuate C-shape with an inner sidewall, an outer sidewall, an upper edge and a lower edge, said body terminating at two ends separated by an open gap, an inwardly extending stop extending along said inner sidewall adjacent to said upper edge, the region inside said inner sidewall being open, said inner sidewall including a pair of portions of different diameter, with the portion of larger diameter being the closer portion to said lower edge, whereby to form a shoulder facing toward said lower edge, said body being made of a stiffly flexible substance which tends to restore itself to an original shape when distortive forces are removed, whereby said body can be spread open at said gap to receive a lid, and released to embrace said lid, thereby to assist a user to remove said lid from said jar, the larger diameter portion facilitating the entry of the lid into the region inside the body; said opener further including an abutment comprising a pair of arms and a bight joining said arms each arm being joined at a respective said end of said body, and said arms being disposed entirely radially beyond said outer side wall, said abutment being springly flexible to enable said ends of the body to be spread apart, but sufficiently strong to assist a user to apply torque to said body to open the jar.