Tools – Receptacle closure remover – Combined or plural
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-13
2001-06-05
Smith, James G. (Department: 3723)
Tools
Receptacle closure remover
Combined or plural
C015S212000, C081S003410
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240808
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a tool for removing a cork and cork pieces floating in a narrow neck bottle.
Corks being broken in the neck of a bottle during removal, for example, by a corkscrew, is an extremely common problem. Generally, in this situation, the user pushes the cork and the cork pieces down into the bottle where they remain while the contents of the bottle are emptied.
Although it is possible to pour wine and other beverages from a bottle with a cork floating in it, often cork pieces end up in the beverage. Further, the floating cork can provide an impediment against pouring the beverage from the bottle, frequently leading to spillage. Moreover, for commercial applications, such as restaurants, it is generally not acceptable to serve an expensive bottle of wine with cork pieces floating in the wine.
Attempts have been made to design tools for removing trapped intact corks from bottles, such as those described in Delnero U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,467; Sersen U.S. Pat. No. 983,778; Tyrer U.S. Pat. No. 199,760; and Simpers U.S. Pat. No. 120,830. These tools generally utilize one or more elongated loops, which compress into a size small enough to fit into a bottle neck, expand in the main body of the bottle, and loop around a broken cork for withdrawal through the neck.
Under certain circumstances, these cork pulling devices can be effective, but they also suffer disadvantages. For example, those with a single loop are difficult to center around a floating cork. Simpers and Tyrer use multiple loops, but they are attached together at their ends, which makes them difficult to manipulate around a cork. The Delnero device utilizes a strap, which is rigid and difficult to pull the cork through a narrow neck, the strap creating a significant resistance to the pulling motion. Moreover, none of these devices is effective in removing small pieces of broken cork from a bottle, all being directed to removal of substantially intact corks.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cork extractor that can be used for removing corks and small cork pieces floating in the main body of a narrow neck bottle, where the extractor is easily manipulated and easily used.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to a cork extractor that satisfies these needs. The cork extractor is designed for removing a cork and/or cork pieces from the inside of the main body of a bottle having a narrow neck into which the intact cork can snugly fit. The extractor comprises a handle and at least two generally oval loops depending from the handle. Each loop has a long axis and a short axis, and defines a plane, the planes being transverse to each other. The loops form a cage into which a cork can fit. The loops have a non-deformed configuration and a deformed configuration. In the non-deformed configuration the short axis of the loops is larger than the diameter of the neck of the bottle, and typically is less than the diameter of the main body of the bottle. The loops are sufficiently flexible and sufficiently strong that they can be compressed into their deformed configuration and inserted into the bottle through the neck. In the deformed configuration, the short axis of the loops is smaller than the diameter of the neck of the bottle.
Preferably the loops are formed of wire circular in cross-section. The wire can have a diameter of about 0.04 inch. Preferably the distal ends of the loops are not secured to each other, but do contact each other in the non-deformed and deformed configurations. Optionally, the distal ends can be removably interlocked in a manner that allows each to retain its flexibility. This makes it easier to manipulate the device to encompass a cork than with the multiple loop prior art devices discussed above.
Preferably the extractor includes a flexible mesh at the distal ends of the loops for removing cork pieces from the bottle. The flexible mesh can be attached to the loops at the distal ends, or can be attached to the handle.
Thus, the present invention provides a cork extractor that is easy to use, and can be used for extracting intact corks as well as small pieces of cork from a narrow neck bottle.
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Sheldon & Mak
Smith James G.
Thomas David B.
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