EP0928771A1

EP0928771A1 - Corkscrew usable for regular and flanged-mouth bottles

Info

Publication number: EP0928771A1
Application number: EP98124447A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Diego Andina
Original assignee: Ghidini Cipriano Sas Di Diego Andina & C
Current assignee: Ghidini Cipriano Sas Di Diego Andina & C
Priority date: 1998-01-08
Filing date: 1998-12-22
Publication date: 1999-07-14
Also published as: ITMI980007U1; IT243711Y1

Abstract

A corkscrew usable for bottles having regular and flanged mouths, having a frame (2) forming an inlet (3) which can be arranged on the mouth (12,14) of a bottle and surrounds the worm (4) which can be inserted in the cork of the bottle. A particularity consists in that an adapter ring (10,10a) is provided which can be coupled to the inlet (3). The adapter ring (10,10a) forms a first abutment (11), which can engage a regular standard bottle mouth (12), and a second abutment (13), which can engage a flanged bottle mouth (14).

Description

The present invention relates to a corkscrew which is usable for bottles having regular or standard mouths and flanged mouths.
It is known that several bottles used for wines are currently commercially available; said bottles usually have a neck ending with a mouth which is externally surrounded by a collar shaped in various manners according to the type of bottle.
Bottles have recently been marketed which have, at their mouth, a wider flange so that they have a larger diameter, in their upper region, than bottles having a so-called regular or standard mouth.
This fact causes difficulties in using conventional corkscrews, since with flanged-mouth bottles the corkscrew cannot be positioned and centered correctly with respect to the mouth of the bottle and therefore difficulties can arise during uncorking.
On the other hand, selecting the dimensions of the inlet of the corkscrew as a function of the size of bottles with flanged mouths would lead to an unstable connection of the corkscrew on bottles having standard mouths.
The aim of the invention is to solve the above problem by providing a corkscrew which can be used for bottles having standard mouths and for bottles having flanged mouths, without thereby having to modify the conventional configuration of a corkscrew.
Within the scope of the above aim, a particular object of the invention is to provide a corkscrew which allows stable positioning on different kinds of bottles while maintaining the classic structure of the corkscrew.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a corkscrew which is usable for bottles having regular and flanged mouths, which can be easily obtained starting from commonly commercially available elements and materials and is also competitive from a merely economical point of view.
This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a corkscrew usable for bottles with regular and flanged mouths, according to the invention, comprising a frame forming an inlet which can be arranged on the mouth of a bottle and surrounds the worm which can be inserted in the cork of the bottle, characterized in that it comprises an adapter ring which can be coupled to said inlet, said adapter ring forming a first abutment, which can engage a regular bottle mouth, and a second abutment, which can engage a flanged bottle mouth.
Further characteristics and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of a corkscrew usable for bottles having regular or standard mouths and bottles having flanged mouths, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a corkscrew with an adapter ring fully inserted in the frame;
Figure 2 is a sectional perspective view of an adapter ring which can be fully inserted in the frame;
Figure 3 is a sectional view, taken along a diametrical plane, of the adapter ring;
Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of a corkscrew with adapter ring partially inserted in the frame;
Figure 5 is a sectional view, taken along a diametrical plane, of an adapter ring which can be partially inserted in the frame.
With reference to the above figures, the corkscrew usable with bottles having regular or standard mouths and flanged mouths, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a frame 2 which can have any shape deemed appropriate and forms, in a per se known manner, a lower inlet 3 which can be applied to a bottle mouth.
The frame 2, in a known manner, surrounds the worm 4, which is insertable in the cork and can also be shaped in any manner.
The particularity of the invention consists in that an adapter ring is provided which can be inserted in said inlet so as to allow to use the corkscrew with bottles having regular mouths and flanged mouths.
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, there is an adapter ring 10 which internally forms a first abutment 11, which engages the regular mouth 12, and a second abutment 13, which engages the flanged mouth 14.
The two abutments 11 and 13 are arranged in the adapter ring 10 at different levels and have mutually different diameters.
The ring 10 can be easily inserted by pushing in the inlet 3 and for this purpose it has a flanged rim 20 which couples to the inlet 3 and fins 21 are also provided thereat which protrude radially and are designed to constitute a stiffening element for the adapter ring.
The adapter ring 10 is structured so as to fully enter the frame 2 and is provided for frames having a relatively large diameter; for frames 2a the inlet 3a of which has a smaller diameter there is an adapter ring 10a which can be inserted only partially in the frame, and for this purpose there is, on the outer surface, an annular protrusion 30 which arranges itself outside the frame and internally forms the second abutment 13, while the first abutment, again designated by the reference numeral 11, is accommodated internally at the region provided with stiffening fins 31, which again have a radial arrangement.
From the above description it is evident that the corkscrew according to the invention substantially maintains the conventional embodiments, with the presence of an adapter ring which forms two different abutments having different diameters, so as to be able to easily engage different kinds of neck, providing at all times a stable and safe resting which ensures the correct insertion of the worm inside the cork.
In practice, the materials employed may be any according to requirements, although the best results have been obtained by using plastics for the adapter ring.
The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. MI98U000007 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A corkscrew usable for bottles with regular and flanged mouths, comprising a frame (2) forming an inlet (3) which can be arranged on the mouth (12,14) of a bottle and surrounds the worm (4) which can be inserted in the cork of the bottle, characterized in that it comprises an adapter ring (10,10a) which can be coupled to said inlet (3), said adapter ring (10,10a) forming a first abutment (11), which can engage a regular bottle mouth (12), and a second abutment (13), which can engage a flanged bottle mouth (14).
The corkscrew according to claim 1, characterized in that said first (11) and second (13) abutments are arranged at mutually different levels.
The corkscrew according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said adapter ring (10) can be fully inserted in said frame (2) and has a flanged rim (20) which can engage said inlet (3).
The corkscrew according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said adapter ring (10a) can be partially inserted in said frame (2) and has, on its outer surface, a protrusion (30) at the region that forms said second abutment (13).
The corkscrew according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said adapter ring (10,10a) has radial stiffening fins (21,31) provided at its outer surface.