US1341680A - Puller for stoppers - Google Patents

Description

T. C SPELLING.

FULLER FOR STOPPEHS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIZ, 191s.

Patented June 1, 1920.

IFYENTDR I smw i IOFFICE i 'ri-roMAs c. sPELLiNG, orf nnw YORK, N. Y.

FULLER FOR srorrnss;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. SPELLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in'the county of New York and Stateof New Yorln'liave'invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Pullers and Stoppers, of which the following is,

a specification. l p

This invention relates to pullers for stoppers, and has for a purpose the provision of an effective puller so anchored in the substance of the stopper that it will remove the stopper from the mouth and neck'of a bottle without either dismembering it or rendering it unfit for further use, or becoming separated from it.' i p In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a diametrical vertical section of the upper part of a bottle or a jug having itsstopper equipped with my improved puller. Fig. 2 is a diametrical section ofa stopper with my puller'inserted in it and made in such modified form as may be more adapted for large stoppers. Fig. 3 is a section about as on'the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top view of either Fig.1 or 2. Fig. 5 is an elevation'of the puller alone in a modified form. Fig.

7 6 is avright hand side view of Fig. 5. Fig.

7 is a side elevation and part of an edge view of the puller further modified. Fig. 8 is a top view of'a stopper with .eitherof the modified pullers Figs. 5 and 7 applied to it. Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1O designates the neck of any form and size of a bottle or a jug, which is closed by a cork or other stopper 11. proved pulling device is formed of 'a single piece of metal and comprises a bar 12 adapted to bear upon the top of the stopper and is provided at its middle with a catch 13, by which to pull the stopperg'said catch may be the shape .of a ring large enough for the insertion of a finger, and may be soft enough to be bent over upon the stopper during boxing and storing or shipping of the bottles, as indicated in dotted lines to the right in Fig. 3, or the catch may be as small asindicated at 13 inFigs. 5 to 8, in which event the catch serves merely as an engaging point for a nail, spike, shoe-hook or other suitable means for extracting the stopper.

The pulling devicefurther consists of one or more sharp prongs 14, which extend downwardly from the bar 12 and are each The im- 7 Specification of Letters Patent. J 1, 1920;

Application filed July 12, 1918. SeriaINo. 244,544. 7

provided with a pair of-anchoringwings15,

except in the modification Fig. 7, where onlyone wlng, 15 is employed. The -wings are connected-with the prongs by the short and relatively narrow necks, 18. "Such separation" of the-wings from the prongs as is secured by' the-interposition of these necks and the relatively narrowing ofthe "metal portion conduces to flexibility,essential'in the setting of the wings in the substance of the stopper, when upward pull forceis applied;

Each wing is resilient and has a normal tendency to stand at an incline, as shown in nearlyall the (views and each wing has its end dlrected upwardly and formed with 7 square or blunt shoulders 16, by which to en-' gage and lift'the stopper. Toiinsure said en' gagement each wing is also provided with an inclined sharp point or barb 17 said points being "inclined outward beyond the plane of the wing, 16, as shown to the right enough for the purpose in view.

Inthe operation or use of the device, the prong or prongs 14, having sharp exterior edges, ,are'forced' down into the stopper un in Fig.7. The inclineis very little, and'only til the bar 12 bears upon the latte'raiThe resilient force of the metal of which the v puller is formed causes the points of -the barbs 'to trench their ways, as the prong descends, and embeds the sharp ends of the barbs in the'substance of the stopper, whereby they assume a suitable position for penetrating the stopper interiorly and at an angle outwardly. When' the stopper is to be extracted from the bottle a pull upward at the catch 13, or 13*, will cause the prong or prongs to move slightlyupward in the stop.- per and by such movement makethe wings engage firmly in the stopper, especially as the barbs 17 aid the wings in resuming their normally inclined position, from which they were forced by being driven with the prong down into the stopper, After such slight retroactive movement of the prong, vor

prongs,- the wings are thus firmly engaged with the stopper, and the latter is extracted by the last and greatest part ofthepulling action. The stopper and its puller or extracting device may be used over and over again. And in Fig. 7 is shown how the wing 15 may be struck out in the prong and bent over' toward one'side of it.

To fully understand the natureof the'invention it is necessary to keep in mind that the difiieult problem of this class of art has not been tofind means of introducing a wire or stem carrying barbs into the stopper atter the insertion of the latter in place but to find a puller which could be introduced and that when introduced was capable of drawing out the stopper without tearlng it into two portions, leaving one in the bottle neck. This invention solves that problem.

Inasmuch as nearly all stoppers have been heretofore and will presumably 'continue to be made of cork, this device has been adapted to the characteristics of cork. The shoulders are sulficiently 1 diminutive and acute for indentation, and sufliciently dull, or. blunt, to cause the impacting of the substance in all directions rather than a severance; If the latter resulted, dis-membermment of the stopper would ensue, but an indenting and impacting results 1n the integral upward movementrof the stopper upon the application of adequate final pull. force.

In Figs. 5 to 8 may be stamped most economically in the form of a straight strip of sheet metal and bent toward one of its fiat sides into thev desired shape, while in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is shown how thecomplete puller may be stamped out of sheet metal in a single operation, even the wings 15 may be pressed into theinclined position in thesame one operation, or they may be inclined by a second operation. The several forms shown are mainly for selection in manufacturing the article for useon large, medium, and small stoppers. V j v .Many changes of construction and arrangement may be made in the device as above explained, without departing from my present invention, and I do not limit myself to the details and modifications herein shown and described.

Having thus "fully described the preferred, as well as the modified form of the invention, I claim as follows:

1. A puller i'or closures comprising a metal prong sharply pointed at one end havin also shar ened exterior ed es adp h r I 0 D acent to the pomt, wings on laterally exis shown how the puller A puller for closures comprising a metal prong sharply pointed at one end having also sharpened exterior edges adjacent to the point, wings on laterally extended portions of the prong, the wings bluntly shouldered on each side of a sharp point formed centrally thereon, and slanted at an angle from the plane of the wing, each Wing slanted at an angle from the plane of the prong, and a short and relatively narrow neck connecting each wing with the prong, below space madeby cutting out a narrow strip of the metal in forming the prong of comprising a flat metal prong embedded in the stopper and projected downwardly, the prong having Wings formed on lateral projections thereof, the wings slanted from the vertical line of the prong, each wing having a sharp upwardly projected central portion and a relatively blunt shoulder on each side thereof, the prong being centrally apertured above a bar formed in its upper terminal for convenience in use.

6. A puller for closures comprising a metal prongsharply pointed at one end having also sharpened exterior edges adjacent to said point, wings on laterally extended portions of the prong, the wings bluntly shouldered on each side of a sharp pointv formed centrally thereon, and slanted at an angle from the plane of the wing, and a plurality of such devices joined together by a centrally apertured bar resting on the stopper, all the prongs anchored in the stopper as described.

7. A puller for closures comprising a metal prong sharply pointed at one end having also sharpened exterior edges adjacent to the point, wings on laterally extended portions of the prong, the wings bluntly shouldered on' each side of a sharp point formed centrally thereon, and slanted at an angle from the plane of the wing, each wing slanted. at an angle from the plane of the prong, and a plurality of such devices joined together by a centrally apertured barj resting on the stopper, all the wings anchored in the stopper as described.

8. In a combination of a stopper and puller, a single sharply pointed and bluntly shouldered member formed on the prong of the puller.

9. In a combination of a stopper and In testimony whereof I affix my signature puller, a single sharply'pointed and bluntl i in presence of two Witnesses. shouldere member formec on the prong 0 the puller, the sharply pointed portion in- THOMAS SPELLING' 5 elined upwardly at an angle With respect to Vitnesses:

the plane of the member below the shoul- MARY A. ENGEL, ders. E. FRANKS.

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