US3359838A - Cork puller and protective sheath therefor - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1967 VQGEL CORK FULLER AND PROTECTIVE SHEATH THEREFOR Filed May 31, 1966 COQK PU LEQw AT T URNBYS United States Patent 3,359,838 CORK PULLER AND PROTECTIVE SHEATH THEREFOR Kurt M. Vcgel, 84 Easton Road, Westport, Conn. 06880 Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 553,984 3 Claims. (Cl. 81-3.48)

The present invention relates to a bottle cork puller and protective sheath therefor, particularly of the type wherein the cork puller comprises a transverse handle and a pair of downwardly projecting laterally spaced spring legs for insertion in the neck of a bottle at opposite sides of the cork, whereby the cork is gripped and, through a turning and pulling force applied to the handle, is drawn from the bottle. In such cork pullers as heretofore known, the legs are formed from a strip of relatively thin spring steel and are curved in cross section to substantially conform to the inside curvature of the bottle neck, with the result that substantial frictional resistance against turning is set up between the legs and the bottle neck surface, while at the same time there isv little resistance to turning relatively to the cork. Consequently, upon turning of the cork puller, the spring legs tend to move relatively to the cork without turning it, causing the sharp edges of the spring legs to abrade and crumble the cork.

An object of the invention is to provide a cork puller wherein the spring legs are provided with projecting formations upon their outer sides for point or line contact with the hard inner surface of the bottle neck, whereby there is a minimal area of contact with the bottle neck and a substantial reduction in frictional resistance to turning. At the same time, the projecting formations increase the extent to which the legs imbed into the cork surface, thereby increasing the gripping action upon the cork and making for its more positive removal from the bottle with substantially less effort than heretofore.

Another object is to provide a cork puller which, by virtue of the projecting formations, provides air passages along the outer sides of the spring legs when the spring legs are inserted into the bottle neck beyond the inner end of the cork to thus allow the escape of compressed gases within the bottle prior to removal of the cork.

A further object is to provide an improved sheath for receiving the spring legs of the cork puller when not in use, and particularly to provide a sheath comprising a flanged U-shaped frame part forming two opposed sides of the sheath and a U-shaped insert part fitted within the frame part and forming the other two opposed sides, such insert part being formed of flat strip material folded into U-shape, and which, prior to assembly and while in a flat unfolded state, may have suitable indicia or decoration of an advertising or other desired nature applied thereto as by printing, embossing, or the like.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cork puller and protective sheath according to the invention showing the cork puller inserted in the sheath;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cork puller removed from the sheath;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective sheath;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the insert part of the protective sheath shown in its flat state prior to forming;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the insert part and the frame part of the protective sheath in separated relation with the insert part aligned with the frame part for insertion therein;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation partially in vertical section of the cork puller;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of a cork puller according to a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showing the side legs of the cork puller in inserted relation to a bottle neck and cork.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, the cork puller, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated therein, comprises a transverse handle 10 provided centrally with a pocket 11, opening to a downwardly projecting centrally disposed rectangular projection 12 at the underside of the handle, the side walls of the pocket being vertical and parallel to each other and the top wall being substantially semi-circular.

A pair of spring legs 13 and 14 project downwardly from handle 10 in laterally spaced relation to each other and are part of a strip of spring steel bent into inverted U-shape with the bight 15 of the bent strip inserted in the pocket 11 of the handle, where it is rigidly retained by a pair of locking plates 16 and 17 which are forced into tight engagement with the bight of the inserted strip and are retained by a cross-pin 18 engaged in registering holes 19-49 in the plate members and 20-20 in the side walls of the handle.

The concealed bight portion 15 of the leg forming strip is transversely straight while the exposed spring leg portions 13 and 14 are transversely curved to provide convex outer sides and concave inner sides, the curvature being such that, in the inserted relation at opposite sides of a cork disposed within a bottle neck, the legs are substantially concentric to the inner surface of the bottle neck. The legs are also longitudinally curved outwardly in downwardly divergent relation, and one leg is somewhat longer than the other to facilitate insertion in the bottle neck.

Along the longitudinal center line of each spring leg there is provided a series of longitudinally spaced convexly rounded projections 21 formed by embossing the metal strip outwardly so that recesses 22 are formed at inner sides of the projections.

As seen in FIG. 9, the projections 21 engage the hard inner surface of the bottle neck 23 with point contact, thus providing minimal frictional resistance to the down- Ward insertion of the spring legs between the bottle neck 23 and the cork 24, as well as to the turning and outward pulling force exerted upon the cork puller relatively to the bottle neck. The projections also space the outer convex surfaces of the spring legs from the inner surface of the bottle neck and increase the extent to which the spring legs imbed into the cork by an amount equal to the height of the projections, thus more firmly gripping the cork to facilitate its removal from the bottle neck with little tendency for the sharp longitudinal edges of the spring legs to abrade or crumble the cork. The gripping force is further increased by the recesses 22 into which the cork expands when the cork puller is fully inserted. The inward spacing of the spring legs from the inner surface of the bottle neck by the projections 22 also provides air passages along the outer sides of the legs to permit the escape of compressed gases from the bottle prior to the removal of the cork.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 8, the projecting means of each spring leg is in the form of an outwardly embossed centrally disposed longitudinal rib 25 convexly curved at its outer side and extending substantially the full length of the exposed portion of the leg. The relationship of the ribs to the bottle neck surface is substantially identical to the projections 21, except that the ribs engage the bottle neck surface with line contact as distinguished from the point contact of the projections 21.

The protective sheath comprises a U-shaped frame part 26 having inwardly extending marginal flanges 2727 along the forward and rearward edges of its side and bottom walls, and a U-shaped insert part 28 inserted within the frame part with its open sides closed by the side Walls of the frame part, and with its forward and rearward walls super-imposed along their side and bottom margins by the flanges 27 to thus form display panels framed by the flanges, the insert part being secured to the flanges by spot welds 29. As seen in FIG. 4 the insert part is in the form of a flat strip prior to forming into U-shape, and may, in such fiat state, have indicia 30 or the like printed upon both panel forming portions in a single printing operation.

In the assembled relation of the protective sheath with the cork puller, as seen in FIG. 1, the spring legs 13 and 14 are compressed and retained through outward spring pressure against the side walls of the sheath.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cork puller and a protective sheath therefor, said cork puller comprising a transverse handle, and a pair of thin strip-like spring legs having relatively thin longitudinal edges and relatively wide inner and outer sides, said legs being secured to said handle and extending downwardly therefrom with their inner sides in laterally opposed spaced relation to each other, and said protective sheath comprising a narrow U-shaped frame part having side and bottom walls and a pair of continuous uninterrupted flanges extending inwardly from the side edges of said side and bottom walls, and an insert part comprising front and rear walls relatively Wider than said side and bottom walls, said front and rear walls being superimposed along their bottom and side marginal portions by said flanges, and means securing said flanges to said front and rear walls.

2. A co-rk puller and protective sheath therefor as defined in claim 1, wherein said insert part is U-shaped and comprises a bottom wall integral with said front and rear walls.

3. A cork puller for removing a cork from a bottleneck comprising:

(A) a transverse handle,

(B) a pair of thin strip-like legs having relatively thin longitudinal edges and relatively wide inner and outer sides, said legs being secured to said handle and extending downwardly therefrom with their inner sides in laterally opposed spaced relation to each other, and

(C) a longitudinal series of spaced outwardly projecting closed embossings disposed along the longitudinal center line of said legs in inwardly spaced relation to their longitudinal edges, and presenting smooth outwardly disposed surfaces, whereby upon insertion of said legs between said bottleneck and said cork, said outwardly disposed surfaces of said embossings engage the inner surface of the bottleneck over a relatively small total area and said legs imbed in the cork to an extent equal to the sum of the thickness of said legs and the embossings projecting from the outer sides of said legs.

JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 3. A CORK PULLER FOR REMOVING A CORK FROM A BOTTLENECK COMPRISING: (A) A TRANSVERSE HANDLE, (B) A PAIR OF THIN STRIP-LIKE LEGS HAVING RELATIVELY THIN LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND RELATIVELY WIDE INNER AND OUTER SIDES, SAID LEGS BEING SECURED TO SAID HANDLE AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM WITH THEIR INNER SIDES IN LATERALLY OPPOSED SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, AND (C) A LONGITUDINAL SERIES OF SPACED OUTWARDLY PROJECTING CLOSED EMBOSSINGS DISPOSED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF SIAD LEGS IN INWARLDY SPACED RELATION TO THEIR LONGITUDINAL EDGES, AND PRESENTING SMOOTH OUTWARDLY DISPOSED SURFACES, WHEREBY UPON INSERTION OF SAID LEGS BETWEEN SAID BOTTLENECK AND SAID CORK, SAID OUTWARLDY DISPOSED SURFACE OF SAID EMBOSSINGS ENGAGE THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BOTTLENECK OVER A RELATIVELY SMALL TOTAL AREA AND SAID LEGS IMBED IN THE CORK TO AN EXTENT EQUAL TO THE SUM OF THE THICKNESS OF SAID LEGS AND THE EMBOSSINGS PROJECTING FROM THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID LEGS.

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