Corkscrew comprising a plate provided with fulcrum arms

Abstract

The present invention relates to a corkscrew comprising a handle to which a worm is hingedly connected, said worm having an axis of rotation with respect to which it rotates so as to be inserted into a cork located in the neck of a bottle, the axis of rotation generating a plane when the worm pivots about the hinge. The corkscrew further comprises a body that is hingedly connected to the handle, the body being provided with a pair of separate base arms arranged facing each other with respect to the plane and a plate coupled to the body essentially perpendicular to the plane. The plate comprises a pair of separate fulcrum arms arranged facing each other with respect to the plane, said fulcrum arms protruding from the base arms and configured to rest on the rim of the mouth of the bottle, increasing the bearing area on the rim compared to conventional corkscrews.

Description

[0001]

[0002] CORKSCREW WITH PLATE PROVIDED WITH FULCRUM ARMS

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to corkscrews or bottle openers provided with the appropriate means to guarantee the integrity of the bottle mouth during the removal of the stopper or cork.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In the prior art, various types of corkscrews have been developed to facilitate the quick and effortless removal of a bottle cork. However, in most cases, especially with so-called waiter's corkscrews where the cork is removed in one or two steps, the rapid cork removal process does not provide any means to guarantee the integrity of the bottle neck, which is typically made of glass.

[0007] The main drawback to quickly removing the cork by resting the corkscrew on the neck of the bottle is related to the fact that, since thin plates are normally used to manufacture the fulcrums, the area where these fulcrums rest on the bottle neck is also thin. This causes a stress concentration point when the fulcrum rests on the neck to remove the cork, meaning a high load applied to a very small area. This implies a risk of breaking the rim, which increases with the speed of extraction.

[0008] In accordance with the above, and to avoid stress concentrators, corkscrews whose fulcrums do not use thin plates to rest on the bottle have been detected in the state of the art, but they are structurally complex, with a greater number of parts, dimensions, weights and acquisition costs, making them inconvenient for the daily use of professional waiters and sommeliers.

[0009] Therefore, it is evident that there is a need to provide a corkscrew in which it is possible to increase the contact area of ​​the fulcrum on the rim of the opening.

[0010] 2 the bottle without increasing the weight, dimensions and complexity of the resulting corkscrew.

[0011] EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] To address the identified needs, the present invention provides a corkscrew, as described in claim 1.

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the aforementioned corkscrew are described in the dependent claims accompanying claim 1.

[0014] The corkscrew of the invention, as its name indicates, is intended to extract a stopper housed in a neck of a bottle, said neck being provided with a mouth with a rim.

[0015] In turn, the corkscrew is provided with a handle in which a helix is ​​hinged for insertion into the stopper, the helix comprising a rotation axis with respect to which it rotates to insert into the stopper, such that the rotation axis generates a PAH plane when said helix pivots with respect to the handle by virtue of the hinge-type articulation.

[0016] The corkscrew also comprises a body hinged to the handle and a plate attached to said body essentially perpendicular to plane PAH. The plate comprises a through-slot open at one end forming a pair of separate fulcrum arms arranged opposite each other with respect to plane PAH, the fulcrum arms being configured to rest simultaneously on rim RB.

[0017] As previously mentioned, fulcrums made with thin plates that rest edge-on on the rim have very little contact area and, therefore, generate stress concentrators or localized pressure peaks that can fracture or break the rim, compromising the beverage inside the bottle. In contrast, in the corkscrew of the invention, the fulcrum arms of the plate attached to the body perpendicular to the PAH plane provide a much larger contact area on the rim, protecting its integrity even at high cork removal speeds. In addition to protecting the rim by providing more contact surface, the corkscrew is less susceptible to errors in inserting the helix in the cork at a non-vertical and / or off-center position, which, as is well known, can damage the helix, deforming it, or cause the cork to break during extraction.

[0018] It is also worth noting that in corkscrews where the fulcrums are made from a thin plate, the plate is typically folded to form two separate, opposite walls on which the fulcrums are arranged. These plates are parallel to a PAH plane, similar to the PAH plane described for the present corkscrew. In this respect, a plate positioned perpendicular to this PAH plane is more resistant to deformation than plates parallel to it because the latter tend to fatigue and sag outwards when tensile force is applied to the cork during extraction.

[0019] In addition to the above, the through-slot and open at one end of the plate that generates the fulcrum arms provides enough space to allow the plug to pass through it without obstructing it, even if the plate tilts towards the mouth, in possible steps after the first opening step.

[0020] On the other hand, in the corkscrew of the invention, the body comprises at least one pair of separate base arms arranged opposite each other with respect to plane PAH, where the fulcrum arms of the plate each engage with the base arms and project in a direction transverse to them. The base arms provide greater rigidity to the plate, supporting the fulcrum arms, such that, during cork extraction, the support force is distributed from the plate to the base arms.

[0021] In an alternative embodiment, each fulcrum arm has a convex surface at one end configured to rest on the rim. During cork removal, and to prevent cork bending, unlike conventional corkscrews, the fulcrum arms of this corkscrew slide / roll on the rim thanks to their convex surface. This allows the plate to be adjusted so that the pulling force exerted on the cork is as parallel as possible to the axis of the cork or neck, and to accommodate the supports of the fulcrum arms on the rim according to the different insertion depths of the helix required for the lengths of the corks.Preferably, the base arms are formed to follow the curvature of the convex surface of the ends of the fulcrum arms, reinforcing the latter, counteracting the component parallel to the PAH plane of the plug's resistance force since it always rests on a curve given the curved portion of the flange.

[0022] In an alternative embodiment, the body comprises a pair of distal plates spaced from the pair of base arms. These plates are arranged facing each other with respect to the PAH plane and oriented such that they converge. The distal plates are configured to substantially conform to the curvature of the ridge and rest against it to provide a final extraction stage. The convergent shape of the distal plates, adapted to the ridge, reduces the clamping force required for the final extraction.

[0023] Alternatively, the distal plates are further configured to rest on the neck such that, when the plate's fulcrum arms rest on the rim, the distal plates rest at least partially on the neck, giving the corkscrew greater stability during extraction.

[0024] Now, returning to the base plate and arms, in the embodiment described so far, the plug is extracted in at least a first step provided by the plate, and, alternatively, a second step provided by the distal plates that rest on the rim in a final extraction stage. However, as many spaced plates as required or desired extraction steps can be arranged along the body, where each plate is attached to the body essentially perpendicular to the PAH plane and comprises fulcrum arms formed by a through-slot open at one end. It is important to note that the more extraction steps there are, the less distortion (deformation) of the plug occurs during extraction.

[0025] Preferably, in this embodiment, as many pairs of base arms are arranged on the body as there are plates; that is, base arms that support the fulcrum arms. The arms within the pair of base arms are separated and arranged opposite each other with respect to the PAH plane, where each pair of fulcrum arms projects in a direction transverse to each pair of base arms. According to the above, the resulting plate and base arm structure can be iterated and allows for as many extraction steps as desired with a single monocoque fulcrum without adding joints or hinges, simplifying its use.

[0026] 6 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0027] The above and other advantages and features will be fully understood from the following detailed description of some embodiment examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be considered illustrative and not limiting, in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the corkscrew of the invention.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a plan view of the corkscrew of the invention in which plane PAH is seen as a line.

[0030] Fig. 3 is an elevation view of the corkscrew of the invention in which the PAH plane is seen as a line and the rotation axis 21 of the helix is ​​also seen as a line where both are visually coincident.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the corkscrew of the invention arranged for the extraction of a stopper inserted in a bottle.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the corkscrew of the invention with two plates.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN IMPLEMENTATION EXAMPLE

[0034] The following detailed description presents numerous specific examples to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. However, it will be evident to those skilled in the subject that these teachings can be put into practice without such details.

[0035] As shown in the figures, in one example embodiment, the present invention provides a corkscrew 1 intended to extract a stopper T housed in a neck C of a bottle (not shown), the neck C being provided with a mouth B with a rim RB and a neck G, as shown in figure 4.

[0036] On the other hand, the corkscrew 1 comprises a handle 10 to which a helix 20 is attached, which is inserted by rotation about a rotation axis 21 into the stopper T. The helix 20 is coupled to the handle 10 via a hinge-type joint 11 such that the rotation axis 21 generates a plane PAH when the helix 20 pivots about the joint 11. The person skilled in the art will see that when the helix 20 moves about the joint 11, which enables

[0037] 7 only the pivoting movement of said helix 20, the rotation axis 21 makes a sweep that generates the PAH plane, where said plane contains the rotation axis 21. In figure 1 the PAH plane has been represented in perspective, however, in figure 2 the PAH plane is seen as a line, as in figure 3, it can be seen in figures 2 and 3 that the corkscrew 1 is symmetric with respect to the PAH plane.

[0038] As shown in the figures, the corkscrew 1 comprises a body 3 articulated by means of a joint 12 to the handle 10, where the joint 12 enables the pivoting of body 3 with respect to the handle 10. In this way, both the helix 20 and body 3 fold and unfold with respect to the handle 10, for transport and extraction, respectively.

[0039] Body 3 comprises a pair of separate base arms 3D 3I arranged facing each other with respect to plane PAH; and a plate 4 coupled to body 3 essentially perpendicular to plane PAH. Plate 4 comprises a through slot 4R open at one end forming a pair of separate fulcrum arms 4D 4I arranged facing each other with respect to plane PAH. As shown in Figure 2, the fulcrum arms 4D 4I project transversely from the base arms 3D 3I, oriented inwards towards the interior of body 3 and towards plane PAH.

[0040] The fulcrum arms 4D 4I each have at one end a convex surface 4DC 4IC configured to rest on the flange RB.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, body 3 comprises a pair of distal plates 3DD 3DI spaced away from the pair of base arms 3D 3I, extending away from joint 12. The pair of distal plates 3DD 3DI are positioned facing each other with respect to the PAH plane, convergently oriented towards one another, and configured to substantially conform to and rest upon the curvature of the RB ridge. In particular, at the end furthest from joint 12, the distal plates 3DD 3DI comprise a curved portion 3DD1 3DI1 designed to conform to and rest upon the transitional curvature of the RB ridge during the final stage of T-plug removal.

[0042] Furthermore, the distal plates 3DD 3DI are additionally configured to rest on the neck G such that, when the fulcrum arms 4D 4I of plate 4 rest on the rim RB, the distal plates 3DD 3DI rest at least partially on the neck G, adapting to the protrusion in the neck C generated by the neck G, giving greater stability to the corkscrew 1 in the extraction of the stopper T.

[0043] In an alternative embodiment, as many base plates and arms as required can be arranged depending on the desired extraction steps.

[0044] As shown in Figure 5, the corkscrew 1 comprises a second plate 40 coupled to the body 3 essentially perpendicular to the plane PAH, the second plate 40 comprising the respective pair of fulcrum arms 40D 40I to which respective base arms 30D 30I of the body 3 are coupled. Analogously to plate 4, the fulcrum arms 40D 401 of the second plate 40 comprise at one end a convex surface 40DC 40IC configured to rest on the rim RB.

[0045] 9

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A corkscrew (1) designed to extract a stopper (T) housed in a neck (C) of a bottle, the neck (C) being provided with a mouth (B) with a rim (RB), wherein the corkscrew (1) comprises a handle (10) to which a helix (20) is attached, the helix (20) being designed to be inserted into the stopper (T), the helix (20) comprising a pivot axis (21) about which it rotates to be inserted into the stopper (T), the helix (20) being attached to the handle (10) by means of a hinge joint (11) such that the pivot axis (21) generates a plane (PAH) when the helix (20) pivots about the joint (11), characterized in that it comprises: - a body (3) articulated to the handle (10), the body (3) comprising at least a pair of separate base arms (3D) (3I) arranged facing each other with respect to the plane (PAH); and - a plate (4) attached to the body (3) essentially perpendicular to the plane (PAH), the plate (4) comprising a through slot (4R) open at one end forming a pair of separate fulcrum arms (4D) (4I) arranged facing each other with respect to the plane (PAH), which protrude in a transverse direction from the base arms (3D) (3I) and configured to rest simultaneously on the flange (RB).

2. Corkscrew (1) according to claim 1 wherein the fulcrum arms (4D) (4I) each have at one end a convex surface (4DC) (4IC) configured to rest on the rim (RB).

3. Corkscrew (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the body (3) comprises a pair of distal plates (3DD) (3DI) spaced from the pair of base arms (3D) (3I), the pair of distal plates (3DD) (3DI) being arranged facing each other with respect to the plane (PAH) convergently oriented towards each other and configured to substantially adapt to the curvature of the rim (RB) and rest on the latter.

4. Corkscrew (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the body (3) comprises a plurality of pairs of base arms wherein each pair of base arms is separated from the other pair of arms along the body (3), and wherein each of the base arms in the pair of base arms are separated and arranged facing each other with respect to the plane (PAH).

5. Corkscrew (1) according to claim 4 comprising a plurality of plates each coupled to the body (3) essentially perpendicular to the plane (PAH), each of the plates being separated along the body (3), wherein each of the plates comprises through-slots open at one end forming pairs of fulcrum arms, each pair of fulcrum arms being separated and arranged facing each other with respect to the plane (PAH), projecting respectively in a transverse direction with respect to the plurality of pairs of base arms, and configured to rest simultaneously on the rim (RB).

6. Corkscrew (1) according to claim 5 wherein each of the fulcrum arms has at one end a convex surface configured to rest on the rim (RB).

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