Motorized Combined Cork and Twist Cap Remover
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for removing bottle caps and corks often require manual effort or specialized tools, especially for bottles with long or short necks, and lack a convenient solution for both cap and cork removal.
Innovation Solution
A hand-held device with a motor and gear system that combines functions for removing both twist caps and corks, featuring a caliper clamp for caps and a corkscrew or gas injection mechanism for corks, allowing for efficient one-handed operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual effort is used to remove bottle caps and corks, then device complexity is reduced, but user effort and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two separate functions (cork removal and cap removal) into a single integrated device. The housing contains both a corkscrew mechanism with extraction tube and a cap gripper mechanism, allowing both functions to be performed by one tool rather than requiring separate manual operations with multiple tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical effort with an electric motor that drives both the corkscrew auger and the cap gripper through gear systems. The motor automatically rotates the auger to extract corks and rotates the gripper to twist off caps, eliminating the need for users to manually crank or twist.
2Reliability
If specialized tools are used for cork removal, then removal effectiveness is improved, but adaptability to different bottle types decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to handle multiple types of closures (corks and screw caps) and different bottle configurations (long neck and short neck bottles). The housing can be positioned in various orientations, and the mechanisms are designed to accommodate different closure types, making the device universally applicable rather than specialized for a single function.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates adjustable and movable components including the caliper clamp assembly with adjustable jaws that can grip different cap sizes, and the corkscrew mechanism that can accommodate various cork lengths. The housing orientation can be dynamically adjusted to suit different bottle types.
3Reliability
If torque applying tools are used for sealed caps, then cap removal capability is improved, but device complexity and user effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cap removal function is merged with the cork removal function in a single integrated mechanism. The motor-driven gripper assembly combines gripping force with rotational torque application, eliminating the need for separate torque tools while maintaining effective cap removal capability for sealed caps.
4Ease of operation
If electronically powered devices are used for cap and cork removal, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single electric motor powers both the corkscrew and cap gripper mechanisms through a shared drive system with gears. This consolidates the power requirement into one motor rather than requiring separate motors for each function, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining automated operation for both cork and cap removal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables convenient and efficient removal of both twist caps and corks from bottles, reducing user effort and providing assistance for individuals with dexterity issues, such as those with arthritis.
Implementation Method 1
a motor and power source connected to at least one gear system for removing a cork or like stopper from a bottle closed by a cork or like stopper
Data Source
AI summary
A hand-held container opener for providing a convenient way to open both containers with a twist-off cap and containers with a cork-stopper which includes a caliper clamp assembly mounted within a first open end of a housing and which is driven by a motor to initially clamp and subsequently twist off a cap on a container and which includes a second open end portion that includes a corkscrew driven by the motor or gas injection device for penetrating a cork for either twisting the cork from the container using the corkscrew or forcing the cork from the container using pressurized gas.