Rotating Wire Bottle Opener on Knife Handle

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional knives with integrated bottle openers often face difficulties in easily and securely positioning the opener on bottle caps, leading to inefficient uncapping processes.

Innovation Solution

A knife design featuring a retractable blade with a wire structure that rotates freely around an orthogonal axis, incorporating a support zone and a hooking element for secure bottle cap engagement, allowing easy positioning and uncapping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a conventional bottle opener is integrated into a knife, then the knife has bottle opening capability, but the positioning of the opener on the capsule is difficult and insecure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebottle opening capabilityVSAvoidpositioning of opener on capsule
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bottle opener is designed with a rotatable wire structure that can freely rotate around an axis orthogonal to the handle's longitudinal axis. This dynamic design allows the opener to automatically orient itself and easily position onto the capsule during use, resolving the positioning difficulty while maintaining bottle opening functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bottle opener is segmented into distinct functional elements: a support zone on the handle for resting on the capsule upper part, a hooking element formed by the transverse rectilinear portion of the wire structure for engaging under the capsule, and a rotatable wire structure connecting them. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function independently, improving overall operation ease

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If a wire structure is used for the bottle opener, then the positioning becomes easy and secure, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning of opener on capsuleVSAvoidwire structure with rotation mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The wire structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it forms the structural framework of the bottle opener, provides the hooking element for capsule engagement, enables rotation for easy positioning, and defines the closed contour for the decapping opening. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby minimizing device complexity while achieving easy and secure positioning

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4400280B1Knife with hinged blade provided with a bottle opener
Publication Date: 2024.11.20 OPINEL
  • EP4400280B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4400280B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4400280B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a knife (1) comprising a handle (2) with a longitudinal axis and a blade (3) rotatably mounted at a first longitudinal end of the handle (2), between a position deployed out of the handle (2) and in alignment thereof, and a position folded into a space provided in the handle (2), the knife (1) being characterized in that it further comprises a bottle opener (9), the bottle opener (9) being placed at a second longitudinal end of the handle (2), the bottle opener (9) comprising a wire structure (10) mounted for free rotation about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the handle (2), the wire structure (10) defining with the handle (2) a closed contour delimiting a decapsulation opening (11) intended to receive a capsule, and in that the bottle opener (9) comprises a support element (2a) allowing the bottle opener (9) to rest on an upper part of the capsule,said support element (2a) being formed by a handle support area, and a hooking element allowing the bottle opener (9) to be hooked under the capsule, said hooking element being formed by a straight transverse portion of the wire structure (10).