WO2011098257A1

WO2011098257A1 - Corkscrew

Info

Publication number: WO2011098257A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/000588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gary Cooke
Original assignee: Le Creuset SAS
Current assignee: Le Creuset SAS
Priority date: 2010-02-12
Filing date: 2011-02-08
Publication date: 2011-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2012-08-12
Also published as: GB201002435D0

Abstract

A corkscrew (1) for removing a cork from a neck of a bottle comprises a worm element (5) and a handle (3) pivotably connected to the worm element, for raising and lowering the worm element. An abutment arm (9) having an upper section (19) and a lower section (21), is pivotably connected to the handle at a first pin (11). The lower section is pivotably connected to the upper section at a second pin (17) and has a first shoulder (13) and a second shoulder (15), each shoulder being abuttable to the edge of the neck of the bottle. The second shoulder is spaced further from the second pin than the first shoulder. In use, when the second shoulder abuts the edge of the neck of the bottle, the upper and lower sections are rotatable about the second pin to enable movement of the first shoulder away from the cork being removed.

Description

CORKSCREW

This present invention relates to a corkscrew and methods for removing a cork from a bottle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drinks such as wine are frequently stored in glass bottles prior to consumption, which are often sealed from the external atmosphere by means of a cork placed in the mouth of the bottle. In order to gain access to the contents of such bottles, the cork must be removed from the mouth.

Corkscrews for aiding the removal of corks are well known in the art. For example, wine-waiter's corkscrews have been specifically designed to make the process of removing a cork from the bottle as quick and requiring as little effort as possible.

A conventional wine-waiter's corkscrew is a one-step corkscrew. This commonly operates as a second class lever having a handle attached to a worm and a support arm for resting on the neck of the bottle, pivotably attached to the handle. The support arm has a notch or shoulder capable of engaging with the neck of the bottle. The worm is screwed into the cork and the propping arm is manoeuvred such that the notch engages with the neck of the bottle. The support arm is supported in position by the user as the handle is raised, and the cork is removed from the neck of the bottle. Thus removal comprises one step. However, problems exist with one-step corkscrews. This might include complete cork removal not being possible after only a single step.

Two-step corkscrews also exist in the art. The support arm has two notches or shoulders at unequal distances from the pivot with the handle, each independently capable of engaging with the neck of the bottle. The worm is screwed into the cork and the propping arm is manoeuvred such that the notch closest to the pivot engages with the neck of the bottle. The support arm is supported in position by the user as the handle is raised, and the cork is partially removed from the neck of the bottle. For complete removal of the cork, the process is repeated with the notch furthest from the pivot engaged with the neck of the bottle. Consequently, the cork is removed in two- steps, which provides improved leverage for the user over one-step corkscrews. There is a desire to provide useful alternatives to existing two-step corkscrews and improve the way in which they operate.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a corkscrew and a method for removing a cork from a bottle, as defined in the appended independent claims to which reference should now be made. Advantageous or preferred features are set forth in the dependent claims.

A corkscrew for removing a cork from the neck of the bottle, according to the present invention, may advantageously comprise a worm element; a handle or lever arm pivotably connected to the worm element for raising and lowering the worm element; and a support or abutment arm having an upper section and a lower section, the upper section being pivotably connected to the handle at a first pivot and the lower section being pivotably connected to the upper section at a second pivot, the lower section having a first shoulder and a second shoulder, each shoulder being abuttable to an edge of the neck of the bottle and the second shoulder being spaced further from the second pivot than the first shoulder. The first pivot and second pivot may be arranged such that in use, when the second shoulder abuts the edge of the neck of the bottle, the upper and lower sections are rotatable about the second pivot to enable movement of the first shoulder away from the cork being removed. In such an arrangement, the first shoulder may be much less likely to interfere with cork removal on the second step of a two-step process. As the cork is being extracted along a vertical axis, the first shoulder may swing out along a lateral axis which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of cork removal. The worm element may be connected to the lever arm by a hinge or a pivot.

In order to achieve the desired rotation of the first shoulder about the second pivot, the first pivot and second pivot may be arranged such that, in use, when the second shoulder abuts the edge of the neck of the bottle, a vertical axis on which the first pivot resides (first pivot axis) is closer to a vertical axis defined through the centre of the bottle (central bottle axis) or the worm axis (the axis defined by the worm when it is inserted into the cork), than a vertical axis on which the second pivot resides (second pivot axis). As used herein, a vertical axis is intended to mean vertical with the bottle in an upright position, with the mouth of the bottle uppermost. The second pivot axis may be said to be outside the first pivot axis with respect to the central bottle axis. Consequently, when the second shoulder abuts the edge of the neck of the bottle, and the worm is raised, and/or as finger pressure is applied to the abutment arm in the vicinity of the second shoulder, there may be a natural tendency for rotation about the second pivot. This is unlikely to occur if the first pivot axis and second pivot axis are substantially aligned or if the second pivot axis is nearer to the central bottle axis or worm axis than the first pivot axis.

To aid in the rotation of the first shoulder away from the cork when the second shoulder abuts the bottle, the second shoulder may be arranged on the abutment arm such that it engages with the edge of the neck of the bottle most securely when the first shoulder has rotated away from the cork. For example, the shoulder may comprise a substantially right-angled notch which corresponds to and releasably engages with the substantially right-angled edge of the neck of the bottle. Prior to the first shoulder swinging out and away from the cork, the notch of the second shoulder may not rest on the neck of the bottle optimally and may be offset with respect to the corresponding shape on the neck of the bottle. Applying finger pressure to the abutment arm in the vicinity of the second shoulder and/or raising the screw element may cause rotation about the second pivot and may then allow optimal interaction, fit or engagement between the second shoulder and the edge of the neck of the bottle. The shape of the first notch may be such that it engages optimally with the edge of the neck of the bottle most securely when the first shoulder has not rotated away from the cork. However, the first shoulder or second shoulder may be any shape which allows the abutment arm to rest on the neck of the bottle. The first shoulder may protrude further from the abutment arm than the second shoulder such that in use, when the second shoulder is abutted to the edge of the neck of the bottle but before rotation of the upper and lower sections allows movement of the first shoulder away from the cork to be removed, the first shoulder is positioned substantially vertically over the cork to be removed i.e. closer to the central bottle axis than the second shoulder. This may be advantageous by allowing the first and second shoulders to be more easily placed into position over the course of a two- step procedure, than if the first shoulder and second shoulder protrude from the abutment arm to a substantially similar extent. There may be an easier transition from a position in which the first shoulder abuts the bottle to a position in which a second shoulder abuts the bottle, as raising the support arm after the first step has been completed may automatically place the second shoulder in the desired position on the neck of the bottle.

Preferably, the lower section of the abutment arm comprises a curved portion between the first and second shoulders which may be substantially concave with respect to the neck of the bottle. This may abut the neck of the bottle and

advantageously prevent the lower section from moving away from the bottle during the first step of cork extraction when the first shoulder abuts the neck of the bottle. It may stop the first shoulder from slipping off the bottle neck.

In a preferred embodiment, the corkscrew acts as a second class lever, with the abutment arm acting as a fulcrum, the lever arm acting as a lever and the load represented by the cork, being positioned between the fulcrum and the position on the lever at which the user applies force to remove the cork. In a second class lever, the user would apply an upwardly vertical force to remove the cork and the lever arm would rotate about the first pivot. The corkscrew could, however, act as a first class lever.

Preferably, the first shoulder and second shoulder are fixedly connected such that there is little or no relative movement between the first shoulder and second shoulder. Consequently, the first and second shoulder may be able to rotate as one unit about the second pivot. This may be of particular importance for ensuring that the first shoulder swings away from the cork to be removed as the second shoulder engages with the neck of the bottle.

Preferaby, rotation about the second pivot is partially restricted such that the upper section and lower section are configurable between two states, a first state and a second state, such that an angular relationship between the upper and lower section in the first state is different to the angular relationship between the upper and lower section in the second state. The angular relationship in the first state may be such that the first shoulder is positioned substantially vertically over the cork to be removed, potentially hindering cork removal. The angular relationship in the second state may be such that the first shoulder is no longer positioned over the cork and has moved away from the cork. In the first state, the position of the second pivot may be closer to the worm axis/central bottle axis and in the second state, the second pivot may be further from the worm axis. In the first state, the first shoulder may engage the neck of the bottle whilst the second shoulder rests against a side of a bottle. When the first shoulder abuts the neck of the bottle, the corkscrew cannot be in the second state, owing to the shape of standard bottle necks.

In some embodiments, the first state may be defined as an aligned state in which there exists substantial alignment between the upper section and the lower section, and the second state may be described as an angulated state in which there exists substantial angulation between the upper section and the lower section. In such an arrangement, the aligned state may represent the extent of rotation in one direction and the angulated state may represent the extent of rotation in the opposing direction. An advantage of partially restricted rotation may be that once the first shoulder has swung away from the cork a sufficient amount, it will be maintained in this position without any further effort from the user, and provide rigidity to the angled state as the cork is being removed.

Partial restriction of rotation may be accomplished by interaction between the upper section and lower section of the abutment arm. The upper section may comprise a first contact surface and the lower section may comprise a second contact surface, and rotation about the second pivot could be partially restricted by contact between a portion of the first contact surface and a portion of the second contact surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the first contact surface and the second contact surface may extend either side of the second pivot such that the aligned state and angulated state are defined by contact between the first and second contact surfaces at opposing sides of the second pivot. In this arrangement there may be substantial overlap between the upper and lower sections. This may be achieved by, for example, the lower section being partially housed within the upper section, or vice versa. In use, in the aligned state, the contact point between the first and second contact surfaces may be below the second pivot and in the angulated state, the contact point may be above the second pivot. In each of these cases, the predominant contact points either above or below the second pivot restrict rotation in both directions. Partial rotation restriction may be achieved by providing a curved or angled (i.e consisting of two or more non-parallel surfaces) second contact surface and a straight first contact surface or vice versa. In a preferred embodiment the first contact surface is substantially straight and the second contact surface is substantially angled or curved such that rotation about the second pivot alters the portion of the first contact surface contactable with the second contact surface. In such an arrangement, the first contact surface may rock relative to the second contact surface. If the second contact surface is, for example, an angled surface with two distinct faces either side of an apex, the interaction between the first contact surface and one of the faces of the second contact surface could represent one extent of rotation, and the interaction between the first contact surface and the other face of the second contact surface could represent the other extent of rotation. If the first contact surface and the second contact surface extend either side of the second pivot, as described above, then one face of the second contact surface may be positioned above the second pivot, and the other face may be positioned below the second pivot, with the apex of the angled second contact surface being positioned substantially in the vicinity of the second pivot. Transition from the aligned state to the angulated state may then involve a rocking motion about the apex.

Preferably, the corkscrew may comprise a bottle top remover and/or a knife. In a preferred embodiment, the abutment arm is shaped to define a bottle top remover. The bottle top remover may be positioned such that it is on the opposite side of the abutment arm to the first and second shoulders. The knife may be rotatably attached to the corkscrew, such that it is configurable between a hidden state and an exposed state. In the hidden state, the sharp edge may be hidden by the knife being partially housed within the lever arm or abutment arm.

Preferably, the corkscrew is manufactured from a material which is sufficiently rigid to with stand the forces required for cork removal. The corkscrew may comprise stainless steel.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a corkscrew according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a rear view of the corkscrew shown in figure 1. Figure 3 is a top view of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a side sectional view along A-A of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a side sectional view along A-A of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 to 4 during a stage of operation.

Figure 6 is a side view of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 to 5 during a stage of operation.

Figure 7 is a side view of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 to 6 during another stage of operation. Figure 8 is a side view of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 to 7 during yet another stage of operation.

Figure 9 is a side view of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 to 8 during yet another stage of operation.

Figure 10 is a side view of the corkscrew shown in figures 1 to 9 during yet another stage of operation.

The corkscrew 1 , as shown in figures 1 to 10 comprises a lever arm 3 acting as a handle. A worm element in the form of a screw 5 is rotatably mounted on the handle by a hinge 7. The worm element is of the same type typically used in corkscrews. An abutment arm 9 is connected to the lever by a first pivot in the form of first pin 1 1. The abutment arm has an upper section 19 and a lower section 21 which are rotatably connected about a second pivot in the form of second pin 17. The abutment arm 9 is shaped to define a channel 37 resulting in a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape. The size of the channel is related to the size of the bottle neck and is sufficient such that when the corkscrew is not in use, the abutment arm can be rotated towards the lever arm 3 and the lever arm can be partially housed within the channel of the abutment arm to allow a more compact shape to be adopted. The lower section has a first pair of shoulders, steps or notches 13 and a second pair of shoulders, steps or notches 15, the first and second pairs of notches being fixed in position relative to each other on the lower section and each pair of notches consists of a notch on each side wall of the channel, the side walls being parallel with one another. Both the first pair and second pairs of notches are substantially right-angled in shape so as to correspond with the shape of the edge of the neck of a bottle.

The first pin 1 1 and second pin 17 are arranged such that when the screw is embedded in the cork the second pair of notches 15 abuts the edge of the neck of a bottle 2, the vertical axis on which the second pin resides (signified by the axis X-X in figures 1 and 8) is located outside the vertical axis on which the first pin resides (signified by the axis Y-Y in figures 1 and 6), with respect to the vertical axis defined through the centre of the bottle (signified by Z-Z in figure 8).

The upper section of the abutment arm has a contact surface 27, which contacts a contact surface on the lower section 29. The contact surface of the upper section is planar, whereas the contact surface of the lower section is angular i.e. has two distinct non-parallel faces: an upper face 33 and a lower face 35; either side of an apex 31. Each face independently contacts the contact surface of the upper section in different configurations of the corkscrew. Both the contact surface of the upper section and the contact surface of the lower section extend either side of the pin 17, which can be said to be above and below the pin during operation. This is achieved by the upper and lower sections overlapping, with the lower section being partially housed inside the upper section.

The abutment arm comprises a bottle cap remover 23 which is a notch formed on the upper section. The lever arm comprises a knife 25 attached to it in such a way that the knife can be rotated between an exposed state, in which the blade is available for use, and a hidden state, in which the blade is housed within the lever arm.

Figures 6 to 10 demonstrate how the corkscrew as shown in figures 1 to 5, operates during use. In use, the screw 5 is inserted into the cork (not shown). The first pair of notches 13 is moved into position such that they abut the neck of the bottle 2, as shown in figure 6. As shown in figure 6, the first pair of notches is closer to the central bottle axis or worm than the second pair of notches. The user then uses one hand to maintain the first pair of notches in position, and uses the other hand to raise the lever arm 3 to partially lift the screw inserted inside the cork to the position shown in figure 7. This represents the first step of the two-step process. In this position, the upper and lower sections are in an aligned state. The user maintains the abutment arm in an aligned state by pressing on the upper section below the second pivot point, as shown in figure 6. Movement of the lower section into the angulated state is undesirable at this stage as it would result in disengagement of the first notches from the neck of the bottle.

The abutment arm 9 is then raised by either lowering the lever arm 3 or by lifting the abutment arm, such that the second pair of notches 15 abuts the edge of the bottle, as shown in figure 8. At this stage, the upper section 19 and lower section 21 of the abutment arm are in the first, aligned state where there is minimal angulation between the upper and lower sections. The aligned state is shown in figure 8. The first pair of shoulders is substantially vertically over the cork to be removed i.e. it is in a position which would hinder cork removal. A portion of the first contact surface 27 is in contact with the lower face 35 of the second contact surface 29, at a position below the second pivot.

If the user exerts pressure on the abutment arm in the vicinity of the second pair of notches and/or lifts the lever arm, the upper and lower sections of the abutment arm rotate relative to each other until a second, angulated state is achieved. The angulated state is shown in figure 9. In this state, a portion of the first contact surface is in contact with the upper face 33 of the second contact surface, at a position above the second pivot. Consequently, the first pair of notches, positioned over the cork, rotates away from the cork. This allows the cork to be removed from the bottle unhindered. The aligned state and the angulated state represent the two extremes of rotation of the upper section relative to the lower section. The extent of rotation is limited in both a clock-wise and anti-clockwise direction by contact between the first and second contact surfaces.

In the aligned state, the interaction of the second pair of notches with the edge of the neck of the bottle is sub-optimal i.e. the right-angled notches are not in a position to correspond with the substantially right-angled shape of the edge of the neck of the bottle. Optimal correspondence occurs following configuration to the angulated state. Consequently, the shape of the notches assists the transition from the aligned state to the angulated state. The user simply presses the lower end of the lower section of the support arm, as shown in figure 8, until optimal engagement between the second notches and the bottle occurs. This corresponds to the angulated state as shown in figure 9. Further rotation about the second pivot and consequential disengagement of the second notches is prevented by the contact surfaces as previously described.

Once the first pair of notches has swung away from the cork, the user then uses one hand to maintain the second pair of notches 15 in position, and uses the other hand to raise the lever arm 3 to complete the removal of the cork from the bottle. This represents the second step of the two-step procedure.

Claims

1. A corkscrew for removing a cork from a neck of a bottle, comprising: a worm element; a handle pivotably connected to the worm element for raising and lowering the worm element; and an abutment arm having an upper section and a lower section, the upper section being pivotably connected to the handle at a first pivot and the lower section being pivotably connected to the upper section at a second pivot, the lower section having a first shoulder and a second shoulder, each shoulder being abuttable to the edge of the neck of the bottle and the second shoulder being spaced further from the second pivot than the first shoulder, in which the first pivot and second pivot are arranged such that in use, when the second shoulder abuts the edge of the neck of the bottle, the upper and lower sections are rotatable about the second pivot to enable movement of the first shoulder away from the cork being removed.

2. A corkscrew according to claim 1 , which operates as a second class lever.

3. A corkscrew according to any preceding claim, in which the first shoulder and second shoulder are fixedly connected.

4. A corkscrew according to any preceding claim, in which rotation about the second pivot is partially restricted such that the upper section and lower section are configurable between two states, a first state and a second state, in which an angular relationship between the upper and lower section in the first state is different to the angular relationship between the upper and lower section in the second state.

5. A corkscrew according to claim 4, in which the upper section comprises a first contact surface and the lower section comprises a second contact surface, and in which rotation about the second pivot is partially restricted by contact between a portion of the first contact surface and a portion of the second contact surface.

6. A corkscrew according to claim 5, in which the first contact surface is substantially straight and the second contact surface is substantially angled or curved such that rotation about the second pivot brings a different portion of the first contact surface into contact with the second contact surface.

7. A corkscrew according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the first contact surface and the second contact surface extend either side of the second pivot such that the first state and second state are defined by contact between the first and second contact surfaces at opposing sides of the second pivot.

8. A corkscrew according to any preceding claim, in which the second shoulder is shaped to correspond to a portion of the edge of the neck of the bottle and in which optimal correspondence occurs when the first shoulder has moved away from the cork being removed.

9. A corkscrew according to claim 10, in which the second shoulder comprises a substantially right-angled notch.

10. A corkscrew substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.