Corkscrew and bottle opener apparatus

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a pocket-sized corkscrew, bottle opener, and key chain combination apparatus that can be used to open corked and capped bottles, which when stored shields the corkscrew tip, and which can be converted from its storage configuration to its corked-bottle opener configuration with requiring disassembly of the pieces of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus capable of opening capped and corked bottles comprising: a first piece comprising a corkscrew with a point at one end and a bottle opener with a slot capable of receiving a rigid object at the opposite end; and a second piece comprising a flexible strand connected to a keyring; wherein the first piece is connected to the second piece through the flexible strand and the first piece and the second piece of the apparatus can be arranged in at least two modes comprising; a first mode wherein the flexible strand portion of the second piece is wound around the corkscrew portion of the first piece such that the corkscrew point is shielded; and a second mode wherein the flexible strand portion of the second piece is unwound such that the second piece does not interfere with use of the corkscrew.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second piece further comprises a key connected to the key ring.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein in the second mode the key is inserted into the slot capable of receiving a rigid object.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible strand is connected to the bottle opener portion of the first piece.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible strand is sufficiently stiff as to prevent inadvertent unwinding of the second piece when stored in the first mode, further wherein the flexible strand is sufficiently flexible such that is can be unwound from the first mode to the second mode by hand.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first mode the corkscrew point is sufficiently shielded as to prevent it from puncturing fabric.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first mode the keyring is positioned such that it partially or fully shields the point of the corkscrew.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first mode the flexible strand is wound around the corkscrew such that the flexible strand partially or fully shields the point of the corkscrew.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slot capable of receiving a rigid object has an internal tapered shape capable of receiving keys of varying thicknesses.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible strand is a rope, a chain, a wire, or a cord.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first piece is constructed from one or more materials selected from metal, plastic, and fiber.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second piece further comprises a hex bit connected to the key ring.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein in the second mode the hex bit is inserted into the slot capable of receiving a rigid object.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slot capable of receiving a rigid object has an internal shape capable of receiving a tool bit.

15. An apparatus capable of opening capped and corked bottles comprising: a first piece comprising a corkscrew with a point at one end and a bottle opener with a slot capable of receiving a rigid object at the opposite end; and a second piece comprising a flexible strand connected to a keyring; wherein the first piece is connected to the second piece through the flexible strand and the first piece and the second piece of the apparatus can be arranged in at least two modes comprising; a first mode wherein the flexible strand portion of the second piece is wound around the corkscrew portion of the first piece such that the corkscrew point is shielded; and a second mode wherein the flexible strand portion of the second piece is unwound such that the second piece does not interfere with use of the corkscrew and a rigid object is inserted into the slot capable of receiving a rigid object.

Description

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 provides an illustration of the combination corkscrew, bottle opener, and key ring apparatus, with key, arranged in the first mode.

(2) FIG. 2 provides an illustration of the first mode of the combination corkscrew, bottle opener, and key ring apparatus, with key, arranged in the second mode opening a corked bottle by screwing into the cork and pulling the cork from the bottle.

(3) FIG. 3 provides an illustration of the combination corkscrew, bottle opener, and key ring apparatus arranged in the first mode opening a capped bottle.

(4) FIG. 4 provides an illustration of the combination corkscrew, bottle opener, and key ring apparatus, with key, arranged in the first mode for storage.

(5) FIG. 5 provides an illustration of the combination corkscrew, bottle opener, and key ring apparatus, with key, arranged in the second mode unwound such that the second piece does not interfere with the potential use of the corkscrew.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The present invention is generally directed to a compact pocket-sized combination corkscrew, bottle cap opener, and key chain apparatuses that can readily be transported by the user on a daily basis. The Figures provide illustrative depictions of the present invention in various configurations to show their structures and utility, but these figures are not intended to be limiting of the invention. The combination apparatus is capable of opening both corked and capped bottles and is designed so that it is light and of a size that is amenable for easy transport. The apparatus is also designed to shield the tip of the corkscrew from being exposed and free to puncture materials, including fabric, when the apparatus is stored for transport.

(7) As annotated in FIGS. 1-5, the corkscrew and bottle cap opener piece, 10, can be crafted from a single piece of unified material or as multiple pieces of the same or different materials assembled together into a single body. The corkscrew, 11, is positioned on one end of the body and the opposing end of this body includes the bottle cap opener, 12, such that the tip of the corkscrew is on the opposite end of the body as the outer edge of the bottle cap opener.

(8) The corkscrew tip of 11 must be sufficiently sharp to pierce the cork of a wine bottle, and sufficiently strong to be screwed into the bottle cork and to pull out the cork, regardless of whether the wine cork is constructed from natural cork or synthetic materials.

(9) The body of the combined corkscrew and bottle cap opener piece, 10, may be constructed from materials typically used to construct corkscrews and bottle cap openers, including, but not limited to metals, plastics, fibers, and combinations thereof. Such materials may include without limitation, iron, stainless steel, aluminum and aluminum alloys, titanium, and carbon fiber, provided the materials used to construct the body are sufficiently strong to withstand the forces required to remove a cork from a wine bottle with the corkscrew, 11, and a cap from a capped bottle with the bottle cap opener, 12.

(10) The body of 10 should be of size and weight so that it can be readily transported in a pocket or handbag. In an embodiment, 10, as measured from the tip of the corkscrew to the outer edge of the bottle cap opener should be of a length no longer than 5 inches, no longer than 4 inches, no longer than 3 inches, no longer than 2 inches, no longer than 1.5 inches, or no longer than 1 inch. In an embodiment, 10, as measured from the tip of the corkscrew to the outer edge of the bottle cap opener should be of a length of from about 1 inch to about 5 inches, from about 1 inch to about 4 inches, from about 1 inch to about 3 inches, from about 1 inch to about 2 inches, or from about 1 inch to about 1.5 inches. In an embodiment, 10, as measured from the tip of the corkscrew to the outer edge of the bottle cap opener should be of a length of from about 1 inch to about 5 inches, from about 1.5 inches to about 4 inches, from about 1.5 inches to about 3 inches, from about 1.5 inches to about 2 inches. In an embodiment, 10, as measured from the tip of the corkscrew to the outer edge of the bottle cap opener should be of a length of from about 2 inches to about 5 inches, from about 2 inches to about 4 inches, or from about 2 inches to about 3 inches.

(11) The corkscrew, 11, can be of a type of corkscrew typically used to open corked bottles. In an embodiment, the corkscrew, 11, is a wire helix. Wire helix corkscrews, include, without limitation, wire helix, cyphered wire helix and grooved wire helix corkscrews.

(12) When used to open a capped bottle, the bottle cap opener 12, has an outer edge, 19, that goes on the top of the bottle cap as shown in FIG. 3, while a lower lip, 18, goes below the bottom edge of the bottle cap to provide leverage to pry open and remove the bottle cap. The bottle cap opener, 12, also includes a slot, 16, through which a rigid object can be inserted.

(13) The slot, 16, may a uniform size, so that it is designed to accommodate a specific rigid object or it may tapered so that objects of varying sizes and/or thicknesses can be accommodated. In order to facilitate the use of corkscrew feature of the apparatus, the rigid object should be able to fit snugly within the slot in the bottle cap opener. The size of the slot, 16, may be determined by the type of rigid object intended to be inserted. For example, the slot, 16, could be sized such that a standard key may fit snugly inside the slot (FIG. 2). Alternatively, the slot, 16, may be designed to fit rod or tool bit (e.g., a hex key) snugly inside the slot.

(14) To the body of the corkscrew and bottle cap opener, 10, is connected a strand, 13. In an embodiment, the strand may be connected to the bottle cap open portion, 12, of 10. For example, as shown in the figures, the strand 13 can be tied around bottle cap opener adjacent to its lower lip, 18. The strand, 13, can be wound around the corkscrew 11 in the first mode for storage (FIGS. 1 and 4), or when the apparatus is used to open capped bottles (FIG. 3).

(15) The strand, 13 should be sufficiently stiff so that it does not come unwound when stored or used to open capped bottles. The strand, 13, should also be readily unwound and wound by hand when going from the first mode to second mode and back to the first mode. Exemplary materials for constructing the strand, 13, include wire and nylon cord. The strand, 13, may be made from a material that allows the selection of different colors or designs.

(16) In the first mode, the pointed tip of the corkscrew, 11, should be shielded. The strand 13, itself may be sufficient to shield the pointed tip of the corkscrew. The end of the strand, 13 may be knotted to form a knot structure, 17, that shields the pointed tip of the corkscrew (FIG. 4) in the first mode. Alternatively, the strand, 13, may be, for example, whipped (a process by which the end of a cord or rope is tied off with twine) or fused (a process by which the end of a cord or rope is melted) to form a structure that can shield the tip of the corkscrew, 11. As another alternative, a plug structure may be attached to the end of the strand, 13, such that the plug structure can shield the tip of the corkscrew in the first mode. The plug structure may be made from, for example, plastic, wax, wood, cork, resin, leather, or gel.

(17) In the second mode, the strand, 13, is unwound so that the corkscrew, 11, is free and can be inserted and screwed into a bottle cork (FIGS. 2 and 5).

(18) The apparatus also contains a key ring 14 connected to the strand, 13. A key, 15, may be optionally attached to the key ring, 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2). To the key ring, 14, other optional structures may be attached, including rigid objects such as tool bits, for example, hex key.

(19) The strand itself, 13, may be made from a single strand, multiple separate strands, or a single strand that when attached to 10 forms multiple connected strands. For example, FIGS. 4 and 5 provide an example where the strand, 13, is tied around the capped bottle opener, 12, in a manner that provides a double strand that is knotted at one end, 17, where the knot shields the tip of the corkscrew, 11, in the first mode (FIG. 4). In this particular exemplary apparatus, the strand, 13, is a nylon cord, but it could also be made of other materials. In this particular apparatus the key ring 14, is remains fastened to the strand, 13, because of the presence of the knot, 17.

(20) Keys or other rigid objects may be suitable to insert through the slot capable of receiving a rigid object, 16, when the apparatus is used in its second mode for opening corked bottles (FIG. 2). The strand, 13, should be sufficiently long so that the rigid object attached to the key ring, 14, can be inserted into the slot 16 (FIGS. 2 and 5). This feature allows the apparatus to go between the first (FIG. 4) and second (FIG. 5) modes, and be used for opening a corked bottle (FIG. 2), without the need for disassembly and reassembly.

(21) The slot, 16, may be designed specifically to accommodate rigid objects of particular sized and shapes. The slot, 16, may be designed to have a shape capable of receiving a key (FIG. 2). The shape may be tapered such that the slot, 16, may accommodate keys of different thicknesses. For example, the slot, 16, may be designed to have a hexagonal shape that is capable of receiving a hex key of a specific size.

(22) It is preferred that the rigid object, whether it is a key, 15, or another rigid object (e.g., a tool bit, rod, hex key, etc.) fits snugly within the slot, 16. This will allow the user of the apparatus to have leverage when screwing the corkscrew, 11, into a corked bottle as well as when pulling the corkscrew out of the bottle, as depicted in FIG. 2.

(23) The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the features, objectives, and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments, however, may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. The embodiments disclosed herein are intended to be understood as illustrative, but not intended to limit the invention to only those embodiments explicitly recited.