US 2003/0141272 A1Published application

Bottle stopper with expandable o-ring

OwnerJoseph Anthony De La Cruzinventor

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Abstract

An improved stopper featuring an o-ring. The o-ring is sandwiched between two cylindrical bodies. The surfaces that contact the o-ring are chamfered. The lower cylindrical body has a boss that extends through the center of the o-ring. The cylindrical bodies are rigidly connected by a connecting link that travels through the center of the upper body and is rigidly attached to the lower body. A portion of the connecting link has external threads that mate with an internally threaded hole that extends through the center of the upper cylindrical body. By rotating a handle attached to the connecting link, the chamfered surfaces compress the o-ring, forcing it to expand outward and increase in diameter. Once inside a bottle, the handle is rotated, the o-ring expands and presses against the inner wall of the bottle and the bottle is sealed.

Claims1

Dependent claims

A stopper comprising:

(a) a main body with a chamfered, bottom face of round cross-section, a concentric, internally threaded through hole and a concentric, blind hole, and
(b) a minor body with a chamfered flange and a concentric boss, said boss has a concentric, blind hole, and
(c) a rigid, connecting link features external threads that are mated with said concentric, internally threaded hole in said main body, the lower portion of said rigid, connecting link features a cylindrical boss that is connected with said concentric, blind hole of said minor body, and
(d) a handle is attached to upper portion of said rigid connecting link, and
(e) an o-ring is positioned between said chamfered bottom face of said main body and said chamfered flange of said minor body, said concentric boss of said minor body extends through the center of said o-ring,
(f) whereby said stopper is placed inside the bottle and said handle is rotated while said main body remains stationary thereupon causing said chamfered, bottom face of said main body and said chamfered flange of said minor body to move together and force said o-ring to expand and press against inner surfaces of said bottle, sealing said bottle.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.