Pressure metering cork extractor
OwnerGeorge J. Federighiinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for extracting corks from wine bottles or the like includes a body and pressurized fluid container, a hollow needle extending from the body for penetration through the cork and valve mechanism for selectively injecting pressurized fluid into the wine bottle through the needle to generate gas pressure which ejects the cork from the bottle. The valve mechanism has a metering action which injects a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid in response to each valve actuation thereby avoiding inadvertant over-pressurization of the bottle. Propellant fluid is also conserved to prolong periods between rechargings of the extractor. In a preferred embodiment, a shielding member restrains uncontrolled ejection of a cork and/or needle fragment which can otherwise occur if the needle is accidently broken during operation.
Claims6
In a device for extracting a cork from a bottle or the like, the device having a needle proportioned for penetration through the cork and defining a fluid passage, a pressurized fluid container containing a first volume of said fluid in liquid form and a second volume of said fluid in gaseous form, said gaseous volume of said fluid being at the upper region of said container when said device including said container and said needle are in an upright operating orientation, a valve connected between the pressurized fluid container and the needle passage and control means for selectively opening the valve to admit pressurized fluid into the bottle through the needle passage, the improvement comprising:
- said valve being a metering valve having means for releasing only a predetermined volume of said pressurized fluid into said needle passage in response to each opening of said valve, and wherein said valve has a fluid inlet situated within said first volume of fluid in when said device is at said upright operating orientation whereby said valve receives said fluid from said container in liquid form.
In a device for extracting a cork from a bottle or the like, the combination comprising:
- a tubular body and a pressurized fluid container which is fitted therein and which is manually slidable relative thereto between a first position at which the container is spaced from the lower end of the body and a second position at which the container is closer to said lower end of said body
- a pressurized fluid within said container, including a first volume of said fluid which is in volatile liquid form and situated in a lower region of said container and a second volume of said fluid in gaseous form situated above said first volume of fluid,
- spring means for urging said container towards said first position thereof,
- a hollow needle extending downward from said lower end of said body, said needle having an internal fluid passage with at least one outlet at the lower portion of the needle,
- a valve housing secured to the lower end of said container and having an internal chamber and a fluid inlet located at the upper end of the chamber within said lower region of said container and through which liquid from said container enters said chamber,
- a seal at the lower portion of said chamber, said seal having an opening therethrough, and
- a valve member extending upward from said lower end of said body through said opening of said seal and into said chamber and having a fluid port located to be within said chamber when said container is at said second position thereof and to be isolated from said chamber by said seal when said container is at said first position thereof, said valve member having a flow passage which communicates said port with said fluid passage of said needle and having an upper portion which is proportioned to close said fluid inlet of said valve housing when said container is moved downward to said second position thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.