Corkscrew spacer
OwnerWilliam J. Scottinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spacer and method for facilitating removal of a cork from a bottle with a corkscrew. The spacer has a bottom surface that abuts the bottle, a top surface that abuts the bottom of a corkscrew, and a side opening that is sufficiently large to receive the cork. Once the corkscrew has been used to partially remove the cork, the spacer is placed around the exposed cork by pulling the body of the corkscrew away from the bottle while the screw is still inserted in the cork and inserting the spacer in the resulting space. Force is then reapplied to completely remove the cork from the bottle. One or more spacers may be attached to the corkscrew by a flexible cord for convenience. In one embodiment, a hinge mechanism interconnects a number of spacers of various thicknesses and opening sizes.
Claims16
A device for removing a cork from a bottle, comprising:
- a corkscrew having a screw for threading engagement with a cork in a bottle, and a base for abutment against the bottle;
- and
- a spacer having a bottom surface for abutment against the bottle, a side surface having an opening for receiving said cork laterally, and a top surface for abutment against said base of said corkscrew, said spacer being adapted for insertion between the bottle and said base of said corkscrew after said screw has engaged the cork to facilitate removal of the cork from the bottle.
A spacer assembly for use with a corkscrew having a screw for threading engagement with a cork in a bottle, and a base for abutment against the bottle, comprising:
- a plurality of spacers, each spacer having a bottom surface for abutment against the bottle, a side surface having an opening for receiving the cork laterally, and a top surface for abutment against the base of the corkscrew, said spacers being adapted for insertion between the bottle and the base of the corkscrew after the screw has engaged the cork to facilitate removal of the cork from the bottle;
- and
- a hinge mechanism interconnecting said plurality of spacers so that said spacers are disposed substantially adjacent one another and can rotate about an axis substantially perpendicular to said bottom and top surfaces thereof to be placed alternatively between the rim of the bottle and the base of the corkscrew.
A method of removing a cork from a bottle, comprising:
- providing a corkscrew having a screw for threading engagement with a cork in a bottle, and a base for abutment against the bottle;
- providing a spacer having a bottom surface for abutment against the bottle, a side surface having an opening for receiving the cork laterally, and a top surface for abutment against the base of the corkscrew;
- engaging the bottle with the corkscrew by screwing the screw into the cork so that the base of the corkscrew can engage the bottle;
- partially removing the cork from the bottle by forcing the base of the corkscrew against the bottle while retracting the screw;
- pulling the base of the corkscrew away from the bottle so as to produce a space therebetween;
- inserting the spacer in said space around said cork;
- and
- engaging the spacer with the corkscrew by forcing the base of the corkscrew against the spacer while retracting the screw so as to remove the cork form the bottle.
A spacer for facilitating removal of a cork having a predetermined diameter from a bottle using a corkscrew, comprising an element having a bottom surface for abutment against the bottle and a top surface for abutment against the corkscrew, said bottom surface and said top surface being spaced apart from one another a predetermined distance, said spacer further comprising a side opening formed therein for receiving the cork where said spacer is placed between the bottle, the corkscrew has threadingly engaged the cork and the cork has been partially removed from the bottle by the corkscrew, said side opening having a width larger than the predetermined diameter of the cork.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.