Ring-style Cap Opener

Abstract

A ring-style cap opener has a ring-shaped sheet metal element including outer peripheral portion and a top portion. A cylindrical portion depends from the center of the top portion. The lower edge of each of the outer peripheral portion and the cylindrical portion are bent toward each other, the lower edge of the outer peripheral portion lying above the edge of the cylindrical portion. The bent lower edge of the outer peripheral portion acts as a fulcrum, and the bent edge of the cylindrical portion engages under the flared edge of the crown cap for removing a cap from the bottle.

Description

This invention relates to a cap opener for engaging and removing a crown cap from the mouth of bottles in general, or more particularly to a ring-style cap opener with which a crown cap can be removed by a simple operation without it being necessary to place it in a specific position against the crown cap.

With a conventional cap opener, it is necessary to place it in a specific position against a crown cap; and there is a problem of keeping it properly positioned, that is to say, it more often than not goes astray. Further, all conventional cap openers are far from being shapely.

It is an object of this invention to provide at low cost a novel, improved cap opener which overcomes these structural defects of cap openers of the existing types and is simple to operate.

Another object of the invention is to devise a cap opener with which a crown cap can be removed without it being necessary to apply it in a specific position against the crown cap, when using it, and which, seen from every angle, presents a good appearance.

The main feature of the cap opener according to the present invention is that it can be mass-produced by a simple method and at low cost, inasmuch as it has a structure in which the lower edge of the outer periphery of a ring-shaped sheet metal formation is bent inward so as to form the fulcrum edge to bear against the top of a crown cap, while the lower edge of a cylindrical formation depending from the center of said ring-shaped formation, the formations having been formed from a single piece of stock, is bent outward so as to form a hook edge to lift the crown cap.

While the aforesaid objects are accomplished by means of an improved combination of the parts whereof the present invention consists, their embodiment will be further clarified by the accompanying drawings and by the description in detail which follows.

According to the present invention, a cap opener consists of a fulcrum edge, to bear against the top of a crown cap, which is the lower edge, shaped as desired, of the outer periphery of a ring-shaped sheet metal formation consisting of an outer periphery and a top, and a hook edge, to lift the crown cap, which is the lower edge, bent outward, of a cylindrical formation depending from the center of the said ring-shaped sheet metal formation. The said fulcrum and hook edges will clutch between them a crown cap covering the mouth of a bottle, which will be removed by lifting the hook edge by hand.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan of a cap opener according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cap opener in use, sectioned vertically at the line A--A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view, partly sectioned longitudinally, showing a modified embodiment of a cap opener according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view, partly sectioned longitudinally, showing another embodiment of a cap opener according to the present invention.

The invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

An improved cap opener according to the present invention is made up, as aforesaid, of a ring-shaped sheet metal formation 1 consisting of an outer periphery l.sub.1, a top l.sub.2 and a cylindrical formation l.sub.3 depending from the center of top l.sub.2. The edge 2 of the outer periphery l.sub.1 is bent downwardly while the lower edge 4 of said cylindrical formation l.sub.3 is bent outward so as to respectively form a fulcrum edge to bear against the top of a crown cap 9 and a hook edge to lift the crown cap.

As is illustrated in FIG. 3, the fulcrum edge 2 of the cap opener is placed against the top of a crown cap 9 while the hook edge 4 is hooked on to the lower edge of the periphery of said crown cap; the crown cap will be easily removed by lifting the hook edge 4 of the cap opener.

Further, a magnet 5 is inserted into a metallic receptacle 6, which is fitted into the cylindrical formation l.sub.3 from the back of the cap opener. This offers a convenient way for storing the cap opener, preventing it from going astray, for it may be magnetically hung on an appropriate place at hand when not in use.

Still further, the top l.sub.2 of the ring-shaped sheet metal formation is provided with a sunk step 7, on which may be fitted, for example, a label printed with the name of a manufacturing firm for advertisement or a marking plate 8 die-pressed with patterns to improve the appearance of the cap opener; or said sunk step 7 may be utilized as a glass stand.

Whereas in the example as shown in FIG. 3 the lower edge 2 of the outer periphery 1.sub.1 of the ring-shaped sheet metal formation has a simple, straight-down form, in a modified embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 4 the outer periphery 2 is curved inward so as to form a circular arc, whereby there are afforded, when removing a crown cap, a better grip on the cap opener and surer grasp of the crown cap, thus permitting smoother operation.

In another embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 5, an interior sheet metal formation having a shape identical with the ring-shaped sheet metal formation according to the example as illustrated in FIG. 3 is covered on the outside with an exterior sheet metal formation 10.sub.1 having a larger size and having an identical shape, and the lower edge 2 of the said exterior sheet metal formation is bent inward so as to form a fulcrum edge to bear against the top of a crown cap. This will offer the best in the manufacturing economy.

As is stated above, a cap opener according to this invention does not require, unlike conventional cap openers, that it be used at a specific position, but it can grasp a crown cap between any two points, respectively on the two edges on one radius, thereby permitting a quick and sure operation for removal of a crown cap.

Another aspect of the invention is that the cap opener can be profitably adapted for mass production at low cost, since the cap openers can be pressed into shape substantially in one process from sheet metal stock stamped out into the prescribed shape, thus affording a high operational efficiency in manufacture.

Yet another aspect of the invention is that the cap has a beautiful exterior, being designed so as to have elegant, flowing curves.

It is to be clearly understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned examples, but variations and modifications to a certain extent shall come within the scope of this invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A ring-style cap opener consisting of a ring-shaped sheet metal formation having an outer periphery, a top and a cylindrical formation depending from the center, the edge of the outer periphery being bent downwardly so as to form a fulcrum edge to bear against the top of a crown cap, and the lower edge of said cylindrical formation being bent outwardly so as to form a hook edge to lift the crown cap.

2. A ring-style cap opener according to claim 1 wherein the lower edge of said outer periphery is curved inwardly.

3. A ring-style cap opener according to claim 1 further comprising an exterior sheet metal formation which is larger in size than and the same in form as the said interior sheet metal formation and covering said sheet metal formation, the lower edge of the outer periphery of said exterior sheet metal formation being bent inwardly under said fulcrum edge so as to form the fulcrum to bear against the top of a crown cap.