EP0246023B1

EP0246023B1 - Device for releasing closures

Info

Publication number: EP0246023B1
Application number: EP87304030A
Authority: EP
Inventors: David John Barnett; Alan William Edward Knight
Original assignee: William Levene Ltd
Current assignee: William Levene Ltd
Priority date: 1986-05-09
Filing date: 1987-05-06
Publication date: 1990-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-06
Also published as: NO871889L; NO871889D0; FI872045A; DK235387D0; DE8717783U1; DE3761900D1; EP0246023A1; FI872045A0; AU7247487A; DK235387A; CN87103461A; KR870011037A

Description

The invention relates to a device for releasing or removing closures. In particular, the invention relates to such a device for releasing screw tops or caps from sealed containers such as bottles, jars and the like.
Devices for this purpose are known, but none is wholly satisfactory. Some known devices cannot withstand a high release force. Some known devices are assembled from many components which increases costs in manufacture and the risk of damage. Some known devices must be adjusted by hand for each size of closure to be released.
DE-U-7525076 discloses a device having a gripping space to receice in wedging manner a lid to be released from a sealed container. The space is defined by a sliding surface and an opposite gripping surface at the end of which is a post secured to the floor of the device. The post is formed of metal and has a knurled surface to grip or bite into the lid. It has been found that when dealing with tightly sealed containers the anchorage of the post to the floor was deformed and often broken; attempts to strengthen the connection were not successful.
It is one object of this invention to provide a device for the purpose specified which is easy to assemble, can accept a wide range of sizes of closures to be released without adjustment and which can withstand a high release force.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a device for releasing a closure from a sealed container, the device comprising the floor on which is mounted a body having a gripping surface, the body being anchored to the floor by means of a rigid peg, a surface which extends in a curve of gradually increasing radius from the body and presents a sliding surface for the closure, the curved surface and the gripping surface forming opposed surfaces defining a space to receive in wedging manner the closure to be released characterised in that the body is deformable and limiting means disposed about the peg are present to limit the deformation of the body under rotational load to reduce the load transmitted to the peg.
Preferably, the gripping member body is located mounted on an anchor peg upstanding from the floor and having ribs or spokes received within the body, the effect of which is to define compartments to contain material under deformation. Most preferably the ribs do not reach the periphery of the body, so that the peripheral portion is more free to move circularly under load, and will tend to be urged circularly and away from the anchor when a rotational load is applied to the body. Preferably the deformable body includes an extension to limit rotational movement of the body about the peg.
In one embodiment two sliding surfaces are present, one sliding surface being closer to the gripping surface than the other, each sliding surface defining with the gripping surface a space to receive in wedging manner the closure to be released.
The body may be formed of any suitable deformable or resiliently deformable material having or provided with a surface to define the gripping surface. The body may be made of a natural or synthetic rubber, optionally loaded with a filler or provided with a high friction coating. Suitable synthetic rubbers include 1,3-butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, neoprene rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, polybutadiene rubber, polyisoprene rubber, and the like. The use of materials of this class to form a gripping surface in a device of this type is shown for example in US-A-4262560.
The device of the invention can be incorporated in a tool such as a wall mounted tool or a handtool. Preferably the device is incorporated in a handtool intended for domestic use, especially in the kitchen, and made of materials which are non-toxic (for the release of lidded containers having foodstuffs) and which are temperature resistant (so that the handtool can be cleaned in an automatic dishwasher).
In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one handtool incorporating a device of the invention;
Figure 2 is an underside plan view of the handtool of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a cross section taken on lines 111-111 on Figure.1 drawn to an enlarged scale;
Figures 4A to 4C show the condition of the body having the gripping surface of the handtool of Figures 1 to 3 drawn to a much enlarged scale and under different loads.

The handtool of Figures 1 to 4 comprises a one piece plastics moulded body 30 having a handle portion 31 and a head portion 32. The head portion 32 includes an engagement member in the form of a smooth wall surface 33 (Figure 2) arranged along a spiral or curve of gradually increasing radius and ending at an edge 44 adjacent the handle portion 31. At the end of the wall 33 remote from the handle portion 31, the top end as seen in Figure 2, there is a gripper member comprising a cylinder like body 34. The body is formed of a resiliently deformable material such as neoprene rubber and presents a gripping surface G. The floor 41 of the body 30 has an upstanding peg 35 (Figure 3) having a number of ribs or spokes 36. The cylindrical body 34 has a socket of complementary form and is press fitted on to the peg 35 to mount the gripper member 34 on the tool at the adjacent end of the engagement member wall 33. The cylinder 34 includes a tail portion 37 which is abutted against the adjacent free end of the wall 33. A portion 38 of the floor 41 of the head portion 32 is depressed to form an inner spiral wall surface 39. The cylinder 34 extends down into the depressed portion 38 to lie within the spiral 39. A slot 40 is present in the depressed portion 38 within the spiral 39. The top surface of the head portion 32 incorporates an arrowhead 42 (Figure 1) to show the direction of rotation to release a lid, and the top and bottom surfaces of the handle portion 31 include finger gripping rib portions 43.
In the use, the handtool is held by the gripping portions 43, top side up, and is brought to say a relative large container to be opened and the lid L (say a screw threaded jam jar lid) enters the space between the gripper body tail 37 and the spiral wall end 44. The lid L slides along wall surface 33 until it contacts that one surface on one side and the surface of the gripper body 34 on the other. The user can see the position of the lid L through the slot 40. The user then holds the container steady in one hand and then rotates the handtool in the direction of the arrowhead 42.
The condition of the body 34 in the absence of a lid L to be released is shown in Figure 4A. As the lid L is guided between the wall surface 33 and the body 34 the lid first tends to deform a peripheral portion of the body 34, and to the condition shown in Figure 4B. The rotational force in direction A tends to urge the material of the body in that direction. On continued rotation of the handtool the body tends to act as a pivot and the material of the body is compressed further, and to the condition shown in Figure 4C. The material at the peripheral portion of the body is deformed by the stresses and is caused to flow circularly in the direction of the arrow B1 towards the tail portion 37. Material within the body and closer to the centre is caused to flow in the direction of the arrows B but is constrained in the spaces between adjacent ribs 36, so that the total load imposed radially on the peg 35 is less than the force which will break the connection between the body 34 and the floor 41. In this way the body is held secure to the tool no matter how great a force is required to release a lid from its container. The body has all round defcrmability.
Where the lid to be removed is smaller e.g. the top of a bottle of nail varnish, a pillbox or the like the lid L is received in the gap between the gripper member and the wall 39 of the inner spiral. The lid is then released in the way described.
It will thus be seen that the invention provides an effective handtool which is versatile in being able to release a wide range of lids and having a securely mounted gripper member which is able to withstand high loads by virtue of the way in which the body thereof is anchored and deforming loads are dissipated; the user can see the location of the lid in the handtool; and the handtool is safe for use with foodstuffs.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown. More than two spirals may be present and each may have an individual gripper member. The gripper member need not be circular and the mounting means may be different from that shown.

Claims

1. A device for releasing a closure (L) from a sealed container, the device comprising a floor (41) on which is mounted a body (34, 34A) having a gripping surface (G), the body (34, 34A) being anchored (35) to the floor (41) by means of a rigid peg (35, 52), a surface (33, 39) which extends in a curve of gradually increasing radius from the body and presents a sliding surface for the closure (L), the curved surface (33, 39) and the gripping surface (G) forming opposed surfaces (33, 39; G) defining a space to receive in wedging manner the closure (L) to be released characterised in that the body (34) is deformable and limiting means (36) disposed about the peg (35) are present to limit the deformation of the body (34) under rotational load to reduce the load transmitted to the peg (35).

2. A device according to Claim 1 characterised in that the deformable body (34) is fitted over the anchor peg (35) which is upstanding from the floor (41), projections (36) being present about the peg (35) to limit deformation of the deformable body (34).

3. A device according to Claim 2 characterised in that the projections (36) are present on the peg (35) and define compartments adjacent the peg (35) to confine the deformable material therein.

4. A device according to any preceding Claim characterised in that the deformable body (34) includes an extension (37) to limit rotational movement of the deformable body (34) about the peg (35).

5. A device according to any preceding Claim characterised in that two sliding surfaces (39) are present, one (39) being closer to the gripping surface (G) than the other (33), each sliding surface defining with the gripping surface (G) a space to receive in wedging manner the closure (L) to be released.

6. A device according to any preceding Claim characterised in that it is moulded of heat resistant plastics.