Today in 2008, US Patent 7367670 B2 was issued, an invention of Travis E. Duane, for his “Eyewear Bottle Opener.” Here’s the Abstract:
An eyewear bottle opener wherein a bottle opener is housed within the reinforced earpiece of the frame of the eyewear for the convenience of a person wearing the eyewear and desiring to open a bottle having a metal cap.
Today in 1936, US Patent 2039345 A was issued, an invention of Edward A. Ravenscroft, for his “Screw-Top Bottle Mouth.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
This invention relates to bottle mouths capable of being closed by drawn or molded caps of practical depths ‘and diameters. It resides in a formation of mouth which provides for a pouring lip without materially reducing the area of the throat or increasing the diameter of the required cap, and without necessitating a lowering of fastening means on the neck to such a point that drawn or molded caps .of impractical depths are required for closing.
In forming closures for bottles substantial economies may be erected through the use of cap closures instead of corks. The cap closure is ideal for bottles intended to contain dry or semi-dry substances, but for closing bottles intended to contain liquids, which are to be dispensed therefrom, cap closures known prior to this invention are open to very serious objections. The common screw cap closure is entirely devoid of any pouring lip and the stream emitted from such a bottle mouth breaks during pouring, spreads down the side of the bottle and is so erratic in behavior that it cannot be directed with any degree of certainty. The fluid which flows down the side of the bottle spreads in copious quantities into the threads or other fastening means on the neck and in many cases causes sticking of the cap. In the case of corrosive or poisonous fluids, the fluid on the outside of the bottle constitutes a real hazard; and in any case is decidedly disagreeable.
Attempts have been made to remedy the above difficulties but none of them has been acceptable. One of these attempts proposes the forming of a pouring lip at the top of the bottle, the threads for securing the cap being displaced a relatively long distance down the neck. This necessitates an exceptionally deep cap, which is so expensive to draw that any economy over the use of ordinary corks is impossible. Further, a substantial constriction of the throat of the bottle is involved in this construction which interferes with rapid pouring. In other constructions proposed a notch at the neck of the bottle is employed, the same producing a malformed lip of small effectiveness in producing a good stream and a clean cut-off. In this form the fastening means are placed entirely below the notch and here also a cap of excessive depth is required. In this form a very substantial constriction in the throat also is involved prior to this invention no means of eliminating the same has been proposed.
According to this invention, however, a good pouring lip is provided without constricting the throat to a substantial degree, the same being that the pouring stream is kept thin and in the accomplished without requiring a lowering of the fastening means on the outside of the neck. With the mouth of this invention a cap of ordinary depth may be employed, the same being substantially no deeper nor more expensive than 5 caps used with ordinary closures. There is also provided in this invention a crest concentric with the exterior of the neck so that a gasket in the cap will repeatedly seat to form a good seal.
Today in 1941, US Patent 2237879 A was issued, an invention of William Hinkel, assigned to the Schlitz Brewing Co., for his “Display Stand” for beer bottles. There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
This invention relates to `advertising displays and refers particularly to a display stand for use in displaying bottled goods like beer and other beverages.
In advertising displays of this type, empty bottles must be used; but empty bottles lack the appeal of full bottles. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a display stand so constructed that it imparts the illusion of a full bottle when the display is viewed in the normal manner.
Another object of this invention is to provide a display stand so constructed as to support a plurality of bottles in a novel pyramid fashion.
Another object of this invention resides in the provision of means for securing the bottles in place on the stand so that they cannot be removed or shifted from their proper positions with respect to that portion of the stand which serves to create the illusion of fullness for the bottles.
Today in 2013, US Patent CN 202842451 U was issued, an invention of 张津川, for his “Glove Capable Of Opening Beer Bottles.” Here’s the Abstract:
Provided is a glove capable of opening beer bottles. The glove capable of opening beer bottles is characterized in that the top of the glove is sewn with a velcro, a bottle opener is installed on the glove through the velcro, and the bottle opener can be dismantled. The glove capable of opening beer bottles has the advantages that people can use the bottle opener on the glove to open a beer bottle when the glove is needed, hands can not be frostbitten and the glove capable of opening beer bottles is convenient to use.
I’m not sure if this commercial example is based on this patent, but it’s certainly pretty close and the same idea.
Today in 1953, US Patent 2633251 A was issued, an invention of John K. Bruce, for his “Palletizer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention provides a completely automatic machine for loading pallets. Empty pallets may be fed into one end of the machine, and cartons or boxes fed in from the side and loaded pallets may be delivered out the other end. Not only does my palletizer accurately layer and stack the cartons and boxes, but in addition arranges non-cubic boxes in any selected pattern so that the boxes of different layers will interlock or overlap and provide a stable and rigid stack on the pallet.
Today in 1860, US Patent 27615 A was issued, an invention of M.L. Byrn, for his “Corkscrew.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
The object of this invention is to manufacture cork screws possessing greater strength and durability and which may be made andL sold at a less cost than those of the present construction.
My invention consists in combining’ with the gimlet screw a T handle and forming the handle and screw in one or in two pieces as will be hereinafter described and represented.
The greatest advantage obtained by my invention, in the combination with an ordinary gimlet-screw of a handle making it serve thereby as a cork-screw, is strength and cheapness, over those made with a spiral twist of steel wire gradually tapering from the handle to the point. Such cork screws can be made to enter a cork with sufficient ease, but they are very liable to break of in drawing the cork from the bottle in consequence of the smallness and brittleness of the wire forming the spiral stem, and too in the hurry of opening bottles the screw is not always driven straight into the cork and the small point is very likely broken off by coming in Contact with the neck of the bottle, besides such screws are used for breaking the wire which is used on many bottles for keeping the cork from being driven out by the force of gas in the bottle, such screws are not strong enough. for this purpose and are frequently broken by the carelessness of servants in using them for other purposes than drawing corks from bottles.
Today in 1912, US Patent 1020878 A was issued, an invention of Arthur E. Bendelari, for his “Collapsible Box or Package.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
The object of my invention is to provide an improved collapsible rectangular box or package which shall be particularly adapted for holding and shipping beer-bottles, but may be used for other analogous purposes. The box is made from a single sheet of paraffined cardboard, the same being adapted to fold in such manner as to provide interior projecting portions that serve as vertical, diagonal partitions that meet at the center of the box chamber and divide the chamber, or interior of the box, into four equal compartments, each of which is adapted to contain a bottle.
Today in 1975, US Patent 3870810 A was issued, an invention of Anthony Martin Humphrey, for his “Inhibiting Beer Gushing.” Here’s the Abstract:
The present invention provides a method for reducing the tendency of beer to gush by incorporating in the beer 1 to 20 percent based on the weight of iso- alpha -acids in the finished beer of an unsaturated fatty acid having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms. The invention includes hop extracts containing said unsaturated fatty acid and also includes methods of making said extracts.
Today in 1991, US Patent 4996823 A was issued, an invention of William J. Byrne, assigned to Arthur Guinness Son & Company, for his “Method of Packaging a Beverage and a Package Structure.” Here’s the Abstract:
Method of packaging a beverage and a package structure has a cylindrical tube 1 over an end 3 of which is located a partition 2 having restricted orifice and both are sealed, for example by crimping, to the rim of tube 1. Primary chamber 4 is formed within the tube and secondary chamber 8 is formed between the partition 2 and closure 7 which chambers communicate through orifice 6. Chamber 4 is charged with beverage 11 containing gas in solution and sealed with end wall 12 crimped to the rim 9 of the tube 1. Prior to sealing chamber 9 is dosed with liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide so that headspace 13 is pressurized. The package adjusts to a state of equilibrium in which beverage flows into the secondary chamber 8 to form headspace 14 therein. Upon opening of the package with pull tag 15 a pressure differential between the headspaces 14 and 13 causes beverage and/or gas in chamber 8 to be ejected through orifice 6 into beverage 11 and thereby gas in solution in the beverage to be liberated and form, or assist in the formation of, a head of froth on the beverage.
Today in 2003, US Patent D470370 S1 was issued, an invention of William Burns Arnold, for his “Turtle-Shaped Combined Bottle Opener and Beer Separator.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
I claim the ornamental design for a turtle-shaped combined bottle opener and beer separator, as shown and described.
