Importance

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Abstract

The specification discloses a protector member (10) capable of being introduced through a neck region (25) of an opened wine bottle (26) by being flexibly deformable, the protector member (10) being flexibly deformable to a condition enabling introduction through the wine bottle neck region (25) and once within the wine bottle (26) being expandable to a use condition where an outer peripheral edge (15, 62) of the protector member (10) is positioned adjacent to or against an inner surface of the wine bottle (26) while floating on a surface of wine held within the wine bottle (26), the protector member (10) being characterized by being either a multipart construction including a first flexible sheet (11, 19) material containing in a first zone (14) a plurality of individually sealed spaces (22) each having a volume and at least some of which contain a gas, and a second flexible sheet material (12, 19), one or both of the first or second flexible sheet materials having a radially outer edge (15) forming the outer peripheral edge of the protector member (10) extending radially beyond the first zone (14); or by being a continuous sheet member, the continuous sheet member (60) being composed of a cork or cork based material such as granulated cork bonded to form said sheet member (60); the protector member (10) being substantially liquid wine and gas impervious; the specification also discloses a device (27, 30) for introducing a protector member (10) as aforesaid into a wine bottle (26) the device (27, 30) having an outer flexible container (27) holding a said protector member (10) therein, the outer flexible container (27) being open or openable along at least a portion of two opposed edge regions (28, 29), the device (27, 30) further including a delivery member (30) capable of engaging and rolling the protector member (10) on itself within the outer flexible container (27) and to then insert the rolled protector member (10) through the wine bottle neck region (25) passing beyond one of said two opposed edge regions (28, 29) of the outer flexible container (27).

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First Claim