Method and apparatus for puncturing a container

1. A beverage puncturing apparatus, comprising:

a body member including a beverage-container-receiving cavity, wherein the body member includes a first end portion that is open to the beverage-container-receiving cavity, a second end portion that is partially open, and a wall portion disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion and forming the beverage-container-receiving cavity;

an aperture that is spaced a first distance from the first end portion that is open and a second distance from the second end portion, the aperture extending through a thickness of the wall portion; and

a movable member disposed on the body member via an attachment portion, the movable member having a beverage-container-puncturing portion;

wherein the beverage-container-puncturing portion is selectively movable through the aperture to move into the beverage-container-receiving cavity;

wherein the body member including the wall portion is cylinder-shaped or wedge-shaped;

wherein the first distance is less than the second distance; and

wherein the beverage-container-puncturing portion is a solid, fluid-blocking portion; and,

a protrusion concentric with and smaller in diameter than an inner surface of the first end portion is disposed along a surface of the beverage container receiving cavity at the partially open second end portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a base member formed of a solid material and directly attached to the body member via a base attachment portion at the first end portion, the base member elevating the first end portion of the body member above a surface relative to the second end portion that rests on the surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the movable member is removably attachable to the body member via the attachment portion, and the attachment portion of the movable member at the first end portion is disposed in a same transverse plane of the body member as the base attachment portion of the base member at the first end portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the movable member is a rotatable lever or a cantilever that is attached via the attachment portion comprising two protrusion that are disposed on the wall portion between the first end portion and the aperture;

the beverage-container-puncturing portion is thicker than a portion of the movable member attached to the attachment portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the movable member is rotatably attached to the body member the beverage-container-puncturing portion includes a triangular pointed portion disposed at a first surface facing the beverage-container-receiving cavity;

the beverage-container-puncturing portion includes a plurality of protrusions on a second surface extending in a direction away from the beverage-container-receiving cavity; and

the aperture is a substantially triangular shaped aperture that is sized larger than the triangular pointed portion so that a gap is formed around the triangular pointed portion, between the triangular pointed portion and the substantially triangular shaped aperture, when the triangular pointed portion is disposed in the substantially triangular shaped.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of additional apertures extend through a thickness of the wall portion at the first end portion, a portion of the wall portion separating the aperture from the plurality of additional apertures, each of the plurality of additional apertures sized to receive a thumb or a finger of a user of the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the wall portion is a hollow cylinder forming the beverage-container-receiving cavity; and

the wall portion is formed from structural metal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: the apparatus is for receiving a beverage container having a cylindrical side wall disposed between a top portion and a bottom portion of the beverage container, the beverage container being received through the first end portion that is open;

the wall portion is configured to be adjacent to the cylindrical side wall of the beverage container when the beverage container is received in the apparatus;

the beverage-container-puncturing portion is configured to punch through the cylindrical side wall of the beverage container when the beverage container is received in the apparatus and the beverage-container-puncturing portion moves through the aperture and into the beverage-container-receiving cavity; and the beverage-container-puncturing portion includes a substantially spherical point.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

a portion of the wall portion of the body member separates the aperture from the first end portion; and

the attachment portion is disposed on the portion of the wall portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the aperture is completely bounded by the wall portion of the body member, with a first portion of the wall portion separating the aperture from the first end portion, and a second portion of the wall portion separating the aperture from the second end portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is a closed shape that is completely bounded by the wall portion and that is larger than the beverage-container-puncturing portion, so that when the beverage-container-puncturing portion selectively moves through the aperture into the beverage-container-receiving cavity, a gap is formed completely around the beverage-container-puncturing portion, the gap separating the beverage-container-puncturing portion from the wall portion.

12. A method, comprising: providing an assembly having a body member that forms a cavity and that includes a first end portion that is open to the cavity, a second end portion that is partially open to the cavity, and a wall portion disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion:

providing a movable member that is disposed on the assembly;

providing a beverage container including a cylindrical side wall disposed between a flat top portion and a flat bottom portion of the beverage container, at least one of the flat top portion and the flat bottom portion including an opening device;

removably disposing the beverage container within the cavity;

moving the movable member through an aperture of the wall portion into the cavity, the aperture extending through a thickness of the wall portion;

puncturing the cylindrical side wall with the movable member when the beverage container is disposed within the cavity and the movable member is moved through the aperture into the cavity;

removing the beverage container from the cavity after puncturing the cylindrical side wall; and

opening the opening device of the beverage container after puncturing the cylindrical side wall and while the beverage container is removed from the cavity;

wherein the aperture is spaced a first distance from the first end portion and a second distance from the second end portion, the first distance being less than the second distance, and

a protrusion concentric with and smaller in diameter than an inner surface of the first end portion is disposed along a surface of the beverage container receiving cavity at the partially open second end portion.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein: the beverage container is a beer can and the opening device is a beer can tab.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the wall portion surrounds the beverage container when the beverage container is disposed within the cavity; and

the wall portion has a continuous circular shape, and the assembly including the wall portion is a hollow cylinder forming the cavity sized to receive the beverage container that is an aluminum beer can.

15. A beverage puncturing apparatus, comprising:

a body member including a beverage-container-receiving cavity, wherein the body member includes a first end portion that is open to the beverage-container-receiving cavity, a second end portion that is partially open, and a wall portion disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion and forming the beverage-container-receiving cavity;

an aperture that is spaced a first distance from the first end portion that is open and a second distance from the second end portion, the aperture extending through a thickness of the wall portion; and

a movable member disposed on the body member via an attachment portion, the movable member having a beverage-container-puncturing portion;

wherein the beverage-container-puncturing portion is selectively movable through the aperture to move into the beverage-container-receiving cavity;

wherein the body member including the wall portion is cylinder-shaped or wedge-shaped;

wherein the first distance is less than the second distance;

wherein a portion of the wall portion of the body member separates the aperture from the first end portion; and

wherein a plurality of additional apertures extend through the thickness of the wall portion at the first end portion, a portion of the wall portion separating the aperture from the plurality of additional apertures, each of the plurality of additional apertures sized to receive a thumb or a finger of a user of the apparatus, and

a protrusion concentric with and smaller in diameter than an inner surface of the first end portion is disposed along a surface of the beverage container receiving cavity at the partially open second end portion.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the movable member is a rotatable lever or a cantilever that is attached to a portion of the wall portion disposed between the first end portion and the aperture, the portion of the wall portion separating the aperture from the first end portion.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a base member that is rotatably attached to the body member at the first end portion, the base member elevating the first end portion of the body member relative to the second end portion of the body member at an elevation angle, the base member being attached to the body member via a second attachment portion disposed in a same transverse plane of the body member as the attachment portion of the movable member;

wherein the attachment portion and the second attachment portion are disposed on opposite sides of the first end portion;

wherein the attachment portion and the second attachment portion are disposed at an end of the first end portion;

wherein the base member is selectively movable past the transverse plane so that the base member selectively extends past the end of the first end portion;

wherein the plurality of additional apertures are each elongated slots configured to receive the thumb or the finger of the user;

wherein the elevation angle varies between 10 degrees and 30 degrees based on rotation of the base member about the second attachment portion.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the second end portion includes a member having a second end portion aperture, the second end portion aperture shaped as a half-circle that opens half of the member to the beverage-container-receiving cavity.