Abstract:
Corkscrew machine including rotatable spiral radius pinion gear mechanically coupled to annular collar and engages inclined gear rack to translate driver up and down carrying freely rotating, helical corkscrew. Crank rotates spiral radius pinion gear to translate driver up and down relative to collar along rotation axis of corkscrew with mechanical advantage increasing as driver approaches collar. A non-rotating collar cam coupled to, translated relative to, driver, receives and follows helix of corkscrew to impart torque rotating the corkscrew when held stationary within annular collar responsive to translation of driver toward and away from annular collar. Biased, releasable collar latch captures and holds collar cam at stationary position within annular collar releasing it to translate upward with driver upon an upward cork pulling stroke of driver relative to collar when bottle is held within annular collar.

Description:
This is a divisional of copending application Ser. No. 09/634,130, filed on Aug. 8, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,322. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to single lever, two cycle, rack and pinion corkscrew machines and translating driver machines having an inclined gear rack with a spiral radius pinion gear. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The lore of corkscrews is well chronicled in literature published by patent offices and collectors both in print and over the internet the world around. (See for example, Peters, Ferd.  Mechanical Corkscrews, Their Evolution, Actions, and Patents.  Holland: Peters, 1999; Bull, Donald,  The Ultimate Corkscrew Book  (Schiffer Book for Collectors.) 1999 Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.; ISBN: 0764307010; D&#39;Errico, Nicholas  American Corkscrew Patents,  Conn.1993; Wallis, Fletcher,  British Corkscrew Patents  from 1795, Vernier Press England, 1998; Watney &amp; Babbidge,  Corkscrews for Collectors,  Sotheby Parke Bennet, 1981 ISBN 0 85667 113 4 and O&#39;Leary, Fred 1000  Patented Ways to Open a Bottle  Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 1997; ISBN: 0764300180 and on the internet at: &lt;bullworks.net/virtual.htm&gt;, &lt;corkscrewnet.com&gt;, &amp; &lt;angelfire.com/electronic/fpeters/&gt;) 
     The problem of screwing a helical worm into a cork stoppering a bottle neck, then pulling the skewered cork from the bottle neck and finally stripping the pulled, skewered cork from the helical worm has and still titillates inventive genius, entrepreneurial interest, and collector mania. The perfect corkscrew has not yet been invented. 
     Thomas Lund&#39;s famous bottle grip cork screw patented in 1838 (Great Britain Pat No 7,761) includes a longitudinal cylindrical (French) cage or frame with flanges extending from the bottom end of the cage adapted to locate the mouth of a bottle neck coaxially with the cage. A coaxial shaft, turned by a T-handle, has a cylindrical gear rack shank with a helical worm tip that translates within the cage. A pinion/worm gear secured at the top end of the cage or frame, turned by another T-handle, engages the gear rack shank for pulling the cork from the bottle neck into the cage/frame after it is screwed into the cork 
     One hundred sixty one years later in 1999, Jeremy H. Gibson obtained U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,160 for a Cork Extractor that differs little from that of patented and manufactured by Thomas Lund. Gibson uses a pivoting lever with a semicircular gear instead of a pinion/worm gear (See Peters, F.  Mechanical Corkscrews, Their Evolution, Actions, and Patents  (supra at p. 189) to translate the rack shank of the helical worm screwed into the cork. Gibson also elected to use a non-rotating collar cam for imparting torque to the helical worm upon translation of the shaft up and down in the frame using the lever instead of a manually turned T-handle to screw the worm into the cork. A non-rotating collar cam for imparting torque to rotate the helical worm of a corkscrew is a characterizing feature of most bench mounted, barroom cork extractor machines manufactured at the beginning of the 20th century. In fact a collar cam was utilized by Heinrich Fuckel, 1913, in a registered German Design DRGM No. 569,802, for a very similar single lever portable corkscrew machine manufactured in those years by Recknagel of Steinbach-Hallenberg in Schmalkalden. (Also note French Patent No. 448,795, issued Sep. 27, 1912, and comparable corkscrew machines shown in Peters, F.  Mechanical Corkscrews, Their Evolution, Actions, and Patents,  supra) 
     The highly coveted Royal Club Corkscrew patented and manufactured in Great Britain in 1864 by Charles Hull features an open steel frame with an annular hub guiding a shaft tipped with a helical worm rotated by a T-handle having a single, S-curved lever coupled to a collar encircling the shaft between the frame and an annular shoulder beneath the T-handle. The S-curved lever rests, slides and pivots against a fulcrum shoulder at the top of the frame to raise the shaft relative to the frame for pulling a cork skewered by the helical worm from a bottle. In some embodiments, a roller bearing is located at the fulcrum shoulder to provide rolling contact between the moving S-curved lever arm and the stationary frame. A graspable, arcuate, rim tang extends coaxially downward from the annular hub at the base of the frame on the diametrically opposite side of the frame, relative to the fulcrum shoulder at the top of the frame. The location of the rim tang first facilitates manual alignment of the annular hub with the bottle mouth and second provides leverage with the bottle for counter balancing the forces of the pivoting sliding S-curved lever as a cork is pulled from a bottle. 
     To use a Royal Club Corkscrew, one grasps the downward extending rim tang and bottleneck in one hand aligning the mouth of the bottle with the annular hub of the frame, and then with the other hand, first screws the helical worm into the cork using the T-handle, and then pulls the skewered cork by rotating the S-curved lever downward sliding it relative to the fulcrum shoulder. The mechanical advantage provided by the S-curved lever is at a maximum when the helical worm is fully screwed into the cork and decreases as it slides upward pivoting on the fulcrum shoulder lifting the shaft relative to the frame pulling the cork from the bottle. 
     One hundred seventeen years later, in 1989, Herbert Allen obtained his U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,351 for a highly regarded Cork Extractor functionally quite similar to early 20th century, bench mounted, barroom corkscrew machines. In his patent, Allen describes a system of linked parallel pivoting levers for converting rotational movement of an actuating lever arm to linearly translate a carrier up and down guided by a rod stem extending into through a base frame. The base frame is adapted to be clamped onto a bottle neck. Manufactured and distributed by the Hallen Company of Texas under the mark Screwpull®, the system of linked, parallel pivoting levers converting rotational movement of the actuating lever arm of described by Allen morphed into a traditional linear gear rack parallel to the rotation axis of the corkscrew translating with the carrier driven by an exterior semicircular pinion gear integrated into an end of a lever crank coupled to, and pivoting on the base frame. (See also U.S. Pat. No. Des.415,667, Stephanne de Bergen entitled Lever-type Cork Extractor) The gear rack and rod stem of the Allen machine function as parallel guide rails respectively received in a rack channel and a rod guide passageways traversing through the body of the base frame to align the axis of a freely rotating helical corkscrew with that of a bottle mouth clamped and captured within the base frame between a pair of perpendicularly extending, clamshell-like engagement arms pivotally fastened to the base frame. Similar to Heinrich Fuckel, Herbert Allen utilizes a non-rotating collar cam receiving, and following the helix of the corkscrew to impart torque for rotating the corkscrew as it translates with the carrier. 
     The unique feature of the Screwpull® corkscrew machine is a normally biased latching mechanism for capturing and holding the non-rotating collar cam translatable on the guide stem just above where the clamshell engagement arms clamp onto the top of a bottle. The clamped neck and top of a bottle function as a fulcrum for spreading apart the pivoting couplings securing the clamshell engagement arms to the base frame of the machine. Spreading the pair of pivoting couplings retracts dogs latching the collar cam to the base frame, freeing the collar allowing it to translate with the carrier. In a first cycle, the lever crank is pivoted forward ˜270° translating the carrier downward screwing the worm into the cork and then pivoted backward ˜270° pulling the skewered cork from the bottle. As the dogs latching the collar cam to the base only retract when a bottle is clamped between the clamshell engagement arms, once the cork has been pulled from the bottle, and the bottle separated from the machine, in a second cycle, the skewered cork and collar cam is translated back down to the base frame in a second forward ˜270° pivot of the crank, allowing the dogs latch onto the collar cam whereupon the lever crank is again pivoted backward ˜270° translating the carrier upward. The captured non-rotating collar cam screws the worm out of the cork on the second backward pivot of the lever crank, i.e. strips the cork from the machine. The Allen device requires complex manipulation of the users hands to first grasp the bottle neck with two separately pivotable handles, to grip the two handles with one hand while using the other hand to rotate the operational lever through a rotation that is substantially greater than 180°. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A single lever, two cycle, manual, corkscrew machine according to the invention is described that includes a translating driver carrying a freely rotating, helical corkscrew, a guide stem parallel the rotation axis of the corkscrew and a gear rack inclined with respect to the rotational axis of the corkscrew. A graspable annular collar with a passageway receives the translating driver guide stem aligning the rotation axis of the corkscrew coaxially with the collar axis. A rotatable pinion gear having a spiral radius is mechanically coupled to the annular collar and engages the inclined gear rack of the driver. A crank bail rotates the spiral radius pinion gear for translating the driver up and down relative to the collar along the rotation axis of the corkscrew with a mechanical advantage that increases as the driver approaches the collar. A non-rotating collar cam coupled to and translatable on the guide stem, receives and follows the helix of the corkscrew for imparting torque rotating the corkscrew when held at a rest position within the annular collar responsive to translation of the driver toward and away from the annular collar. A biased, releasable collar latch captures and holds the collar cam in the rest position within the annular collar releasing it to translate upward with the driver upon an upward ‘cork pulling’ translation stroke of the driver relative to the collar only when a bottle neck is grasped and held within the annular collar. 
     An advantage of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine according to the invention relates to uniformity of resistance experienced by a user operating the machine in the first cycle, rotating the lever crank forward turning the spiral radius pinion gear translating the driver downward for screwing the helical worm into the cork, then rotating crank backward pulling the cork from the bottle and finally, in a second cycle. rotating the crank forward and back again to strip the cork from the corkscrew. 
     Other unique features of the a single lever, two cycle corkscrew machine according to the invention relate to optimization of such factors as gear engagement between the spiral radius pinion gear and the inclined gear rack, crank rotation and vertical translation of the driver, and conforming minimum and maximum resistance forces actually encountered to those intuitively expected by a user, manually operating the machine to pull a cork from a favored bottle of wine. 
     In fact, with the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine, it is possible to pull a cork with an approximately 180° rotation of the crank. 
     Further advantages of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine according to the invention relate to an opposed pair of graspable, arcuate rim tangs extending downward from the annular collar of the machine adapted to be gripped within a user&#39;s hand for clasping and capturing the neck of a bottle. The tangs included inward stepped lands to capture and support different diameter bottle mouth rims stationary with respect to the collar. Like the Screwpull® by Allen, clasping a bottle neck between the rim tangs releases a biased, releasable collar latch, but in contrast to the Allen machine, a device according to the present invention intuitively forces a user to dynamically counter balance resistance forces encountered as the user first rotates the crank one way with the other hand to drive the corkscrew into the cork and then rotates the crank backward the other way for pulling the cork from the bottle. In particular, the mechanical advantage afforded by the downward graspable rim tangs is in being aligned with the bottle neck which literally is within the grasp of the user&#39;s hand. Figuratively, the user is holding a bottle not a machine, and accordingly, it feels more natural. It is also less likely that the bottle will be dropped out of the machine because one is quite simply less likely to drop a bottle clasped by the neck within a hand, than a bottle captured between a pair of grasped clamshell engagement arms extending perpendicularly from the bottle. 
     Another aspect of the single lever, two-cycle, manual corkscrew machine embodiment relates to a bail type (looping handle) crank coupled for rotating the spiral radius pinion gear about its pole axis, the loop of the bail encircling the body of the machine in a down “storage position” before being rotated backward ˜180° in a first direction for translating (raising) the driver up relative to the annular collar of the machine to the initiating position of the two cycle operation. 
     Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide operative advantages over the prior art as discussed above. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the invention showing a single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine in the down or storage position; 
     FIG. 2 is a quarter side elevation view of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine of FIG. 1 in the open or initial position of the two cycle operation; 
     FIG. 3A is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the bail crank of the device rotated backward ˜180° from the storage position to an open or an initial position of the two cycle operation of the machine, just before the downward extending graspable rim tangs are grasped in one hand to capture and hold a bottle neck at a stationary position relative to the annular collar of the machine; 
     FIG. 3B is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the bail crank rotated forward ˜180° from the position of FIG. 3A to a down position where the cork in the bottle is shown skewered by a helical corkscrew of the machine (the hand could be engaged from the opposite side); 
     FIG. 3C is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the bail crank rotated backward ˜180° to the open position translating a driver (member) upward with the skewered cork having been pulled from the bottle; 
     FIG. 3D is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the bail crank rotated forward ˜180° to a down position translating the driver (member) downward with the skewered cork to the down position, in a second portion of the operation cycle of the machine; 
     FIG. 3E is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the bail crank rotated backward ˜180° to the open position translating the driver (member) upward, a collar cam which in this configuration is latched within the annular collar, strips the skewered cork from the corkscrew concluding the second portion of the operation cycle of the machine; 
     FIG. 4A is a cutaway side elevation section of the configuration initiating an open position of the first portion of the cycle operation of the machine correlating to that shown in FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 4B is a cutaway side elevation section of the single lever, two cycle, corkscrew machine showing the bail crank rotated forward ˜180° to the down position correlating to the position shown in FIG. 3B; 
     FIG. 4C is a cutaway side elevation section of the single lever, two cycle, corkscrew machine showing the bail crank rotated backward ˜180° to the open position pulling the cork from the bottle correlating to the position shown in FIG. 3C; 
     FIG. 4D is a cutaway side elevation view of the single lever, two cycle corkscrew machine with the bail crank rotated forward ˜180° to the down position translating the driver (member) and skewered cork downward to the down position in the second portion of the operation cycle of the machine after the opened bottle has been removed, this correlates the configuration shown in FIG. 3D; 
     FIG. 4E is a side elevation view of the single lever, two cycle corkscrew machine with the bail crank rotated back ˜180° to the open position translating the driver (member) upward, the collar cam now latched within the annular collar having stripped the skewered cork from the corkscrew concluding the second portion of the operation cycle of the machine and correlating to the configuration shown in FIG. 3E; 
     FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship of the radius of the spiral radius pinion gear and angular rotation of that gear in the single lever, two cycle corkscrew machine according to the invention as the bail crank is rotated 180° from the down or rest position (gear engagement proximate a pole (axis)) spiraling outwardly from the pole to the open or initial operating position of the machine; and 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship of a collar cam carrier translatable on the guide stem of the driver and an associated latch member for capturing holding and releasing the collar cam carrier from the rest position within the annular collar of the single lever, two cycle manual corkscrew machine embodiment according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An interesting feature of a bottle neck stoppering cork is the force holding the cork in the bottle neck. There is a friction force which prevents the cork once compressed within the neck of the bottle from being removed. This frictional force is relatively large when the full length of the cork is inside the bottle neck and decreases to a relatively medium value when only a short length of the cork remains inside the bottle neck. For there to be equal removal force required at the start of removal of the cork as there is at the end of removal of a cork, there must be a mechanism for adjusting the removal force applied which is resisted by the cork to bottle neck frictional force. Since the force is high at the start of removal and low at the end of removal, a mechanism which would provide a continuous variation in force using variable lever arm lengths around a pivot point is a spiral gear which provides a variable lever arm depending on the angular orientation of the spiral with respect to the member to which force is being applied. 
     Mathematically, a spiral is a transcendental plane curve, for which the equation in many cases can be written in a general form in polar coordinates as: r=a 0 Θ n +a 1 Θ n−1 + . . . a n . A spiral can also be defined as a locus of a point which moves about a fixed axis, while its radius vector r and its vectorial angle Θ continuously increase or decrease according to some rule. [See Van Nostrand&#39;s  Scientific Encyclopedia  8 th  1995, p. 2929.] 
     The classical Archimedes spiral is expressed by the relationship: r=aΘ which where the spiral has an initial radius r 1  (where Θ is 0) becomes: 
     
       
         
           r=r 
           1 
           +aΘ. 
         
       
     
     Another famous spiral is the logarithmic spiral which in polar coordinates is given by the relationship: 
     
       
           r=ke   bΘ ; 
       
     
     where k and b are arbitrary constants. The logarithmic spiral is also known as a growth spiral, an equiangular spiral, and a spira mirabilis. Similarly, if a logarithmic spiral has an initial radius r 1 , the relationship is expressed as: 
     
       
           r=r   1   +ke   bΘ ; 
       
     
     Looking at FIG. 5, a skilled mechanical designer should note that a spiral radius pinion gear  11  rotating through an angle Θ less than 2π radians (360°) about its polar axis  12  will drive or move a linear gear rack  13  vertically relative to the pole axis  12  as the gear mesh contact radius moves radially outward. The relative radial displacement (position), R D , of the gear rack contact line to the pole axis  12  of the spiral radius pinion gear  11  (indicated by arrow  14 ) is always equal to the difference between the minimum radius a MIN  and maximum radius, a MAX  of the spiral for the rotation through angle Θ, or: 
     
       
         R D =( a   MIN   a   MAX ) 
       
     
     When the linear gear rack  13  is inclined at an angle relative to, for example, a vertical plane, and is constrained to only translate in that vertical plane relative to the pole axis  12  of the spiral radius pinion gear  11 , then the inclination angle Φ, (the angle which the rack must be inclined relative to the vertical plane) has a relationship to the magnitude of a desired or resulting vertical translation D V  (indicated by the arrow  16 ) and the relative radial displacement R D , namely: 
     
       
         tan Φ=( R   D   /D   V ), 
       
     
     and 
     
       
         cos Φ=( D   V   /L   Rack ), 
       
     
     where L Rack  is the effective length of the gear rack  13 . 
     To illustrate, when the pole axis is at the position shown in FIG. 5, the vertical line ρ correlates to the relative radius r of the spiral pinion gear  11  and is positioned between its minimum radius (though in this view it is positioned at the minimum radius) and maximum radius a MIN , a MAX , and is related to the inclination angle Φ of the gear rack  13  by a relationship of the form: 
     
       
           r=a   MIN   +k ·Θ·sin Φ, 
       
     
     where Θ is expressed in radians, and k is a factor correlating circumference of a circle to the length of the particular spiral. It is also clear, that the effective length of the gear rack  13  is equal to the arc length of the spiral radius pinion gear  11  for the rotation through angle Θ. 
     The skilled mechanical designer should also understand that the combination of a spiral radius pinion gear  11  and an inclined rack  13  provides mechanical advantage analogous to that of rolling a cylinder up an inclined plane for implementing a required resisted perpendicular displacement. A crank arm rotating the spiral radius pinion gear also has maximum mechanical advantage when the spiral radius of pinion gear  11  engages the inclined gear rack  13  at its minimum radius, (a MIN ). Conversely, the mechanical advantage of such a crank arm is minimized when the spiral radius of pinion gear  11  engages the inclined gear rack  13  at its maximum radius, (a MAX ). 
     In other words, the mechanical advantage (effective length) of the crank arm continuously increases as the radius of the contact circle (arc) of the gear mesh between the rack and pinion spiral inwardly toward the pole axis  12  of the rotating pinion gear  11 , and continuously decreases as the radius of the contact circle (arc) of the gear mesh between the rack and pinion spirals outwardly from the pole axis  12 . Other properties and advantages of the described spiral radius pinion gear—inclined gear rack mechanism relate to inherent acceleration or deceleration as the contact point (and therefore radius) of gear engagement spirals respectively outwardly or inwardly, for any given angular velocity of the crank arm. 
     A single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine as shown in the Figures provides a very good example of a spiral radius pinion gear—inclined gear rack machine. The mechanism is particularly suited for addressing the problem of screwing a helical worm (corkscrew) into a cork acting as a stopper for a bottle neck, then pulling the skewered cork from the bottle neck and finally stripping the pulled, skewered cork from the helical worm of the corkscrew. In particular, looking at FIGS. 4A-4E, the resistance encountered screwing a corkscrew  21  into a cork  22  increases with depth of penetration of the helical worm into the cork. The mechanical advantage of crank  23  rotating the spiral radius pinion gear  11  engaging the inclined gear rack  13  increases as the gear mesh associated with the contact circle between the gears and the vertical line ρ correlating to the radial position of the instantaneous contact point, spirals inward translating the driver (member)  24  coupled to the inclined rack  13  downward. The resistance when pulling the cork  22  and when stripping the fully skewered cork off the corkscrew  21  is greatest, respectively, when the cork is fully within the bottle neck  27  and when the corkscrew is at skewered depth in the cork is at its maximum. The resistance encountered decreases in each instance as the cork  22  is pulled from the bottle neck  27  and as the cork is stripped from the corkscrew  21 . The mechanical advantage of crank  23  rotating the spiral radius pinion gear  11  is greatest at its minimum radius a MIN , and decreases as the engagement of spiral radius pinion gear  11  spirals outward to its maximum radius a MAX . The fact that the vertical translation of the driver  24  decelerates as the corkscrew  21  is screwed into the cork  22  and then accelerates as the cork is pulled and stripped from the cork screw adds to the fascination and facility of the machine. It just could be the perfect manual corkscrew. 
     Looking at FIGS. 1,  2 ,  3 A- 3 E, and  4 A- 4 E, the single lever (crank)  23  of the two cycle corkscrew machine is in the form of an elongated U-shaped bail (FIGS.  1  &amp;  2 ). The respective ends of the bail lever  23  mechanically receive and couple with respective ends  28  of a square cornered pinion axle  29  extending through a complementarily shaped polygonal hole  31  extending through the spiral radius pinion gear  11  centered (coaxial) with its pole axis  12  (see FIGS.  4 A- 4 E). As illustrated, an angle of rotation Θ (FIG. 5) of the single lever  23  between the down or storage position (FIG. 1) and the open position (FIG. 2) is slightly greater than 180° or π radians. 
     Advantages of the bail configuration of the lever arm  23  include the fact that the top end of the corkscrew machine is encircled in the down position making the machine more compact when stored. Another advantage is that arms of the bail lever straddle a vertical plane bisecting the machine and any captured and held bottle  26 , such symmetric mounting tends to eliminate torque twisting the machine perpendicularly with respect to that vertically bisecting plane as the single lever  23  is operated. Finally the loop like bail configuration of the lever arm  23  allows the top of the machine to be encircled as the lever arm is rotated between the down and up positions. This arrangement mitigates if not completely eliminates structural limitations which might otherwise impede lever arm rotation. In fact, the bail configuration permits the rotation of the lever arm  23 , for rotating the spiral radius pinion gear to be more or less ergonomically centered or balanced with respect to a person grasping the machine in one hand with a bottle while turning the single lever arm  23  back and forth in two cycles across the top of the machine with the other hand. 
     Ideally, the driver (member)  24  of the single lever, two cycle, corkscrew machine embodiment is integrated with the inclined gear rack  13  forming a single machined or cast structure having a mounting passage or receptacle for rigidly securing a vertical guide stem  32  located between an annular head  33  and the structure of the inclined gear rack  13 . A conventional corkscrew thrust bearing top  34  is coaxially received and conventionally mounted in a cylindrical sleeve throat  36  of the annular head  33  of the driver  24 . An extending circular flange  37  below the thrust bearing plate  38  is corralled between a smaller diameter annular rim  39  of the sleeve throat  36  and an end cap  41  adapted to screw onto, covering the end of the cylindrical throat. A beaded bearing surface  40  centrally located in the end cap  41  minimize friction resistance to corkscrew rotation as the corkscrew is driven into a cork  22  during which time the thrust bearing plate  38  presses against the beaded bearing surface  40 . [See Allen (supra) Col. 6, ll. 2-64] The axis of rotation of the corkscrew  22  is vertically oriented, and coaxial with the axis of the annular head  33 , parallel to the vertical guide stem  32 . 
     In the open position, the tip of the corkscrew  21  extends downward from the driver  24  into a conventional collar cam  25  adapted to follow the helically curved worm of the particular corkscrew. The collar cam  25  is received and secured within a collar cam carrier  52  which in turn is coupled to and translatable on the guide stem  32 . The collar cam  25  does not rotate, but rather is stationary and as such acts as a mechanically blocking member which imparts a torque to the helical wire of the corkscrew which causes the corkscrew  21  to rotate as the driver  24  moves relative (vertically toward and away from) the collar cam carrier  52 . The collar cam carrier  52  is secured at a rest position  49  within a stationary annular collar  44  forming a portion of the support structure for the moveable pieces of the machine. 
     Per the teachings of Allen [U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,351, col. 13, ll. 7 to col. 14, ll.47], the collar cam carrier  52  has a cylindrical bore  67  receiving the guide stem  32  (FIG. 6) shaped to allow the guide stem  32  to easily translate though it on downward translation, and to cant, bind onto and travel with the guide stem  32  upon upward translation of the guide stem  32  except when the carrier is latched at the rest position  49  atop the annular collar  44  of the machine. When the collar cam carrier  52  translates with the guide stem  32  there is no relative motion between the driver  24  and the collar cam  25 , hence, no torque is imparted which tends to rotate the corkscrew  21  relative to a skewered cork  22  or the drive  24 . 
     The downward extending vertical guide stem  32  and downward extending structure of the inclined gear rack  13  of the driver  24  of the manual corkscrew machine are received and vertically translate in complementarily shaped guide tracks  42  and  43  in and through one side of the stationary annular collar  44  of the machine aligning the axis annular collar  44  coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the helical corkscrew  22 . 
     In more detail, the stationary annular collar  44  which is a main structural member of the corkscrew machine is ideally a unitary structure including upward extending spaced, parallel, flared circular yoke structures  46  and a downward projecting rim tang housing  47  with flanges  61 . The yoke structures  46  are adapted for mechanically receiving, supporting and protecting the spiral radius pinion gear  11 . A square cornered pinion axle  29  carrying the spiral radius pinion gear  11  is supported for rotation between the yoke structures  46  using conventional sleeve bearings (not shown). The engaging ends of the single bail lever  23  couple to the ends of the pinion axle ends exterior the yoke structure  46 . The rim tang housing  47  of the annular collar  44  extends downward from the collar  44  directly below the flared yoke structures  46 . The rim tang housing  47  has a rounded, smooth, exterior surface with side flanges  61  to provide interior space  48  for receiving, enclosing and guiding the translating distal ends of the guide stem  32  and gear rack  13  translating with the driver  24 . 
     Looking at FIGS.  1  &amp;  4 A- 4 E the yoke structures  46  enclosing the spiral radius pinion gear  11  provide a interior raised stop  91 . The heel  92  of the pinion gear  11  rotating within between the yoke structures  46  presents a radially projecting shoulder  93  located for striking the stop  91  to stop or limit backward rotation of the pinion gear  11  at the point which the corkscrew machine is in its open position, and the engagement of the pinion gear  11  with the inclined gear rack  13  is at its maximum radius. The spiral radius pinion gear  11  also presents a stepped face  94  between the maximum radius and minimum radius which cooperates with the top end  96  of the inclined gear rack  13  to stop or limit forward rotation of the pinion gear  11 . The pinion gear  11  when secured by the pinion axle  29  within and between the yoke structures  46  mechanically couples the integrated driver  24  inclined gear rack  13  structure to the annular collar  44  forming the base of the machine with the downward extending guide stem and of the gear rack  13  ends received in their respective complementary shaped guide tracks  42  and  43  through the annular collar  44  forming the base of the machine. 
     The interior of the rim tang housing  47  houses and supports the mechanical components of the biased, releasable collar latch mechanism  51  (FIG. 6) that capture and hold a collar cam carrier  52  at the rest position  49  within the annular collar  44 . In particular with reference to FIG. 6, the biased, releasable collar latch mechanism  51  of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine includes a rocker  53 , a face plate  54 , and biasing springs  56 . A pivot axle  57  journaled between the flanges  61  couples and supports the rocker  53  near its bottom within the rim tang housing  47 . The face plate  54  has a concave arcuate inward exterior face  58  with shoulder lands  59  stepped radially inward (toward the axis of the annular collar  44  as shown in FIG. 2) in downward succession. The face plate  54  is adapted to snap into the rocker  53  to form a single integrated structure which rocks within the rim tang housing  47  (FIGS. 4A-4E) pivoting on the axle  57  The pivot axle  57  (FIGS. 1,  2 , &amp;  3 A- 3 E) is supported perpendicularly with respect to the axis of the collar  44  between the enclosing flanges  61 of the rim tang housing  47 . In the embodiments illustrated, holes  62  are drilled through the enclosing flanges  61  for supporting the distal ends of the axle  57 . The biasing springs  56  are compressed between the rocker  53  and a back interior wall  55  of the rim tang housing  47  (FIGS. 4A-4E) for urging the top end of the rocker  53  radially inward with respect to the axis of the annular collar  44 . 
     The top end latch arms of the rocker  53  straddle the guide stem  32  guided through the annular collar  44  of the machine traveling with the driver  24 . Each latch arm  63  is disposed on one side of the guide stem  32 . The latch arms  63  have downward facing horizontal latch surfaces  64  oriented perpendicular to the guide stem  32 , and upward facing strike surfaces  65  acutely inclined relative to the latch surfaces  64 . The stem  66  of the collar cam carrier  52  surrounds the bore  67  (adapted per the teachings of Herbert Allen (supra)) to be translatable along the guide stem  32 , and presents on opposite sides of the guide stem  32 , complementary downward facing inclined strike surfaces  68  and upward facing horizontal latch surfaces  69  also oriented perpendicular to the guide stem  32 . 
     Looking at FIGS. 3A-3E the releasable collar latch mechanism  51  operates conventionally. The cam collar carrier  52  is latched at a rest position  49  seated on a portion of the stationary annular collar  44  of the corkscrew machine with the collar cam  25  extending slightly down toward the position of a bottle neck all within the interior cylindrical volume defined within the annular collar  44 . The biasing springs  56  maintain the latch engagement until a bottle rim  82  is grasped and captured within the machine below. As a user squeezes the rocking rim tang  71 , the neck of the captured bottle presses on the annular collar  44  and causes the rocker  53  to rock backward, causing its downward facing horizontal latch surfaces  64  to move out of engagement with the upward facing horizontal latch surfaces  69  of the collar cam carrier  52  (FIGS.  3 A and  3 B). The bail crank  23  is in the open position. The bail crank  23  is then rotated forward moving the driver  24  downward. The cam collar carrier  52  and collar cam  25  resting on the annular collar  44  do not move. Translation of the corkscrew  21  downward through the stationary collar cam  25  imparts a torque rotating the corkscrew screwing it into the cork  22  acting as a stopper for the bottle  26  (FIG.  3 B). The bail crank  23  is then rotated backward to the open position, and because the latch mechanism  51  is disengaged (the bottle rim  82  is still grasped and held within the machine) the collar cam carrier binds to the guide stem  32  and moves upward with the driver  24 . Since there is no relative movement between the driver  24  and collar cam carrier  52 , no torque is induced tending to rotate the corkscrew  21 , and the cork  22 , skewered by the corkscrew  21  is pulled from the neck  27  of the bottle  26  (FIG.  3 C). The bottle  26  is then separated from the machine, and the rocker  53 , urged by the biasing springs  56  rocks back to the latch engagement position. The bail crank  23  is then rotated forward beginning the second lever cycle, which moves the driver  24 , collar cam carrier  52  and cork  22  downward into and through the stationary annular collar  44 . The downward facing inclined strike surfaces  68  on either side of the stem  66  of the collar cam carrier  52  strike the upward facing inclined strike surfaces  65  of the respective latch arms  63  rocking the rocker  53  backward, until the respective horizontal latching surfaces  64  &amp;  69  move just past registry, whereupon the biasing springs  56  rock the rocker  53  forward engaging the latch mechanism  51  (FIG.  3 D). With the latch mechanism  51  engaged, the bail crank  23  is then rotated back to the open position moving the driver upward. The collar cam carrier  52  and collar cam  25 , held by the latch arms  63  of the rocker  53  remain seated on portion of the annular collar  44  of the machine. The upward translation of the corkscrew  22  through the collar cam  25  imparts torque that screws the helical corkscrew  21  out of the cork  22  (FIG.  3 E). 
     Referring back to FIGS. 4A-4E, the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine includes a rocking rim tang  71  attached at its top to the exterior of annular collar  44  diametrically opposite the rim tang housing  47  pivoting on an axle  72 . A biasing spring  73  is compressed between the interior face  74  of the rocking rim tang  71  and the exterior of the annular collar  44  for urging the tang  71  radially outward with respect to the axis of the annular collar  44 . Like the face plate  54  snapped into the rocker  53  housed between the flanges of the opposing rim tang housing  47 , the rocking tang  71  also includes a removable face plate  76  with a concave arcuate exterior surface  77  with similarly located shoulder lands  78  stepped radially inward in downward succession (toward the axis of the annular collar  44  as shown in FIG.  1 ). 
     As illustrated, when the respective tangs  47  &amp;  71  of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine are grasped within a user&#39;s hand (it can be from either side), the respective shoulder lands  59  &amp;  78  of the respective face plates  54  &amp;  76  cooperate to define two annular bottle rim channels  79  &amp;  81  of decreasing diameter (FIGS. 4B-4E) in downward succession relative to the annular collar  44 . The diameter of the larger bottle rim channel  79  is chosen for capturing the larger diameter rims  82  topping newer style wine bottles  26 , while the smaller diameter annular channel  81  is chosen for corralling the smaller diameter rims typical of older style wine bottles. 
     The skilled designer should appreciate that having removable face plates  54 ,  76  within the respective tangs  47 ,  71  allows the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine to be adapted to different ranges of bottle neck rim diameters that may be encountered in different geographic regions of the world. However, the skilled mechanical designer should also appreciate that the magnitude of the desired vertical translation D V  of the driver  24  necessarily includes the respective heights of any larger diameter bottle rim channels  79  between the lowest annular channel  81  and the annular collar  44  a factor which increases the effective length L Rack  of the inclined gear rack  13  per the relationship expressed above. In particular, the desired vertical translation D V  of the driver  24  of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine is determined with respect to the range of cork lengths (1¼ inches (3 cm) to 1¾ inches (4.5 cm) in the United States) expected plus the respective height of the larger annular bottle rim channel  79  (⅜ inch (1 cm)). In other words, the desired vertical translation D V  of the driver  24  of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine must be sufficient to fully skewer a cork  22  acting as a stopper for a bottle  26  captured and held in the lowest annular bottle rim channel  81 . 
     Successively smaller bottle rim channels  79 - 81  in downward progression also has advantages to users of the machine. In particular, the larger diameter bottle rim  82  captured in the topmost annular (large) channel  79  when grasped in a hand between the tangs  47  &amp;  71  are less likely to be dropped, as the user rotates the bail crank  23  forward screwing the corkscrew into the cork  22  acting as a stopper for the bottle. The lower smaller annular channel  82  affords the user a second capture opportunity, in the event the bottle slips from the upper channel  79 . Moreover such stepped bottle rim annular capture channels  79  &amp;  81  afford the sporting user a greater opportunity for flamboyance, in that the bottle  26  need not necessarily be supported on a horizontal surface as it is opened, a feature of the single lever, two cycle, manual corkscrew machine which differentiates it from most modern corkscrew machines, in particular the Screwpull® machine patented by Herbert Allen and Stephane de Bergen. 
     Returning to FIG. 5, the inclination angle Φ of the gear rack  13  relative to a vertical plane as discussed above, is determined by the minimum radius a MIN  and maximum radius, a MAX  of the spiral pinion gear  11  for a rotation angle Θ. Also, as observed previously, the force that is imparted by the pinion gear  13  turned by a lever crank  23  for translating the gear rack  13  is maximized when the pinion gear radius is minimum, and minimized when the pinion gear radius is maximum. These relational parameters provide the skilled mechanical designer with an opportunity to design a machine for example, that provides an initial mechanical advantage for imparting a force F F  for overcoming an initial resistance to relative translation of the pinion gear  11  and the gear rack  13  in one direction, and a final mechanical advantage for imparting a different force F F  for overcoming initial resistance to relative translation of the pinion gear  11  and the gear rack  13  in the opposite direction. In fact the minimum radius a MIN  and maximum radius, a MAX  of the spiral pinion gear  11  can be related to the such forces F I  and F F  at the respective endpoints of rotation of the spiral pinion gear through angle Θ (and translation of the gear rack  13 ) by a ratio relationship of the form: 
     
       
         a MIN   /a   MAX   =K ( F   I   /F   f ). 
       
     
     Accordingly, a skilled mechanical designer can specify the inclination angle Φ of a gear rack  13  and the minimum radius a MIN  and maximum radius, a MAX  of the spiral pinion gear  11  by anticipating the respective end point forces that must be overcome by the machine for the particular application. 
     Knowing the inclination angle Φ of a gear rack  13 , and using the previously expressed relationships the designer can now specify a desired vertical displacement D V  and determine the effective length L Rack  of the inclined gear rack  13  to accomplish that displacement. Knowing the effective length of the gear rack  13 , the designer can now optimize the gear tooth profiles of the engaging gears of the spiral radius pinion gear  11  and inclined rack  13  for a given or desired rotation angle Θ. In particular, rotation of the spiral radius pinion gear  11  through a desired rotation angle Θ (always less than 2π radians) has an effective arc length equal to the effective length L Rack  of the inclined gear rack  13 . Arc length of a spiral s, in polar coordinates, can be related to a desired rotation angle Θ by the relationship:        s   =       ∫     θ   1       θ   2                  r   2     +       (          r          θ       )     2                            θ                                
     where r is the radius from the pole. 
     From the above relationship the skilled mechanical designer can, by choosing the initial minimum radius a MIN  for the spiral pinion gear, tailor the arc length s for the desired rotation angle to equal the effective length L Rack  of the inclined gear rack  13 . 
     The embodiments described above comprise both a simple machine or mechanism for translating a driver utilizing an inclined gear rack in combination with a spiral radius pinion gear, and a single lever, two cycle, manual, corkscrew machine which utilizes that novel mechanism. Many modifications and variations of machine can be made both generally, and with respect to the particular corkscrew machine described which, while not described above, will still fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. While the invention has been described with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.