IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING CORKS FROM WINE AND OTHER BOTTLES WITH STEADINESS, FACILITY, AND SAFETY
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LUND, of Cornhill, in the City of London, Cutler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of August, in the second year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Lund, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Thomas Lund, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Lund, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING CORKS FROM WINE AND OTHER
BOTTLES WITH STEADINESS, FACILITY, AND SAFETY;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Lund, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery,
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Lund, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention relates, first, to an apparatus for holding bottles combined
with a corkscrew, by which a person may withdraw a cork with greater
steadiness and safety than can be done by any means heretofore resorted to,
where the corkscrew and the apparatus for receiving and retaining the bottle
are not so relatively combined as in fact to become one machine.
Secondly, my Invention relates to the application of springs to corkscrews,
which, embracing or holding the upper end of the neck of the bottle, retain it
correctly during the penetration of the screw into the cork and during the
withdrawal of the cork from the bottle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an apparatus constructed according to my Invention ;
the dotted lines shewing a bottle supported in a position to have the cork
drawn therefrom. a is a bar, which at its lower end has a knob or foot b, as
is shewn, and it has also two feet c, c, applied by screw and nut, or the same
may be affixed in any other manner. On the under side of the bar a are
formed teeth d, having a spring catch e, which has at all times a tendency to
enter the teeth when permitted by the finger piece f not being pressed on;
such finger piece embracing the bar a, is capable of being slided along that
bar, the object of which will be hereafter described. g is the holder for the
bottle, which I usually make of sheet iron, though it may be of other mate-
rial, and I line it with leather for better bedding the bottle. The holder g is
bent to a proper figure to receive bottles, that they may lie securely at the time
a cork is being removed, and the elevation of the upper end of the bar is such
as to retain the bottle at such an angle as not to allow the wine or other liquid
to flow out when the cork is drawn. The bottle holder g has two slides h,
which embrace the bar a, and are capable of sliding along it in order to place
a bottle in the holder, and to slide it up to a proper position for the corkscrew.
i is the socket into which the head of the bottle enters; this socket is affixed
to the bar a, as is shewn; j is a corkscrew, which is carried by the upper end
of the bar a. In using this apparatus, supposing the bottle holder to be at
its greatest distance from the corkscrew, the bottle is to be placed in the
holder, which is then to be slided along the bar till the end of the neck of
the bottle enters the socket in the position shewn by the Drawing; by turn-
ing the handle k, the screw will enter the cork, and continued motion will

page_text: cause the screw to withdraw the cork, as is well understood in using cork-
screws of similar construction. When the cork is drawn by pressing down
the finger piece, the bottle holder and bottle may be slided away, and the
bottle removed. Thus it will be seen that the object of this part of my.
Invention is to combine a corkscrew with a suitable apparatus for holding or
sustaining the bottle; and I would remark, that although I consider the appa-
ratus shewn to be the most simple, and the best means of carrying out this
part of my Invention, the parts may be varied, provided the general character
of my improvements as above described be retained. Figure 2 shews a knife
suitable for cutting off the ends of corks previously to their being drawn, such
knife being provided with a brush to remove sawdust, &c., from the bottle;
this is rendered desirable owing to the corkscrew combined in the apparatus
not having a brush. Figure 3 shews a convenient table for a butler's pantry,
or for a wine cellar, with a proper trough or tray for receiving bottles.
Figure 4 shews the second part of my Invention, which is an ordinary cork-
screw with my improvement applied thereto. m, m, are springs, which are
cut out of that steel and tempered; they are affixed to the lower part of the
socket n, as is shewn in the Drawing. When it is desired to draw a cork
with this corkscrew, the springs m are first slided on to the neck of the
bottle, which they will hold and retain the corkscrew correctly; and I would
observe, in respect to this part of my Invention, that although I have shewn
springs of a particular form, I do not confine myself thereto, as springs of
other figures may be applied, so long as they are capable of performing a
like office.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark that
although I have shewn a particular description of corkscrews for each part
of my Invention, I do not confine myself thereto, as it is evident that in
place of the double screws as shewn, a rack and pinion and other well-known
apparatus may be employed; for my Invention in neither case depends on the
construction of the parts constituting the corkscrew. But what I claim as
the Invention secured by the present Letters Patent is, first, the combining of
a corkscrew with suitable means for holding or sustaining a bottle into an
apparatus, as above described.
Secondly, I claim the application of springs m, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lund, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of February, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-nine.
THOS (L.S.) LUND.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid Thomas Lund came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Second day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.