AN INSTRUMENT OR NIPPERS FOR CUTTING THE WIRED, CORDED, OR LIKE FASTENINGS OF CORKED BOTTLES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lambert Cowell, of Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN INSTRUMENT OR NIPPERS
FOR CUTTING THE WIRED, CORDED, OR LIKE FASTENINGS OF CORKED BOTTLES."
Sealed the 12th October 1858, and dated the 15th April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lambert Cowell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th April 1858.
I, LAMBERT COWELL, of Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN INSTRUMENT OR
NIPPERS FOR CUTTING THE WIRED, CORDED, OR LIKE FASTENINGS OF CORKED
BOTTLES," to be as follows:-
My said Invention consists of an instrument, which may be variously
formed on the principle of nippers, to clasp the cork on each side close to or
near the bottle neck, with two semicircular cutters or shears, which the
operator can cause to press on and cut the wire, cord, or like fastenings on
Call sides simultaneously by pressing the handles of the nippers. The two
handles may be jointed together at one end, and a portion of each curved to
a semicircle of the required size, which will generally be about equal to the
bore or opening of the bottle neck, so as not to cut the cork in the act of
cutting the wire or other fastenings; or the two handles may be jointed like
.scissors, and the blades curved to the required circular form as before.
Instruments thus constructed may have one or more curves in the blades, of

page_text: different diameters, to nip or cut the fastenings to accommodate different
sized bottle necks, and the blades, when desired, may end in two sharp and
nointed ninner blades for ninning or cutting the factorings single
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lambert Cowell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LAMBERT
COWELL, of Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Lambert Cowell, Her special licence that I, the said Lambert Cowell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Lambert
Cowell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN INSTRUMENT OR NIPPERS FOR
CUTTING THE WIRED, CORDED, OR LIKE FASTENINGS OF CORKED BOTTLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Lambert Cowell, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Lambert Cowell, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My said Invention consists of an instrument, which may be variously
formed on the principle of nippers, to clasp the cork on each side close to or
near the bottle neck, with two serrated or plain semicircular cutters or shears,
which the operator can cause to press on and cut the wire, cord, or like
fastenings on all sides simultaneously by pressing the handles of the nippers
and wrenching them round. The two handles may be jointed together at

page_text: one end, and a portion of each curved to a semicircle of the required size,
which will generally be about equal to the bore or opening of the bottle neck,
so as not to cut the cork in the act of cutting the wire or other fastenings, or
the two handles may be jointed like scissors, and the blades curved to the
required circular form as before. Instruments thus constructed may have
one or more curves in the blades or the handles, of different diameters, to nip or
cut the fastenings to accommodate different sized bottle necks, and the blades,
when desired, may end in two sharp and pointed nipper blades for nipping or
cutting the fastenings singly, or terminate in two serrated nippers for drawing
the cork without using the fingers. The cutter blades are either a part of
the instrument, or made separate and adjustable thereto by means of screws
and nuts. I recommend the upper cutters or nippers to be rather of an oval
than a circular figure, by which form, when corks have double instead of
single wire or other fastenings, only two sides will be cut at once, and by a
half turn of the instrument it will immediately be in position for cutting the
two remaining side fastenings. The extreme ends of the nippers may have
a shoulder raised outside the cutting blade, and be prolonged for the providing
one side with a stud or projection to take into a corresponding aperture to
receive it on the opposite elongated end of the nippers for guiding the blades
in closing, so that they shall come truly together without rising one above
the other. At the joint or hinging portion of the nipper blades they present
at their opening two cutting edges similar to those of the opposite ends of the
nippers, which cutters from their position close on each other more rapidly
than the external cutters.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, I desire it to be understood
that I do not restrict myself to the precise forms and details here set forth, so
long as the principle of my said Invention is substantially maintained; and
I do declare that what I claim as my Invention is the peculiarly constructed
instrument or nippers for cutting the wired, corded, or like fastenings of
corked bottles, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lambert Cowell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our
L. COWELL. (L.S.)