Improvements in Corkscrews.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1896
Improvements in Corkscrews.
I, CARL STIER, Manufacturer, of Zella, St. Bl., Thuringia, Germany, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to corkscrews of the kind in which a ring-like part is
provided to surround the upper part of the bottle neck while the worm or screw
proper is caused to penetrate the cork to be withdrawn. According to this invention
the said ring-like part (hereinafter called the "divided ring") is made in two
portions each carried by a rod which is hinged at its upper end, the arrangement
being such that the two parts of the divided ring will be automatically held in the
closed position during the operations of inserting and withdrawing a cork from a
bottle but will thereupon be free to move outwardly so as to enable the withdrawn
cork to be easily removed.
Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings illustrate one arrangement of cork
screw according to this invention, Fig. 1 being an elevation partly in section showing
the cork-screw in its normal position.
Fig. 2 an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 a view showing the worm screwed down to the utmost extent;
Fig. 4 a view showing the worm screwed up rather higher than is the case in
Fig.
; and
Fig. 5 a plan of the guide-plate.
The cork-screw consists of a tubular portion a, screw-threaded internally and
provided with two curved arms a¹ to which are hinged two legs bc the lower end of
each of which terminates in one of the two parts bc of the divided ring. Through
the tube a there passes a tube L which is provided externally with a left-handed
screw-thread and internally with a right-handed screw thread, and in it there
screws a spindle R, which for the whole or part of its length is correspondingly
screw threaded. To the lower end of the spindle R is connected the worm d above
which is arranged a guide-plate e that moves up and down only when the spindle R
moves up and down. The plate e is provided with holes ff, by which the legs bc
are guided. Consequently, when the spindle R is moved downwards, the legs
are held together by the guide-plate e so that the divided ring encircles the neck of
the bottle to which it is applied.
0
In using the cork-screw, it is placed on the bottle-neck in the position shown in
Figs. 1 and 2; then by means of the handle g, the spindle R is rotated, moving
downwardly in the tube, and automatically screwing the worm d into the cork until
the spindle R has been screwed down as far as is possible that is to say into the
position represented in Fig. 3. Further movement of the handle g in the same
direction will result in upward movement of the tube L whereby the spindle R
together with the worm d and guide-plate e will be raised into the position shown
in Fig. 4. In this position the guide plate e is situated above the point at which
the legs c are hinged so that the said legs can be readily opened (or they will fall
away from each other on turning the cork-screw upside down); the cork is then
free and can easily be unscrewed from the worm.
Figs. 6 and 7 represent the upper part of a cork-screw similar to that shown in
Figs. 1 to 5 but having its screw threaded tubes a and L and its spindle R provided
with screw-threads of finer pitch, Fig. 6 showing the spindle R in elevation and

page_text: the tube
a,
its curved arms a', and the tube L which has four external screw threads,
in section, and
Fig. 7 being a section on the line A B of Fig. 6.
Figs. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate another arrangement in which the divided ring that
surrounds the bottle neck, opens on a pull on the handle g, whilst the two parts
comprising it are firmly held together while the worm d'is being screwed into
the cork.
Fig. 8 shows this arrangement partly in elevation and partly in section,
Fig. 9 is an outside view, at right angles to Fig. 8 and
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section with the divided ring open.
21
The legs bc, carrying the divided ring b'c' are pivoted at ; they each have a
recess at the inner surface, which, when a cork is being withdrawn, is filled by a
cylinder that is movable on the worm-spindle v. The upper part of this spindle
is surrounded by a spring w. The tube a is bored out to the diameter of the
cylinder u and within it is a spring q, which is held in place by a cover a³ and bears
against the cylinder u. Springs zz, which are under stress when the leg-parts b c
are in their contracted position, tend to press the latter away from each other.
The cylinder u is movable on the worm-rod and is consequently forced into the
recesses of the bell-legs bc when the divided ring c¹ is closed.
When the worm d is screwed into the cork, the spring w is put under stress and
then assists the drawing out of the cork, which finally passes into the space between
the bell-legs bc. When the cork is pulled out of the bottle neck by pulling the
rod v cylinder will be drawn back against the action of the spring 9 so as to pass
out of the recesses of the leg-parts be whereupon the latter are moved apart by
the springs zz (Fig. 10). The cork can then be removed from the worm d.
By renewed use of the corkscrew the leg-parts b c are simply pressed toward
each other into the position shown in Fig. 8, whereupon the cylinder u is auto-
matically forced into the recesses by the spring y and thereby locks the parts b¹ cl
of the divided ring together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A cork-screw in which the locking of the bell-legs b c is effected compulsorily
by a guide-plate e during the downward rotation of the worm d and the opening of
the said bell legs bc is possible only after, in consequence of further rotation of the
handle the tube L provided with an external left-hand screw thread and carrying
the right handled screw threaded worm spindle R, has drawn the cork out of the
bottle and has raised the guide-plate e, which is located above the worm, to such an
extent that it liberates the legs bc, substantially as described and shown.
2. A cork-screw of the kind herein referred to, constructed with a ring or
cylinder u that is movable endways on the worm-rod and which, in the closed
position of the bell-legs. bc, is held by a spring 9, in recesses x x in the bell-legs b c
so as to thereby maintain the latter in the closed position, and which, during the
drawing out of a cork is moved back by a shoulder on the worm-rod, so as to then
liberate the said bell-legs bc which are thereupon moved apart by springs z z,
substantially as described.
3. The improved cork-screws constructed and operating as herein before described
with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, and in Figs. 8 to 10
inclusive of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 8th day of November 1895.