IMPROVEMENTS IN Cork- SCREWS.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Burgess, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, and Albert Fenton, of Birmingham,
aforesaid, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN Cork-
SCREWS.
"
Scaled the 12th February 1875, and dated the 2nd September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Burgess and
Albert Fenton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd September 1874.
:
We, JOHN BURGESS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and ALBERT FENTON, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Ma-
chinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “ Im-
PROVEMENTS IN CORKSCREWS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in constructing and combining in the manner
hercin-after described the parts of corkscrews, whereby facility in use, a
direct lift of the cork, and great withdrawing power are obtained.
Corkscrews constructed according to our Invention consist essentially
of three parts, namely, of an ordinary worm with a peculiarly constructed

page_text: stem, a lifting lever, and a supporting arm carrying the fulcrum of the
lifting lever. The end of the short arm of the lifting lever is jointed by
a pin and slot to the stem of the worm. By means of the said joint the
lifting lever can be placed in a line with or at right angles to the stem
of the worm, and the said lever has a limited sliding motion upon the
stem. The upper end of the stem of the worm is forked, and one branch
of the fork is prolonged beyond the joint of the stem with the lifting
lever. This prolonged part of the stem passes on one side of the lifting
lever, and its extreme end can be made to take into or be removed from
a socket or seat on one side of the lifting lever when the two parts are
in a line with one another. When by sliding the stem upon the lifting
lever its prolonged part is engaged with the socket in the lifting lever
the two parts are temporarily locked together, the lifting lever consti-
tuting the handle by which the corkscrew is held while driving in the
worm. By moving the lifting lever so as to disengage it from the stem
of the worm the said lever may be turned on its fulcrum for lifting or
withdrawing the cork. The lifting lever is jointed to the supporting
arm at about an inch from that end which is jointed to the stem. The
bottom of the supporting arm of the lifting lever is so shaped that it fits
the side and top edge of the rim of the bottle, a tooth or spike being
situated at the middle of the said clipping part for assisting in holding the
supporting arm in its place on the bottle during the withdrawal of the cork.
In using the corkscrew the lifting lever and stem of the worm arc
locked together, and the worm is driven into the cork, as in using an
ordinary corkscrew. Just before the driving home of the worm is com-
pleted the supporting arm, lying parallel or nearly so with the combined
stem and lever, drops upon and clips the rim of the bottle, its tooth or
spike entering between the cork and inner side of the bottle. The
supporting arm is thereby firmly fixed on the bottle.
The lifting
lever is now slightly raised vertically, so as to disengage it from the
stem of the worm. The handle end of the lifting lever is then depressed,
the said lifting lever turning on its fulcrum on the supporting arm fixed
on the side of the bottle, and the short arm of the said lever lifts or
withdraws the cork with great ease.
By jointing and supporting the lifting lever in the manner described
the lifting arm of the said lever moves nearly in a vertical line, and the
withdrawal of the cork is nearly direct. The lifting lever also acts with
great power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Burgess and Albert Fenton in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 24th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, Joпn
BURGESS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and ALBERT FENTON, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said John Burgess and
Albert Fenton, Her special license that we, the said John Burgess and
Albert Fenton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Burgess and Albert Fenton, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CORKSCREWS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Burgess and Albert Fenton, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said John Burgess and Albert Fenton,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:
Our Invention consists in constructing and combining in the manner
herein-after described the parts of corkscrews, whereby facility in use, a
direct lift of the cork, and great withdrawing power are obtained.

page_text: Corkscrews constructed according to our Invention consist essentially
of three parts, namely, an ordinary worm with
peculiarly constructed
stem, a lifting lever, and a supporting arm carrying the fulcrum of the
lifting lever. The end of the short arm of the lifting lever is jointed
by a pin and slot, to the stem of the worm. By means of the said joint
the lifting lever can be placed in a line with or at right angles to the
stem of the worm, and the said lever has a limited sliding motion upon
the stem. The upper end of the stem of the worm is forked, and one
branch of the fork is prolonged beyond the joint of the stem with the
lifting lever. This prolonged part of the stem passes on one side of the
lifting lever, and its extreme end can be made to take into or be
removed from a socket or scat on one side of the lifting lever when the
two parts are in a line with one another. When by sliding the stem
upon the lifting lever its prolonged part is engaged with the socket in
the lifting lever the two parts are temporarily locked together, the lifting
lever constituting the handle by which the corkscrew is held while
driving in the worm. By moving the lifting lever so as to disengage it
from the stem of the worm the lever may be turned on its fulcrum for
lifting or withdrawing the cork. The lifting lever is jointed to the sup-
porting arm at about an inch from that end which is jointed to the stem.
The bottom of the supporting arm of the lifting lever is so shaped that
it fits the side and top edge of the rim of the bottle, a tooth or spike
being situated at the middle of the said clipping part for assisting in
holding the supporting arm in its place on the bottle during the with-
drawal of the cork, or the supporting arm of the lifting lever may be
carried by a collar which completely surrounds the rim of the bottle.
In using the corkscrew the lifting lever and stem of the worm are
locked together, and the worm is driven into the cork as in using an
ordinary corkscrew. Just before the driving home of the worm is com-
pleted the supporting arm lying parallel or nearly so with the combined
stem and lever drops upon and clips the rim of the bottle; the
supporting arm is thereby firmly fixed on the bottle. The lifting lever
is now slightly raised vertically, so as to disengage it from the stem of
the worm. The handle end of the lifting lever is then depressed, the
said lifting lever turning on its fulcrum on the supporting arm fixed on
the side of the bottle, and the short arm of the said lever lifts or with-
draws the cork with great case.
By jointing and supporting the lifting lever in the manner described

page_text: the lifting arm of the said lever moves nearly in a vertical line, and the
withdrawal of the cork is nearly direct. The lifting lover also acts with
great power.
We will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying
Drawings, the manner in which our Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, partly in section, a corkscrew
constructed according to our Invention applied to a bottle, the worm
being represented driven into the cork; Figure 2 represents a portion of
the same; Figure 3 represents the same after the cork has been drawn ;
and Figure 4 represents an edge view of the corkscrew. The same
letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
a is the worm, and 6, 62, the stem of the same; c is the lifting lever
jointed by the pin d and slot e to the said stem of the worm, the pin &
being passed through the stem 6, and also through the slot e in the end
of the lifting lever. The lifting lever c turns on the fulcrum at f, the
said fulcrum being carried by the supporting arm g, which arm is jointed
at g² to the collar h, fitting the rim or mouth of the bottle. The pro-
longed part or leg b³ of the stem of the worm a is situated, when the
lifting lever c is in the position represesented in Figures 1, 2, and 4, on
one side of the said lifting lever, which lever is cut away for the purpose
of receiving the said prolonged part or leg bª (see Figure 4), and the
extreme upper end 63 of the said leg of the stem can be made to
engage with or be disengaged from a socket or seat i in the side of the
lifting lever c. This sliding motion of the stem and lifting lever upon
one another is permitted by the pin and slot d, e, by which the lifting
lever is jointed to the stem.
In using the corkscrew the lifting lever c is turned on its fulcrum ƒ
into the position represented in Figures 1 and 2, that is, the stem b, b²,
and lifting lever c are brought into a line with one another. By a
slight sliding motion of the stem b, b², upon the lifting lever c the end
C
of the prolonged part or leg b² of the stem is engaged with the socket i
in the lifting lever, and the two parts are temporarily locked together,
the lifting lever constituting the handle by which the corkscrew is held
while driving in the worm a. When the worm has been driven into
the cork the collar / clips or embraces the rim or mouth of the bottle,
the several parts occupying the respective positions represented in
Figure 1. To withdraw the cork the handle of the lifting lever c is

page_text: .
raised vertically. By this motion the end of the prolonged part or
leg b² of the stem is disengaged from the socket i in the lifting lever,
the parts occupying the positions represented in Figure 2. The lifting
lever c may now be turned on its fulcrum f, and made to lift or with-
draw the cork in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, the slot e of the
said lifting lever working upon the fixed pin d on the stem of the worm
during the withdrawing of the cork. When the lifting lever c first
commences to lift the cork the supporting arm g, which receives tho
strain of the said lifting lever, turns on its joint 92, and presses the heel
part of the collar / into contact with the bottle in the manner repre-
sented in Figure 3, and the arm g carrying the fulcrum f is thereby
firmly supported during the withdrawing operation. By an examination
of Figure 3 it will be seen that the lifting arm of the lever c moves
nearly in a vertical line, and the withdrawal of the cork is consequently
direct or nearly direct.
Figure 5 represents a modification of the corkscrew last described.
In this modification the lifting lever c is forked, one branch c² being
jointed by the pin and slot at % to the fixed arm on the collar h, and
the other branch c³ being jointed by the pin and slot at m to the
stem 6, 6, of the worm a. The prolonged part 2 of the stem is con-
nected with the lifting lever c in the manner herein-before described,
and the way in which the lifting lever c, c², c³, lifts or withdraws the cork
is represented in the Drawing.
The arrangement for temporarily connecting the worm to and dis-
connecting it from the lifting lever may be dispensed with, and the
lifting lever may be combined with an ordinary worm having a cross
handle, by means of which cross handle the worm is driven into the
cork. This arrangement of our Invention is illustrated in Figures 6, 7,
and 7 of the Drawings, Figure 6 representing the parts of the cork-
screw in the positions which they respectively occupy when the worm
has been driven into the cork; and Figure 7 the same after the cork
has been withdrawn; Figure 7* represents a plan of part of the cork-
screw.
The lifting lever c, instead of being jointed to the stem of the worm,
as in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, has jointed to its lifting arm a short arm or
link n, which carries the ordinary worm a, the stem of the said worm a
being passed through the eye p (see Figure 74) in the said short arm n..

page_text: The other parts of the corkscrew are the same as those represented in
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, and corresponding parts are marked with tho
same letters of reference.
In using this corkscrew the worm a is driven into the cork by means
of its cross handle a' in the usual manner, the lifting lever c being raised
by the driving in of the cork into the position represented in Figure 6.
By depressing the lifting lever c the cork is withdrawn, as illustrated in
Figure 7, the said lifting lever during its descending motion turning on
its fulcrumf of the supporting arm g, and also on the joint n² of the
short arm or link n.
Or instead of connecting the ordinary worm with a short arm jointed
to the lifting end of the lever the said worm may be connected to the
middle of the lifting lever, as illustrated in Figures 8, 9, and 10. In
this arrangement the lifting lever is raised to withdraw the cork, tho
said lifting lever being curved and crossing the cork to be drawn. The
end of the said lifting lever is jointed at c' to the links or arm q on the
collar h. The middle of the lifting lever c is forked, and between the
fork is an eye (see the plan view Figure 10) by which the worm a is
connected to the said lever c. On driving the worm a into the cork the
lifting lever c is carried with it, as illustrated in Figure 8. By raising
the lifting lever c from the position Figure 8 to that Figure 9 the cork is
withdrawn, as illustrated in the said Figure 9, the said lever c.and its
supporting links (or arm) q turning on their joints during the lifting of
the lever.
Instead of links or a jointed arm at q, to which the lifting lever is
jointed, the said lever may be jointed to a fixed arm on the collar h. In
this case the said lifting lever is provided with a curved slot to permit
the said lever working upon the eye r during the withdrawing
motion.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that wo
do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein-before described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention of improvements in
corkscrews,―
First. The combination of the lifting lever c and supporting arm g,
carrying the fulcrum of the said lifting lever, with the stem b, bº, bª, of

page_text: the worm, the parts being constructed and arranged and worked substan-
tially as herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4
of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The modification of the lifting lever herein-before described
and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The combinations or arrangements of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 6, 7, 7, 8, 9, and 10, of the accom-
panying Drawings, in which the lifting lever is used with an ordinary
worm having a cross handle.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Burgess and Albert Fenton,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second day
of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
(L.S.)
JOHN BURGESS.
ALBERT FENTON. (L.S.)