IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRAWING CORKS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN HENRY SMILES, of 1 Carr Street, Stockton-on-Tees, in the county of
Durham, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRAWING CORKS, to be as follows:-
The frame consists of a tube, which passes through and is supported obliquely,
and about midway in the ball head of a pillar bracket.
A forked double lever-that is a lever at each side of the fulcrum or gudgeon,
similar to a centre beam-is mounted astride the bracket and tube.
The centre fulcrum or gudgeon pin, is carried in the centre and through the
sides of the ball headed bracket at right angles to the tube. The lever moving in
line with the tube.
A cylindrical crosshead is mounted upon and within each end of the said tube,
the gudgeon pins of the same pass through openings along the sides of the tube;
or the aforesaid crosshead may be connected to an external crosshead, by means of
a slit or slits in the tube.
The said crossbeads are connected to the lever by means of links, or forked
connecting rods. The top crosshead to the lever above the fulcrum, and the bottom
one to that below it, or at the opposite side.
A bandle is attached to the top of the said forked lever.
A spindle, spirally threaded at the lower end, passes along the tube and through
both crossheads. It gears with a nut within the lower crosshead, which crosshead
takes the form of a long hollow cylinder.
Along this cylindrical crosshead, the nut has a given amount of play or travel,
the amount being equal to twice the length of a cork.
The upper part of the spindle, which passes through the top crosshead, and is
geared by means of a nut and collar, or their equivalents, is free to revolve in the
same, but is so attached that it receives a reciprocating movement with it.
A fly wheel or its equivalent is attached to the end of the spindle which passes
through and beyond the crosshead. This ŵy wheel may take the form of a hollow,
double or single pyramidical sleeve or sceptre head. The sleeve part encircles the
tube, but does not touch it.
The spindle is attached to the top and blank end.
The length of the cylindrical bore of the fly wheel, is equal to the travel of the
said spindle along the tube.
A corkscrew is attached to that end of the spindle which passes through the
lower crosshead.

page_text: A steel ring or hoop may encircle the end of this spindle, or the spindle may
be recessed or counter-sunk, and sharp hooked serrations formed round its edge.
A radially corrugated stop is fixed in the lower end of the tube, a little over the
length of a cork from the end. This stop has a hole in the centre, to allow the
corkscrew and spindle to pass through it.
A bell mouth, for guiding the bottle to the centre of the tube, is formed on the
extremity of the same.
It will be seen that when the handle-which is attached to the forked lever-
is pulled forward, it will cause the top crosshead to move downwards, and the
bottom one to move upwards towards the centre. When the top crosshead has
moved down the tube, a distance equal to the length of a cork, the bottom cross-
head will have moved upwards to the same extent.
At the commencement of this movement, the screw nut, which is geared with
the lower end of the spindle, would be at the top end of the lower cylindrical
crosshead, but would proceed to the bottom of the same during the movement.
The spindle passes through and the nut along the crosshead, at twice the rate of
the movement of the upper crosshead, due to the opposite advance of the lower
Thus it will be seen that the nut will have. moved twice the length of a cork
along the lower crosshead.
one.
The nut has now come in contact with the bottom end of the crosshead, and in
the further movement will be carried up with it, causing the spindle to revolve at
twice the rate of its forward advance.
The pitch of the corkscrew is one half the pitch of the spindle, when both levers
are of equal length. The pitch is determined by dividing the forward advance of
the screw by the revolutions it makes in this advance.
By completing the movement of the handle the corkscrew will penetrate the
cork, and the said serrated spindle end will come in contact with the string on the
cork, which it will hook up and cut.
When the handle is pushed backwards, the corkscrew and spindle will move back
bodily, a distance equal to the length of a cork, in order to extract the same, after
which, the nut will come in contact, with the top end of the lower crosshead, and
cause the spindle and corkscrew to revolve in an opposite direction, for the purpose
of winding the corkscrew out of the cork, the radially corrugated stop, preventing
the cork from turning.
The cork when free will fall from the tube.
The fly wheel which is attached to the spindle, imparts a smooth and steady
motion to the apparatus.
The bodily and non-revolving motion of the corkscrew, for withdrawing the
cork, can be attained by loose cranks on the ends of the lever, or on the crosshead
gudgeons, or by the connecting rods being slotted, or telescopic, or by the bottom
lever ends, being knee jointed.
In these cases the hollow cylindrical part of the lower crosshead, would be
dispensed with, and the nut would be formned on the crosshead.
It will be seen that these devices are to allow the spindle and corkscrew, to be
operated upon solely by the upper crosshead, for extracting the cork.
The throw of the cranks would be equal to twice the amount of the freedom
required.
I wish to reserve the right to reverse the position of the crossheads, connecting
rods etc.
The apparatus is fixed to the counter or table, by means of a central bolt, in the
base or flange of the bracket.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Drawing Corks.
I, JOHN HENRY SMILES, of 1 Carr Street, Stockton on Tees, in the County of
Durham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR DRAWING CORKS and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
The frame consists of a tube, which passes through and is supported obliquely
and about midway in the ball-head of a pillar bracket.
A forked double lever-that is a lever at each side of the fulcrum, or gudgeon,
similar to a centre-beam-is mounted astride the bracket and tube.
The centre fulcrum or gudgeon pin carried in the centre and through the sides
of the ball headed bracket, at right angles to the tube. The lever moving in line
with the tube.
A cylindrical crosshead is mounted within each end of the said tube, the gudgeon
pins of the same pass through openings along the sides of the tube. The said cross-
heads are connected to the lever by means of links, or forked connecting rods. The
top crosshead to the lever above the fulcrum, and the bottom one to that below it,
or at the opposite side.
A handle is attached to the top of the said forked lever.
A spindle, spirally threaded at the lower end, passes along the tube and through
both crossheads. It gears with a nut within the lower crosshead, which crosshead
takes the form of a long hollow cylinder.
Along this cylindrical cross-head, the nut has a given amount of play or travel,
the amount being equal to twice the length of a cork. The upper part of the
spindle-which passes through the top crosshead, and is geared by means of a nut
and collar or their equivalents,--is free to revolve in the same, but is so attached
that it receives a reciprocating movement with it.
A fly wheel or its equivalent is attached to the end of the spindle, which passes
through and beyond the crosshead. This fly wheel may take the form of a hollow,
double or single pyramidical sleeve or sceptre head. The sleeve part eucircles the
tube, but does not touch it. The spindle is attached to the top and blank end.
The length of the cylindrical bore of the fly wheel, is equal to the travel of the
said spindle along the tube.
A corkscrew is attached to that end of the spindle which passes through the
lower crosshead. A steel ring or hoop may encircle the end of this spindle, or the
spindle may be recessed or countersunk, and sharp hooked serrations formed round
its edge.
A radially corrugated stop is fixed in the lower end of the tube, a little over the
length of a cork from the end. This stop has a hole in the centre to allow the
corkscrew and spindle to pass through it.
A bell mouth for guiding the bottle to the centre of the tube is formed on the
extremity of the same.
It will be seen that when the handle which is attached to the forked lever is
pulled forward, it will cause the top crosshead to move downwards, and the bottom

page_text: one to move upwards towards the centre. When the top crosshead has moved down
the tube, a distance equal to the length of a cork, the bottom crosshead will have
moved upwards to the same extent.
.
At the commencement of this movement the screw nut which is geared with the
lower end of the spindle, would be at the top end of the lower cylindrical crosshead,
but would proceed to the bottom of the same during the movement. On the com-
pletion of the backward movement of the handle, when extracting the cork, if suffi-
cient velocity has been given to the fly wheel during this movement, it will continue
to revolve and cause the nut to be wound down to the lower end of the crosshead.)
The spindle passes through, and the nut along the crosshead, at twice the rate of
the movement of the upper crosshead, due to the opposite advance of the lower one.
-Thus, it will be seen, that the nut will have moved twice the length of a cork
along the lower crosshead.-The nut has now come in contact with the bottom end
of the crosshead, and in the further movement will be carried up with it, causing
the spindle to revolve at twice the rate of its forward advance. That is the spindle
.will have passed twice the distance through the nut, to that of its bodily forward
advance, due to the opposite movement of the nut.
The pitch of the corkscrew is one half the pitch of the spindle, when both levers
are of equal length. The pitch is determined by dividing the forward advance of
the screw by the revolutions it makes in this advance.
By completing the movement of the handle the corkscrew will penetrate the cork,
and the said serrated spindle end will come in contact with the string on the cork,
which it will hook up and cut.
When the handle is pushed backwards, the corkscrew and spindle will move back
bodily, a distance equal to the length of a cork; in order to extract the same,
after which the nut will come in contact with the top end of the lower crosshead,
and cause the spindle and corkscrew to revolve in an opposite direction, for the
purpose of winding the corkscrew out of the cork; the radially corrugated stop
preventing the cork from turning.
The cork, when free will fall from the tube.
The fly wheel which is attached to the spindle imparts a smooth and steady
Inotion to the apparatus.
The bodily and non-revolving motion of the corkscrew for withdrawing the cork,
can be attained by loose cranks on the ends of the lever, or on the crosshead
gudgeons, or by the connecting rods being slotted, or telescopic, or by the bottom
lever ends being hinged or knee jointed. In these cases the hollow cylindrical part
of the lower crosshead, would be dispensed with, and the nut would be formed on
the crosshead.
Or the nut may take the form of a sleeve passing through the crosshead, with
flanges or collars formed on each end, the same amount of freedom being allowed
between the crosshead and flanges, as in the other arrangements.
It will be seen that these devices are to allow the spindle and corkscrew to be
operated upon solely by the upper crosshead, for extracting the cork.
The throw of the cranks would be equal to twice the amount of the freedom
required, that is about twice the length of an average cork.
I wish to reserve the right to reserve the positions of the crossheads, connecting
rods etc, and to build the apparatus in as many pieces as may be desirable, or to
forin the frame, stand, bell mouth etc in one piece.
The apparatus is fixed to the counter or table, by means of a central bolt, in the
base of the bracket, which facilitates the ready adjustment of the machine, in any
desired position.

page_text: Upon the lower end of this tube is bell mouth c, and at the opposite end is
flywheel d, which is attached to spindle e, which passes along the centre of the
tube, through upper crosshead flower cylindrical crosshead g engaging with nut h
within, the same, and terminating in the concave serrated end i to which cork-
screw jis attached. It is the thrust collar, the spiral cushion springs, m the
corrugated stop, n a bottle in position, o the handle.
The upper crosshead f is connected to the forked lever p by means of links and
the lower crosshead by links r. The forked lever p oscillates upon pins s, in the
centre of the ball head of the bracket.
The machine is fixed to the counter or table t, by means of the central bolt u.
The dotted diagram shows the extreme forward positions of the lever, crossheads
and links.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st The frame, consisting of a tube, mounted obliquely in a pillar bracket, the
said bracket being secured to the counter or table by ineans of a central bolt in the
base of the same, for the purpose herein set forth, and as shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
2nd The forked lever mounted astride the bracket, and oscillating on pins or
bearings, in, or on the ball head of the same, and connected to, and acting upon
the upper and lower crossheads, by means of links or their equivalents, as herein-
before described.
3rd Two crossheads engaging with a spirally threaded spindle, one to effect its
rotary, and the other its reciprocating motion, whose respective ends pass through
slits in the sides of the tube, and engage with the lever by means of links, for the
purpose herein set forth.
4th A fly wheel or hollow sceptre head, or sleeve or its equivalent, mounted on
the spindle for the following purposes, First, for storing power, and causing the
corkscrew and spindle to revolve from the commencement of the forward movement.
Second, for forming an ornamental cap or cover for the ends of the tube and spindle,
and for the purposes herein before set forth.