Year: 1888

page_text: I, PETER JENSEN of 77 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Raymond Beardsley Gilchrist, residing at Peoria in
the County of Peoria and State of Illinois one of the United States of America,
Merchant) to be as follows:-
The purpose of the invention is to provide a Cork Extractor simple in construction
and convenient and effective in operation, with which, by one movement of an
operating lever the cork is extracted from the bottle, and by returning the lever to its
normal position the cork is removed from the cork-screw, without injury to the cork.
To these ends, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter described.
A vertical cylinder containing an internally-threaded nut has its lower end or base
portion formed suitably for attachment to a table or other available support, and the
bore of such cylinder terminates at its lower end in a conical expansion or flaring
portion which fits over and forms a stop for the neck of the bottle from which a cork
is to be extracted. The aforesaid nut is perpendicularly movable in the interior of
the cylinder desirably upon a guide-lug or key, formed integrally with or fixed to said
cylinder; and the said nut is provided with a corresponding external keyway, the
engaging of such key and keyway enabling the nut to move freely longitudinally
within the limit of its action, but the end of the keyway hinders it from being thrust
entirely out of the cylinder by a helical spring which is placed above such nut for the
purpose of exerting a constant downward pressure upon such nut.
Working within and engaging with the nut is an externally-threaded screw,
provided preferably integrally with a cork-screw at its lower end, and an extension or
stem upon its other or upper end; the said stem projecting from the cylinder through
a suitable opening formed in a cap placed upon the upper end of the cylinder; the
cap carrying a pinion through which the stem of the screw passes and having a slot
or groove cut in it fitting into which is a key in the pinion, the said stem or
continuation of the screw is enabled to slide freely in a longitudinal direction through

page_text: the pinion, but the rotation of the pinion causes the rotation of the said stem; the
effect of such arrangement being that the longitudinal and rotatory movements of the
stem are completely independent of each other.
A lever normally nearly vertical is pivoted to the lower part or base, and has
attached to it a segmental rack at such a radial distance from the pivot that it meshes
with the teeth of the pinion carried by the aforesaid cap. The proper meshing of
said teeth being secured by a segmental strap guide bearing against the back part of
said cap. The lever is held in its normal position and retracted thereto by a spiral
spring attached to the other end of the segmental rack; it has at its upper end the
handle whereby the whole is operated, and at its lower end an extension beyond the
main pivot such extension being preferably at an angle. At the extreme end of this
extension is pivoted a lifting arm extending vertically above its pivot, and having its
upper end so shaped into a horizontal ring as to embrace loosely the stem of aforesaid
screw, and slide freely upon it, but is of smaller internal diameter than the cap nut
which terminates superiorly the said stem.
In operation a bottle is placed in position with its neck inserted in the flaring portion
at the lower end of the cylinder. The hand lever being then carried downwards
through a portion of a circle the segmental rack rotates the pinion and with it the
stem and its integral corkscrew. The nut being hindered from rotation by the key
and keyway and held at its lowest point by the helical spring, the screw working in
the nut carries the corkscrew downward into the cork in the neck of the bottle until
the lever has described approximately about two thirds of its downward segmental
movement at which time, the arm having moved upwards by reason of the motion of
its pivot upon the handle lever comes into contact with the downwardly moving cap
nut. Further movement of the handle results in the cap nut being forced upwards by
the continued ascent of the arm, a twisting and pulling motion being simultaneously
given by means of the concurrent operation of the pinion and corkscrews rotatory and
upward movements and the cork readily withdrawn from the bottle.
A reverse movement of the lever carries the arm downward. The pinion being
driven in a reverse direction causes the cork-screw to be withdrawn from the cork,
and enables the nut to be returned to its original position by the tension of the helical
spring above it.
The nut is sometimes provided with a counter-bored lower extension which
terminates when in normal position at or about the lower end of the corkscrew and
the upper termination of the flaring portion of the cylinder, occupying such position
with relation to the cylinder during the downward, forward rotatory movement of the
corkscrew and materially assisting in the removal of the cork from the screw when
the rotatory motion is reversed.
The cork-extractor is described in its preferable form, but the invention is not
limited to these particular means, as it is apparent that they may be varied without
departing from the principle of the operation. Thus a weight may be used in the
place of the retracting spring, the lever may be made to raise the corkscrew through
the intervention of the sliding nut or sleeve connected through the wall of the
cylinder; or the arm may be connected to the lever on the opposite side of the
fulcrum, the action being then reversed, and the segmental guide can be replaced by
a friction stud or roller, and further changes will suggest themselves in the arrangement
of parts, all included in the scope of this invention.

page_text: a table or other suitable support. The lower end of said cylinder is provided integrally
with a flaring portion, a, which forms a stop for the neck of the bottle from which
cork is to be extracted.
B, represents an internally-threaded nut located within said cylinder and
perpendicularly movable therein desirably upon a guide lug or key, 61, formed integral
with or fixed to said cylinder; the said nut being provided with a corresponding key-
way, b.
indicates an externally threaded screw operatively set within said nut and
provided preferably integrally with a cork-screw, C, at its lower end, and an extension
or stem, C2, at its other end; the said stem projecting from said cylinder through a
suitable opening formed in the cap, A2, thereof and passing through a pinion D
carried by said cap-
The relative operative arrangement of said pinion and stem is such that rotary
motion is communicated to the stem through said pinion and the stem is at the same
time free to slide longitudinally therethrough and independently of the rotary
movement thereof.
The preferred construction of said parts, as shewn in the drawings, is as follows:-
The pinion, B, is held perpendicularly in position within a horizontal recess, a²,
formed within said cap, A². The stem is provided with a longitudinal slot or key
way, c', within which works a spline d', carried by said pinion.
A lever, E, pivotally held by its lower portion to said cylinder, A, carries a
segmental rack, E¹ which meshes with said pinion and obviously imparts rotary
motion thereto. By preference a strap-piece, E², formed integrally with said rack
and likewise carried by said lever, works against the rear face of said cap, A2, and
forms a desirable guide for holding the rack in engagement with the pinion. A spiral
spring E³, fixed by one end to the outer end of the rack piece, E and by its other
end to the lower portion of the cylinder, A, is employed for holding the lever E in its
normal position as shewn in Figure 1 and for retracting or assisting in the retracting
of the same from its downward position as substantially shewn in Figure 5.
A lifting arm G by preference in the shape of a yoke as shewn pivotally held to an
extension, e, of the lever, E, beyond the pivotal connection of said lever with the
cylinder A loosely embraces by its upper portion, g, the stem G2 intermediate the сар,
of the cylinder and the cap nut c of said stem.
A²
Within the cylinder, A, a coiled spring, H, is interposed between the nut B and
the cap A² the office of said spring being to exert a constant downward tensional
strain upon said nut. The key-way b terminates at or about the upper end of the
nut, B, a shoulder is thereby formed, which engaging with the lug, 2 when the nut
reaches the limit of its downward travel, prevents the nut from being driven out of
the cylinder by the spring.
In operation, a bottle is placed in position with its neck inserted in the flaring
portion a of the cylinder. The lever E being carried downwardly the rack, E¹, rotates
the pinion D, which in turn imparts through the stem C2 rotary motion to the
cork-screw C. The nut B being capable only of longitudinal movement and being
held to the lowest limit of its downward movement by the spring H, the screw, C,
working therein carries the corkscrew downwardly toward and into the cork in the
neck of the bottle until the lever has described approximately about two thirds of its
downward travel at which time the arm, G, and the downwardly moving cap-nut, c,
come in contact. Farther downward movement of the lever causes the arm, G, to
move upwardly and to therefore move the cork-screw in the same direction, a twisting
and pulling motion being simultaneously given thereto by means of the concurrent
operation of the pinion and the arm, and the cork being readily drawn from the
bottle.
A reverse movement of the lever E carries the arm, G downwardly. The pinion D
being driven in a reverse direction by the rack causes the cork-screw to be withdrawn
from the cork; the nut B which was carried upwardly with the screw C, as the
action of the arm moved the same upwardly, being returned to its normal position by
the tension of the spring H.

page_text: In Figure 2, the nut B is shewn to be provided with a counterbored lower extension
which terminates when in normal position at or about the lower end of the cork-
screw C and the upper termination of the flaring portion, a, of the cylinder,
occupying such position with relation to the cylinder through the downward forward
rotary movement of the cork-screw and materially assisting in the removal of the
cork from the screw when the rotary motion thereof is reversed. In figure 3, the
said nut is shown as not being provided with such extension, and as therefore being
operative to simply guide the cork-screw by means of the screw, C through its several
described movements the cork on being drawn from the bottle impinging against the
annular shoulder, n, formed at the upper termination of a counterbored, chamber
formed in the lower end of the cylinder contiguous to the flaring portion, a, as, the
rotary movement of the cork screw is reversed.
n
I have shown and described the cork-extractor in what appears to be its preferable
form; but I do not wish to be understood as. limiting the invention to the particular
means employed as it is apparent that they may be varied without departing from the
principle of the operation. Thus the retracting springs E³, and H'may be entirely
omitted, the function of the latter being supplied by gravity the lever may operate to
raise the cork-screw through the intervention of the sliding nut or sleeve, by a
connection with the latter through the wall of the shell A or otherwise, instead of by
acting directly upon the extension of the cork-screw; or the arm G may be connected
to the lever on the opposite side of the fulcrum, in which case the lever will operate
to withdraw the cork on its upper throw; and the strap piece, E² may be replaced by
a friction stud or roller on the upper part of the device; and further changes will
suggest themselves in the internal arrangement of the parts all of which are included
in the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. A Cork-Extractor comprising a cork screw having a screw threaded
extension, a sliding nut engaging the threads on the extension, a rack gearing with
a pinion on the cork-screw, an operating lever acting during a portion of its throw to
raise the cork screw, substantially as discribed.
Second. A cork extractor comprising a cork screw having a screw threaded
extension having the slot a sliding nut engaging the threads on the extension a rack,
a pinion interposed between the extension and the rack and having a spline entering
the slot in the extension and an operating lever acting during a portion of its
movement to raise the cork-screw substantially as described.
Third. A cork extractor comprising a cork screw having a screw-threaded extension
a nut engaging the threads on the extension a rack operating upon the extension for
imparting rotary motion to the cork-screw an operating lever having the projection
and the lifting arm connected to the said projection and to the cork screw substantially
as described.
Fourth. A cork-extractor comprising a cork-screw having a screw-threaded
extension a screw-threaded portion engaging the extension, a rack operating upon
the extension for imparting motion to the cork-screw, an operating lever having the
projection the raising arm connected to the said projection and to the extension of
the cork-screw, and the spring connected to the rack and to the base of the extractor,
substantially as described.
Fifth. In cork-extractors, the combination of a suitable cylinder, a nut perpendicularly
movable therein an axially and perpendicularly movable screw operatively set within
said nut provided at one end with a cork-screw and at its other end with an extension
or stem, a pinion located upon said stem an operating lever pivotally held to said
cylinder, a rack carried by said lever which meshes with said pinion operative to
impart rotary motion to said pinion and therethrough to actuate said cork screw, and
a lifting arm connected with said lever and stem adapted through the action of said

page_text: lever to perpendicularly move said cork-screw, all arranged and adapted to be operated
substantially as herein described.
Sixth. In cork-extractors the combination of a suitable cylinder a nut perpendicularly
movable therein a cork screw carried fixedly by a screw set in said nut and susceptible
of longitudinal and rotary motion therein a spring within said cylinder interposed
between the cap thereof and said nut, operative to exert a tensional strain
perpendicularly upon said nut, a pinion carried by an extension or stem of said screw
which is free to move longitudinally therethrough and operative to be rotated thereby
a lever pivoted to said cylinder a rack carried by said lever which meshes with said
pinion adapted through the to and fro movement respectively of said lever to actuate
said cork-screw through its forward and reverse longitudinal and rotary movements
and a lifting arm connected with said lever and screw-stem adapted through the
action of said lever to move said cork-screw longitudinally all arranged and adapted
to be operated substantially as set forth.
Dated this 9th day of August 1888.
PETER JENSEN.
By Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.