AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR EXTRACTING CORKS FROM BOTTLES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Procter, of Elsecar, in the County of York,
Mechanic, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR EXTRACTING
CORKS FROM BOTTLES."
Sealed the 22nd April 1864, and dated the 28th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Procter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
October 1863.
I, STEPHEN PROCTER, of Elsecar, in the County of York, Mechanic, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED INSTRU-
MENT FOR EXTRACTING CORKS FROM BOTTLES," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to extract corks that may have been pushed
in or have otherwise entered wine and other bottles, in order that said bottles
may be rendered fit for further use. I propose to use a thin piece of metal of
about ten inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide, and tapering to half
an inch or less, hollowed or grooved in its inner surface as far upwards as
desirable. The bottom or narrow end of this piece of metal is turned up, and
forms hook, about one and a half inches from said hook I make two side
hooks sharp in their inner crook.
By reference to the annexed Drawing forming part of this my Provisional
Specification, it will be seen that Figure 1 presents an elevation of the inner side

page_text: of my instrument or apparatus, and Figure 2 a side view of the same, similar
letters being placed upon similar parts in each of the Figures. a shows the loop
of c, through which a piece of wood may be inserted as a purchase; or this upper
portion of my apparatus may be made as a cross piece, swivel key piece, or
even solid if desired; b, b, show two hooks attached to and forming part of
the sides of the fluted portion of c, made sharp at d and e, the hook turned up
at bottom of c.
The operation is thus:-Pass the foot (e) of the apparatus into the neck of
the bottle and partly down the body or cylinder thereof, invert the bottle, the
cork to be extracted falls either into the neck, and is extracted by the hook e, or
across it, and then the hooks b, b, cut it into pieces, so that the hook e may
operate on each.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Procter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
PROCTER, of Elsecar, in the County of York, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Stephen Procter, Her special licence that I, the said Stephen
Procter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Stephen Procter, 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 IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR EXTRACTING CORKS FROM BOTTLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Stephen Procter, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Procter, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and forming part of this my Specification, and to the letters of
reference marked on the Diagrams, and denoting parts of the Invention,
similar letters being placed upon similar parts in each of the Figures
respectively:-
:-
The object of my Invention is the facile extraction of corks or pieces of
cork which have been pushed into or have otherwise entered wine and other
bottles, in order that such bottles may be rendered fit for further use.
As the Drawing explains the Invention at sight, it is unnecessary that I
should give a long verbose description, and I will therefore confine myself to a
description of the Diagrams illustrating my Invention.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawing shews the instrument in vertical edge
elevation, it will be seen that it is composed of a thin piece of fluted metal a
with a handle 6 at bottom; the apex of the metal is turned over and forms a
hook c, about one inch and a half from the hook c, downwards towards the
handle are two cutting hooks .d, d, (both shewn, Figures 2 and 3,) attached
to and forming part of the sides of the fluted portion of a. Figure 2 shews
the instrument as it would appear extracting a cork from the interior of an
otherwise empty bottle. The cork being of full size requires to be cut in
pieces by the hooks d, d, which pieces are afterwards extracted by the use of
the hook c; and I would observe that the hooks d, d, may be dispensed with
when a very cheap instrument is required; but I prefer the instrument as
shewn, it being more effective for extracting where the object to be extracted
is large, and requires cutting into pieces; and Figure 3 shews the instrument
extracting a piece of cork from a bottle, in this case the piece being small the
upper hook c only is required. The handle of the instrument may be such as
shewn in the Drawing, or it may be formed in a loop by the metal itself, and
a piece of stick be inserted for handle; or the base of the metal a may be
inserted into a cross wooden or other handle, as may be preferred, the handle
taken separately forming no part of my Invention.
The operation need hardly be explained, it is so apparent, but nevertheless
in compliance with the proviso to that effect contained in the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, I will now describe in what manner the same is
performed. When it is desired to extract a large cork from an otherwise
empty bottle, the instrument herein-before described is passed into the bottle,
its back pressing against the inside of the neck, the bottle is inverted, the cork

page_text: falls athwart the neck, the hooks d, d, are brought down on the cork, (as
shewn, Figure 2,) the instrument is sharply pulled, and the hooks d, d, cut
the cork into three pieces, which are then extracted by means of the hook c,
as shewn, Figure 3. If only a small piece or small pieces of cork be in the
bottle, they are at once withdrawn by the hook c. For economy of manu-
facture the hooks d, d, might be dispensed with, and the hook c have its edges
sharpened, so as to enable it to cut a cork into pieces, but the operation would
not be so quickly or neatly performed as by the hooks d, d.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would have it distinctly understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein given, as the instru-
ment of my Invention so described and illustrated in the Drawing may be
made of any required size, the hooks d, d, be at a lesser or greater distance
from the hook c than shewn, the hook c be formed with more than a single
claw, and the handle be of any form or material, as before mentioned; but
what I do claim is, the exclusive use of an instrument for extracting corks
from bottles made and fashioned of a piece of metal with a hook or hooks
formed thereon, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated on the
annexed Sheet of Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Procter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
STEPHEN PROCTER. (L.S.)