Iм- PROVED INSTRUMENTS FOR DRAWING CORKS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Mabson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
June 1873.
I, JOHN MABSON, Inventor and Patentee, of Sheffield, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVED INSTRUMENTS FOR DRAWING CORKS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of various improved instruments or arrange-
ments of apparatus for lifting corkscrews or spirals after they have
been screwed into the corks; my said instruments or arrangements
being mainly based on the lever principle, and having in most cases
a collar or collars at their lower end to rest upon the neck of the bottle
while the lifting of the screw or spiral with the cork is being effected.
According to one arrangement the handle on the stem of the spiral
is formed with a horizontal slot to receive the pin on the end of the
lever; the lever has its fulcrum on an upright carried up from the
collar which rests on the bottle neck. After the spiral has been
screwed into the cork the collar (which has an opening for the purpose)
is slipped on the bottle neck, and the pin of the lever is inserted into

page_text: According to another arrangement the stem of the spiral passes
through a shoulder at the upper end of an upright carried up from the
collar. There is an antifriction wheel on the stem, against which the 5
lifting lever bears. The lever is curved and has its fulcrum on a pin
which passes through the upright.
According to another arrangement a pin on the end of the lever
passes through a transverse hole in the handle of the spiral; on this
pin is a toothed pinion gearing with teeth on the upright, and on the 1
pin are also a pair of discs at opposite sides of the upright to keep the
pinion in place. By turning the lever handle the pinion climbs the
upright and the cork is thus drawn.
According to another arrangement I employ an upright having a
notch at its lower end to rest upon the bottle neck. The stem of the 1
spiral is forked at its upper end, where it has an antifriction wheel.
The lever passes through the fork, and has likewise an antifriction
wheel bearing against the upright. The fulcrum of the lever is a pin.
in a bar, which bar is carried from another pin on the top of the
upright. To draw the cork the free end of the lever is lifted, and the 2
power thus exerted is applied under the wheel in the fork of tho
spiral.
According to another arrangement a curved lever is connected by a
pin to another curved piece, which is notched at its lower or inner end
to rest on the bottle neck. The lever passes through a fork on the 2
stem of the spiral, which fork has an antifriction wheel at the top.
To insert the spiral the lever is pushed along in the fork until a notch
in the lever fits upon a shoulder of the spiral, and the spiral may then
be screwed in by using the lever as a handle. To draw the cork the
lever is moved back and the notch on the other curved piece is brought a
upon the bottle neck; the lever is then lifted, the pin which connects
it to the other curved piece being the fulcrum. This instrument, as
well as that last described, may be folded up so as to form pocket
lever corkscrews, and the lever may have a projection to form a screw-
driver. The lever may also be fitted with a hammer head and a å
carriage, keyed at its outer end, and a gimlet at its inner end, while the

page_text: other curved piece may be formed at its end, as a tack drawer, and
have a boss, in which a knife blade is fitted.
According to another arrangement I substitute for the "other curved
piece," of the last described arrangement, a collar, to fit on the neck
of the bottle, and having an upright to which the curved lever is
connected by a pin.
According to another arrangement I connect two uprights to the
collar, and I fit a slotted bar on these uprights, which is free to be
moved up and down thereon. The lever has its fulcrum at one end
on a boss on one of the uprights, and it carries a pin which passes through
the slot of the bar. When the spiral is inserted into the cork a shoulder
on its stem rests upon a ring on the slotted bar, so that by raising
the bar by means of the lever the cork is drawn.
According to another arrangement an upright carried from the collar
has a boss at the top, through which the stem of the spiral works. The
lever is attached at one end by a pin to the boss, it is then curved round
so as to pass under an antifriction wheel on the lower part of the'
stem, the handle being at the opposite end. When the spiral has been
inserted into the cork the handle of the lever is raised, so as to bear
upon the under side of the antifriction wheel, and the cork is thus
drawn.
According to another arrangement an upright carried from the
collar has a horizontal slot, in which a pin connected to one end of
the lever works, forming the fulcrum to the lever. The lever is curved.
so as to pass under a shoulder or under antifriction wheels on the
stem of the spiral, so that by lifting the lever after the spiral has been.
screwed into the cork the cork is withdrawn; while the lever is being.
raised its pin gradually moves to the back of the slot, and a straight lift
is thereby ensured. If desired the positions of the pin and slot may be
reversed, that is to say, the pin may be on the upright and the slot
in the lever.
According to another arrangement the collar has two uprights
connected together at the top by a bar. This bar has a boss for the
stem of the spiral to pass through. A swing frame is attached by
hinges to one of the uprights, and a pin in this frame, the point of
which passes through a hole in the side of the boss, runs in a spiral
groove in the stem of the spiral: When the said spiral is being screwed

page_text: into the cork the swing frame is allowed to play loosely; but when the
cork has to be drawn the swing frame is held tightly against the boss,
so that the pin enters the spiral groove above named, and forms the
fulcrum on which the stem is turned to lift the cork. By the time that
the middle of the stem, by the right action in turning the handle reaches
the pin the cork is drawn; by then reversing the action with an
upward lift to the handle the pin enters a lower spiral groove in the
stem running in the reverse direction to the upper spiral groove, and
as the cork is thus drawn against the swing frame the spiral or screw
is withdrawn from the cork, which therefore drops off. I provide a
tray below the collar to receive the cork, and also to receive the wax
cut off from the cork by a cutter before the spiral is inserted; this
cutter is a blade or rasp attached horizontally, and at the proper level,
to one of the uprights.
In addition to the cutter a brush suspended by a chain or cord may
be provided to brush off into the tray any loose wax or dust on the top
of the cork.
According to another arrangement two uprights carried from a
collar support a boss at their upper end, to which boss a swing frame
is hinged. The boss has an opening to give passage to a vertical rack
frame. Two toothed wheels gearing together are held in the boss, and
one of these wheels is provided with a lever or handle for rotating it.
The wheels gear with the teeth of the rack frame, and this frame
supports by swivel joints a stem in which a spiral groove is formed;
the cork spiral is attached to the bottom of the stem. In order to
screw the spiral into the cork the lever is turned so as to lower the
rack frame, and as this frame descends the swing frame is held tightly
against the boss, so that a pin thercon enters the spiral groove of the
stem;
the cork spiral is thus screwed into the cork. Then to draw the
cork the lever is turned in the reverse direction, while the swing frame
is allowed to play loosely until the cork is drawn. As soon as the
cork reaches the lower end of the swing frame this frame is closed, and
the cork is thus by the action of the pin entering the groove of the
stem worked off the spiral.
Instead of one collar to fit on the bottle neck the instrument may ;
have two or more collars of different sizes to fit different sized necks,
or corks of different thicknesses. And in order to pass the lever

page_text: arrangement from one collar to another I swivel joint the handle part
of the upright frame to an arm which projects out from the collars;
the lower end of the handle passes through the said arm, and is screw
threaded to receive a tightening nut. This nut is slacked when the
frame has to be moved from one collar to another, the upright to which
the swing frame is hinged being then slid in a groove on the side of
the collar. The collars may be made of wood, plated with metal on
one or both sides the plates, and the wood having openings' to con-
stitute the collars and receive the bottle necks. As wood and not metal
comes upon the glass liability to breakage is avoided.
According to another arrangement in which more than one collar is
employed I fit a horizontal bar between the collars or between uprights
carried from the collars on which bar the lever has its fulcrum, and on
which it can slide from collar to collar. The lever being forked and the
stem of the spiral being passed down between the forks, the lifting of
the lever after the spiral has been screwed into the cork is sufficient to
draw the cork. In this arrangement when uprights are not employed it
is convenient to have a handle carried out horizontally from the collars
so as to steady the instrument.
According to another arrangement I carry from a frame of collars
several uprights, which are connected together at their upper ends by a
slotted bar. On this bar a slide is fitted so as to be brought above any
desired collar. The stem of the spiral passes through the slide in which
it is held by a throttle; it is formed with annular teeth or projections
into which a pinion secured to and movable with the slide gears. After
the spiral has been screwed into the cork the pinion is rotated by a
handle, and thus lifts the stem and draws the cork.
According to another arrangement I fix two collars of different sizes,
on at each end of the uprights; the lever has its fulcrum on a pin which
passes through a boss on one of the uprights, while another pin passes
through the forks of the lever and through a slotted slide on the uprights.
The stem of the spiral passes through rings on this slide so that by
lifting the slide by means of the lever the cork is withdrawn. It will
be understood that either of the collars may be used according to the
size of the cork, and that the lever and slide will act from either end.
According to another arrangement I carry an upright from the bed of
several collars of different sizes; an arm projects horizontally from the
.

page_text: upper part of the upright and has an opening for the stem of the spiral
to pass through. The upright can turn on its centre so as to bring the
spiral over any of the collars. The lever has its fulcrum at one end on
the upright and is curved so as to pass under the shoulder of the stem;
by lifting the lever the cork is drawn. This arrangement may be
simplified by having only a short upright in the centre of the set of
collars, and by giving the lever a convex curve so as to take under the
handle of the spiral or under a shoulder near the handle. The projecting
arm with opening for the stem being in this case unnecessary. Or
when an upright free to turn on its centre is carried up from the bed of
a set of collars has a projecting arm at its top, a vertical pin free to turn
on its centre may be passed through the arm and be connected by
another pin to the fulcrum end of the lever. Or the stem of the spiral
may pass through an opening in the projecting arm, and be formed with
teeth or projections into which a pinion or fluted rod worked by a lever
handle gears. By turning the handle the stem is lifted and the cork drawn.
Or the projecting arm on the top of the upright may form the upper
bearing of a second upright. A slotted slide is free to be moved on the
two uprights. The lever has its fulcrum on a boss on the first upright and
carries a pin which works in the slot of the slide. The slide has a ring
through which the spiral passes so that by lifting the lever the slide
rises on the uprights, the stem is raised and the cork drawn. The first
upright being free to turn on its centre the other upright and the slide
can be moved round so as to bring the ring for the stem of the spiral
above any of the collars.
According to another arrangement where several collars are used I
connect an L shaped or elbow piece to the collar bed by a swivel joint.
The vertical portion of the L piece is forked, and an antifriction wheel is
mounted in the fork; one end of the lever rests on this wheel, while a
ring or corresponding device at the centre of the lever is under the
handle or shoulder of the stem, so that the cork may be drawn by
lifting the lever and thereby forcing up the spiral. In this movement
the lever end slides over the wheel so that a straight lift is effected.
According to another arrangement an upright on the bed of the
collars, and free to turn on its centre has a projecting arm at its upper
part through which the stem of the spiral passes, and at its lower part a
slide upon which the shoulder of the stem rests. The lever has its
fulcrum on the upright and carries a pin which takes
under the slide, so

page_text: that by lifting the lever the slide is raised together with the spiral, and
the cork is thereby drawn.
桑
According to another arrangement by which the corks of several
bottles may be drawn simultaneously by the same instrument, I carry
up from a tray two uprights on which a slotted slide is free to be moved.
The uprights pass through a plate which is cast with bosses, these bosses
having throttles to grasp the bottle necks. Above this plate is another
plate through which also the uprights pass, and to this upright are
swivelled two or more spirals or corkscrews which have pinions attached
thereto. With these pinions gears a cog wheel carrying at its centre an
internally threaded collar which works on a threaded tube on one of the
uprights. The lever for lifting the spirals has its fulcrum at one end on
a boss upon the other upright, and it carries a bar which passes through
the slot of the slide. With this arrangement of instrument the spirals
are screwed into the corks by rotating a handle attached to the internally
threaded collar, this collar is thus caused to descend the threaded tube
and the cog wheel made to drive the pinions on the spirals, so that the
latter are screwed into the corks. Then to draw the corks the lever
handle is lifted thus raising the slide, the upper plate, threaded tubo,
internally threaded collar, cog wheel, pinions, spirals, and corks, while
the lower plate with its bosses is kept down by hand. Then to free the
corks from the spirals the rotating handle is turned in the reverse
direction. a cross bar preventing the collars being lifted beyond the
required height. By substituting brushes for the spirals this instrument
can be used for washing bottles.
According to another arrangement I employ a collar and upright, in
which latter is a vertical slot. A. lever has one end secured to the top
of the upright which forms the fulcrum, while an additional arm of the
lever passes through the lower part of the slot and carries a ring which
is swivel jointed to the stem of the spiral. The cork is drawn by simply
raising the lever.