IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKSCREWS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
NEEDHAM SCROPE SHRAPNEL, of Gosport, in the County of Hants, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, Her especial licence, full power, sole privi-
lege and authority, that I, the said Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Needham
Scrope Shrapnel, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKSCREWS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's..
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear..
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I,, the said
Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, do hereby declare that the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are

page_text: particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The first part of the Invention is shown at Figures 1 and 2, whereby the
screw a is caused to enter the cork by means of the handle b, b', when the
handle is folded together, the screw a passing freely up and down at the upper
part of the frame c, c, there being no female screw formed in the upper part of
the frame c, where the screw a passes through. At the upper part of the screw
a there is formed a square or quadrangular head which enters into a recess in
the part of the handle b, when that handle is folded or shut together. d is
a small handle applied to the part of the handle, by which, when the cork
is being drawn, the person turns the handle b. On the stem of the corkscrew
a is formed a screw e, which passes through a female screw formed in the handle
b. In using this improved corkscrew, the person having the handle b, b', folded
together, those parts being hinged together, as shewn, the turning the handle
'b round causes the corkscrew a to enter into the cork, and when it has
entered the handle is to be opened out, and by the small handle d the
handle 6 is turned round, and by turning round causes the screw e to rise and
draw out the cork. It will be seen, that the inner surfaces of the portion of
the frame c is lined with leather, where it covers the neck of the bottle.
Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5 shew another part of my Invention which
relates to a mode of applying spikes, which are caused to penetrate into the
cork as the corkscrew enters it. a is the corkscrew having the handle b, sucli
'as is shewn in the Drawing, or'there may be other construction of handle or
'means applied to the corkscrew for drawing the cork. c is a small cylinder,
on the inner surface of which are formed a series of inclined notches. d is a
plate which is capable of turning freely upon the axis of the corkscrew. Into
the plate d are fastened the spikes e. f is a bolt which slides freely in the
plate d; and it will be seen that, during the time of forcing the corkscrew
into the cork, it will turn independently of the plate d until the spikes have
been forced some distance into the cork, when the cork will come against the
inner side of the bolt f, and force it in contact with one of the inclined
notches in the cylinder c, as shewn at Figure, and by this means the plate
d will be turned, together with the corkscrew, by the bolt f, in fact, locking
the plate d to the fixed part on which the notches are formed, all which will
readily be understood on examining the Drawing. The object of the spikes
entering the cork is, when they have sufficiently entered the cork, to turn it
-
t

page_text: round, and by turning to loosen it, and thus render it more readily drawn
from the neck of the bottle, and the drawing of corks by such construction of
corkscrew will be facilitated by making bottles with female screws in the
neck, as is shown in the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,
First, the mode herein described of applying the handle b, b', and the screw
e, as described in respect to Figures 1 and 2; and,
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying the spikes in respect to Figures 3, 4,
and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
HENRY NEEDHAM SCROPE (L.s.) SHRAPNEL.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, Esqre,
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.