AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRAWING CORKS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Muir, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRAWING
CORKS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Muir at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th August 1880.
ANDREW MUIR, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford, Engineer.
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRAWING CORKS."
« AN
My Invention has reference to an improved machine for drawing corks by a
single operation of the hand, whereby corks may be drawn with the greatest
rapidity, and with a minimum expenditure of power, besides the insurance of much
greater safety in case the bottle breaks, as they sometimes do, during the process of
drawing; and not only is the danger in case of a breakage lessened, but the
liability of breaking the bottle during the process of drawing is much reduced, as
the whole process is completed during one steady stroke of the hand.
For the purpose of more clearly defining my improved machine, I have appended
a Sheet of Drawings showing two views of one of the many modifications which
may be worked out without departing substantially from the essential parts of my
Invention.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is an end view; and
Figure 3 is a section through the nut and guide rods.
The machine stands upon the base A, which may be either screwed down to a
counter or table or made sufficiently stable in itself to stand steadily, and all the
different parts of the machine are secured to this single base. B is the bracket for
supporting the cylinder or mouth c and the outer casing j; e is the double threaded
screw carrying the corkscrew e¹ at its front end; f¹ is the nut which slides freely
upon the slides d for revolving the screw e, and f is the partly stationary nut
which only moves sufficiently to withdraw the cork; is a reeling lever which
works upon the centre i, and is operated by the hand lever K which has an arm
carrying the roller working in the curved slot g₁ of the lever g, so that as the
hand lever K is brought forward the reeling lever g is carried backward by the
point g² which works freely in the bearings of the sliding nut f¹. The guides d, d,
tie the parts of the machine together by being fastened into c at one end and on

page_text: to the bracket B at the other end, thus constituting stiff guides for both the nut f
and also the nut f¹. Of course many kinds of guide rods or plans of guiding the
nuts may be adopted according to the design and the requirements of special
machines, or the machines may be used entirely without the guides, if the driving
screw is divided so that between the coarser and finer threads an arrangement is
introduced by which the nut f can follow the same circle as the point g³ of the
reeling lever g upon the axis i. The screw e being made with a coarser and finer
thread is for the purpose of binding the screw to the nut f, while the finer pitch
accomplishes that motion for which the corkscrew is fixed. The hook j¹ holds. the
nut at the mouth c until the nut f' has passed the incline at j³. The nut f¹
is provided with a corresponding incline at f' so that when the nuts have passed
each other the hook is lifted, and when the nut is free from the hook it follows the
screw, which has ceased turning because the nut f¹ has reached the head of the
screw; the nut now continues its motion, the corkscrew having been previously
forced home, and thus draws the cork.
These machines may be constructed to work either horizontally, vertically, or at
any desired angle, and may be fixed in an almost any position. They may be
made in their several parts from either brass, iron, zinc, or any other known metal
capable of being worked or cast into the necessary shapes. The outer shape or
design may also be varied to meet any requirements or taste quite independent of
the one shown on the Drawing only to answer the purpose for which they are
intended.
It will thus be seen that by a double threaded screw and nuts in combination
with the book, which very simply catches and relieves the nut, as also the lever g
with its curved slot, that I obtain a new result which will be most useful in
reducing labour and in securing greater safety.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Andrew Muir in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th February
1881.
ANDREW MUIR, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford, Engineer.
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRAWING CORKS."
"AN
My Invention has reference to an improved machine for drawing corks by a
single operation of the hand, whereby corks may be drawn with the greatest
rapidity, and with a minimum expenditure of power, besides the insurance of much
greater safety in case the bottle breaks, as they sometimes do, during the process of
drawing; and not only is the danger in case of a breakage lessened, but the
liability of breaking the bottle during the process of drawing is much reduced, as
the whole process is completed during one steady stroke of the hand.
For the purpose of more clearly defining my improved machine I have appended
a Sheet of Drawings showing two views of one of the many modifications which
may be worked out without departing substantially from the essential parts of my
Invention.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the machine, Figure 2 is an end view, and
Figure 3 is a section through the nut and guide rods.
The machine stands upon the base A, wbich may be either screwed down to a
counter or table or made sufficiently stable in itself to stand steadily, and all the
different parts of this machine are secured to this single base. B is the bracket
for supporting the cylinder or mouth c and the outer casing j; e is the double
threaded screw carrying the corkscrew e¹ at its front end; f is the nut which
slides freely upon the slides d for revolving the screw e, and f is the partly
stationary nut which only moves sufficiently to withdraw the cork; g is a recling
lever which works upon the centre i, and is operated by the hand lever K which
has an arm carrying the roller working in the curved slot g' of the lever g, so
that as the hand lever K. is brought forward the reeling lever g is carried backward
by the point g² which works freely in the bearings h of the sliding nut f¹. The
guides d, d, tie the parts of the machine together by being fastened into c at one
end and on to the bracket B at the other end, thus constituting stiff guides for
both the nut f and also the nut f¹. Of course many kinds of guide rods or plans of
guiding the nuts may be adopted according to the designs and the requirements of
special machines, or the machine may be used entirely without the guides, if
the driving screw is divided so that between the coarser and finer threads an
arrangement is introduced by which the nut f can follow the same circle as the
point of the reeling lever g upon the axis i. The screw e being made with a
coarser and finer thread is for the purpose of binding the screw to the nut f¹ while
the finer pitch accomplishes that motion for which the corkscrew is fixed. The
hook holds the nut f at the mouth c until the nut f¹ has passed the incline at j².
The nut f' is provided with a corresponding incline at f2, so that when the nuts
have passed each other the hook is lifted, and when the nut is free from the hook it
follows the screw, which has ceased turning because the nut f¹ has reached the
head of the screw; the nut now continues its motion, the corkscrew having been
previously forced home, and draws the cork.
These machines may be constructed to work either horizontally, vertically, or at
any desired angle, and may be fixed in any position. They may be made in
several parts from either brass, iron, zinc, or any other known metal capable of being
worked or cast into the necessary shapes. The outer shape or design may also be
varied to meet any requirements or taste quite independent of the one shown on
the Drawing only to answer the purpose for which they are intended.
It will thus be seen that by a double threaded screw and nuts in combination

page_text: with the hook, which very simply catches and relieves the nut, as also the lever g
with its curved slot, that I obtain new result which will be most useful in reducing
labour and in securing greater safety.
Having now described my improved machine for drawing corks, I would have
it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details or design of the
machine, as they may be greatly varied according to taste and the position of the
machine when fixed, but what I do claim is, the machine for drawing corks,
substantially as set forth by the hereinbefore in part recited Specification and
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Muir, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.