IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKSCREWS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hyde Bateman, of Barnes, in the County of Surrey,
Surveyor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CORKSCREWS."
Sealed the 31st May 1867, and dated the 1st December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hyde Bateman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
December 1866.
I, HYDE BATEMAN, of Barnes, in the County of Surrey, Surveyor,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CORKSCREWS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in corkscrews consist in adapting to the shaft of the
drawing screw another screw, by turning which when the drawing screw is in
the cork the latter will be drawn out of the bottle by simply continuing to
turn the screw in the same direction as when inserting the drawing screw.
In carrying out my Invention a square threaded or other screw is cut on
the shaft of the drawing screw and passes freely through a hole in the cross
bar of the socket which rests on the neck of the bottle when the instrument is
At the upper end of the square threaded screw, which I will call the
propelling screw, is adapted a thumb nut with a cross handle; this nut is
tapped, and a female screw is made therein, corresponding to the square or
other thread of the propelling screw, so that this thumb nut may either be
screwed down on the propelling screw, or the latter may be made to ascend
through the same. When it is required to propel the drawing screw through

page_text: the cork the socket is placed on the neck of the bottle, and by turning the
propelling screw the drawing screw will be screwed into the cork in the
ordinary manner. In order to effect this the thumb nut and cross handle is
temporarily secured to the propelling screw by means of a moveable cover
which when placed over the end of the screw prevents it from working or
turning in the thumb nut. When it is required to draw the cork out of the
neck of the bottle this cover must be removed, and then the propelling screw
being allowed to ascend through the nut. will draw up the cork out of the
bottle into the socket which rests on the neck of the bottle.
In order to adapt the instrument to any sized bottle, or even to draw bungs
from casks or jars, instead of the socket which fits on the top of the bottle I
adapt to the cross bar of the socket a pair of expanding legs which being
jointed at their upper ends to the cross bar are capable of being expanded
laterally so as to fit any bottle or jar, or even to stretch across a wide bung
in a cask, and thus obtain a bearing or point of resistance for drawing, the
cork or bung. In order to prevent the arms from slipping their lower ends
may be pointed so that they will stick into the wood of the cork, or catch
hold of the inside of the neck of the bottle or jar, and thus form a point of
resistance the same as the socket in, the other instance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hyde Bateman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HYDE
BATEMAN, of Barnes, in the County of Surrey, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Hyde Bateman, Her special licence that I, the said Hyde Bateman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Hyde Bateman, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CORKSCREWS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hyde

page_text: Bateman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their bands 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 mouths next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hyde Bateman, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements in corkscrews consist in adapting to the shaft of the
drawing screw another screw, by turning which when the drawing screw is
in the cork the latter will be drawn out of the bottle by simply continuing
to turn the screw in the same direction as when inserting the drawing screw. :
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved
corkscrew, showing the drawing screw partly inserted in the cork; Fig. 2 is a
plan view of the same showing the fly nut or handle whereby the screw is
turned; Fig. 3 is another elevation showing the drawing screw completely
inserted into the cork; Fig. 4 is another plan view showing the fly nut ready.
to draw the cork out of the neck of the bottle; Fig. 5 is another elevation
showing the several parts in the positions they would assume when the cork is
drawn.
In carrying out my Invention a square threaded or other screw a is cut on
the shaft of the drawing screw b, and passes freely through a hole in the cross
bar c of the socket c, which rests on the neck of the bottle when the instru-
ment is in use. At the upper end of the square threaded screw a (which I
will call the propelling screw) is adapted a thumb nut d with a cross handle;
this nut is tapped and a female screw is made therein, corresponding to the
square or other thread of the propelling screw a, so that this thumb nut d
may either be screwed down on the propelling screw a, or the latter may be
made to ascend through the thumb nut. When it is required to propel the
drawing screw 6 through the cork the socket c is placed on the neck of the
bottle, and by turning the propelling screw a the drawing screw b will be
screwed into the cork in the ordinary manner. In order to effect this the
thumb nut d and cross handle is temporarily secured to the propelling screw a
by means of a moveable cover d', which when placed over the end of the
screw a prevents it from working or turning in the thumb nut d. When it
is required to draw the cork out of the neck of the bottle this cover a must

page_text: be removed, and then the propelling screw a being allowed to ascend through
the nut d will draw up the cork out of the bottle into the socket c, which rests
on the neck of the bottle.
In order to adapt the instrument to any sized bottle or even to draw bungs
from casks or jars instead of the socket c which fits on the top of the bottle I
adapt to the cross bar c¹ of the socket a pair of expanding legs c³, c³, as shown
at Figures 6 and 7, which being jointed at their upper ends to the cross bar c¹
are capable of being expanded laterally, so as to fit any bottle or jar or even
to stretch across a wide bung in a cask, and thus obtain a bearing or point of
resistance for drawing the cork or bung. In order to prevent the arms from
slipping on the wood of the cask the lower ends of these arms c³ may be
pointed as shown at Fig. 6, so that they will stick into the wood of the cask.
Fig. 7 is a partial elevation showing the jointed arms constructed for catching
hold of the inside of the neck of a bottle or jar, and thus form a point of
resistance the same as the socket in the other instance.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Corkscrews," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First, the use of the moveable cover d' of the fly nut whereby the propelling
screw is locked or unlocked as may be required, as and for the purpose herein
set forth.
Second, the adaptation of the jointed or expanding arms so as to admit of
the instrument being used to draw corks or bungs from large bottles, jars, or
casks, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hyde Bateman, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the First day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
HYDE BATEMAN. (L.S.)