AN IMPROVED LEVER CORKSCREW
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sidney Adolphus Wittmann, of 42, Great Marlboro'
Street, W. (Foreign Merchant), for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED LEVER
CORKSCREW."
Sealed the 15th September 1877, and dated the 15th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sidney Adolphus Wittmann
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th March 1877.
SIDNEY ADOLPHUS WITTMANN, of 42, Great Marlboro' Street, W. (Foreign Mer-
chant). "AN IMPROVED LEVER CORKSCREW."
The object of this Invention is to afford the means of rapidly and quickly with-
drawing corks from wine and other bottles, which is done by an improved
mechanical corkscrew. The improved corkscrew consists of a metallic collar which
forms what is termed the "bottle ring;" this collar encircles the upper part of the
neck of the bottle and extends a little way down it. This ring is prolonged at
its upper part so as to form a curved arm, which supports a hand lever the shorter
or lower end of which has rivetted to it a corkscrew. The head of the corkscrew
is acted upon by a strong flat spring which is rivetted to the upper face of the hand
lever before referred to. The screw is inserted in the cork by the turning of the
hand lever until the screw is fully inserted, and when this lever is depressed the
extremity of the curved arm acts as its fulcrum, and the cork is raised and released
from the neck of the bottle with the utmost facility and dispatch.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sidney Adolphus Wittmann in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th September 1877.
SIDNEY ADOLPHUS WITTMANN, of 42, Great Marlboro' Street, W. (Foreign Mer-
chant). "AN IMPROVED LEVER CORKSCREW."
And in order that my said Invention of an improved lever corkscrew may be
properly understood and readily carried into practical effect, I will now proceed to
Pric

page_text: describe the same more particularly, reference being had to the accompanying
explanatory Sheet of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say,
Figure 1 is a front view of the improved corkscrew; Figure 2 is a corresponding
side view, and Figure 3 is a side view with the lever partially depressed as it would
appear when the cork is very nearly withdrawn.
The main lever bar A is a straight picce of metal terminating at the upper end
in a conveniently shaped bow or other handle B, by means of which the lever is
readily rotated upon its axis or depressed, as may be required. The lower end of
the lever bar A has attached to it the corkscrew C, which is of the usual form; it
is connected to the lever bar A by a cross pin at D or by any other suitable equi-
valent therefor, so that it will admit of the lever bar being placed in a position at a
right angle to the screw. The lever A is supported upon a ring E which, when the
corkscrew is in use, encircles the neck of the bottle from whence the cork is to be
withdrawn. This ring is made with a vertical arm which extends above the upper
margin of the ring, and so forins a fulcrum or axis at F for the lever A. The ring E
is also prolonged downwards at one part of its periphery (as shewn in the several
Figures of the Drawing) so that it may be conveniontly grasped when about to be
put in use. Additional security and temporary rigidity of the parts A and C are
afforded by the application of the flat spring G, which is rivetted to the front of
the lever A. The free end of the spring G extends over the junction of the lever A
with the screw C, and thus in whatever position the lever A may be the connection
between it and the screw C is always sufficiently rigid to act efficiently without
interfering with the requisite movements of the lever.
To use the instrument, the point of the screw C is placed on the cork, and the
hand lever A is turned by the handle B until the screw has completely entered the
cork. This downward motion brings the ring E over the neck of the bottle, which
is then grasped by the operator while the lever A is quickly depressed with the
other hand. The segmental or arc-like motion of the lever A releases the cork
from the neck of the bottle with the utinost ease.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is or may be carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise form of the several parts herein-before described,
as the same may be varied to some extent without departing from the distin-
guishing feature of the Invention; but what I do claim and desire to secure by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and general arrange-
ment of the lever A and its connected parts, with a corkscrew for facilitating the
extracting of corks from bottles, substantially as herein-before described and shewn
in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sidney Adolphus Wittmann, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.