IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR DECANTING WINE AND OTHER . LIQUIDS, AND FOR DRAWING CORKS FROM BOTTLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Ellis, of Brighton, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR DECANTING WINE AND OTHER
. LIQUIDS, AND FOR DRAWING CORKS FROM BOTTLES."
Sealed the 6th October 1857, and dated the 16th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Ellis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th June
1857.
I, JOSEPH ELLIS, of Brighton, do hereby declare the nature of the In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR DECANTING WINE AND
OTHER LIQUIDS, AND FOR DRAWING CORKS FROM BOTTLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of improvements in apparatus to be used for decanting
wine and other liquids, and for drawing corks from bottles. For these purposes
a small metal tray is employed, and this is made suitable in form for receiving
a wine bottle, and has a lip at one end in which the neck of the bottle rests;
at this end also the tray is hinged to the end of a square basket (made in
japanned metal or other material), which contains it, and in it the bottle rests
in an inclined position until it is wished to decant the wine, and then the
tray is tilted by drawing up a handle attached to its free end. The stem of
this handle is bent so as to form a portion of a circle struck from the hinge
joint at the other end of the tray, and it passes through a guide attached to
the exterior basket, in which guide there is an excentric, having a tendancy
given to it by a spring to turn and so jam the stem of the handle. The

page_text: eccentric only offers sufficient resistance to the drawing up of the handle to
render the motion smooth and uniform; but when drawn up, it will not allow
it to again ascend, because the friction of the stem of the handle on the
excentric then acts with the spring, so as to cause the eccentric to turn and jam
the stem of the handle. In order to lower the tray, the eccentric is removed
out of contact with the stem of the handle by pressing on a small trigger;
on the bottom of the exterior basket are feet which enter holes in a table or
stand, to keep the apparatus steady while the cork of the bottle is drawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Ellis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th December 1857..
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ELLIS, of Brighton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Ellis, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Ellis, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Ellis, 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
APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR DECANTING WINE AND OTHER LIQUIDS, AND FOR
DRAWING CORKS FROM BOTTLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Joseph Ellis, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Ellis, do hereby declare the
hature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
-statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: i
This Invention consists in improvements in apparatus to be used for
decanting wine and other liquids, and for drawing corks from bottles. For
these purposes a small metal tray is employed, and this is made suitable in
form for receiving a wine bottle, and has a lip at one end in which the neck of
the bottle rests; at this end also the tray is hinged to the end of a square
basket (made in japanned metal or other material), which contains it, and in
it the bottle rests in an inclined position until it is wished to decant the wine,
and then the tray is tilted by drawing up a handle attached to its free end.
The stem of this handle is bent so as to form a portion of a circle struck from
the hinge joint at the other end of the tray, and it passes through a guide
attached to the exterior basket, in which guide there is an eccentric, having a
tendency given to it by a spring to turn and so jamb the stem of the handle.
The eccentric only offers sufficient resistance to the drawing up of the handle
to render the motion smooth and uniform; but when drawn up it will not
allow it to again descend, because the friction of the stem of the handle on the
eccentric then acts with the spring, so as to cause the eccentric to turn and
jamb the stem of the handle. In order to lower the tray, the eccentric
is removed out of contact with the stem of the handle by pressing on a small
trigger. On the bottom of the exterior basket are feet which enter holes in a
table or stand to keep the apparatus steady while the cork of the bottle
is withdrawn:
•
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the apparatus, having a bottle therein;
Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section of the apparatus, showing by red lines
the tray and bottle therein partly tilted; Figure 3 is a front end view, and
Figure 4 is a back end view. In each of these Figures a, a, is the tray for
receiving and holding a bottle. The bottom of the tray is inclined, in order
that the bottle, when placed therein, may be in an inclined position, and con-
veniently placed to facilitate the drawing the cork without lifting the bottle or
changing its position in the tray. The tray at the front end has a lip a¹, on
which the neck of the bottle rests, and the tray is hinged at its front end at a³,
as shown.
At the back end of the tray is affixed a handle b, the stem of
which is bent or curved to a portion of a circle struck from the point a². The
tray is mounted in a basket or frame c, c, which may be made plain or
ornamental, and of japanned metal or other suitable material. The basket
c, c, has a handle d, by which it and the tray can readily be carried. The

page_text: basket is formed with feet c', c'; these feet are made to fit readily into holes
formed in a table or other stand; hence, when the basket, with its tray, is
placed on the table or stand, it will be held secure and admit of the cork of
the bottle in the tray being drawn by the person simply holding the neck of
the bottle with the left hand, when using a corkscrew with the right hand,
the legs of the basket retaining the basket and tray steady. The handle d
of the basket, in addition to being the instrument by which the basket with
its tray are carried, also facilitates the raising and tilting of the tray, which is
steadily and readily done by the person placing the end of his thumb on the
handle d, whilst with two of the fingers of the same hand the handle of
the tray is gradually raised. In order to retain the tray with the bottle thereon
tilted or inclined to any desired extent, friction or other holding means are to
be applied to the stem of the handle; this is most conveniently done by an
eccentric e, pressed on by a spring e¹, as shewn at the point where 'the stem of
the handle of the tray is guided by the guides f, f, carried by the upright g
of the end framing of the basket.
6
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the particular forms thereof so
long as the peculiar character of the Invention, as herein described, be
retained; but what I claim is the combined apparatus, herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Ellis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
SAMUEL HAMBLIN.
JOSEPH ELLIS. (L.S.)