Improvements in Devices for Removing Corks from Bottles.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Removing Corks from Bottles.
I, HARRY JUDSON WILLIAMS, of Meriden, in the County of New Haven, State of
Connecticut, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN DEVICES FOR REMOVING CORKS FROM BOTTLES.
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide improved means for removing corks from
bottles and it consists in a novel construction and combination of parts such as will be
hereinafter described and pointed out particularly in the claims at the close of this
specification.
In the drawings
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved appliance with the parts in
the position which they occupy when ready for use.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same showing in full lines the parts in the position
which they occupy after the cork has been removed from the bottle and in dotted
lines their position after the cork screw has been inserted in the cork and before
the sliding sleeve has been operated to effect the withdrawal of the cork or more
properly speaking, to effect the forcing of the bottle off the cork.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 are longitudinal sectional views showing the internal construction
of the device and further illustrating the position of the parts at different stages of the
movement of the hand lever.
Figure 6 is a detached view of the operating handle and
Figure 7 a detached view of the gear segment with which the handle cooperates to
reciprocate the toothed plunger that carries the cork screw proper.
Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.
A represents a bracket or frame in which the several operative parts of the appliance
are arranged said bracket being provided with a suitable clamping or other device by
which to attach it securely to a counter, table or other support.
Within the vertical cylindrical portion A' of this bracket is arranged a plunger B
which is provided on one side with a series of rack teeth and which carries at its
lower end a cork screw (so connected with it as to be free to turn or rotate on its
longitudinal axis.
:
At the lower end of the cylindrical portion A¹ is a fixed guide D having a spiral
aperture corresponding to the pitch of the cork screw and through which the cork
screw passes.
From this construction it will be apparent, that when the plunger B is moved up
and down the cork screw will, by cooperation with the fixed spiral guide, be rotated as
well as moved longitudinally.
Arranged within a recess A2 of the bracket is a toothed sector E having teeth e
which are adapted to engage with the rack teeth of the plunger as shown. This tooth
sector has a squared central opening which receives a correspondingly shaped portion f
of a stud projecting laterally from the head of an operating handle or lever F. On
opposite sides of the squared portion of the handle stud the stud is provided with
cylindrical portions F, F which cooperate with corresponding hearings in the walls
of the bracket to enable the handle to be freely swung up and down. By swinging
the handle downward the gear segment is caused to depress the plunger and project
and rotate the cork screw and by swinging upward the handle a reverse motion of said
parts is effected.
Surrounding the cylindrical portion of the bracket is a sleeve G whose lower end is
preferably made conical or bell shaped to receive and form a bearing for the neck of
the bottle.
A pin or screw stud b₁ secured to the plunger B projects through a vertical slot a' in
.

page_text: the cylindrical portion of the bracket and into a vertical slot formed in the said
sleeve G. This pin serves to prevent the rotation of the plunger 13 and it operates
against the upper wall of the slot in the sliding sleeve G to raise said sleeve when the
plunger is raised.
The head of the handle or lever is provided with a cam or projection f³ which when
the handle is swung downward engages the sleeve G and forces the latter downward
to the limit of its movement.
Tho operation of the appliance will now be readily understood.
When the cork is to be removed from a bottle, the handle is thrown backward
so as to cause the parts to occupy the position shown in figures 1 and 3, after which,
the neck of the bottle is inserted within the lower end of the sleeve G with the cork
against, or in close proximity to, the point of the cork screw. While the bottle is
thus held firmly in position, the handle is swung forward and downward and the cork
screw is fully projected into the cork, as shown in figure 4, after which the cam or pro-
jection 3, of the handle strikes the sleeve G and causes it to descend and carry with
it the bottle, leaving the cork impaled upon the cork serew.
The return of the handle to original position causes the cork screw to be with-
drawn from the cork and the latter to be ejected, and also causes the pin on the
plunger to raise the sleeve G to original position.
For the purpose of effecting the severance of any wire or cord fastening that may
bind the cork to the neck of the bottle, I provide a sharp cutting edge g¹, upon the
inside of the sleeve G, at its lower end, as shown, and when in the operation of the
appliance, this sharp edge is forced down upon the said wire or cord, the latter,
rendered unduly tense by the holding of the cork and the pushing away of the bottle,
is quickly severed, thus liberating the cork and causing the continued movement of the
sleeve to remove it from the bottle.
A shoulder on the inside of the sleeve may constitute the cutting edge, but I prefer
to employ a sharp-edged ring G' inserted and secured within the end of the sleeve as
shown.
It will thus be seen that, by my appliance the cutting of the wire or cord, the with-
drawal of the cork from the bottle and the ejection of the cork from the appliance aro
accomplished easily, expeditiously and automatically by the movements of the hand
lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination with the plunger, the cork
screw carried thereby, of the fixed spiral guide for rotating the cork screw when the
latter is projected or retracted, the sliding sleeve for bearing on the neck of the bottle
and means, substantially such as described, for moving said sleeve for the purpose
specified.
2. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination with the plunger, the cork
screw carried thereby, the fixed spiral guide for rotating the cork screw, as described,
the sliding slotted sleeve and the stud on the plunger cooperating with said sleeve;
substantially as described.
3.In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination of the plunger, the cork
screw carried thereby, the fixed spiral guide for rotating the cork screw, the sliding
sleeve for receiving the neck of the bottle and the handle for reciprocating the plunger
and depressing the sliding sleeve; substantially as described.
4. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination of the plunger having the
rack teeth, the cork screw carried by said plunger, the fixed spiral guide, the sliding
sleeve for receiving the neck of the bottle, the toothed segment, and the operating
handle provided with the cam or projection for depressing the sliding sleeve; substan-
tially as described.
5. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination of the plunger having the
rack teeth, the cork screw carried by said plunger, the fixed spiral guide, the slotted

page_text: sliding sleeve, the pin or stud on the plunger entering the slot of the sleeve and the
operating handle geared, as described, to the plunger, for the purpose specified.
6. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination with the cork screw for
holding the cork and the sliding sleeve for pushing off the bottle having a cutting edge
for cooperating with the wire or cord on the bottle to sever said wire or cord; sub-
stantially as described.
7. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination with the cork screw for
holding the cork, the sliding sleeve having a cutting edge for cooperating with the
wire or cord on the bottle to sever said wire or cord and the operating handle for
moving the sleeve; substantially as described.
8. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination of the plunger, the cork
screw carried thereby, the fixed spiral guide-for rotating the cork screw, the sliding
sleeve provided with a wire or cord severing edge, the operating handle and the inter-
mediate connections, substantially such as described, whereby, upon the movement of
the handle, the cork screw is entered, the wire or cord holding the cork is cut and the
cork is removed from the bottle; substantially as set forth.
9. The combination with the sliding sleeve, of the sharp edged ring inserted in
the lower end thereof substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
10. In an appliance for drawing corks, the combination of the plunger, having
the rack teeth, the cork screw carried by said plunger, the fixed spiral guide, the
slotted sliding sleeve for receiving the neck of the bottle, the pin or screw stud
projecting from the plunger into the slot of the sleeve, the toothed sector and the
operating handle having the cam or projection for operating upon the sliding sleeve ;
substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of June 1890
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.