Patent ID: 7069825

Claim:
A corkscrew comprising a body, the body including a socket adapted to receive the neck of a bottle sealed by a cork, an actuation lever, an axially rotatable worm spiral mounted on a carriage within the body and arranged to rotate and penetrate the cork as the lever is lowered, the spiral being further arranged to cease rotation as the lever is raised to withdraw the cork from the bottle, the corkscrew being further arranged to discharge the cork from the spiral by lowering and raising the lever after the neck of the bottle has been removed from the socket; wherein the carriage is mounted for movement between upper and lower positions along at least one or guide runners extending longitudinally of the body, the spiral being rotatably connected to the carriage so that the spiral can rotate with respect to the carriage, and further comprising a guide member having an aperture, the spiral extending through the aperture, the aperture being adapted to cause the spiral to rotate as the spiral moves axially through the guide member, first latch means being adapted to releasably engage the guide member to the corkscrew body, and second latch means being adapted to releasably engage the guide member to the carriage, the first latch member being moveable from a closed position to an open position by insertion of a bottle neck into the socket, wherein in the closed position the first latch member may engage the guide member and wherein in the open position the first latch member disengages the guide member, and wherein the first latch member in the closed position can prevent engagement of the second latch member to the guide member.