Stopper-extractor.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1899.) (No Model.)

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WITNESSES

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHO (O-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

United States Patent Office.

JOHN D. BASELER, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AUGUSTUS W. STEPHENS, OF CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

STOPPER-EXTRACTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,153, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed August 8,1899, Serial No. 726,550. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, John D. Baselee, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of 5 Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stopper-Extractors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to io which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in cork extractors, and is designed for extracting the type of cork or stopper generally known as the “crown.” In order to accomplish this 15 result, it is necessary that the part of the implement which is directly used in grasping and extracting the cork or stopper should be provided with a fulcrum-point which bears on the top of the stopper and with a lower 20 upwardly and slightly inwardly extending claw which is designed to engage the crimped portion of the cork or stopper, whereby upon pulling up the lever or handle of the implement the cork or stopper will be unseated 25 from its position in the mouth of the bottle.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cork puller or extractor which will in the operation of extracting the same pierce’ the said stopper, so that it will be destroyed 30 for further use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved cork-extractor. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a bottle, showing my improved cork35 extractor applied thereto for the extraction of the cork. Fig. 3 is a side view of my improved cork - extractor, showing it piercing the cork.

The necessity for a cork-extractor which is 40 so constructed that it will remove the type of cork known as the “crown-cork” and also one which will pierce a cork in the act of removing it, so that it cannot be used again, is very great; and the object of my invention is 45 the production of such a cork-extractor.

A in the drawings represents the head of the implement, which is formed with a comparatively long upper jaw a, which extends upwardly and forwardly and terminates in a 50 bearing-point a', said head being also formed with a lower upwardly-extending short claw a². The bearing-point a' of the upper jaw a is preferably sharpened and formed with a shoulder a³. The object of sharpening the bearing-point and forming it with a shoulder 55 is that when it is applied to the cork for extracting the same the cork will be punctured in the act of extraction, so as to render the same worthless for further use. In the interests of health these corks should not be re- 60 used, and that is one reason why they should be destroyed in the act of extraction from the bottle.

The short upwardly-extending lower claw a² is provided with a tooth or separate short 65 teeth aⁱ, so as to more positively grip the under side of the flange of the cork. The lower claw must be at such an angle with reference to the lever-handle a⁵ that when first applied to the under side of the flange of the cork it 70 will practically stand vertically or parallel therewith, so that when the lever-handle is drawn upwardly it forces the bearing-point upon or through the upper surface of the stopper. The short claw will so positively engage 75 the flange of the stopper as to lift the stopper from its seat when the lever-handle is drawn upwardly without the liability of the lower claw being disengaged from the stopper. The outer surface of the lower claw a² is prefer- 80 ably slightly concaved, as at a¹⁰, to more perfectly conform to the shape of the lower rim or projection on the neck of the bottle. Unless the lower claw is shaped and arranged in this exact manner it will not perform its de- 85 sired functions.

The under side of the upper jaw is preferably beveled, as at a^s, to form an edge, which beveled surface is roughened to form a file, which is found very convenient for severing 90 the wire on a bottle. The head of the implement is preferably hinged to a suitable casing a⁷, which forms an operating lever or handle and also forms the means by which the said head can be folded into the same and can 95 be thus conveniently carried in the pocket, so as not to injure the same. The handle ______ also carries a suitable corkscrew a³ and blades a⁹, all of which are adapted to be folded into the same, the whole forming a very neat im- 100

673,153 plementtobe carried in the pocket and when opened to'extract the' form of stopp'er known as the “crown.”