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On December 5, 1963, a month after

the patent was issued to the British,

Karl Horst Knopf applied for the first

modern German air cork ejector. Not

only had he been beaten to the patent

office by the Englishman, in

Switzerland Franz Tschappu had

already filed in October of 1963 for

his air cork ejector. To his credit,

however, Knopf already had an

application filed for a gas cork ejector

patent in September 1963.

In his invention the piston would

remain stationary while the cylinder

serves as the pumping handle. Knopf

also incorporated a safety non-return

check valve into the design. He was

granted German Patent No. 1,887,601

on February 13, 1964 (left). Some

further refinements were made in his

Knopf's application of January 3, 1964

for which he was granted Patent No.

1,891,795 on April 23, 1964.

One last air cork ejector patent was granted to Knopf on

February 23, 1967 (No. 1,956,218). He had submitted his

application for this one December 9, 1966.

Knopf's designs were produced by Wecomatic Gerätbau

und Handel GmbH in Solingen, Germany. The company is

still active and has been manufacturing gas cork ejectors

since the early 1960s. Wecomatic also manufactures bottle

stoppers, beer keg taps, inhalers, and a suction device for

treatment of sore muscles.