76

While European inventors were filing for patents on air cork ejectors on a regular basis

in the 1960s, U. S. inventors were busy with gas ejectors.

It was as if there was a wait and see attitude on the

popularity of air ejectors.

The first air design since Ludwig Eger's 1933 patent was

put on paper January 29, 1977 by Ted Essig in Noblesville,

Indiana. Essig received his Design Patent No. 252,972 for a

"Cork Extractor" on September 25, 1979. When asked if

his design was ever produced, Essig simply said "I'm sorry

to say that none were ever produced."

After Essig's design, American inventors were silent once

again.

_____________

It wasn't until 1982 that another American designed air cork

ejector came along. Alon Products, Inc., New York enlisted the

services of designer Fred Ravreby, Framingham, Massachusetts to

come up with a new cork removing product. On February 26,

1982 he filed his Patent for a "Cork Ejector" design and Des. No.

276,788 was granted December 18, 1984. "Pop-A-Cork" was a

registered trademark of Alon Products and was filed November

30, 1982.

Ravreby's "Pop-A-Cork" incorporated a small air pump powered

by four AA batteries. Ravreby said the product did not sell well

without demonstrations. He frequently set up at shopping malls

where he would insert the needle through a cork in a bottle and

depress the button on top to start pumping air into the chamber

between the cork and the wine. To the amazement of shoppers, the cork would slowly

rise and eject with a slight "pop." Ladies gladly forked over $15.00 for this gift for their

husbands. From 1983 to 1984 approximately

10,000 units were produced.

Ravreby and Alon had been beaten to the patent

office by a Japanese inventor who had filed on

October 31, 1980. His battery operated wine

cork remover was assigned Patent No. Des.

268,245 on March 15, 1983. The patent was first

applied for in Japan and details can be seen in the

section on Japan in this book.