177

Mister Maximum

Jean Rochat of Geneva, Switzerland

invented another way to use the gas

cylinders to extract a cork. This time,

however, the gas did not enter the

bottle. The gas was used to move a

piston, which would pull the cork out

of the bottle after it had been

penetrated by a worm. Rochat applied

for a Swiss patent on November 7,

1963, which was granted September

15, 1965 (No. 399,219). In 1966 his

idea was patent in Germany as well.

Before detailing his invention, Rochat

points out that cork ejectors with

needles are well known but dangerous.

His complicated mechanism then takes

three pages to explain. Simplified it

works like this: The whole unit is

turned to insert the worm into the

cork, moving the lever causes the gas

cartridge to make contact with a spindle which opens the valve, the gas pushes the top

piston away from a shoulder, and the worm and cork are then pulled into the bottom

cylinder.

_________________

After studying this patent, Austrian inventor Gero Artmer commented:

1. I never saw a production model and doubt that it was produced.

2. It is hard to screw the worm in. The description says the actuation lever can

help the grip but this could be dangerous when touched.

3. In opening a bottle, it is suggested that the lever be pushed carefully - there is

no safety valve.

4. Mechanically it is very complicated. There are too many chances for

malfunction and the cost to produce would be prohibitive in a competitive

market.

Throughout the 1960s, air and gas cork ejectors were popular and a well accepted

method of removing a cork. They were simple and easy to use. Rochat's expensive idea

would not have a chance for survival during that time period. By the 1970s, ejectors had

begun to receive some bad, and likely unfounded, press. There are references to bottle