144

German Patent No. 35 19566A (filed May 31, 1985; issued Dec. 5, 1985)

French Patent 2,565,955 (filed May 31, 1985; issued Dec. 20, 1985)

The electric corkscrew was also patented in Hong Kong (No. 33,689) and

Singapore (No. 28,188).

It is interesting to note that an

application for a United States Design

Patent was filed on August 27, 1984

shortly after the Austrian mechanical

patent file date and prior to the filing

dates for the other patents. Design

Patent No. 288,521 was issued March

3, 1987 to Jan F. Van Asten, Leek,

Netherlands, and assigned to U. S.

Philips Corporation, New York.

Right:

―

Cork Fix

‖

electric corkscrews marked

NORELCO (110V) and PHILIPS (220V). A

review in a 1986 issue of the New York Daily

News quoted $37.95 as the retail price. Royal

Philips Electronics is a Dutch company

marketing products in the United States under

the Norelco brand name.