54

My Cup Runneth

“

I am aware that corkscrews have been constructed with a tight-fitting cup, upon

a screwshank adapted to draw the cork up into the cup by revolving the screw

after the cup comes in contact with the bottle; but the usefulness of such a form

of construction was greatly impaired and often destroyed by the difficulty

experienced in removing the cork from the cup after it has been drawn from the

bottle.

”

Those were the words of Thomas Curley, a Troy, New York resident, in

his application for a corkscrew patent.

Only two months after he filed his application, on April 22, 1884 Curley was

granted United States Patent Number 297,232. His invention centers around a

loose fit cup controlled by a pin on the shank riding in slots in the cup. Once the

cork has been extracted, simply repositioning the cup on the pin will enable the

user to easily turn the cork off the screw.