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The interesting things about Michael Sarnecky's

―

Picking Tool

‖

is that

he never mentions a cork. His primary object was a tool to

―

grasp

articles in places where an individual cannot reach them with his

fingers.

‖

He says it can be

―

adapted to be inserted within a bottle or the

like and closed upon an object to be removed therefrom.

‖

And of

particular importance are the finger rings so the tool can be operated

with one hand. U. S. Patent No. 2,204,734 was issued June 18, 1940.

The best way: Don't force the cork into the bottle, use a good corkscrew and pull

it out

Retriever / Corkscrew Combos

Here are a couple of other inventions which combined a corkscrew and

cork retriever.

Marvin Crannell of Troy, New York patented his invention on May 15, 1877 (U. S. No.

190,669). His object was to create a tool to remove corks

―

from the neck (of a bottle) or

from inside the bottle.

‖

The tube covering the worm has spurs to grasp the cork while

the worm is being turned in. He suggests the length of the rod may vary depending on

the dimensions of the bottles into which a cork has fallen.

Nathaniel Oak of Exeter, Maine also patented a

combination corkscrew / cork extractor. His device is

very similar to Crannell's and his patent was issued a

short time later on November 6, 1877 (U. S. No. 196,761).

Crannell filed his application in January, 1877 and Oak in

September. Oak claimed

―

A combined corkscrew and

extractor, formed with a central shaft with a spiral point

and handle, with surrounding pointed wires mounted in

disks, and provided with limited lineal adjustment

relative to the central shaft, and to revolve thereon.

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