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Converse - Mumford

New York, New York, May 10, 1899 - Yesterday Maschill Converse was granted a U. S. Patent for his prong puller. Converse was the attorney of record for the Lucien Mumford prong puller patent granted on this date seven years ago.

Wirtz, Virginia, May 10, 2003 - The Daily Screw has prepared a special report on the Converse - Mumford prong puller patents. Click here for the special report.

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Letter to the Editor

Laser Modelling

I have viewed with interest the articles such as the February 28th article titled Buyer Beware – “Carved Bone” Corkscrews. I have yet to see and hold one of these corkscrews but I will throw my 2 cents worth of opinion to those of you who may be trying to investigate their sources and how they are made.

Just from what I have been seeing from the high res images in The Daily Screw and the descriptions I would say they are the result of laser technology. I was first exposed to this technology in the ‘70’s when a close friend of ours, Dr. Rummel who was the personal physician to the Astronauts at the time, showed me some models generated of areas of the lunar surface by software NASA had developed. From a picture the software could interpret 3 dimensions, compile the information and feed it to a commercial laser cutter and produce 3 dimensional models, not just of the lunar surface but just about anything. These were big main-frame computers but our PC’s today are powerful enough to run similar programs.

Anthropologists and phycicians use this technology today recreating skulls, bones etc. At the trade shows and flea markets you may have seen western scenes, buffalo, Indians, etc. etched deeply into a marble slab. Laser technology. Most of the materials used are a composite made to look like marble or bone. I would be surprised if the figures are bone as bone is hollow and some of the figures would not lend themselves to a piece of bone that was hollow. Yes, small pieces could be cut from the solid parts and laminated together but I would guess it is a composite to look like bone. Hand carved pieces would show differences - laser cut pieces would produce identical copies every time.

Most all major areas of Industrial Design uses this technology, auto industry, space program, government contractors so it is conceivable that someone or persons have access to laser cutters and the software to make corkscrews.

Like I said, my opinion and a possible lead to those of you investigating the source and how of these corkscrews.

Don Minzenmayer, Texas

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Answers to Yesterday's "What are these?"

	Burgess & Fenton 1874 English patent
	A corskcrew with replaceable worm. The thumbscrew is marked SACE*.
	The "Empire" - Nevillle Heeley's 1890 English patent
	Multi-blade knife. Possibly from India.
	A ratchet assisted corkscrew manufactured by C. J. Willetts of Birmingham, England. c.1912

From the collection of Alf Erickson

* SACE is an abbreviation for several organizations including Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, South Australian College of English, and Sistema de Administración de Comercio Electrónico. Erickson suggests the corkscrew may be "Cecil Recklinghausen's variation on Clough's 1900 Burmese patent" which would mean that the SACE would not relate to any of the aforementioned organizations. Any readers have any information on this corkscrew?

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