Bar Bum

Vineland, New Jersey - On this day in 1950 Samuel L. Gerson was issued United States Design Patent Number 160,082 for his "Bar Utensil."

The Delsam Company of Vineland, New Jersey called Gerson's design "The Lovable Bar Bum, A handy man for your bar." His hat is a bottle opener, his ear is an ice or nut cracker and his pants are a jigger. Removing the bayonet fit top reveals an ice pick, muddler and corkscrew. He was produced in painted, bronzed and aluminum finishes.

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Take Your Meds

Newark, New Jersey - On this date in 1882 Cornelius T. Williamson patented his "Combined Spoon and Corkscrew." United States Patent Number 264,391 was assigned to the invention. Williamson addressed the folding worm with "When the spoon and the screw are folded the point of the latter is protected by the sides of the bowl of the spoon, and the device may consequently be handled or carried in the pocket without liability of injury to either person or clothing."

One example of Williamson's patent has a bowl full of advertising: "Tabloids of Compressed Drugs, Hazeline Cream, Keppler Extract Essence of Malt, Keppler Solution of Cod Liver Oil, Digestive, Demulgent, Strengthening, Hazeline Beer & Iron Wine."

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Tire-Bouchon Tyr

Seine, France - On this date in 1927 M. Henry Paraf received French Patent Number 631, 295 for a double lever corkscrew marked under the name "Tyr."

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Letter to the Editor

Fake Corks Screw Cats

I saw this article in the September edition of The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary magazine.

"Even the most seemingly innocuous choices you make as a consumer can help or hurt animals.

Wine lovers can help animals simply by not buying wine with synthetic corks. Real wine-bottle corks come from trees that grow primarily in Spanish and Portuguese forests, where the Iberian lynx makes its home. The forests have been protected until now. But with more bottlers turning to synthetic stoppers, there's no need for natural cork - hence no need to protect and maintain the forests. No protected forests no more lynx. Right now, there are only about 150 of the cats left - and fewer than 30 females capable of reproduction. And if the lynx goes extinct, it will be the first big cat to have died out completely since the saber-toothed tiger left us 10,000 years ago."

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary can be found on the Internet at www.bestfriends.org . A good friend of mine is one of the directors. Thought you might find it interesting to use in an upcoming article.

Kenn Cameron, Massachusetts

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