Lance Otto: I have a Philips electric corkscrew HR 2573 / made in Austria. I need a new plastic shroud that fits onto the bottle. I am also having trouble to remove the old shroud and disasemble the unit
Ron: Fortunately/unfortunately I have never tried to take a Philips corkscrew apart and I am not aware of any source of a Philips/Norelco type 110/220v electric corkscrew. It was a 1987 U.S. Design Patent which has not been for sale for many years at least in this part of Canada. However if you are patient enough to browse the eBay Auction web site it has been offered a few times in the past 2 years. The Philips electric corkscrew is a very collectible item and is not often seen for sale.
Ron: Hi Don, Did you see this corkscrew?
Don: It is the new Electropull Electric Uncorking Machine. The advertising copy says it is "Designed for the wine service industry, this beauty can uncork up to 500 bottles an hour." Barry Goldman says "We are quite excited about this new product and there are still only a few units even available to the general market. Sebastiani now has the most (3 units). It's only a matter of time before the rest of the big guys hop on the wagon." At $999.95 every home owner should have one too!
bobt@ria.net: I am interested in finding an electric corkscrew for my Mother who has arthritis and likes to drink good wine. There was, at one time, an electric by Norelco/Philips but they no longer make the product. Also there is a rechargable made in France but I would prefer one that plugs in. Where can I find it? and Pat Gregg, Calgary, Alberta, Canada: About 12 years ago I was given and electric corkscrew made by Philips. The company quit making them about 11 yrs ago and I need to know if you know of any company making them as they make a great gift. Easy to use for people with arthritis.
Ron: I am not aware of any source of a Philips/Norelco type 110/220v electric corkscrew. It was a 1987 U.S. Design Patent which has not been for sale for many years at least in this part of Canada. However if you are patient enough to browse the eBay Auction web site it has been offered a few times in the past 2 years. The estimated value according to The Ultimate Corkscrew Book by Don Bull, is between $50-$70 - considerably higher than the original selling price. The Philips electric corkscrew is a very collectible item and is not often seen for sale.
Luke Klein, Arizona: We are looking to buy some electric corkscrews, Phillips made them in the late 70's and early 80"s. that we bought in Canada.
Ron: See below.
Warren Libby: I am looking for a source of an electric corkscrew which an elderly lady lost and misses dearly. It would be best if it were compatible with European electrical current. Any ideas?
Ron: Warren, see the question below. The corkscrews were made in both 110V and 220v.
Bruce Knill, New York: I'm trying to find a source to replace a Phillips Electronic Industries electric corkscrew which was given to us a few years ago.
Ron: I am not aware of any source of the Philips electric corkscrew. It was a 1987 U.S. Design Patent it has not been for sale for many years at least in this part of Canada. However if you are patient enough to browse eBay Auction web site it has been offered a few times in the past 2 years: http://pages.ebay.com/search/items/search.html. The estimated cost, according to The Ultimate Corkscrew Book by Don Bull, is between $50-$70 - considerably higher than the original selling price. The Philips electric corkscrew is a very collectible item and is not often seen for sale.
Brenda: I'm doing research for a marketing course; has anyone invented an electric corkscrew yet?
Ron: Yes several electric corkscrews both battery & 110/220v have been patented and manufactured. The house current type were patented in the U.S. (1971) by Philips (Norelco in the U.S.) and battery powered examples (U.S. 1990) from an Asian inventor. From research on Canadian corkscrew patents I discovered that an electric motor driven corkscrew was patented by a Lucerne, Quebec inventor in 1971. If you want to carry out Patent searches the following web site may be of some interest: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/sci/chem/patent/srs135_internet.html .
Tom Coupland, Dorset, England: I'm a student presently researching into my final year project. I'm to design an automated corkscrew for bar use, so far I am unsure which power source I am to use for my product, Would you be able give me any existing information on electric, gas or pueumatic powered units, as these are the primary sources that I am hoping to use, to create a unit that can clamp, cut the foil, uncork the bottle, and discard the cork simultaneously.
Ron: I am not aware of any electric, hydraulic, gas or electric powered mechanism for a corkscrew mounted on a bar/table top surface. From all the patent information published on U.S., Canadian, British, Swiss, French and German corkscrew patents nothing has been registered for a corkscrew involving any of these motive forces. Bar corkscrews normally use hand powered traditional mechanical methods to extract a cork. If you would like to do some research yourself this reading list will provide you with all the available texts on corkscrews. It will save you undertaking a tedious library search.
Paul Michael: I am a student at Middlesex University in London studying Design and Technology. I am in my final year and am undertaking a major project. For this project I am going to design and manufacture an electronic corkscrew and am currently collecting as much research as possible. I have found that elderly people and people with disabilities would benefit from such a product and possibly there could be a market for it in pubs or clubs. I am working on the design and am looking at existing corkscrews and how they work to aid me. Any information or advice that you may have will be greatly appreciated, as it will help me in my final project
Ron: Unfortunately I am not aware of any "electronic" corkscrew having been manufactured. Of course electric powered 110/220V and by battery have been made. To see better illustrations and descriptions and to save you research time doing a library search, here is a reading list. This site has all the information you may require for your project in the many publications on the subject.
...and here's a battery powered corkscrew:
This battery operated corkscrew is American Patent No. 4,955,261 issued to Yung-Tung Chiang of Taiwan, September 11, 1990.
