In 1878 Mr. Sperry was issued a patent for his invention from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). There were 2 documents on file for this patent. The drawing specification sheet of the patent has been reproduced from original USPTO documents and printed onto parchment paper. This print is sized and ready to install into an 8" x 10" frame. The additional sheets included are printed on 5.50" x 8.50" parchment paper. These accompanying documents describe the scope of this invention in formal terms. The following is an actual excerpt from the patent…

       " Be it known that I, ALFRED W. SPERRY, of Wallingford, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Corkscrews...This invention relates to an improvement in that class of corkscrews in which the screw is hinged to the shorter arm of a lever, and in which the fulcrum of the lever is constructed to set upon the neck of the bottle, so that when the corkscrew has been inserted the turning of the lever on the fulcrum will turn the corkscrew and with it draw the cork."…