IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS FROM CASKS, BOTTLES, AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Rudolph Schomburg at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th March 1880. A communication
from abroad by Teodor Remus, of Plauen, near Dresden, in the German
Empire.
RUDOLPH SCHOMBURG, of Plauen, near Dresden, in the German Empire, but at
present of Clifton Villas, South Norwood, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS FROM CASKS,
BOTTLES, AND OTHER VESSELS." [A communication from abroad by Teodor
Remus, of Plauen, near Dresden, in the German Empire.]
According to one part of the present Invention a metal tube, by preference
curved at its one end like the nozzle of an ordinary tap, passes with its other end
through a central hole in a stopper, cork, or plug fitted in the bunghole of a cask or
mouth of a bottle or other vessel. At a certain distance from its open inner end
the tube has an internal partition, and on each side of the partition holes are
formed in the tube. At a point of its length corresponding with the position of
such holes the cork or stopper has a lateral recess or hole, so that when the holes
of the tube are situated in such recess a communication is established between the
inner and outer ends of the tube through its side holes and the hole or recess of
the stopper, and consequently the liquid contained in the cask or receptacle can
flow out. On turning the tube partly round the side holes thereof are moved out
of the recess of the stopper, so as to be covered by the sides of its bore, whereupon
the flow of liquid will be intercepted. By this arrangement it will be seen that the
discharge of liquid is regulated or cut off without the use of an ordinary tap or
cock. When the apparatus is to be used with a cask or receptacle having no vent
for the admission of air it is provided outside the stopper with an aperture or a
tubular extension on its upper side, communicating with an internal passage formed
by a longitudinal partition in the tube, which passage also communicates with the
inner end of the tube by side holes on each side of the transverse partition, and
the stopper has also a second hole or recess corresponding with these side holes, so
that when the tube is turned into the beforedescribed position in which a
communication is established between its inner and outer ends, the just described
passage is also made to communicate with the interior of the vessel, so that air can
pass in through it as the liquid passes out through the other passage of the tube.

page_text: By placing the finger on the external air hole the flow of liquid may be restricted
or entirely intercepted. According to another modification the second passage
is formed at the outer end into a second spout, so that the one spout or the other
may serve indifferently for the discharge of liquid, or for the air passage.
The stopper may either be formed of a compressible material, such as cork, or it
may be formed of metal, in which case the inner end of the tube may be formed
conical, as the plug of a cock, fitting into the conical stopper, and held therein by a
screw cap. In this case also the part of the stopper in which the before mentioned
side holes are made may project into the cask or vessel, so that the liquid can flow
directly through these holes into the tube, which would then merely have its inner
end closed, instead of having the before mentioned transverse partition. The stopper
may also have surrounding its inner end a tapering spigot having an external
screw thread formed on it, so as to be secured by screwing into the bung hole of
the cask.
According to another modification the before described tube is adapted to form
its own seating in the cork of a bottle or receptacle. For this purpose its inner end
is formed with a cutting edge, so that by pressing it against the outer end of the
cork, and turning it at the same time somewhat, it is made to cut a cylindrical
hole, the part cut out entering the inner end of the tube, thereby closing it, and
serving in lieu of the before described transverse partition. The piece of cork can
afterwards be removed by introducing the blade of a knife through a lateral slot in
the tube. In this arrangement the cork may either be specially prepared with a
lateral slot or hole, so that when the tube is turned its side hole is brought under
such slot for the discharge of the liquid, or the cork may be of the ordinary form,
and the tube be simply pushed inwards until its side hole projects beyond the end
of the cork for effecting the discharge, and then be drawn outwards again when
the discharge is to be stopped. In this arrangement the tube may be provided
with a number of small holes, so arranged that by pushing the tube inwards to a
greater or less extent, more or less of these holes may be uncovered, and thus a
greater or less discharge be effected. In this arrangement also the outer end of
the tube may be made straight instead of curved, so that the piece of cork in its
inner end can be pushed out by introducing a rod through its outer end.
When this apparatus is used for drawing off liquids under pressure, such as
aerated liquids, the before described air passage is dispensed with.