IMPROVE- MENTS IN STOP TAPS
Year: 1885

page_text: We THOMAS CARPENTER and WILLIAM HENRY FORD both of No 20 to 24
Bishop Street South Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Lamp and Chandelier
Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOP TAPS" to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to taps of the kind commonly called stop taps that
is taps used principally in connection with gasaliers and constructed so that the
gas can either be wholly cut off or so reduced as to support only a minute flame at
pleasure. By the use of the said stop taps the gas of gasaliers in places difficult of
access may either be turned on fully or to any required extent or be wholly cut off
or be reduced to the supply sufficient only to maintain a minute flame.
In making stop taps according to our invention we make the barrel or body of
the tap as well as the plug very nearly in the same way as the same parts are made
in ordinary taps. But in making the shoulders on the body of the tap by which
shoulders the motion of the plug is limited we make one of the said shoulders at
such a point on the body that the pin in the plug comes against it just before the
gas way in the plug is closed by the motion of the plug in the body and the gas
consequently is not wholly cut off when the barrel is turned so as to bring the pin
of the plug against the said shoulder. When however the plug is turned in the
contrary direction the gas is wholly cut off as the shoulder limiting the motion of
the plug in that direction does not stop the turning of the plug until it has attained
the position in which the gas way in the plug is closed and the gas is wholly shut
off. Thus when the plug is turned to the full extent in one direction it allows a
minute stream of gas to pass through the tap but when turned in the contrary
direction the gas is wholly shut off.
In order the more effectually to secure the reduction of the stream of gas to a
minimum without risk of wholly cutting it off and thereby extinguishing the flame
we prefer to make in the plug a small wedge shaped notch the base of the wedge
opening into the gas way in the plug the point of the wedge extending a short
distance round the plug. By this arrangement the danger of extinguishing the
flame by the sudden turning of the plug of the tap is avoided. The said notch may
be dispensed with but it is useful in preventing failure by the sudden closing of
the tap by careless persons. Instead of the notch opening into the gas way in the
plug a minute hole opening into the gas way may be drilled in the plug the said

page_text: minute hole making such an angle with the gas way that before the gas way is
wholly shut off the said minute hole is uncovered and permits of the required flow
of a minute stream of gas. In order to indicate the direction in which the plug
should be turned in order to turn off the gas wholly or to leave a minute stream a
quadrant or other shaped dial may be fixed on the body of the top. This dial has
made on it words or symbols indicating the direction in which the lever or handle
of the tap must be turned in order to produce the reduction of the flame or to
extinguish it.
We THOMAS CARPENTER and WILLIAM HENRY FORD both of Nos 20 to 24
Bishop Street South, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Lamp and Chandelier
Manufacturers, do bereby declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STOP TAPS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has reference to taps of the kind commonly called stop taps, that
is, taps used principally in connection with gasaliers and constructed so that the
gas can either be wholly cut off or so reduced as to support only a minute flame at
pleasure. By the use of the said stop taps the gas of gasaliers in places difficult of
access may either be turned on fully or to any required extent or be wholly cut off
or be reduced to the supply sufficient only to maintain a minute flame.
In making stop taps according to our invention we make the barrel or body of
the tap as well as the plug very nearly in the same way as the same parts are made
in ordinary taps. But in making the shoulders on the body of the tap by which
shoulders the motion of the plug is limited, we make one of the said shoulders at
such a point on the body that the pin in the plug comes against it just before the
gas way in the plug is closed by the motion of the plug in the body and the gas
consequently is not wholly cut off when the plug is turned so as to bring the pin
of the plug against the said shoulder. When however the plug is turned in the
contrary direction the gas is wholly cut off as the shoulder limiting the motion of.
the plug in that direction does not stop the turning of the plug until it has attained
the position in which the gas way in the plug is closed and the gas is wholly shut
off. Thus, when the plug is turned to the full extent in one direction it allows a
minute stream of gas to pass through the tap but when turned in the contrary
direction the one is wholly shut off

page_text: In order the more effectually to secure the reduction of the stream of gas to a
minimum without risk of wholly cutting.it off and thereby extinguishing the flame,
we prefer to make in the plug a small wedge shaped notch the base of the wedge
opening into the gas way in the plug, the point of the wedge extending a short
distance round the plug. By this arrangement the danger of extinguishing the
flame by the sudden turning of the plug of the tap is avoided. The said notch
may be dispensed with but it is useful in preventing failure by the sudden closing
of the tap by careless persons.
Instead of the notch opening into the gas way in the plug a minute hole opening
into the gas way may be drilled in the plug the said minute hole making such an
angle with the gas way that before the gas way is wholly shut off the said minute
hole is uncovered and permits of the required flow of a minute stream of gas.
In order to indicate the direction in which the plug should be turned, in order to
turn off the gas wholly or to leave a minute stream, a quadrant or other shaped dial
may be fixed on the body of the tap. This dial has made on it words or symbols
indicating the direction in which the lever or handle of the tap must be turned in
order to produce the reduction of the flame or to extinguish it.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in plan Figure 2 in sido
elevation and Figure 3 partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, a
stop tap constructed according to our invention, the tap being represented fully
opened; Figure 4 represents partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal
section, the stop tap fully turned off and Figure 5 represents partly in plan and
partly in horizontal section the "bye pass" of the tap opened so as to permit of
the flow of a minute stream of gas through the tap; Figures 6 and 7 represent
elevations of the plug of the tap taken at right angles to one another and Figure 8
represents partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, the barrel or
body of the tap without the plug. The same letters of reference indicate the same
parts in the several Figures of the Drawing; a is the plug of the tap having the
usual gas way b and c is the handle by which the plug is turned; d is the stop pin
on the plug which pin d and the shoulders e, e³ on the barrel f of the tap limit the
motion of the plug; g is a minute hole in the plug a (see Figure 5) which hole
together with the gas way b and passage in the inside of the barrel f permit of
the flow of a minute stream of gas through the tap; i is the dial on the top of the
body of the tap containing the words "off," "on full" and "Bye pass" for indicating
the direction in which the handle o must be moved to turn on or turn off the gas, or
to produce the reduction of the flame.
When the handle c of the plug a is turned into the position represented in
Figures 1, 2 and 3, the stop pin d is in its middle position and the gas is fully
turned on. When the handle c is turned through a quadrant into the position
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 and shown in Figure 4 and marked the gas
is fully turned off, the stop pin & on the plug bearing against the shoulder marked e
on the body of the tap. When the handle o is turned through a quadrant from the
position represented in Figure 1 to that indicated in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 5,
and marked c³ so as to bring the stop pin d against the other shoulder e on the
body the "bye pass" is opened and a minute stream of gas passes through the tap
as represented in Figure 5; that is, the plug a is brought into such a position that
the minute hole g in the said plug is in communication with the entrance pipek of
the tap and a small stream of gas passes through the gas way b in the plug and
by the passage h in the side of the body f, in communication with the gas way b, to
the delivery pipe 7 of the tap as will be understood by an examination of Figure 5.
Instead of using a minute hole g in the plug as described and represented, the
shoulder e may be so lengthened that the stop pin d on the plug comes against it
just before the gas way b in the plug a is closed so as to leave a minute passage
between the entrance pipe k and gas way b and between the gas way b and
delivery pipe as represented in the horizontal section Figure 9. Or a small
wedge shaped notch may be made at opposite sides of the plug, the base of each
notch opening into the gas way and the point of the notch extending a short

page_text: distance around the plug. This arrangement is represented in Figure 10, where
the wedge shaped notches are marked b³, the said notches opening into the gas
way b in the plug.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
In a stop tap the combination of the shoulders e, e² and stop pin d of the tap,
with the minute hole g in the plug and passage h in the barrel, whereby the gas
can be wholly turned on or wholly cut off or the supply so reduced as to maintain
a minute flame only substantially as herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 1 to 8 both inclusive of the accompanying Drawing; also the arrangements
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanying
Drawing in which arrangements the shoulders are so arranged that the stop pin on
the plug strikes against one of the said shoulders just before the gas way in the
plug is closed so as not wholly to cut off the supply of gas.
Dated this Flauntl Jam Sn
1