An Improved Spile or "Vent Peg" for Beer Barrels, Wine Casks, and other Analogous Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1889-Accepted. 18th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spile or "Vent Peg" for Beer Barrels, Wine Casks,
and other Analogous Purposes.
I FRANCIS DAY of 186 Brompton Road London in the County of Middlesex
Licensed Victualler do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to vent pegs or spiles for beer barrels wine casks and the
like or any other purposes where liquid is contained in a closed vessel and is required
to be intermittently drawn off for which purpose air must be admitted to the vessel
through a vent hole or opening which latter thereafter must again be closed to keep
the vessel air tight or comparatively air tight.
Now my present improvements consist in making a spile or vent peg of any
suitable material (for instance hard wood or metal such as cast iron or brass etcetera)
with a passage or opening which-when such peg is in its position in the cask or
vessel will lead from the inside of said vessel to the outside.
The said passage or opening in the vent peg is closed by means of a valve mounted
in its path and having a transverse passage through same so that by turning partly
round the valve will open the main passage and thus adinit air to the inside of the
vessel and by again partly turning same round will shut off the air and thus render
the vessel air tight or comparatively air tight again as desired-after the manner of
an ordinary water cock.
The said air inlet passage may also be closed and opened in any other equivalent
or convenient manner.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.G.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spile or "Vent Peg" for Beer Barrels, Wine Casks,
and other Analogous Purposes.
I FRANCIS DAY of 186 Brompton Road London in the County of Middlesex
Licensed Victualler do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to vent pegs or spiles for beer barrels wine casks and the
like or other purposes where liquid is contained in a closed vessel and is required to
be intermittently drawn off for which purpose air must be admitted to the vessel
through a vent hole or opening which latter thereafter must again be closed to keen
the vessel air tight or comparatively air tight.
Now my present improvements consist in making a spile or vent peg of any
suitable material (for instance hard wood or inetal such as cast iron or brass etcetera)
with a passage or opening which-when such peg is in its position in the cask or
vessel will lead from the inside of said vessel to the outside.
The said passage or opening in the vent peg is closed by means of a valve or tap
mounted in its path and having a passage through same so that by turning the
valve or tap partly round it will open the main passage and thus admit air to the
inside of the vessel and by again partly turning same round will shut off the air
and thus render the vessel air tight or comparatively air tight again as desired-thus
acting after the manner of an ordinary water cock.

page_text: The said air inlet passage may also be closed and opened in any other equivalent
or convenient manner.
And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to further describe same with reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an exterior side elevation of a spile or vent peg made in accordance
with my present improvements the air passage lying straight through the body of same
as indicated in dotted lines-the valve being "shut."
Figure 2 is a vertical section of Figure 1 through the centre of the peg and valve
showing the latter "open."
Figure 3 is a top plan of the vent peg "open."
Figures 4 and 5 show other arrangements as hereinafter described.
a is the direct straight passage or opening from the bottom through the top of
the vent peg.
The valve or plug 6 is mounted in the path of the straight passage a and has a
transverse hole or passage c therein which when the plug bis turned one way coincides
with the passage a and thus " opens same and when turned another way shuts off
and stops said passage a.
"
d is handle to the plug 6 which latter is mounted and retained in its place in the
body of the peg in any suitable manner for instance by a pin e as shown.
b
The passage a as shown lies straight through the body or barrel of the peg a or
the passage a may be brought from the valve or plug 6 up through the top of the
peg in any other direction than in a straight line with the lower part of the passage—
so long as it is brought right through the top of the body of the peg and this peg
has this special advantage that should any solid matter get in such passage it can
be readily dislodged and removed by a piece of wire or other instrument which can
easily be inserted through the top of the peg and passed through the passage a to
clear same.
Referring to Figure 4-as a modification of the previously described arrangement
the valve or plug may be made as shown in Figure 4 the outlet or inlet a being
through the body of the valve or plug b as shown instead of through the top of the
spile and this arrangement has this advantage with full beer casks not yet tapped that
it affords a convenient tap for drawing off into a can or vessel the beer under pressure
when first tapped which with the ordinary vent pegs is mostly lost whereas by the
use of a spile or vent peg such as in Figure 4 such beer can be easily collected and
saved.
46
"
As a further modification so as to make my improved vent peg also act as a " porous
peg "the body of the peg is formed as in Figures 1 to 3 and in addition a small
pin'
hole a² is formed in the plug or valve as shown in Figures 5 so that on
turning the valve "off" one way it is completely "shut" and on turning it "off"
the other way the pin hole a² is left in communication with the passage a and so the
peg acts as a porous peg while at any desired moment it can be turned round and
shut"
completely.
I:
My improved peg may be tapered or otherwise shaped and also may be screw
threaded if desired at its lower end and the head or top part thereof made strong
enough to bear the weight of the blows of a mallet or other pressure to force the peg
into the barrel etcetera.
"
وو
If desired this peg Figures 1 to 4 can also be made to act as-what is known as-
a porous peg" by inserting a piece of sponge wool porous wood such as cane or
red oak (of which latter material "porous pegs
are now generally made) or other
analogous material in the passage a and then leaving the valve b open or partly open
thus admitting air into the barrel very gently and when desired the valve can be
shut right off which cannot be done with the ordinary "porous peg" thus I obtain a
duplex effect with my improved peg.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A spile or veut peg having a direct air passage through same from the bottom
right through the top and having said passage controlled by a suitable valve or plug
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. A spile or vent peg having a passage in the body of same up to the valve or
plug therein and the said valve having also a passage in same to form a continuous
passage a a¹ when desired substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings hereunto annexed.
3. A spile or vent peg arranged and constructed to act also as a porous peg
substantially in the manner herein before described and represented in Figure 5 of the
drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 11th day of December 1889.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentec.