IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLOSING THE TAP HOLES OF CASKS OR BARRELS.
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hutton, of Derby, Bank Cashier, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLOSING THE TAP HOLES OF CASKS
OR BARRELS.".
Sealed the 12th October 1866, and dated the 28th April 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hutton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
April 1866.
I, THOMAS HUTTON, of Derby, Bank Cashier, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLOSING THE TAP HOLES
OF CASKS OR BARRELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention.consists of the improvements in or additions to casks or
barrels herein-after described, by which improvements or additions the use
of corks is wholly or in part dispensed with, and the fouling of the casks or,
barrels when not in use is prevented or largely diminished. . ·
My improvements consist of the apparatus herein-after described for closing.
the tap holes of casks or barrels. By the use of the said apparatus the use
of corks is wholly or in part dispensed with, and the fouling of the casks or
barrels when not in use prevented. I fix inside the barrel and opposite the
tap hole a diaphragm of india-rubber having in it a slit, through which in

page_text: tapping the barrel the tap can be forced; this diaphragm of india-rubber is
made of such strength that the slit in it closes with sufficient force before the
barrel is tapped to resist the pressure of the contents of the barrel. On the
withdrawal of the tap the slit immediately closes, and by excluding air prevents
the fouling of the barrel. Instead of using india-rubber in the form of a
sheet or diaphragm, india-rubber in various other forms may be employed,
such as a hollow sphere fitting against the tap hole inside the barrel. In
tapping the barrel the side of the hollow sphere of india-rubber against which
the tap is pressed is forced into a concave figure, one-half or nearly one-half
the hollow sphere being pressed into the other half. On the withdrawal of
the tap the india-rubber springs into its original spherical form and closes the
tap hole, and prevents the fouling of the barrel. Or a flat or other shaped
tube of india-rubber which collapses by its elasticity may be fixed at the tap
hole inside the barrel. On the introduction of the tap the tube is opened or
listended, and on the withdrawal of the tap it collapses and excludes air from
the barrel; or I place a flap or valve inside the barrel and opposite the tap
hole. The said flap or valve is hinged to the barrel by a hinge or flexible
joint above the tap hole. The side of the valve or flap which is presented to
the inside of the barrel may, if required, be covered with chamois leather or
india-rubber, or other flexible or elastic substance, and the tap hole may have
a similar flexible or elastic substance around it to form a seat for the valve or
flap. By means of an india-rubber or other spring the valve or flap is pressed
upon the tap hole and the said tap hole closed when the barrel is not tapped.
The tap hole may be closed outside the barrel by means of a plug attached to
the barrel by a cord or chain, or by a plate or door sliding in a frame attached
to the barrel. The internal fittings described may by widening the tap hole
be introduced from the outside, and the outside door and internal fittings may
thus be formed by one piece of mechanism.
The essence of my Invention consists in closing the tap holes of casks or
barrels, by means of a closing apparatus fixed opposite the tap hole inside the
cask or barrel, the said apparatus opening and closing by means of a hinge,
or capable of being distended and opened by the introduction of the tap, and
closing in the absence of the tap by its elasticity. The said internal apparatus
may either be used alone or in conjunction with the external means of closing
described.
"

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Hutton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HUTTON, of Derby, Bank Cashier, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Hutton, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Hutton,
my. executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Hutton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereaftor
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR CLOSING THE TAP HOLES OF CASES OR BARRELS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Hutton, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said. Thomas Hutton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the apparatus herein-after described for closing
the tap holes of casks or barrels. By the use of the said Invention the use of
corks is wholly or in part dispensed with, and the fouling of the casks or
barrels when not in use prevented in so far as the entrance of air .by the.
tap hole is concerned.. I fix inside the barrel and opposite the tap hole a
diaphragm or diaphragms of india-rubber, having one or more slits in them,
though which in tapping the barrel the tap can be forced ; this diaphragm or
diaphragms of india-rubber are made of such strength that the slit or slits in
them close with sufficient force before the barrel is tapped to resist the
pressure of the contents of the barrel. On the withdrawal of the tap the slit
or slits immediately close, and by excluding air prevent the fouling of the

page_text: barrel. Instead of using india-rubber in the form of a sheet or diaphragm,
india-rubber in various other forms may be employed, such as a hollow sphere
fitting against the tap hole inside the barrel. In tapping the barrel the side
of the hollow sphere of india-rubber, against which the tap is pressed, is
forced into a concave figure, one half or nearly one half the hollow sphere
being pressed into the other half. On the withdrawal of the tap the india-
rubber springs into its original spherical form and closes the tap hole and
prevents the fouling of the barrel. Or a flat or other shaped tube of india-
rubber, which collapses by its elasticity, may be fixed at the tap hole inside
the barrel. On the introduction of the tap the tube is opened or distended,
and on the withdrawal of the tap it collapses and excludes air from the barrel;
or I place a flap or valve inside the barrel and opposite the tap hole; the
said flap or valve is hinged to the barrel by a hinge or flexible joint near
the tap hole. The side of the valve or flap which is presented to the inside of
the barrel may be covered with chamois leather, or india-rubber, or other
flexible or elastic substance, and the tap hole may have a similar flexible
or elastic substance around it to form a seat for the flap or valve. By means
of an india-rubber or other spring the valve or flap is pressed upon the tap
hole and the said tap hole closed. The tap hole may be closed outside the
barrel by means of a cork or plug attached to the barrel by a cord or chain, or
by a plate or door sliding in a frame attached to the barrel. The internal fittings
described may, by widening the tap hole, be introduced from the outside, and
the outside door or plug or cork and fastening and internal fittings may thus-
be formed by one piece of mechanism.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in cross section and Figures 2 and 3 in longitudinal
section the end of a cask or barrel, the tap hole of which is provided with a
diaphragm of india-rubber, constructed according to one of the forms of my
Invention. In Figures 1 and 2 the cask or barrel is represented untapped,
and the diaphragm in its normal state, and in Figure 3 the cask or barrel is
represented tapped, and the diaphragm pened by the insertion of the tap;
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 represent the diaphragm and parts connected with
the same of the full size, as herein-after explained. The same letters of
reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
a is the tap hole of the cask, opposite which hole, inside the cask, I fix a
strong diaphragm 6 of india-rubber, the said diaphragm being made in one
piece, and having a slit in its middle; or the diaphragm b may have more

page_text: than one slit in it. The said diaphragm 6 is fixed to the inside of the barrel
by means of a metallic ring c and screws d in the manner represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3. A separate view of the diaphragm 6 of the full size is
represented in side elevation, front elevation, and section in Figure 4, and a
separate view of the ring c is represented in front and edge elevation in
Figure 5. The back of the diaphragm or that part most, distant from.the tap
hole is made of a conical figure (or circular or other protuberant figure), and
upon the cone a ring of india-rubber e (represented separately in Figure 6) is
placed for strengthening the said diaphragm and facilitating its contraction
when the tap is withdrawn from the barrel. In practice I have found one
ring of india-rubber sufficient, but where greater strength is required two or
three rings may be employed. The diaphragms may, however, be used
without a ring or rings of india-rubber where a very thick diaphragm of india-
rubber is employed. The diaphragm b is of such strength that the slit in
it closes with sufficient force before the barrel is tapped to resist the pressure
of the contents of the barrel. The front of the tap hole outside the cask or
barrel is closed by a metal disc or platef (shown on a larger scale in Figures
7 and 8), which plate may be covered with the seal of the brewer or other-
wise protected. Or the outside of the tap hole may be protected by a plug
attached to the barrel by a cord or chain, or by a plate or door sliding in a
a frame attached to the barrel or closed by a cork or pug which in tapping
the barrel shall be driven through the diaphragm. In tapping the barrel the
plate or disc fis removed and the tail of the tap g forced through the slit of
the diaphragm 6 in the manner represented in Figure 3. The barrel is thus
tapped with great ease and with very trifling loss of the liquid contents of the
barrel. On the withdrawal of the tap 9 the slit of the diaphragm immediately
closes by its elasticity, and that of the ring e, and by excluding air prevents
the fouling of the barrel. I do not limit myself to the conical, circular, or
protuberant figure of the back of the diaphragm, as a thick plain sheet of
india-rubber without a protuberance and having a slit in its middle may be
used in place thereof, in which case the diaphragms are used without a
strengthening ring or rings. But I prefer the conical form represented, as it
permits a flange to be left at the bottom, against which the metal fastening
ring is screwed, and also permits the diaphragm to be strengthened by
separate india-rubber rings placed on its outside, as before explained.
The arrangement of my Invention represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 8 is the best and most efficient, but my Invention may be carried out in
various ways, which I will now proceed to describe.
Figures 9 and 10 represent in section that form of my Invention in which

page_text: a hollow sphere of india-rubber is employed to close the tap hole, Figure 9
representing the positions of the parts when the barrel is tapped, and Figure 10
their position before the introduction of the tap or after the withdrawal of the
tap. is the barrel and i the tap hole. Inside the barrel and opposite the
said tap hole is a hollow sphere k of india-rubber enclosed within the cap or
cover; this cap or cover is shown separately in Figure 11. The cap or
cover is connected by pins or screws to the inside of the barrel in the manner
represented in the Drawing. In the said cap is a series of holes m (or two or
three large perforations may be used) for the admission of liquid to the tap.
Before the barrel is tapped, or after the withdrawal of the tap, the hollow
sphere closes the tap hole, as represented in Figure 10. In tapping the
barrel the side of the hollow sphere k is pressed inwards by the tap and forced
into a concave figure, one-half or nearly one-half of the said sphere being
pressed into the other half, as represented in Figure 9. When the hollow
sphere is in this position the liquid in the barrel is free to pass through the
perforations m in the cap or cover to the tap n: On the withdrawal of the
tap n the double sphere k resumes its original spherical figure, as seen in
Figure 10, and closes the tap hole i, and prevents the fouling of the barrel.
Figure 12 represents a self-coiling flat tube made according to my
Invention to be applied to the inside of the tap hole of a barrel. The said
tube is connected by its expanded open end p by pins or screws to the inside
of the barrel, and on the introduction of the tap into the barrel the coiled
end is uncoiled and distended, and on the withdrawal of the tap the said
end is recoiled and closed, and excludes air from the barrel. Instead of using
a flat elastic coiled tube, as in Figure 12, a straight flat tube or twisted tube
which closes or collapses when the tap is withdrawn may be employed. The
india-rubber which I employ may either be vulcanized or unvulcanized.
Figure 13 represents in section that form of my Invention in which a flap
or valve is used, and Figure 14 is an elevation of the same. r is the tap hole,
and the flap or valve attached by a spring t to the plate u, the latter being
fixed by pins or screws in the inside of the barrel. When the barrel is
untapped, the flap or valves is pressed upon the tap hole so as to close it. On
tapping the barrel the flap or valve s is opened by the insertion of the tap, and
on withdrawing the tap the flap or valve is closed and excludes air from the
barrel. The flap or valve may be made to fit air and water tight against its
seat u by covering the said valve and seat with chamois leather or other
flexible or elastic substance.
In the several arrangements of my Invention represented in the Drawings
the internal fittings are fixed inside the barrel before the head of the barrel is

page_text: fastened in its place, but the said internal fittings may be introduced from the
outside by fixing them to a frame, and passing the said frame through the tap
hole, which must be enlarged, and fastening the said frame outside tap hole.
The france described may in this case be employed to carry an outer door or
slide or other means for closing the tap hole at the outside.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the Drawings,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but I claim as my Invention the improved apparatus for closing the tap holes
of casks or barrels herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say, closing the tap holes of casks or barrels by means of
an elastic closing apparatus fixed opposite the tap hole inside the cask or
barrel, the said closing apparatus being distended and opened by the intro-
duction of the tap in the cask or barrel, and closing or collapsing by its
elasticity in the absence of the tap; or a closing apparatus consisting of a flap or
valve, which is opened on the introduction of the tap and closed on the with-
drawal of the tap by means of an elastic hinge or spring, substantially in the
manner described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hutton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
CHAB. BREUTNALL,
Derby.
THOMAS HUTTON. (L.S.)