Improvements in Barrel Hoops.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1898-Accepted, 9th July, 1898
Improvements in Barrel Hoops.
We, JOHN GEORGE BAUER and JACOB MICHEL BAUER, both of Lawrenceburgh,
in the County of Dearborn, State of Indiana, United States of America, Manufac-
turers of Barrels, &c., 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 certain improvements in barrel-hoops, and especially
in metal hoops such as are used on liquor-barrels, and the object of the inven-
tion is to provide a hoop of a simple and inexpensive nature adapted to be passed
around the bilge or central swelled portion of the barrel in such a way as to
strengthen the barrel at that point so as to enable it to resist internal pressure
and also to form an armor or sheath to protect the surface of the barrel against
being splintered whilst being shipped or rolled about.
The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, combina-
tion and arrangement of the several parts of the improved barrel-hoop, whereby
certain important advantages are attained and the device is made simpler and
cheaper and is otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use, all as will
be hereinafter fully set forth. The novel features of the invention will be care-
fully defined in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate our invention-
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a barrel-hoop constructed according to
our invention, and-
Figure 2 is a view showing a barrel having our improved hoop in place
thereon.
In these drawings, 1 indicates the main or body portion of the hoop made of
a narrow strip or band of sheet-metal such as is ordinarily used for barrel-hoops,
the ends of said body or main portion 1 being connected or tied together by a
bung-section 2 also cut from flat sheet-metal with narrow end-portions to which
the ends of the body-portion 1 are securely fastened by riveting or otherwise, as
shown at 3 in the drawings.
The bung-section 2 is made with a widened or laterally-expanded central-
portion 4 having curved side edges and provided with a central circular-opening 5
cut in it and of a diameter to permit the passage of the bung through it. In
use, the hoop constructed as above described is forced over the central swelled
or bilge portion of the barrel with its opening 5 coinciding with the bung-hole
of the barrel 7, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, so that said hoop
materially strengthens the central-portion of the barrel between the end-hoops S
against internal bursting pressure and forms an encircling sheath or armor to
protect the surface of the barrel against being splintered.
The opening 5 in the bung-section of the hoop being of greater diameter than
the bung 6 which is passed through it into the bung-hole of the barrel, it will be
seen that said bung is capable of being readily inserted and removed, and the
iability of the edges of said opening binding on the bung so as to impede its
removal is altogether avoided.

page_text: The construction of the improved hoop, as above set forth, permits an impor-
tant economy in the manufacture since it is permitted to make the body-portion 1
of the hoop in the shape of a narrow strip, the wider part required at the bung
of the barrel being cut from another sheet of metal. Were the body-portion of
the hoop made of the same width as the part 4 of the bung-section 2, it is
evident that much more metal would be required for making the hoop, and, also,
the body of the hoop would be so wide that its edges could not be made to fit
sufficiently close to the sides of the barrel.
The improved hoop, constructed as above described, is especially well adapted
for use on liquor-barrels and the like, and especially on barrels containing whiskey
and other liquors in bond, since, by strengthening the central swelled or bilge
portion of the barrel by means of the improved hoop, the bursting of the barrel,
owing to accumulated internal pressure, and the consequent loss of contents, may
be entirely prevented. If desired, the hoop can be conveniently removed from
the barrel when the same is taken from the warehouse, or, if left in place, the
hoop forms a convenient armor or sheath to prevent the wooden sides of the barrel
from being splintered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
Firstly. A barrel-hoop comprising a body-portion formed of a strip of flat
sheet-metal and a bung-section connecting the ends of said body-portion and
having a central widened or laterally-expanded portion provided with an opening
adapted, when the hoop is in place on the swelled or bilge portion of the barrel,
to permit the insertion and removal of the bung, substantially as set forth.
Secondly. The combination of a barrel having its staves held in place by end-
hoops and having a central swelled or bilge portion provided with a bung-hole,
and a metal hoop passed around said central swelled or bilge portion and consist-
ing of a body-portion formed of a strip of flat sheet-metal and a bung-section
riveted at its ends to the ends of the body-portion and having a central widened
or laterally-expanded portion provided with an opening adapted to coincide with
the bung-hole and of larger diameter than the same to permit the ready insertion
and removal of the bung, substantially as set forth.