A NEW OR IMPROVED TAP FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Perks, junior, of Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Glass and Lead Merchant, for the
Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED TAP FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Perks
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd August 1858.
I, WILLIAM PERKS, junior, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Glass and Lead Merchant, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED TAP FOR DRAWING OFF
LIQUIDS" to be as follows:-
The Drawing represents my Invention in vertical section. a, is the
entrance, and 6, the exit pipe; c, is the valve, and d, the bed on which
the said valve bears, and by which the water way is closed. The
valve c, is raised by the screw e, which said screw works in the cap f;
a ping, passing through the side of the valve c, engages in a groove in
the bottom of the screw e, and causes the said valve to be raised on the

page_text: raising of the screw e; h, is a tube of vulcanised caoutchouc, bound
at its ends around a collar i, on the cap f, and the valve c; k, is a
leather washer between the cap f, and flange 1. By this arrangement
of the parts of a tap there is little tendency to leak, the only parts
where junctions exist through which the liquid has a tendency to
escape being the valve and bed c, d, and between the cap f, and
flange ; the former is pressed to. its seat by the pressure of the the
screw e, and that of the liquid, and the latter has a simple leather washer,
which can be screwed down with any required degree of tightness.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Perks in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 2nd February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM PERKS, junior, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Glass and Lead Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Perks, Her special licence
that I, the said William Perks, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Perks, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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, au Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED TAP FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDa," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Perks, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Perks, 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):
Figure 1, represents in side elevation a tap constructed according to
my Invention Figure 2, represents a plan of the same; Figure 3,
represents a vertical section of the same; and Figure 4, represents the
same partly in vertical section and partly in elevation. a, is the
entrance, and b, the exit pipe; c, is the valve, and d, the bed on which
the said valve bears. The valve c, is raised by the screw e, which said
screw works in the capf; a screw 9, passing through the valve c,
engages in a groove h, on the bottom of the screw e, and effects the
raising or lowering of the valve c, when the screw e, is raised or
lowered; i, is a tube of vulcanized caoutchouc, the upper end of which
is bound on the flange k, of the cap f, and the lower end of which is
bound on the valve c; the said binding is effected by threads or
wires l, m, or the said tube may be fastened in its place in any other
convenient manner; n, is a leather or caoutchouc washer situated
between the cap f, and the flange o, of the body of the tap; and 1" is
a washer of leather or caoutchouc on the under side of the valve c.
On turning the handle 7, in a direction proper to raise the screw c,
from the cap f, the valve c, is raised from the bed d, and the water
way r, is opened, as represented in Figure 3; and by turning the
handle 7, in a direction proper to make the screw e, descend through
the capf, the valve c, will be pressed upon its seat d, and the water
way will be closed, as shown in Figure 4. By constructing a tap in
the manner herein described and represented in the Drawing there
is little tendency to leakage, the only parts between which the liquid
has a tendency to escape being the valve and its seat c, d, and the cap
and flange fo; by the pressure of the screw c, the valve c, may be
pressed to its seat d, with any required force, and the escape of liquid
between the flange o, and cap f, is prevented by the leather or
caoutchouc washer n, upon which the cap f, may be pressed with any
required degree of force by the screws¸s, §.

page_text: Although I have described the tube i, as marle of vulcanized
caoutchouc, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as ordinary or unvul-
canized caoutchouc may be employed, or gutta-percha tubing having
corrugations in planes perpendicular to its axis may be employed, the
said gutta-percha tubing being capable of elongating and shortening
sufficiently, or any other water and air tight material having sufficient
flexibility may be employed. Although my Invention is especially
applicable to drawing off liquids, yet it may also be employed for steam
or gas.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise method of carrying the same
into effect herein described and represented, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim
the use of a tube of vulcanized caoutchouc or india-rubber, or other
sufficiently flexible air and water tight material, bound or otherwise
fastened at one end to the valve, and at the other to the cap of such
taps as are opened and closed by a valve raised from and pressed upon
its seat by the rotation of a screw.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Perks, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four
WILLIAM PERKS, JUN. (L.S.)
Witness,
RICHARD SKERKETT,