An Improved Self-registering Tap for Drawing off Liquid to Measure.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1899-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Self-registering Tap for Drawing off Liquid to Measure.
We, GERARD BARKER, of Lynn Street, West Hartlepool, Grocer, and GEORGE
HERBERT ALLISON, of 3, Campbell Terrace, Fulwell, Sunderland, Engineer, and
both in the County of Durham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a self-registering tap for drawing off liquid to mea-
sure the intended use and general construction being similar to that described
and illustrated in the Specification and drawings of the Patent granted to Gerard
Barker No. 8673 of 1894.
In the tap as described in the aforesaid specification the arrangement for
admitting air to the measuring vessels has been found in practice to be defective
and the object and result of our present invention is to overcome this defect
and make provision for the requisite access of outside air to each measure as
the liquid is being drawn off.
:
With this in view we place the tap plug between the two measures and pre-
ferably in a line parallel and central thereto. This plug is preferably of the
usual conical shape and communicates by ports and ducts or passages with the
two measures these ports or ducts being arranged so that in one position the
passages to both measures and supply are closed, in another the supply is
opened to fill both measures and in a third one is opened to discharge and in a
fourth position both are opened to discharge provision being made for commu-
nications with the supply pipe, and the discharge or nozzle turning these off or
on at will. The liquor in the keg or other source of supply is discharged through
the tap only after being measured in the measuring vessels, and each quantity
run off to measure is recorded on an index of any suitable construction to register
all movements of the plug in the direction in which the measures are run off.
So long as this condition is fulfilled these ports and ducts may be arranged in
any way conveniently adapted for this purpose.
But an essential feature of this invention is the means for admitting air to
the measuring vessels when drawing the liquor off. For this an air plug is con-
veniently connected as by a spindle with the plug in the tap and is furnished
with an air port leading into ducts or passages diverging therefrom. Corre-
sponding to these are passages leading into each measuring vessel, so that when
the tap is turned the air plug turns with it and the passages in the air plug are
brought into communication with those leading into the measuring vessels.
This together with valve holes hereafter referred to provides the requisite inflow
of air to enable the liquor to be drawn off from the measuring vessels. As the
tap is closed these air passages are closed by the turn of the air plug so that
the inflowing liquor cannot escape through the air port. A valve cup or plug
arrangement similar to that described in Specification No. 8673 of 1894 pro-
vides for the requisite escape of the air as the liquor rises up in the measuring
D

page_text: vessels, or the valve cup or plug arrangement referred to may be regarded as
merely auxiliary to the air port in the air plug which is accordingly arranged
to close only at the point at which the measuring vessels are filled.
This valve must be very sensitive in its action so that whilst the air freely
escapes with the inflow of liquor no liquor gets out. With this view the spindle
is made of triangular or other equivalent section which allows the air to pass
up the spindle hole of the valve mounting and the spindle terminates in a point
or tapered end which enters and stops up the air escape when the valve is closed.
A ring placed in the measure to form a ledge at the proper position below each
valve regulates the lift thereof in the manner required.
And in order to prevent the liquor from squirting up or otherwise preventing
the proper working of the valves each measure is provided with a cap or button
to check or baffle the inflow of liquor into each measure.
Dated on day or
1000.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent, Stockton-on-Tees and Hull,
Agent for the Applicants.
An Improved Self-registering Tap for Drawing on Liquid to measure.
We, GERARD BARKER, of Lynn Street, West Hartlepool, Grocer, and GEORGE 2
HERBERT ALLISON, of 3, Campbell Terrace, Fulwell, Sunderland, Engineer, and
both in the County of Durham, 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:-
11
This invention relates to a self-registering tap for drawing off liquid to mea- 2
sure, the intended use and general construction being similar to that described
and illustrated in the Specification and drawings of the Patent granted to Gerard
Barker, No. 8673 of 1894.
In the tap as described in the aforesaid specification the arrangement for
admitting air to the measuring vessels has been found in practice to be defective
and the object and result of our present invention is to overcome this defect
and make provision for the requisite access of outside air to each measure as
the liquid is being drawn off.
With this in view we place the tap plug between the two measures and pre-
ferably in a line parallel and central thereto. This plug is preferably of the
usual conical shape and communicates by ports and ducts or passages with the
two measures, these ports or ducts being arranged so that one or both measures
can be drawn off as required. The liquor in the keg or other source of supply
is discharged through the tap only after being measured in one or both of the
measuring vessels, and each quantity run off to measure is recorded on an index
of any suitable construction to register all movements of the plug in the direc-
tion in which the measures are run off. So long as this condition is fulfilled
these ports and ducts may be arranged in any way conveniently adapted for
the purpose.
But an essential feature of this invention is the means for admitting air to
the measuring vessels when drawing the liquor off.
And in order that our invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect, we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the annexed
sheets of drawings, in which the construction of the tap in respect of the means
employed for measuring the liquor is to be taken only as indicating what is

page_text: suitable or convenient for this purpose when combined and operating in con-
junction with our invention as hereinafter described for providing the requisite
access and expulsion of outside air to and from the said measuring vessels as
hereinafter described.
In the drawings Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevation of a self-registering tap
of the kind to which our invention is applicable, corresponding to which Fig. 2
is a sectional plan view taken on line of Fig. 1, illustrating by way of
diagram the action of turning the tap on and off. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate in
sectional elevation the arrangement of ports in the main plug in conjunction.
with the corresponding ports in the air plug, and shewing the two cardinal
positions of the tap when one measure is filling and the other discharging simul-
taneously. Figs. 5 and 6 and Figs. and 8 are sectional plan views taken on
lines zz and 2 2¹ respectively of Figs. 3 and .4.
It will be observed in Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive that the various parts and shape
of the tap do not coincide with the tap shown in Fig. 1, but are intended to be
taken as a slight modification thereof, as for instance the air plug is tapered in
the reverse direction and the air ports divert upward instead of downward.
But it is not absolutely essential to the proper working of our invention'
that the tap proper shall be as to its measuring vessels and the means for con-
trolling the passage of liquor through them of the exact construction shown
in the drawings, although we consider that construction embodies a convenient
arrangement both practically and for the purpose of illustration, as any other
construction of tap in respect of those details which effect the requisite com-
munications from the keg to the receiving vessel or glass may be employed,
with which our improved device for the admission and escape of air will co-
operate substantially as described.
:
In the drawings we place the tap plug a between the two glass measures 6 63
and preferably in a line parallel and central thereto. This plug is preferably
of the usual conical shape and communicates by ports and ducts or passages cl
with the two measures; these ports or ducts being arranged so that in one posi-
tion the passages to both measures b¹² and supply c are closed; in another the
supply is opened to fill one measure b¹ whilst the other 2 is discharging; and
in a third, one measure 6 is opened to discharge; whilst the other is filling;
and in a fourth position both measures and supply are again closed; provision
c and the discharge or
being made for communications with the supply pipe
nozzle turning these off or on at will. The liquor in the keg or other source of
supply is discharged through the tap only after being measured in the measuring
vessels, and each quantity run off to measure is recorded on an index of
any suitable construction actuated by the cam d keyed to the main plug a to
register all movements of the plug in the direction in which the measures are
run off. So long as this condition is fulfilled these ports and ducts may be
arranged in any way conveniently adapted for the purpose.
But for the purpose of admitting air to the measuring vessels when drawing
the liquor off, an air plug e is conveniently connected as by a square ended
spindle with the plug in the tap, and is furnished with an air port e leading
into ducts or passages e diverging therefrom. Corresponding to these are
passages g g leading into each measuring vessel, so that when the tap is turned
the air plug e turns with it and the passages in the air plug are brought into
communication with those leading into the measuring vessels. This together
with valve holes hereafter referred to provides the requisite inflow of air to
enable the liquor to be drawn off from the measuring vessels. As the tap is
closed these air passages are closed by the turn of the air plug e so that the
inflowing liquor cannot escape through the air port. A valve cup or plug arrange-
ment such as a cork or suitable float h similar in action to that described in
Specification No. 8673 of 1894 provides for the requisite escape of the air as
the liquor fills the measuring vessels, or the valve cup or plug arrangement
referred to may be regarded as merely auxiliary to the air port e' in the air

page_text: plug which is accordingly arranged to close only at the point at which the
measuring vessels are filled.
This valve must be very sensitive in its action so that whilst the air freely
escapes with the inflow of liquor no liquor gets out. With this view the
spindle is made of triangular or other equivalent section which allows the
air to pass up the spindle hole of the valve mounting and the spindle terminates
in a point or tapered end r¹ which enters and stops up the air escape when the
valve is closed. A ring j placed in the measure to form a ledge at the proper
position below each valve h regulates the lift thereof in the manner required.
And in order to prevent the liquor from squirting up or otherwise preventing
the proper working of the valves each measure is provided with a cap or
button to check or baffle the inflow of liquor into each measure.
is an air tight pipe connecting the two measures together so as to allow
the air to pass from one to the other as the one is filling and the other emptying,
but is in some cases dispensed with the air escaping past the spindle direct
into the atmosphere.
Taking our invention as applied to a tap of the precise construction shown
the action of such a tap is as follows.
Referring to Fig. 2 and taking the position 4 as the starting point the tap
plug a is so arranged as to its ducts and passages as shown more particularly
in Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 8 that by giving it a turn to the position indicated at I,
at which point the spring stop n as shown in Fig. 1 only comes in contact with
the catch m one measure is filled and the other be discharged simultaneously;
then on setting out the spring stop clear of the point m the tap may be turned
to position 2, thus completing the half turn to shut all off. This is the extreme
position and is defined by a stop or peg screwed into the plug coming against
the end of a groove in which it moves. On turning the handle in the opposite
direction, that is, to 3 one measure 62 is filled and the other b¹ discharged simul-
taneously. On turning the handle to the other extreme position 4 all is shut
off again thus taking only half a turn to serve the measure and shut all off.
As the air plug e partakes of every movement of the tap plug a, it will now
be seen that by a corresponding adjustment of air ducts in relation to the pas-
sages g g the admission of air to each measure is timed to take place when
the outlet of its liquid contents is opened and such admission is shut off against
the escape of liquor after the air has been expelled from the said measure as it
fills with liquor, thus ensuring a proper action of the tap in respect of filling,
emptying and refilling the measures in the manner required.
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:-
In a tap for drawing off liquor exactly to measure and consisting essentially
of two measuring vessels into which the liquor is supplied and from one or
both of which the liquor is again drawn off by turning a plug within a plug
casing the arrangement of parts and combination therewith of air plug con-
nected to the main or tap plug to share its movement and in such relation
thereto that air is admitted to or allowed to escape from each measure in the
manner required to discharge the liquor therefrom, or to recharge the measure,
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of July 1800
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent, Stockton-on-Tees and Hull,
Agent for the Applicants.