IMPROVEMENTS IN VENT-PEGS
Year: 1888

page_text: I, HENRY CHUROHMAN of No 5, Middle Street, Horsham, in the County of
Sussex, Provision Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VENT-PEGS" to be as follows
-
Most people who keep beer in casks have experienced more or less difficulty in
getung the vent-pegs kept properly applied to the casks, neglect to properly insert
the peg after drawing some of the liquor being often the cause of serious damage
to that remaining in the cask
Now my invention is intended to obviate this difficulty and to secure the proper
closing of the cask however careless the person drawing from it
I construct my said vent-peg with a tube to be inserted vertically in the vent,
which tube may be either cylindrical or of slightly conical form, the exterior of
Said tube may be smooth but I prefer to cut a screw-thread on it so that it may
be the more easily and firmly secured in the vent
Within
At the top of said tube I rigidly attach a cross piece which may conveniently be
from two to three inches long or thereabouts, and at or near the ends of this I attach
the ends of a bow or loop forming an arch over the upper end of the tube
the tube I insert a stem, or spindle, having, on its upper end, a knob or button of
sufficient weight to resist the pressure of the confined gases-this knob or button
rests on the top of the tube under the loop or arch before mentioned
When it is desired to draw some of the contents of the cask the drawer seizes
the knob or button and lifts it, together with the attached spindle as far as the loop
will allow and holds it there until the quantity required has been drawn from the
tap, and then allows it to fall back into its place," when without any care on the
part of the drawer it again closes the vent

page_text: 1 prefer to turn the top of the tube together with the adjacent part of the cross-
piece so as to fit accurately the under surface of the knob or button which is also
turned true to correspond and if necessary ground in, or a suitable washer may be
attached to make the joint close
When the tube and spindle are slightly conical the one may be ground into the
other so that the tight joint may be either in the tube, or at the top of it, or both
If the pressure of the gas in the cask becomes excessive its force is sufficient to lift
the spindle and knob slightly, the weight of the knob being such as to allow tlus, and
a httle gas thus escaping, the pressure is moderated
Dated the 7th day of June 1888
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicant

page_text: Improvements in vent-pegs
I, HENRY CHURCHMAN, of No 5, Middle Street, Horsham, in the County of
Sussex, Provision Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VENT-PEGS " and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
-
Most people who keep beer in casks have experienced more or less difficulty in
getting the vent-pegs kept properly applied to the casks, neglect to properly insert
the peg after drawing some of the liquor being often the cause of serious damage to
that remaining in the cask
Now my invention is intended to obviate this difficulty and to secure the proper
closing of the cask no matter how careless the person drawing from it may be
I construct my said vent-peg with a tube to be inserted vertically in the vent,
which tube may be either cylindrical, or preferably of slightly conical form, the
exterior of said tube may be smooth but I prefer to cut a screw-thread on it so that it
may be the more easily and firmly secured in the vent
૧
At the top of the said tube I rigidly attach a cross-piece which may conveniently be
about two inches long or rather less, and at or near the ends of this I attach the ends
Within the tube I
of a bow or loop forming an arch over the upper end of the tube
insert a stem or spindle having on its upper end a knob or button of sufficient weight
to resist the pressure of the confined gases,-this knob or button rests on or is
supported just above the top of the tube, under the loop or arch before mentioned
A close joint is made at or about the top of the tube by the opposing surfaces being
turned true to fit each other, and if necessary ground in, and I prefer to form such
close joint just within the top of the tube by making the upper part of the spindle fit
closely thereon as shown in the drawings, but in some cases, more particularly when
the tube and spindle are not conical, I make the close Joint between the lower part of
the ball and the end surface of the top of the tube and adjacent parts, the meeting
surfaces being made true by turning, or grinding in, or both
When it is desired to driw some of the contents of the cask the drawer seizes the
knob, or button, and lifts it together with the attached spindle as far as the loop will
allow, and holds it there until the quantity required has been drawn from the tap, and
then allows it to fall back into its place, when, without any care on the part of the
drawer, it again closes the vent
If the pressure of the gas in the cask becomes excessive its force is sufficient to lift
the spindle and knob slightly the weight of the knob being such as to allow this, and
little gas thus escaping
the pressure is moderated
a
In order to enable my invention to be properly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which figures 1
and 2 are respectively a side and a front elevation of one form of vent peg con-
structed according to my present invention and of which figures 3 and 4 are
respectively a transverse vertical section and a plan, the example of vent-peg

page_text: illustrated in the drawing being that in which the tube and spindle are conical,
with the latter ground into the former so as to make a close joint at or near the
top of the tube
*A, indicates the tube which in the example shown is of slightly conical form, and
has its exterior surface screw-threaded to enable it to be more easily and firmly fixed
in the vent B, indicates the cross-piece which is rigidly attached to the upper-part
of the tube A in any suitable manner, or, if desired the said cross-piece may be
formed in one piece with the tube A C, indicates the bow or loop which is secured
by its ends to the ends of the cross-piece B, preferably by means of the screws D
E, indicates the stem or spindle, and F the knob, weight or button secured on its
upper-end Near its upper-end the spindle E is ground into the upper end of the
tube A, so as to constitute a conical valve and seat
It is to be understood that 1 prefer the combined weight of the knob or ball F, and
spindle E to bear such a relation to the effective area of that part of the spindle F,
exposed to the pressure of gases given off by the liquor contained in the cask as will
cause the said spindle and knob to be raised by the said gas pressure only when such
pressure becomes excessive
For drawing off liquor from a cask fitted with my improved vent peg all that is
necessary is to raise the knob F and with it the spindle E, and open or turn on
the tap or equivalent when the liquor will immediately begin to flow out, air
meanwhile being drawn in around the spindle E
When sufficient quor has been drawn from the cask the tap or its equivalent
will be turned off and the knob F released from the drawers grasp and thereby
allowed to fall into its normal position so that the spindle E will then again fit
closely into the tube A and prevent any further admission of air, but be ready to
admit of the escape of gas in case the pressure should become excessive
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim 18
1 Constructing vent pegs substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings
2 In a vent peg, the combination, with a tube adapted to be inserted in the vent of
a cask, of a stem or spindle inserted in such tube, a knob, weight or button thereon, a
cross-piece, and a bow or loop substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described
DLL. South of Mo 1980