A Tap Attachment for the Tapping and Re-corking or Stoppering of Barrels and other Vessels.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Tap Attachment for the Tapping and Re-corking or Stoppering
of Barrels and other Vessels.
We, MARK MORTON of 51 Buckingham Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Engineer, and EDWARD MORTON, also of 51 Buckingham Street aforesaid,
Engineer, 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 a tap attachment, or to tap attachments, for the tapping
and automatic re-corking or stoppering of barrels and other vessels, and has for its
object, a simple and efficient means for removing the cork or stopper on a tap being
screwed or inserted into a barrel or other vessel, and for the self-corking or
stoppering of the same, on the tap being removed
Thus, we fit to the end of the stem o bariel of a tap, which is screwed or
wormed, a two-part clutch attachment, one part being loosely fitted and carrying
a pointed screw, adapted to be held fast or left free, according as to whether the
tap is being screwed into or out of a barrel, and the other part being permanently
fast to the end of the tap and adapted to be engaged with the other and loosely
fitted part, when the tap is being screwed home, but to be disengaged therefrom on
the tap being withdrawn.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents, partly in longitudinal vertical
section, and partly in elevation, a beer tap, fitted with a tip attachment, or provided
with improvements, according to one form of this invention.
The tap is shown scrowed fully home, or inserted within the end of a barrel,
whilst the cork, which has been removed or pushed inwards from the tap hole, is
retained and held by the tip attachment.
Figure 2 represents a vertical section of the tap hole, or the fittings of the tap
hole, with the cork in its normal closing position, before the tapping of the barrel,
and with the after end of the tap just entering the tap hole or the bore of the tap
hole fittings.
Figure 3 represents a liko view as Figure 1, but with the tap shown in the act
of being withdrawn from the tap hole fittings, and the tap hole in the act of being
e-corked.
Figure 4 represents the fixed part of the tip end attachment.
Figure 5 is a front elevation of the same, showing the ratchet-shaped teeth
formed within the back of the part of larger diameter.
Figure 6 represents the loose part of the attachment, whilst Figure 7 18 n. back
elevation of the same.
In Figures 1 to 7, a 18 a beci tap, with an outside parallel and screwed barrel or
shank a', adapted to take within an inside and fore part screwed inner bush b,
which is outside wormed, either to take within a second or outer inside and outside
screwed bush c, taking into a screwed hole in the end d, of a cask or vessel, or to
screw duectly into the said end d, without the employment of the supplemental
bush c
Now the inside month of the bush b, is left plain at ', for the reception of the
cork, and its end is protected from contact with the liquid in the cask by a throttled
part d', of the hole in the borrel end d. The after part or end a³, of the barrel or
stem a', of the tap, has a fixed and hollow tip or shoe a', of two diameters, for
carrying the tice and sliding movable part e, which has a plain stem or stalk el, at
one end, and a screwed pointe, at the other end, with a ratchet head e, coming
between them. The stem e', which has a fitted stop collar e', at its outer end; kept

page_text: OPERATION.
Assuming that a barrel requires to be tapped, pass the tap, with its tip attachment
into the tap hole, and then screw the same home and assuming that the screw part
of the attachment is loose, immediately its point comes against the cork f, inserted
within the tap hole, it remains stationary until the continued rotation of the tap
brings the ratchet teeth of the shoe a', up to those of the ratchet head e, when the
said teeth engage with one another, and the loose and fixed parts of the attachment
become locked together and made fast in the end of the tap stem, when the still
continued rotation of the tap worms the screwed end of the attachment into the
cork, and on the face of the enlarged part of the shoe coming up to the cork, the
same is forced from the cork hole and held in an out-of-use position upon the end
of the screw.
The liquid contents of the cask then passes through the holes in the stem of the
tap in the usual way and is drawn off by the turning of the plug.
Assuming now that the liquid from the cask has been withdrawn, and that the
inside of the same is required to be kept sweet on the removal of the tap, then as
the said tap is re-rotated for removal, the parts of the attachment become dislocated
by the shoe advancing and leaving behind it the loose part, which slides backwardly,
so as to bring the ratchet teeth of its head or collar clear of the ratchet teeth of
the shoe, until the stop collar e', comes up to the back of the said shoe.
The rotatory movement of the tap is not now communicated to the loose part of
the attachment, but only its traveising movement, so that as the cork enters the
plain part of the bush b, it is drawn straight home in a right hue, without rotation,
as represented in Figure 3, until the cork hole has been tightly closed, by the
pulling fully home of the cork and when the cork can go no further, the sciew is
forcibly withdrawn therefrom.
The pitch of the threads of the tap stem is preferably the same as that on the
screw of the attachment so that the said screw shall rotate into the cork or other
stopper at the same rate as the tap enters the bush.
Figure 8 represents a modified form of our invention, in which. instead of
employing ratchet teeth, we employ a square hole or seating in the shoe or
stationary part of the attachment and a like shaped collar on the screw and
sliding part.
Figure 9 represents, in front elevation and section, the shoe part whilst Figure 10
represents like views of the sliding screw part
a' is the outside screwed stem of a tap, with its end a³, fitted with a shoe a³,
having a square hole a, sunken within it, for the reception of a collar e³, coming
between the pointed screw e³, and the stalk e', working through the plain hole a³,
as before.
The action of this form is the same as the before described arrangement.
Figure 11 represents a side elevation and an end elevation of a part of
another form of our invention. In this arrangement the ratchet teeth of the shoe
or fixed part are made to stand out, instead of being sunken as in the first
arrangement.
a' is the tap stem, a the ratchet teeth thereof, and e, the ratchet teeth of the
cottar es, of the loose part of the attachment

page_text: Figure 12 represents partly a section and partly a side elevation, and also au end
elevation of a part, of another form of our invention.
Figure 13 represents side and end elevations of the loose part of the
attachment
a² is the stem of the tap and a is the shoe part of the attachment, having wedge
shaped sinkings a³, into which studs es, of a collar e³, of the loose part of the
attachment, engage.
Figure 14 represents a section of the fixed part and an end view of the movable
part of another form of tip attachment.
e is the head of the movable part, and e' are outstanding studs, adapted to ongago
with like shaped sinkings a, made in the shoe a³.
Figure 15 represents side and end elevation of the loose part of a still further
form of attachment, whilst Figure 16 represents a section and an end elevation of
the fixed part.
e is the head or collar of the loose part and ene studs thereon, adapted to
engage with recesses a, in the shoe a³, whilst e³ is a cork-sciew part, instead of the
pointed screw before described
It will be obvious that instead of a cork, an indestructible stopper may be
employed, either naked, or ring encircled on faced with rubber, and with the rear
part chambered, and soft cored with cork, soft wool or some like substance capable
of being penetrated by the screw.
Figure 17 represents a further form of tap-hole fitting for giving an extended
bearing to the cork, which shall preferably lie in the wood, so as not to allow the
liquid to come in contact with any metal.
Instead of the stem of a tap worming into metallic tap hole fittings, it may screw
directly into the wood.
Barrels fitted with the before described improvements always remain sweet,
consequent upon the air being excluded therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, wo declare that what
we claim is —
First. A tap attachment, for the tapping and re-corking or stoppering of barrels
and other vessels, in the form of a two-part fitting, carried at the end of the steni,
and consisting of a movable or sliding screw or holder, carrying a half clutch or
locking device, and a fixed end or shoe, carrying a like or counterpart half clutch
or locking device, with the former adapted to be locked with the latter, and to be
released therefrom, by a sliding movement, on the introduction and withdrawal of a
tap to and from a barrel, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly. The means herein described for the retaining of corks or stoppers, on
or after the tapping of barrels and other vessels, and for the re-corking of the same,
substantially as herein described and set forth.
Dated the 5th day of October 1901
MARK MORTON,
EDWARD MORTON,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.