Improved Apparatus for Drawing Off Measured Quantities of Liquids.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 19th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Drawing Off Measured Quantities of
Liquids.
JAMES HENRY AIREY Watch Maker &c. 195 High Street West Sunderland
Durham do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of two taps, a glass tube & a recorder, & is carried out in
the following manner. The top tap is the one that is inserted into the barrel. To
this one a glass tube (which may hold from half a glass to a gallon) is fixed in a
hanging position, then to the bottom of the tube is fixed another tap. In order to
get the two taps to turn at the same time, I attach two rods, these are fastened
with a loose action to the extreme ends of the thumb pieces of each tap & the
holes of the taps are placed so that when the bottom tap is turned on, the top tap
is at the same time turned off. It will be seen by this that when the bottom tap
is closed, the top tap is open to allow the tube to get filled, therefore no more than a
tubeful can be drawn off at a time.
And so that a record may be given of the number of tubefuls sold, I have contrived
a means by which each time a tubeful is drawn off, it will be recorded. This is done
by arranging wheels to which there is a dial & hands, & an attachment so contrived
that each time the tap is turned to let off the spirit, wine or beer a pin that is fixed
to the washer of the tap, shifts a wheel one tooth. In this way a record may be taken
at any time of the quantity sold. It may be made to record up to hundreds of
thousands.
This recording may also be done by using a large glass tube.
Suppose it is a quart tube, it will only be necessary to mark the outside of the glass
half way down for a pint-then divide again for gills & so on. In this case a
detaching & attaching gear would be put to the thumb pieces of the top tap & which
would be actuated by dropping a token into an opening. After the said quart tube was
filled, the top tap or part for moving the top tap would have to be put out of action,
so that the bottom tap could be turned to draw half a glass, a glass, a gill, half a pint
& so on, till all was run out of the tube.
Now to get a fresh supply a loose part which would be attached to the two aforesaid
rods, would be caused to fall forward by the weight of the token & engage with the
thumb piece of the top tap, thereby allowing the top tap to be turned on to get another
quart into the tube. There would be a meaus of throwing the token out of place,
thereby throwing the top part out of action.
It will be seen that each token would represent a quart sold & as many tokens as
was in, would represent the number of quarts sold.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Drawing Off Measured Quantities of
Liquids.
JAMES HENRY AIREY Watch Maker &c. 195 High Street West Sunderland
County 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 :-
My invention consists of two taps or cocks with a vessel in between & a recorder
to indicate the amount of liquid drawn off & is carried out in the following manner.
The top tap is the one that is inserted into a barrel or receptacle. To this one a
vessel is fixed, which may hold any quantity desired the bottom of the vessel is fixed
into another tap & in order to get the two taps to turn at the same time, I attach a
rod. The rod is fastened with a loose action to the extreme ends of the thumb pieces
of the key of both taps, & the holes in the keys of the taps are so place:l that when the
bottom tap is closed, the top tap is open to allow the vessel to get filled. Therefore
no more than a vesselful can be drawn off at a time.
And so that a record may be given of the quantities sold, I have contrived a
means by which each time a vesselful is drawn off it will be recorded on a dial.
This is done by arranging wheels & an attachment placed on the end of the key of
the top tap & so contrived that each time the tap is turned to let off spirit, wine,
beer or any liquid that may be sold through them (i.e. the taps) will be recorded on
the dial.
To better describe my invention, I will refer to the drawings, Fig. 1, A is the body
of the top tap, the part that goes into the barrel. B is a round flange to stop it
going too far into the barrel. C is the key of the top tap. D is the measurer which
is placed between the two taps or cocks. This measurer may be made of either glass
or any metal. E the key to the bottom tap. E' the rod that is attached to the keys
of both taps.
In Fig. 2 is shown the recorder, with four dials, counting up to 10,000. But it may
be made to record either more or less. This recorder is not made in the wheel &
pinion style, but simply star wheels of ten points, on
& detached from each other. The wheels are held in position by bent flat springs &
pivoted shafts or arbors,
the first wheel or one under the dial marked 10, Fig. 2, is the one that is moved by
a projecting part fastened to the screw end of the keys C, Fig. 1, when it has been
moved forward 10 times, a pin that is let into the end of one of the points engages
with the next wheel, dial 100 Fig. 2, & moves it one point. Ten is then recorded.
The first star wheel when pressed round again, takes up the second tooth of the second
wheel as before, then 20 is recorded, on the 100 dial & so it goes recording until the
100 is recorded. Then the 100 is taken up on the 1,000 dial & the same with the
10,000 dial.
I will now describe the action of the tap, measurer, &c. Suppose the tap is fixed in
a barrel of spirit, & the keys of the taps just as shown in the drawings Fig. 1 & 2
which shows the tap as being turned off, all that is necessary is to turn on the
bottom tap by thumb piece E Fig. 1, by so doing, you would allow the measurer D
to empty its self. This action would press the rod E' upwards thereby turning the
top tap key C, which would shut off the flow of the spirit from the barrel, in this way
it will be seen that no more can be run off than that contained in the measurer.
The measurer may be made of glass or metal any size from a glass to a
gallon.
The slits or holes in the keys of the taps are so placed that the measurer cannot
get refilled until the bottom tap is turned off. In fact, it is not necessary for the

page_text: barman to do anything more than simply turn the tap on or off. The same as with
an ordinary tap, the recorder is shifted before the liquid flows.
As it is necessary to get rid of the air in the measurer to allow it to fill & likewise
to supply air for the discharge of the spirit & ale or other liquids, I overcome that
by placing an air tube from below the key of the top tap see G & G Fig. 1.
through the body of the top tap A & this is connected with a pipe that goes
through the barrel up to the inlet of the barrel at J Fig. 3. This air tube answers
both for the escape of the air while the mesurer is being filled, also for allowing
the air to come again into the measurer to allow the liquid to run off. It is not
necessary to run the air tube through the inside of the barrel. It can be as easily run
up the outside of the barrel, see Fig. 1, G' up through H.
As this invention is meant to prevent dishonesty, all the aforesaid would be
useless, unless the inlet of the barrels &c. are sealed up & likewise sealing the taps
to the barrels &c. Loop I is provided so that a piece of wire or string may be
put through & the tap sealed to the barrel, see Fig. 1, 2 & 3.
The sealing of the inlets to the barrels &c. can be done by using discs or rings
of paper of any suitable kind. White blotting paper with red ink spots, would
show at once if the barrel had been turned upside down to try to get the liquid out by
that means.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The arranging of a measurer between two taps or cocks, with or without, a
recorder, substantially as & for the purpose hereinbefore described & represented in
the drawings Fig. 1. 2. 3 & 4.
2ndly. The improved apparatus for measuring & recording measured quantities of
spirit, wine, beer or other liquids, as herein before described & represented in
Drawings 1. 2. 3 & 4.