IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD AND MEANS OF SECURING AND DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF PIPES AND VESSELS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Middleton, of No. 19, Shoemakers Row, in
the City of London, Shoemaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE METHOD AND MEANS OF SECURING AND DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF
PIPES AND VESSELS."
Sealed the 6th November 1866, and dated the 9th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Middleton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th May 1866.
I, SAMUEL MIDDLETON, of No. 19, Shoemakers Row, in the City of London,
Shoemaker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN THE METHOD AND MEANS OF SECURING AND DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS
OF PIPES AND VESSELS," to be as follows:-
I make a tap in manner herein-after described and apply it to an orifice in
a pipe or any vessel used for containing liquids, as a bottle or cask or a vat
in which or from which it is desired to secure or to discharge liquids. The tap
is formed of wood, glass, metal, or any hard material, and either of the same
material as the vessel to which the said tap is fixed or of a different material.
The socket of the tap is in the form of a frustrum of a cone with one end
about th less than the other in diameter. The core is formed like a similar
frustrum of a cone of india-rubber fitting the socket, with the modifications
herein-after described. In the india-rubber is cut a hole in the form of a
rectangular parallelopiped of the following dimensions and positions 1-1st, a

page_text: length reaching from the small end of the india-rubber for ths of its length;
2nd, a length at right angles to the firstly-mentioned length of the diameter
of the orifice through the tap through which the liquid is to run; and, 3rdly,
a length perpendicular to both the former of the lengths of rds or there-
abouts of the diameter of the said india-rubber core. At the narrow end a
handle of metal is made to fit the parallelopipedal hole and fill it up, and to
project from the end of the core in the form of an ordinary tap handle, spreading
out at the two ends over the edge of the socket. A channel is cut up the central
line of the tap from the part which is to be connected with the vessel to the
point where the core is reached; the channel can then proceed straight on
through the end and have its discharge at the top of the tap, or can turn at
right angles and have its discharge at the end of the core; the channel cuts
in its course the part of the handle in the parallelopipedal hole in the india-
rubber at the right angles to its largest side. When the handle is so turned
as to discharge the liquid. the metal is further cut out so as to leave the two
sides of the piece of metal like two small rods, and these, notwithstanding the
former description, are long enough to go through to the end of the core.
The form of the socket is slightly varied from the form of a frustrum of a
cone by the inner surface round the end of the orifice from the interior of the
bottle being slightly raised so as to lessen the diameter of the socket at that
part; or the form of the core is slightly varied from the form of the frustrum
of a cone by the surface situated over the orifice coming from the interior of
the bottle when the tap is turned off being raised so as to increase the
diameter of the core at that place. Either of these arrangements has the
effect of causing the india-rubber core to press harder on the said orifice than
if no such arrangement existed.
In arranging the parts of the tap the india-rubber core is put into the
socket from the larger end of the socket, and the metal handle and small rods
thrust in at the other end until the small rods reach through the india-rubber,
which they penetrate, and the ends of the rods are then fastened on the
outside of the india-rubber at the larger end by means of a circular plate
through which the small rods project, and by solder or any other appropriate
mode of fixing the parts of the edge of the socket under the two ends of the
handle when the tap is turned off is slightly thickened or raised so that the
core is drawn up more tightly into the socket when turned off. This arrange-
ment better prevents the orifice from discharging the liquid of the vessel.
Instead of india-rubber the following articles may be used with advantage in
certain cases, gutta percha, wood, glass, wood covered with leather or tanned
skin of calves tail, or any substance capable of adaptation. Other substances

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Middleton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, SAMUEL
MIDDLETON, of No. 19, Shoemakers Row, in the City of London, Shoemaker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Middleton, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Middleton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel
Middleton, 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, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
THE METHOD AND MEANS OF SECURING AND DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF PIPES.
AND. VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel
Middleton, my executors or administrators,, by an instrument in writing under.
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Midilleton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention; and in: what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
I make a tap, herein-after described, and apply it to an orifice in a pipe.
used for containing liquids,, as any vessel, or bottle, or cask, or a vat in
which or from which it is desired to secure or to discharge liquids. The tap
is formed of wood, glass, metal, or any hard material, and either of the same
material as the vessel to which the said tap is fixed or of a different material.

page_text: The socket of the tap is in the form of the frustrum of a cone with one end
about th less than the other in diameter. The core is formed like a similar
frustrum of a cone of india-rubber filling the socket, with the modifications
herein after described. In the india-rubber is cut a hole in the form of a
rectangular parallelopiped of the following dimensions and positions:-1stly,
a length reaching from the small end of the india.rubber for ths of its length;
2ndly, a length at right angles to the firstly-mentioned length of the diameter
of the orifice through the tap through which the liquid is to run; and, thirdly,
a length perpendicular to both the former of the length of 3rds or thereabouts
of the diameter of the said india rubber core at the latter end, A handle of
metal is made to fit the parallelopipedal hole and fill it up, and to project
from the end of the core in the form of an ordinary tap handle, spreading
out at the two ends over the edge of the socket. A channel is cut up the
central line of the tap which is to be connected with the vessel to the point
where the core is reached; the channel can then proceed straight on through
the end and have its discharge at the top of the tap, or can turn at right
angles and have its discharge at the end of the core. The channel touching its
course the part of the handle in the parallelopipedal hole in the india-rubber
at right angle to its largest side when the handle is so turned as to discharge.
the liquid. The metal is further cut out so as to leave the two sides of the
piece of metal like two small rods, and these, notwithstanding the former
The form
description, are long enough to go through to the end of the cone.
of the socket is slightly varied from the form of a frustrum of a cone by the
inner surface round the end of the surface from the interior of the bottle being
slightly raised so as to lessen the diameter of the socket at that part; or the
form of the core is slightly varied from the form of the frustrum of a cone by
the surface situated over the orifice coming from the interior of the bottle
when the tap is turned off being raised so as to increase the diameter of the
core at that place, Either of these arrangements has the effect of causing
the india-rubber core to press harder on the orifice than if no such arrange-
ment existed.
In arranging the parts of the tap the india-rubber care is put into the
socket from the larger end of the socket, and the metal handle and small rods.
thrust in at the other end until the small rods reach through the india-rubber,
which they penetrate, and the ends of the rods are then fastened on the
outside of the india rubber at the larger end by means of a circular plate
through which the small rods project, and by solder or any other appro-
priate mode of fixing the parts of the edge of the socket under the two ends
of the handle when the tap is turned off is slightly thickened or raised, so that.

page_text: the core is drawn up more tightly into the socket when turned off. This
arrangement better prevents the orifice from discharging the liquid of the
vessel. Instead of india-rubber the following articles may be used with
advantage in certain cases, gutta 'percha, wood, glass, wood covered with
leather or tanned skin of calves tail, or any substance capable of adaptation.
Other substances besides metal can be used in the place of the metal handle
and rods of nearly any description, as bone and wood. Inside the hole in the
neck of the bottle is roughed, so that when the cork is fixed the plug or core
will turn round without moving the cork or stopper. In some cases an
endless strap or band made of leather or other suitable material is passed
round the bottle from the top to the bottom; in that part of the band covering
the top is a receptacle for the cork, which, by means of the elasticity of the
band, fits tightly to the bottle. The band may, to suit certain circumstances,
be made to fasten round the neck instead of as before described.
The next part of my Invention consists of india-rubber or other suitable
tubing to fit over the neck of the bottle so as to fit a vent peg, which might
be placed in the top, and a contrivance in the shape of a button to serve as a
screw.
Another modification of my Invention consists in covering a cork with
leather, seamless or not. I then pierce a hole through the top of the cork
and leather about a quarter of an inch below the top of the cork, after which
I place a flat piece of tin or wire, or a leather strap rivetted or sewed, or two
eyelet holes, so as to join the strap or band to reach unto the button.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Middleton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six,