Improved Means for Locking Taps.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Locking Taps.
WILLIAM WATSON MACROW Red Lion Inn Lower Road in the Parish of
Rotherhithe in the County of Surrey Licensed Victualler do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
To construct a lock whereby a tap of any description may be secured against
use, by any person except the holder of the key.
It consists of a lock which is fixed to the tap by a hinged clip. On the top of
lock is a hinged bar which is locked by a bolt, shooting into a slot, when it is up
against the tap handles, automatically, and it cannot be thrown back or the tap
handle moved except when a key is inserted in the lock and turned, thereby
depressing the bolt, and releasing the hinged bar.
Dated this 5th of December 1891.
WILLIAM WATSON MACROW.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Locking Taps.
1, WILLIAM WATSON MACROW, of the Red Lion Inn, Lower Road, Rotherhithe,
in the County of Surrey, Licensed Victualler, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide an improved locking device for
securing spirit and other taps against use by persons not in possession of a key
which will fit the lock of the said device.
My improved tap-lock is more especially useful for protecting spirit taps and
the like, in bars, and other places where liquors are supplied by means of taps.
My improved tap-lock comprises a bar which is connected by a suitable pivot or
binge-joint to a lock firmly secured in any convenient manner to the tap. This
pivotted bar is so arranged that it can be readily turned about the said joint into
and out of its locking position and, when in this position, it can be secured by
means of the said lock. I prefer to so construct my improved device that, when
the said bar is turned into its locking position, it will be automatically secured in
this position and can then only be released by the turning of the key in the lock.
I find it advantageous, moreover, to make the said bar with one or
projections, which when the bar is in its locking position will extend over the top
of the T-shaped handle of the tap and thus prevent withdrawal of the plug from
the tap, as well as the turning of the said plng to open the same.
more
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure is a side clevation of a tap with my improved locking device fitted
thereto.
Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the locking device detached from the tap.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a syphon tap showing my locking device fitted
thereto by means of a metal socket or connecting piece.
A is the tap; B is a hinged clip carrying a suitable lock a; C is the conical
stem by means of which it is secured in the barrel or other vessel; D is the
T-shaped handle of the tap.
The hinged clip B which in this form of my invention, is the means by which
my improved locking device is attached to the tap is clamped around the tap A as

page_text: shewn and secured thereto by means of screws d or by rivets or in any other
suitable manner so as to prevent its removal from the tap by any unauthorized
person.
The said hinged clip B carries, as above mentioned, the lock a, on the top of
which is an arm 6 connected by a hinge-joint & to the said lock and carrying the
locking bar c.
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The boss of the said arm bis provided with a notch or slot 62 so arranged that,
when the bar is in position to lock the tap, a bolt contained in the lock a will or
may be forced into the said notch or slot by means of a spring in the lock a, or
by turning the key in the said lock. To unlock the tap, the said bolt must be
withdrawn by turning the key in the lock a and then turning the bar c about the
hinge-joint from its locking position shown in full lines in the drawing, into the
position indicated by dotted lines.
The bar c is of the same or about the same length as the T-shaped handle D
of the tap, and as can be seen in Figure 1, the said bare is L-shaped in transverse
section. One part c' of the bar is arranged to cover the top of the handle D,
and thus prevent withdrawal of the plug from the tap, while the part of the
said bare prevents the turning of the handle D.
My invention is applicable to various descriptions of taps.
When my invention is applied to a syphon tap, that is to say, to a tap through
which the liquid flows in a vertical direction and in which the plug is horizontal,
I prefer to connect the lock a and the locking arm to the tap A by means of a
socket B as shown in Figure 3 and for use with such taps, to prevent the bar c
falling by its own weight and thus locking the tap, when it is desired to keep the
same unlocked, 1 provide another notch or depression in the boss of the arm b,
into which the bolt of the lock will enter when the bar is adjusted to unlock the
tap. The bolt being pressed by the aforesaid spring is retained in the said notch
so as to hold the bar c in this position and support its weight, whilst permitting
the movement of the said bar c into its locking position by the exertion of a
slight pressure sufficient to force the said bolt out of the said notch in the arm b.
When my improved locking device is used in connection with a lock tap or
faucet that is to say, a tap or faucet the spigot of which can only be turned by
means of a removable key, the portion c¹ of the bare is so arranged that when in
its locked position the tap or faucet key cannot be inserted in or applied to
the tap.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is
The improved tap-lock comprising a locking bar and a spring or other lock for
securing the same in its locking position substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 7th day of September 1892.
WILLIAM WATSON MACROW.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.