Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
We, SYDNEY MYER and HORACE WILLIAM JOYCE, both of Hop Market, Broad
Street, Hereford, in the County of Hereford, Hop Factors, 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 certain improvements in draw-off locking taps of the
kind referred to in our former Patent No. 21,352, A.D. 1896 and has for its objects,
1st, to secure a perfectly liquid-tight joint between the rear part of the body of such
a tap and its bush (which is screwed into the cask head) whereby leakage of the beer
or other liquid through such joint or to the automatic air-venting duct traversing
same is avoided; 2nd, to provide an efficient arrangement whereby the spout of the
tap can be turned to any position convenient for drawing off the beer or liquid after
its attachment to the tap without liability to leakage; and 3rd, to provide means for
use in combination with taps of this kind, especially when intended for use by beer
retailers or bottlers, for liberating contained gases whereby the beer may very simply
be "dropped" when desired, without employing the old method of boring a hole in
the bung and inserting a porous peg.
In order that our improvements may be readily understood we will now describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical
section, Fig. 2 a sectional plan on line 1-2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a front elevation of a
draw-off locking tap embodying our improvements. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section
through a stop plug temporarily employed for the purpose of "dropping" the beer
when required.
Like reference letters refer to like parts in all the figures.
As in our former Patent Specification No. 21352 A.D. 1896 above referred to A
indicates the body of the tap with liquid passage C. A' is the bush for same screwed
into the cask head B from inside as shown. P is the rotary plug controlling the tap
with its liquid passage C¹ and key K. Dis the air-vent or duct communicating, when
the tap is fully open, with the internal gas escape pipe V. S is the strainer and T
the spout.
According to our first present improvement instead of carrying the screw threads a
by which the body A and bush A¹ are secured together, back to the rear of the body
and the bush (as described in our former Patent) we form a plain conical surface S²
at and about the rear end of the body A of the tap, and within the bush A¹ we form
a corresponding plain conical seating A² to receive the said plain part S². We locate
the screw threads a in front of these plain conical seatings S2 A2 so that when the tap
body A is screwed home into the bush A¹ the two said conical surfaces will be forced
into close contact and thus ensure a perfectly liquid-tight joint. The lower end
of the escape pipe V is attached to the bush A¹ above the said conical seatings

page_text: and communication is established with the air-duct D by means of the corresponding
hole D¹ formed through the bush A' and the conical parts S² A². By this
arrangement no liquid can pass outward from the cask, either between the body of
the tap and its bush, or by way of the air-duct D. In order that the spout T may
always be brought to the position most convenient for drawing off the contents
according to our present improvement we form at its rear end a collar or flange fand
provide a loose screwed thimble or gland g; to receive this in the front end of the
liquid passage C of the body A we form a tapped enlargement 8¹ having at its base
a seating & corresponding to the flange f and the two meeting surfaces may
advantageously be ground together. When the spout is to be attached the screwed
thimble encircling the spout is simply screwed into the hole S¹ until the spout-flange f
is firmly pressed against the seating 8, and thereby a liquid tight joint is assured and
the spout T can readily be turned independently of the gland g to any position most
convenient for drawing off, and without liability to leakage.
A small hole is formed in the spout as shown at t to prevent beer "hanging "
therein, and also when the tap is turned on to aërate or revive the liquid, should
it have become at all flat or " dead."
It is frequently found necessary by retailers and bottlers to "drop" beers in
cask, and this operation is usually carried out by inserting in the bung of the
cask a porous plug or spile which allows the gas generated within to slowly escape
and the liquid to "drop bright." To avoid this, according to our improvements
we form in the tap body near the outer end of the air-duct D a recess such as R
of sufficient size to allow of the insertion of a suitable kind of porous plug shown at H.
With taps of usual size it is necessary to locate this recess R somewhat to one
side of the centre line of the tap in order to obtain sufficient space for the said
plug. The inner part of the recess R is connected with the air-duct D in the main
plug P, when the latter is in its open position, by means of a branch duct D².
Ordinarily the ducts D and D2 and the porous plug H serve for venting the cask.
When the operation of "dropping" the beer is to be performed, a non-porous screwed
stop plug such as p Fig. 4 is inserted in the hole 8¹ in place of the spout-fixing
gland g above referred to. The inner end of this plug is preferably ground so that a
liquid tight joint is formed between it and the seat 8 and thus no leakage of beer can
occur. On turning the plug P to the open position as in Fig. 2, the contained gas
can escape down the internal pipe V and by the ducts D D² to the porous plug H
through which it slowly percolates and escapes, so permitting the liquid to "drop
in an efficient and simple manner.
33
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In a draw-off locking tap of the kind above referred to for the purpose of
ensuring a liquid tight joint between the body and the bush and the air-duct, forming
corresponding plain conical surfaces at the rear ends respectively of the body and
the bush behind the screw threads uniting the two, the air-duct from the escape pipe
traversing both the said coned surfaces and communicating with that of the tap
body, substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the
drawings.
2. In a tap of the kind herein referred to the means for attaching the spout in
such manner that it can be readily turned in any direction without liability to
leakage, consisting in forming an enlarged tapped hole in front of the liquid passage
with a seating at its base adapted to receive a corresponding flange provided on the
inner end of the spout, the joint between same being made by a screwed gland, sub-
stantially in the manner described and illustrated.
3. The arrangement in combination with a tap of the kind herein referred to
of a supplementary air duct such as D2 terminating in a recess R adapted to receive
a porous plug, and a non-porous blocking plug p for the hole 8 in temporary

page_text: substitution for the spout and its gland, for the purpose of "dropping" beer when
required, substantially as above set forth.
Dated thie 17th day of March 1800
For the Applicants,
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Chartered Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.