Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 29th June, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 3rd Aug.,
1888
I, ARCHIBALD BRUCE of 75 Cathedral Street Glasgow in the County of Lanark,
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in engines for raising or forcing beer, water
or other liquids and the apparatus constituting the invention consists of a close vessel
or cylinder having at its upper end a pipe connecting it to a vessel or reservoir
whereinto air to raise or force the beer or liquid from the cask or other vessel is stored
under pressure. The connecting pipe has two valves in conjunction with it one opening
from the outer atmosphere into the close vessel or cylinder first referred to and the
other opening from the said vessel or cylinder into the pipe and towards the compressed
air reservoir. The close vessel or cylinder has a piston fitting its interior diameter
and to the underside of which there is connected à plunger which passes through a
neck or gland projecting from the bottom of the vessel or cylinder into an hydraulic
cylinder which is or may be screwed on or bolted to the said neck or gland the joint
being made tight by a cup leather or other suitable packing.
The hydraulic cylinder which is of less diameter than the vessel or cylinder above
has a weighted or other cock or valve in conjunction with it the said cock or valve
when the piston in the closed vessel or cylinder is at or near the extremity of its
downward stroke, being operated to establish communication between the source of
water supply and either the upper or lower end of the hydraulic cylinder thereby
forcing up the hydraulic plunger and the piston at its upper end. When the said
plunger and piston are at or near the extremity of the upper stroke the cock or
valve is operated so as to cut off communication with the source of water supply and
establish communication between the hydraulic cylinder and a waste pipe. These
movements of the cock or valve are effected by a rod connected to the under side of the

page_text: piston and having at its lower end an eye or slot into or through which the end of a
crank or lever secured to the cock or valve passes.
During the downward stroke of the piston and plunger air passes through the valve
before mentioned into the upper part of the closed vessel or cylinder the said air when
the piston and plunger again move upwards being forced through the pipe connection
into the air vessel or reservoir where it is stored under pressure and from whence it
passes as required through a pipe into the cask or other vessel from which the beer or
liquid is to be forced or raised.
Dated this Theo
1.11. 1
a
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engines for Raising or Forcing Beer, Water, or
other Liquids.
I, ARCHIBALD BRUCE of 75 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
Plumber do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the saine
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
•
This invention relates to improvements in engines for raising or forcing beer, water
or other liquids.
On the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of the
improved apparatus and Figure 2 illustrates its adaptation to a series of liquor casks
or barrels. As shown by these figures the apparatus constituting the invention
consists of a close vessel or cylinder A having at its upper end a pipe B connecting it
to an air main pipe C from which branches D lead to the several casks or barrels E or
the pipe B may be connected to a vessel or reservoir whereinto air to raise or force
the beer or liquid from the cask or other vessel is stored under pressure the air main C
leading from the said vessel to the several branches D. The connecting pipe B has
two valves in conjunction with it one (the valve F) opening from the outer atmosphere
into the close vessel or cylinder A and the other (the valve G) opening from the said
vessel or cylinder into the pipe B and towards the air main C or to the compressed air
reservoir. The cylinder A has a piston H fitting its interior diameter and to the
underside of which there is connected a plunger I which passes through a cup leather
or other gland or packing J into an hydraulic cylinder K bolted to the bottom of the
cylinder A.
the
The hydraulic cylinder K which is of less diameter than the vessel or cylinder A
has a weighted or other cock or valve L in conjunction with it the said cock or valve
when the piston H in the cylinder A is at or near the extremity of its downward
stroke being operated to establish communication between a pipe M from a source of
water supply and the hydraulic cylinder K thereby forcing up the hydraulic plunger I
and the piston H. When the said plunger and piston are at or near the extremity of
upper stroke the cock or valve I is operated so as to cut off communication with
the pipe M and establish communication between the bydraulic cylinder K and a
waste pipe N. These movements of the cock or valve are effected by a rod O
connected to the under side of the piston E, and having at or near its lower end an
eye or slot the length of which is equal or nearly equal to the stroke of the piston and
into or through which one arm of a crank or lever a passes. The lever is secured to
the spindle of the cock or valve L and its other arm carries a weight as shewn by
Figure 2. Instead of slotting the lower end of the rod O pins may be fixed in
it at distances apart corresponding to the stroke of the piston H these pins bearing
alternately on the lever a and acting to operate the three way cock or valve L.
During the downward stroke of the piston H and plunger I air passes through the
valve F into the upper part of the cylinder A the said air when the piston and plunger
•

page_text: •
again move upwards being forced through the valve G and pipe B into the storage
reservoir or direct into the main C and thence into the casks or barrels E. The
pressure of air in the said reservoir and in the casks or barrels or in the casks
or barrels only when the reservoir is dispensed with forces the liquor up through the
service pipes P from whence it is drawn off as required-In order that the air may be
maintained at any desired pressure an automatic regulator of any suitable construction
is employed. The regulator illustrated at Figure 2 of the drawings consists of a
casing R composed of upper and lower sections bolted together and between the
flanches of which the edge or circumference of a flexible or clastic diaphragm is
held the said diaphragm dividing the interior space of the casing into an upper and
lower portion, the lower portion having a pipe S connecting it to the air pipe B.
A rod T extending through the upper part of the casing R is connected to the flexible
diaphragm and through an eye or slot in the said rod a lever U centred at c on the
casing passes the lever having a weight d hung or suspended upon it. In a notch
in the upper end of the rod Ta levere connected to an ordinary Lambert valve f
inserted in the water supply pipe M rests and the effect of the arrangement is that
when the desired limit of air pressure is reached, and which is regulated by the
position of the weight on the lever U, the elastic diaphragm in the interior of the
casing R is forced upwards and closes the valve fin. the pipe M thereby preventing
further operation of the apparatus until the air pressure falls below the required
limit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In an engine for raising or forcing liquids the combination of the cylinders A, K,
and their accessory valves F, G, L, operating substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. In an engine of the class set forth the combination of an air pumping cylinder and
an hydraulic cylinder the piston of the air cylinder having a rod connected to it and
by the operation of which on a lever and valve water is admitted to or cut off from the
hydraulic cylinder automatically substantially as set forth with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty eighth day of June 1888.