New or Improved Apparatus for Venting Beer Barrels and other like Barrels and Vessels,
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 17th May, 1900-Accepted, 30th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for Venting Beer Barrels and other like
Barrels and Vessels,
We, EDWARD SMITH, of The Limes, Wood Green, Wednesbury, in the County
of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer, and GEORGE CLARK, of No. 631, Leamoor,
Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Electric Tram Driver, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The said invention consists of the new or improved apparatus hereinafter
described for venting beer barrels and other like barrels and vessels whereby
on the withdrawal of liquid from the barrels or vessels, air in like quantity
is admitted to the interior of the said barrels or vessels; and should the pressure
of air or gas within the barrels or vessels exceed that of the external atmosphere,
air or gas is permitted to escape from the barrels or vessels, an equilibrium
being practically secured between the external atmosphere and the-atmosphere
within the barrels or vessels while the two atmospheres are isolated from one
another.
The apparatus constituting the said invention consists essentially of an upright
hollow or tubular vessel practically closed at top and bottom the said vessel
containing two tubes communicating with the interior of the containing vessel
hereinafter called the holder, one of the said tubes hereinafter called the principal
tube communicating by a side opening near its top with the interior of the
holder and the other hereinafter called the secondary tube communicating with
the interior of the holder by a side opening near its closed bottom. The principal
tube extends from the top of the interior of the holder and passes through the
bottom of the same the lower end of the said tube terminating in a hollow plug
by which the apparatus is attached to the barrel or vessel to be vented. The
secondary tube is preferably bottle shaped its open mouth terminating at the
top of the holder and opening into the atmosphere.
The holder and secondary tube are partially filled with water and a liquid
seal is thereby formed for the barrel or vessel to which the apparatus is attached.
The action of the apparatus is as follows
On the withdrawal of liquid from the barrel or vessel the pressure of the
external atmosphere forces the water in the secondary tube into the holder
until the level of the liquid reaches the opening or openings near the bottom
of the said secondary tube when air passes through the said opening or openings
and bubbles through the liquid in the holder passing by the side opening in
the upper part of the primary tube into the barrel or vessel.
Should the pressure of air or gas within the barrel or vessel at any time
exceed that of the external atmosphere, an action the reverse of that described
takes place and air or gas is thereby permitted to escape from the barrel or
vessel.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that while air or gas
can readily pass into or out of the barrel or vessel so as to maintain the pressure
of the gas within the barrel or vessel practically the same as that of the external

page_text: atmosphere, the liquid contents of the barrel or vessel are effectually isolated
from the external atmosphere.
Dated this Twentieth day of September 1899.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants,
New or Improved Apparatus for Venting Beer Barrels and other like
Barrels and Vessels.
We, EDWARD SMITH, of The Limes, Wood Green, Wednesbury, in the County
of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer, and GEORGE CLARK, of No. 631, Leamoor,
Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Electric Tram Driver, do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The said invention consists of the new or improved apparatus hereinafter
described for venting beer barrels and other like barrels and vessels whereby
on the withdrawal of liquid from the barrels or vessels air in like quantity
is admitted to the interior of the said barrels or vessels; and should the pressure
of air or gas within the barrels or vessels exceed that of the external atmosphere,
air or gas is permitted to escape from the barrels or vessels, an equilibrium
being practically secured between the external atmosphere and the atmosphere
within the barrels or vessels while the two atmospheres are isolated from one
another.
The apparatus constituting the said invention consists essentially of an upright
hollow or tubular vessel practically closed at top and bottom the said vessel
containing two tubes communicating with the interior of the containing vessel
hereinafter called the holder, one of the said tubes hereinafter called the principal
tube communicating by a side opening near its top with the interior of the
holder and the other hereinafter called the secondary tube communicating with
the interior of the holder by a side opening near its closed bottom. The principal
tube extends from the top of the interior of the holder and passes through the
bottom of the same the lower end of the said tube terminating in a hollow plug
by which the apparatus is.attached to the barrel or vessel to be vented. The
secondary tube is preferably bottle shaped its open mouth terminating at the
top of the holder and opening into the atmosphere.
Figures and 2 of the accompanying drawing represent respectively in vertical
and horizontal section venting apparatus constructed according to the said
invention the section Figure 2 being taken on the dotted line, Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 represent a modified apparatus hereinafter particularly
described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures
of the drawing.
We will first describe the arrangement Figures 1 and 2.
a is the holder, and b, the principal and secondary tubes respectively of the
said holder. The primary tube passes through the bottom of the holder a
and terminates in a hollow conical screwed plug a² by which the apparatus is
attached by screwing to the barrel or other vessel to be vented as is indicated
in dotted lines in Figure 1. The primary tube b opens at its upper end into
the holder a by a side opening or openings. The secondary tube c is open
at top to the atmosphere and a small opening or openings near the bottom
of the said secondary tube e communicate with the interior of the holder a.
The holder and secondary tube are filled with water to about the level
indicated in Figure 1 and a liquid seal is thereby obtained for the barrel or vessel
to which the apparatus is attached.

page_text: The action of the apparatus is as follows: -
On the withdrawal of liquid from the barrel or vessel the pressure of the
external atmosphere forces the water in the secondary tube c into the holder a
until the level of the liquid reaches the opening or openings near the bottom
of the said secondary tube when air passes through the said opening or
openings and bubbles through the liquid in the holder a passing by the side
opening in the upper part of the primary tube into the barrel or vessel.
Should the pressure of air or gas within the barrel or vessel at any time
exceed that of the external atmosphere, an action the reverse of that described
takes place and air or gas is thereby permitted to escape from the barrel or
vessel.
In the modified arrangement of the said invention represented in side. elevation
in Figure 3 and vertical section in Figure 4 the holder a, primary tube and
Secondary tube care arranged concentric to each other so as to obtain compactness
in the parts and to facilitate manufacture.
In this modification the top of the primary tube is screw threaded and a
screw threaded hole is made in the top or cap of the secondary tube e The
secondary tube " is attached to the holder a by screwing the said secondary
tube on the top of the tube b. By attaching a washer or collar b₁ to the
tube b and screwing the secondary tube more or less on the tube b so as to
partially cover or completely uncover the holes 2 in the tube the venting of
the barrel or vessel to which the apparatus is attached may be regulated so that
the escape of gas shall take place slowly or quickly as desired. Or when thought
necessary or desirable the secondary tube may be screwed down until its Top
comes in contact with the washer or collar when the vent holes of the
primary tube are closed, the washer or collar and top of the tube e constituting
a valve by which the apparatus is closed.
In the modified apparatus it will be seen that the holder is open at top
to the atmosphere and the secondary tube is closed at top whereas in the first
described apparatus the secondary tube is open at top and the holder a closed.
In other respects the two apparatuses are the same and corresponding parts are
marked with the same letters of reference.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that while air or gas
can readily pass into or out of the barrel or vessel so as to maintain the pressure
of the gas within the barrel or vessel practically the same as that of the external
atmosphere, the liquid contents of the barrel or vessel are effectually isolated
from the external atmosphere
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
The new or improved venting apparatus for beer barrels and other like
barrels and vessels herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing the said apparatus consisting essentially of a holder and primary and
secondary tubes communicating with the interior of the holder at or near the
top and bottom respectively of the said primary and secondary tubes the primary
tube opening at bottom into the barrel or vessel to be vented and the secondary
tube opening at its top to the atmosphere, a liquid seal being obtained for the
vented barrel or vessel by water in the holder the normal level of the water
being just above the hole or holes at or near the bottom of the secondary tube
of the apparatus substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated the Seventeenth day of May 1900.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.