Improvements in or connected with Taps or Faucets, more especially applicable for Use with Earthenware Bottles or Jare.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Taps or Faucets, more
especially applicable for Use with Earthenware Bottles or
Jare.
I, GEORGE JAMES CHAMBERS, of Thornhill House, Deodar Road, Putney, in the
County of Surrey, Mauager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Earthenware bottles or jars are now commonly employed by brewers to contain
small quantities of beer, and for that purpose they are generally formed with an
apertured boss or bung-hole, at the lower part thereof adapted to receive a tap or
cock, generally a small wooden tap.
Taps fitted in this manner are very liable to be blown out by the pressure within
the vessel, and an accident of this character not only involves the loss of the contents
of the bottle or jar, but at the same time is calculated to spoil adjacent articles of
furniture; furthermore wooden taps employed in this manner speedily split and
become useless, and when frequently renewed the cost thereof is considerable, whilat
they are liable to become fusty and contaminate the beer.
It has before been proposed to construct a tap with a device upon its inner end
which upon the insertion of the tap into the bung-hole of the bottle or the like
would automatically expand and take an abutment against the inner wall of the
bottle so that the tap might be made tight with the bottle from the outside by
suitable meaus.
This device although to some extent answering its purpose possessed the dis-
advantage that it was necessary to obtain the greater part of the adjustment from
the exterior, thus leaving a considerable length of tap projecting from the bottle for
no useful purpose, whilst another disadvantage was that the tap could only be
removed from the bottle by compressing the expanding device by the aid of an
instrument introduced at the mouth.
Now the primary object of the present invention is to obviate the defects above
pointed out.
In carrying the present invention into effect the tap which may conveniently be
made of white metal, or it might be of other suitable material is provided with a
vertical transverse hole in the outer end of the barrel thereof which connects with
a horizontal way open to the interior of the vessel and the vertical holo is fitted with a
plug or valve which may be a metal plug ground in or a plug of other suitable
material if necessary fitting a cork or equivalent bushing, and this plug which is
hollow is provided with a side opening adapted to register when desired with the
horizontal way, and to deliver the contents of the vessel through its lower end which
is open.
The barrel of the tap is threaded to receive upon its inner end a nut which screws
thereon so as to roughly adjust the device to vessels of varying thickness, and carried

page_text: by this nut and pivotally connected therewith are three or more claws, arms, or
tumblers which are adapted to fold down so as to admit of the insertion of the inner
end of the barrel of the tap through the hollow boss or bung-hole of the bottle, and
upon reaching the interior of the bottle by tilting the same to open out or expand
and engage the walls of the bottle beyond the bung-hole upon the interior thereof
whilst such claws, arms, or tumblers are of such length that some of them will also
engage the bottom of the bottle and thus the nut will be held from rotating and the
tap may be screwed up from the outside until the claws, arms, or tumblers of the nut
take a firin abutment against the wall of the bottle.
In order to make the tap gas and liquid tight with the bottle a packing ring or washer
of cork or other suitable inaterial not liable to foul, is placed upon the barrel of the tap
so as to occupy a position on the exterior of the bottle but in the entrance to the
tapered bore of the boss, and this ring of cork is backed by a washer of india-rubber or
other suitable material, whilst beyond this is a nut screwing upon a thread upon the
barrel of the tap preferably formed upon a larger diameter of such barrel so that by
setting up the nut a perfectly tight joint will be made with the bottle and at tho
same time by reason of the expanding device upon the interior of the bottle the tap
will be securely fixed in position without the possibility of being forced out by
internal pressure.
In order to remove the tap from the bottle or jar it will be necessary to slacken
back the outer nut, press the tap inward and hold the bottle in a horizontal position
so as to allow the claws, arms, or tumblers to fall by gravity parallel or approximately
so with the barrel of the tap, when the tap may be readily withdrawn.
In lieu of the claws, arms, or tumblers herein before described for taking an abut-
ment against the inside of the bottle any other suitable tumbling device may be
employed such for example as a bar or frame loosely connected with the nut by
means of slots or recesses in the nut or cup and ball joints or the liko so that the
tumbler whilst being inseparable therefrom under ordinary circumstances, will
pivotally turn with relation to the nut in the manner required, and by this device,
the small pins or pivots employed as centres for the claws described with respect to
the previous arrangement, and which might prove a source of weakness are dispensed
with.
This device in common with that first described takes an abutment against the
bottom of the bottle in order to prevent rotation of the nut.
In some cases the latter feature that is to say tho taking an abutinent against the
bottom of the bottle inay be dispensed with, and the device may be approximately
adjusted previous to the insertion of the tap, but the former arrangement is the
preferred one.
If desired the claws described with respect to the previous arrangement may be
connected with the nut in a similar way to that described with respect to the last
arrangement.
As a further modification the nut upon the inner oud of the barrel of the tap may
be dispensed with and a boss may be formed thereon to carry the tumblers or the
like.
By the means hereinbefore described at comparatively small expense a tap is
obtained which may be used for almost an indefinite period and shifted froin bottle
to bottle without liability of getting out of order, whilst there will be no risk what-
ever of the tap blowing out with the usual unpleasant consequences.
1000

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Taps or Faucets, more
especially applicable for Use with Earthenware Bottles or
Jars.
I, GEORGE JAMES CHAMBERS, formerly of Thornhill House, Deodar Road, Putney,
in the County of Surrey, but now of The Fulham Pottery, Fulham, in the County of
Middlesex, Manager, 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 :-
Earthenware bottles or jars are now commonly employed by brewers to contain
small quantities of beer, and for that purpose they are generally formed with an
apertured boss or tap hole at the lower part thereof adapted to receive a tap or cock,
generally a small wooden tap.
Taps fitted in this manner are very liable to be blown out by the pressure within
the vessel, and an accident of this character not only involves the loss of the contents
of the bottle or jar, but at the same time is calculated to spoil adjacent articles of
furniture; furthermore wooden taps employed in this mauner speedily split and
become useless, and when frequently renewed the cost thereof is considerable, whilst
they are liable to become fusty and contaminate the beer.
Now the primary object of the present invention is to obviate the disadvantages
above pointed out.
In carrying the present invention into effect the tap which may conveniently be
made of white metal, or it might be of other suitable material is provided with a
vertical transverse hole in the outer end of the barrel thereof which connects with a
horizontal way open to the interior of the vessel, and the vertical hole is fitted
with a plug or valve, which may be a metal plug ground in, or a plug of other
suitable material, if necessary fitting a cork or equivalent bushing, and this plug
which is hollow is provided with a side opening adapted to register when desired
with the horizontal way, and to deliver the contents of the vessel through its lower
end which is open, or any other suitable form of tap might be substituted therefor.
The barrel of the tap is threaded to receive upon its inner end a nut which screws
thereon so as to roughly adjust the device to vessels of varying thickness, and
carried by this nut and pivotally connected therewith are three or more claws, arms,
or tumblers which are adapted to fold down so as to admit of the insertion of the
inuer end of the barrel of the tap through the hollow boss or tap hole of the bottle,
and upon reaching the interior of the bottle by tilting the same to open out or
expand and engage the walls of the bottle beyond the tap hole upon the interior
thereof, whilst such claws, arms, or tumblers are of such length that some of them
will also engage the bottom of the bottle and thus the nut will be held from rotating
and the tap may be screwed up from the outside, until the claws, arms, or tumblers
of the nut take a firm abutment against the wall of the bottle.
In order to make the tap gas and liquid tight with the bottle, a packing ring or
washer of cork or other suitable material not liable to foul is placed upon the barrel
of the tap so as to occupy a position on the exterior of the bottle but in the entrance
to the tapered bore of the boss.
This ring of cork is or may be backed by a washer of india-rubber or other suitable
material, whilst beyond this is a nut screwing upon a thread upon the barrel of the
tap preferably formed upon a larger diameter of such barrel, so that by setting up
the nut a perfectly tight joint will be made with the bottle, and at the same time by
reason of the expanding device upon the interior of the bottle the tap will bo

page_text: The barrel b of the tap is, upon its inner end 6*, threaded to receive a nut & which
screws thereon so as to roughly adjust the device to vessels of varying thickness,
previous to the placing of the tap in position and carried by this nut d are three, or
there might be more or less than three claws, arms, or tumblers d' preferably provided
with weighted ends d and which are pivotally attached to the nut d by means of
pins ds which pass through holes in the inner ends of the tumblers d¹ and are fixed in
apertured lugs da formed on the nut d whilst a flange d* on the uut d is provided to
act as a stop or abutment to such arms.
The arms or tumblers d' are adapted to fold down as represented at Figure 4, 60
as to admit of the insertion of the inner end of the barrel of the tap through the
hollow boss or tap hole a¹ of the bottle a although as will be understood it is not
necessary to tilt the bottle as shown at Figure 4 to accomplish this object.
Upon the tumblers reaching the interior of the bottle a, and the latter being tilted,
the tumbers will open out or expand as represented in Figure 3 in such inanner
as to engage the walls of the bottle beyond the tap hole a¹ but on the interior
thereof whilst the claws, rins, or tumblers d' are of such length that some of them
will also engage the bottom of the bottle a, and thus the nut & will be held from
rotating and the tap may be screwed up from the outside, until the claws, arins, or
tumblers d' of the nut d take a firm abutment against the inner wall of the bottle
and the washer hereinafter referred to is tightly pressed against the boss a¹ as shown
at Figures 1 and 2.
In order to make the tap gas and liquid tight with the bottlo a, a packing ring or
washer e of cork or other suitable material not liable to foul is placed upon the barrel b
of the tap so as to occupy a position on the exterior of the bottle a but in the tapered
entrance to the bore of the boss a¹.
This ring of cork or other suitable material e, is or may be backed by a washer of
india-rubber or other suitable material e' whilst beyond this is provided a nut
which screws upon a thread provided upon that part of the barrel of the tap and
although the part is preferably of larger diameter than the part intended to
receive the nut d it may be of the same diameter as, and in continuation thereof.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the not ² is not
indispensable, as the tap can be made perfectly tight with the bottle by screwing the
saine into the nut although the former arrangement gives the most perfect
adjustment.
By these means a perfectly tight joint will be made with the bottle a and at the
same time by reason of the expanding device d' upon the interior of the bottle the
tap will be securely fixed in position without the possibility of its being forced out
by internal pressure.
In order to remove the tap from the bottle or jar a it is necessary to turn the lap
so as to unscrew the nut d and if necessary to slacken back the outer nut e², then to
press the tap inward, and hold the bottle in a horizontal position so as to allow the
claws, arms or tumblers d¹ to fall by gravity parallel or approximately so, with the
barrel of the tap as represented at Figure 4, when the tap can be readily withdrawn
from the bottle.
It will be obvious that iu lien of the cork washer the rubber washer e' may be
extended in a conical form in substitution therefor, and that the washers may be of
other suitable materials than those herein named, whilst only one may be employed if
found sufficient.
In the example given at. Figures 8 and 9 in lieu of the claws, arms, or tumblers
hereinbefore described with respect to the previous figures for taking an abutment
against the inside of the bottle a, the nut d in this case is provided with two bars d'
or it might be a frame pivotally connected therewith by means of pins or studs d² in
such manner that they are at liberty to turn freely thereon, so that they may
assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 8, during the insertion or
reinoval of the tap, whilst they are provided with counter weights d* which cause
them automatically to assume a vertical position as shown, after the tap is placed in
the bottle and the latter held so that the tap assumes a horizontal position.

page_text: In this case the flange d of the nut which acts as a stop or abutment to the
claws or arms d¹ in the previous figures is unnecessary and is therefore dispensed
with.
This arrangement possesses the advantage that the bottle may be held with the
tap hole uppermost when inserting or removing the tap, thus avoiding the spilling
of the dregs of any liquid that the bottle has contained.
In some cases the arms, tumblers, or bars d¹ may be made of such dimensions that
they do not exten 1 to and engage the bottom of the jar or bottle a in which case the
nut & must be approximately a ljusted upon the thread of the part 6 of the barrel
previous to the insertion of the tap in the bottle, and in this case the outer nut is
indispensable in order to make a tight joint, but the former arrangement is the
preferred one.
and
In the example given at Figure 10 the screw thread upon the part
co-acting nut dare dispensed with, and the arms or claws d' are carried by an
equivalent boss d cast or otherwise fixed with the reduced part of the tap whilst
the requisito adjustment is obtained upon the exterior of the bottle and for this
purpose the barrel b of the tap and the screw thread thereon are correspondingly
prolonged to allow of the necessary traverse of the nut e*.
This arrangement although it inore or less answers the purpose in view possesses
the disadvantage that the tap necessarily projects farther from the bottle or jar a
than in the arrangement previously described.
It will be understood that instead of several tumbling devices only one may be
employed, whilst in lieu of the arms, tumblers, or bars hereinafter described, any
other suitable expanding device adapted to engage the bottle after the insertion of
the tap may be substituted therefor.
Although the invention is shown and described in connection with a tap provided
with an open cuded plug it will be obvious that it is equally applicable to taps of
other construction, and it will also be understood that the improved tap may be
used in connection with other vessels than stone jars and such as casks or barrels.
By the means herein before described at comparatively small expense a tap is
obtained which may be used for almost an indefinite period and shifted from bottle to
bottle without liability of getting out of order, whilst there will be no risk of the tap
blowing out with the usual unpleasant consequences.
In my provisional specification I stated that it had before been proposed to
construct a tap with an expanding device upon its inner end but I desire to say that
the said statement was intended to refer to the specification accompanying an
application for provisional protection filed by me which application has since been
abandoned.
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 I
claim is :-
1. A tap or faucet provided with an expanding device upon its inner end
substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose stated.
2. A tap or faucet provided upon its inner end with an expanding device adapted
to engage the inner wall or surface of a vessel, and upon its outer end with means for
making a tight joint with the outer wall or part of the vessel, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. A tap or faucet provided upon its inner end with a screw thread and a co-acting
nut furnished with one or more arms, tumblers, claws, or bars, pivotally connected
therewith and adapted to engage the inner wall of a vessel, and upon its outer end
provided with means for making a tight joint with the outer wall or part of the
vessel substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
4. A tap or faucet provided upon its inner end with a screw thread, and a co-acting
nut furnished with one or more arus, tumblers, claws, or bars, pivotally connected
therewith and adapted to engage the inner wall and also the bottom of a vessel and
upon its outer end provided with means for making a tight joint with the outer wall

page_text: or part of the vessel substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
5. A tap or faucet provided upon its inuer end with one or more arms, tumblers,
claws, or bars, pivotally connected therewith and adapted to engage the inner wall of
a vessel, and upon its outer end with means for making a tight joint with the outer
wall or part of the vessel substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.
6. A tap or faucet upon its inner end provided with an expanding device adapted to
engage the inner wall of the vessel and upon its outer end or barrel with a screw
thread, a nut working on the screw thread and one or more washers of suitable shape
and material adapted to be forced by the nut against the outer wall or surface of
the vessel, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 4th day of November 1897.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agenta.