Improvements in Connections for Use with Casks and other similar Vessels.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 10th May, 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Connections for Use with Casks and other
similar Vessels.
I, ALGERNON BROOKER JACKSON, of the Firm of Farrow & Jackson, of
16 Great Tower Street, in the City and County of London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to connections for use with casks or other similar vessels
and has for its object the provision of means whereby a tight joint may be made
between a detachable connecting device and the cask or vessel at the bung hole or
other orifice in a simple effective and expeditious manner.
In methods of raising beer by gaseous pressure now in use, it is found that great
difficulty exists in making a proper and tight connection between the cask containing
the beer and the reservoir from which the gaseous pressure is derived, which is
usually a bottle of compressed CO, or compressed air the result being that large
quantities of gas leak out, and a much larger volume of gas is used than can be
accounted for by the beer raised. By my invention I overcome this difficulty
entirely.
My invention consists in the special arrangement and construction of a con-
necting device which can make a joint with a cask or vessel in an efficient
manner.
To carry my invention into effect I provide a screwed stem with an enlarged
conical end, the smallest portion of the cone being contiguous to the screwed
portion of the stem, and the larger end of the cone being at the extreme outward
end of the stem. The diameter of the largest portion of the cone is just small
enough to enter the bung hole or other orifice in the cask or vessel.
At the opposite end of the stem to that at which the cone is situated I provide
means for the connection of a pipe from the high pressure reservoir; this may
consist of a suitably shaped end over which a flexible pipe may be forced on.
A small hole is provided from end to end of the stem to form a means of
communication from the supply pipe to the interior of the cask. Upon the screwed
stem a nut is arranged which for convenience may be provided with cross arms to
screw it up or down the stem. On the underside of the nut a bridge or dog is
threaded on to the stem, the ends of the bridge being turned down and adapted to
bear against the outside of the cask, so that the bridge forms a resistance against
which the tightening nut can bear when it is screwed down the stem in fixing the
connector in place and making a gas tight joint with the cask.
A conical tubular flexible and elastic jointing bush is provided about the stem of
such a size that it approximately fits the bung or other hole in the cask, and the
edge of this said bush projects into the interior of the cask, so that when the
conical ended stem is drawn up against it by the action of the tightening nut,
the conical end spreads the bush and makes an absolutely tight joint between the
cask and connector. The thickness of the bush is such that when it intervenes
between the conical end of the stem and the sides of the hole in the cask, the stem
is prevented from being drawn through the hole out of the cask, by reason of the
reduction of effective diameter of the hole in the cask by the bush.
The method of attaching my connector to the cask is as follows:-
I take the screwed stem, and thread first the elastic bush upon it and secondly
the resistance bridge or dog and thirdly the nut is engaged upon the thread; the
conical end of the stem is now passed through the hole in the cask to such an

page_text: extent that the bush can be pushed through the hole, into the interior of the cask
to the proper extent. The nut is now screwed down so as to draw the conical end
outwards, in the course of which movement the surface of the cone will meet with
the inwardly projecting edge of the bush, and will expand the same, and force it
against the inside edge of the hole and make a joint therewith. To remove the
connector, the nut is released, the conical end of the stem pushed inwards; the bush
is then drawn outwards from the hole, and the whole device can then be removed
from the cask.
In order to prevent the two ends of the bridge from spreading, I may make them
pointed so that they are forced into the wooden sides of the cask.
Dated this 10th day of August 1893.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Connections for Use with Casks and other
similar Vessels.
I, ALGERNON BROOKER JACKSON, of the Firm of Farrow and Jackson, of
16 Great Tower Street, in the City and County of London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to connections for use with casks or other similar vessels,
and has for its object the provision of means, whereby a tight joint may be made
between a detachable connecting device, and the cask or vessel, at the bung-hole or
other orifice, in a simple, effective, and expeditious manner.
In methods of raising beer by gaseous pressure now in use, it is found that
great difficulty exists in making a proper and tight connection between the cask
containing the beer, and the reservoir from which the gaseous pressure is derived,
which is usually a bottle of compressed CO, or compressed air, the result being
that large quantities of gas leak out, and a much larger volume of gas is used than
can be accounted for by the beer raised.
By my invention I overcome this difficulty entirely.
My invention consists in the special arrangement and construction of a connecting
device, which can make a joint for various detachable connections, with a cask or
vessel in an efficient manner.
And in order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawings hereto annexed, reference being had
to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the general arrangement of a compressed gas
reservoir connected to a cask with tap beer discharge.
Figure 2 is a sectional detail of the air-tight connection to the cask.
Figure 3 is a similar sectional detail of the air-tight connection to the cask,
having double connections for the gas pressure, and the beer discharge.
My improved connection consists of a screwed stem A, (Figures 2 and 3) with
an enlarged conical end A¹ expanding outward from the screwed stem. The
diameter of the largest part of the conical end A' is just small enough to enter the
bung-hole B, or other orifice, in the cask or vessel C. At the upper end of
the stem provide suitable means, D, for the connection of the pipe E, from the
gas reservoir, F, and, if desired, means, G, for the air-tight connection of the beer
discharge pipe H, which runs down to the bottom of the cask when used in place
of the ordinary tap discharge K.
The gas pressure is communicated to the interior of the cask, upon the surface
of the beer, from the gas reservoir, through the passage L of the connection.

page_text: Upon the screwed stem A is arranged a nut M provided with cross arms, and
under the nut a bridge or dog N slides upon the screw stem A, the ends of the
bridge being turned down to bear upon the outside of the cask. When the screw
nut M is screwed down upon the said bridge N, the effect is to lift the cone A¹
upwards into the bung-hole or other orifice in the cask.
A flexible and elastic jointing bush or sleeve P is applied over the cone A' of
such a size that it approximately fits the bung-hole or other orifice in the cask..
When then the screw nut M lifts the cone upwards into the bung-hole, it makes a
close gas-tight joint upon the said elastic bush.
To insert my connection into the cask, the coned end A¹ is first thrust through.
the bung-hole without the elastic sleeve upon it, the coned end being thrust some
distance into the cask the elastic bush is then thrust down over the coned end.
within the cask, and the bridge and nut being screwed down, the cone is lifted and
the joint made upon the elastic sleeve within the bung-hole.
In order to prevent the two ends of the bridge N from spreading, I may make
them pointed so that they are forced into the wooden sides of the cask.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what [
claim is :-
•
1st. In a connection for use with casks or similar vessels, the combination of a
screwed hollow stem, adapted to make external connections to pipes, and terminating
in a spreading cone with an external elastic sleeve or bush, and a sliding bridge
and screwed fly-nut, to effect a gas-tight joint in the bung-hole or orifice of a cask,.
substantially as described..
2nd. A cask connection for effecting a gas-tight joint in a bung hole or orifice,.
consisting of a screwed hollow stem with terminal cone, an elastic sleeve and sliding
bridge and fly nut, connections to make gas-tight joints upon a gas supply pipe,
and an internal beer discharge pipe, substantially as described.
3rd. The arrangement and construction of parts of a cask bung-hole connection,
and means for connecting pipes thereto, substantially as described and illustrated
herewith.
Dated this 10th day of Mov 1894
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.