IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF WINE, BEER, AND OTHER LIQUIDS FROM CASKS OR OTHER PROVISIONAL SPATION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Shanks, of Kentish Town, in the County
of Middlesex, Foreman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR DRAWING OFF WINE, BEER, AND OTHER LIQUIDS FROM CASKS OR OTHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Shanks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st December 1874.
I, WILLIAM SHANKS, of Kentish Town, in the County of Middlesex,
Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IN-
PROVED Apparatus for Drawing OFF WINE, BEER, and other Liquids from Casks
OR OTHER VESSELS, AND TRANSFERRING SUCH LIQUIDS TO BOTTLES OR OTHER
RECEIVERS," to be as follows:-
In drawing off wine, spirits, beer, and other liquids from casks or
barrels into bottles or other receptacles a syphon is usually employed,
and it has been found that great inconvenience has arisen (and the
liquid drawn off has to a certain extent been deteriorated in quality) by

page_text: the disturbance of the grounds or sediment at the bottom of the cask,
caused by the introduction into the cask or barrel of one leg of the
syphon. Even if this temporary disturbance be allowed to subside
before proceeding to draw off the liquid contained in the barrel, it has
been found that the natural suction of the syphon will draw up an
appreciable quantity of this sediment, which gravitates to the bottom of
the bottle, and causes that thick appearance usually found at the bottom
of nearly every bottle of beer or wine.
The object of this Invention is to prevent the disturbance of the
grounds or thick part of the liquid, and this is effected by drawing off
the clear liquid from near the surface instead of from the lower part of
the barrel, as has hitherto been done.
The apparatus consists of a syphon of peculiar construction, and
having one end much longer than the other. The long end leads
down into the bottle or other receiver, which is placed at any con-
venient distance below the level of the bottom of the cask or barrel,
while the short end should only be of sufficient length to enable
it to pass through a conical bung hole, and to allow sufficient space
on the under side of the bung to admit of being attached to a flexible
tube or joint. This flexible tube or joint may be three, four, or more
inches in length, as found most convenient in practice, and should
be firmly attached at its opposite end to another pipe long enough to reach
to within an inch of the bottom of the cask when in a vertical position.
To the lower extremity of this pipe or tube is firmly attached a float,
small enough in diameter to enable it to be passed into the cask through
the bung hole, but of sufficient buoyancy to support the weight of the
tube, to which it is attached at or near the surface of the liquid in the
closed vessel.
The receiver is cylinder shaped, and may be made of earthenware,
metal, or other suitable material. Inserted into its upper surface are
one or more nozzles, to which may be attached in any suitable manner
the long ends of the syphon tube from one or more separate barrels,
while in its lower portion are two, three, or more taps or cocks, through
which the liquid escapes into the bottles. These taps or cocks may be
made to turn off by hand, or may be made automatic to open or close
by the action of introducing the mouth of the tap into the neck of the
bottle.

page_text: The action of the apparatus is exceedingly simple:-The air having
been exhausted from the syphon the liquid floats through the floating
valve into the shorter leg of the syphon, and down through the larger
leg into the receiver, from whence it is drawn into bottles, the floating
end of the syphon in the cask always remaining nearly on the surface of
the liquid, and falling with the level of the liquid as the latter is drawn
off into the bottles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Shanks in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SHANKS, of Kentish Town, in the County of Middlesex, Foreman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Shanks, Her
special licence that I, the said William Shanks, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Shanks,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to-time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF WINE, BEER, AND OTHER LIQUIDS FROM
CASKS OR OTHER VESSELS, AND TRANSFERRING SUCH LIQUIDS TO BOTTLES OR OTHER
RECEIVERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Shanks, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Shanks, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
In drawing off wine, spirits, beer, and other liquids from casks or
barrels into bottles or other receptacles a tap is usually employed, and it
has been found that great inconvenience has arisen (and the liquid
drawn off has to a certain extent been deteriorated in quality) by the 1
disturbance of the lees or sediment at the bottom of the cask caused by
the operation of tapping. Even if this temporary disturbance be allowed
to subside before proceeding to draw off the liquid contained in the barrel,
it has been found that the natural suction of the tap will draw off an
appreciable quantity of this sediment, which gravitates to the bottom of 1
the bottle and causes that thick appearance usually found at the bottom
of nearly every bottle of beer, wine, or other liquid.
The object of this Invention is to draw off the liquid from the cask.
without disturbing the lees or thick part of the liquid, and this is effected
by drawing off the clear liquid from near the surface instead of from the 2
lower part of the barrel as heretofore.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a transverse section of the
of the whole apparatus whereby the object of the Invention is effected;
Fig. 1 is a full size transverse section of the flexible joint of the syphon ;
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the receiver; and Fig. 3 is a full size 2
-cross section of the receiver.
A, A, is the syphon tube, the longer leg of which being placed outside
the barrel reaches down and is attached to the receiver C, into which the
liquid is drawn from the barrel, while the shorter leg is introduced into
the cask, and is jointed at a either by a flexible tube, or by preference
by means of a ground in joint, to a prolongation or movable tube A³, the
opposite end of which is perforated to admit the liquid, and is connected
by a joint to the float B so that its perforated or open end may be
ported just below the surface of the liquid in the barrel. The joint;
which I prefer to use, is shewn detached and in section at Fig. 1. 3
The float B should be small enough in diameter to enable it to be passed
into the cask through the bung hole, but of sufficient buoyancy to
sup-

page_text: support the perforated end or mouth of the tube A¹ at or near the surface
of the liquid in the closed vessel.
The cylindrical receiver C may be made of earthenware, metal, or
other suitable material, and is supported upon standards, and may be
raised or lowered to any required height by means of the screws N, N.
Inserted into its upper surface are one or more nozzles D, D, to which
may be attached in any suitable manner the long ends of the syphon
tubes A from one or more separate barrels, while in its lower portion are
two, three, or more draw off taps or cocks E, E, E, through which the
liquid is run off into the bottles. These taps E, E, may be made to turn
off by hand by means of stop-cocks, or they may be made to act auto-
matically so as to open or close by the action of placing the mouth of the
bottle over the tap, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
The action of the apparatus is exceedingly simple:-The air having
been exhausted from the syphon A, the liquid flows into the open or
perforated end of the floating pipe A¹ and through the syphon into
the receiver C, from whence it is drawn into bottles through the
nozzles E, the floating end A' of the syphon in the cask always
remaining nearly on the surface of the liquid, and falling with the level
of the liquid as the latter is drawn off.
The taps E, E, which are shewn in section and drawn upon an enlarged
scale at Fig. 3, are composed of syphon tubes having openings F, F, near
their lower ends. The tubes also contain small pipes or air tubes ƒ,f,
which pass upwards into the receiver C. A sleeve G, provided at its
upper end with a stuffing box, is made to slide freely up and down on
each of the syphon tubes, so that when the bottle is placed in position
the neck will press against a cone-shaped plug of india-rubber or other
suitable material y, and will push up the sleeve G, thereby opening the
orifices F and f of the tap E, and will allow the liquid to flow into the
bottle through the opening F, while the air will escape from the bottlo
up the small pipe f into the receiver C. A small vent pipe f* is
adapted to the receiver C to allow the air to escape therefrom. When
the bottle is full and the neck is removed from the mouth of the nozzle,
a helical spring / will force down the sleeve G until it comes in contact
with a leather or other suitable washer i, and will thereby close the
orifices above referred to, so that no more liquid can pass from the
receiver C down the syphon tubes E, E.

page_text: In order to equalize the level of the liquid in the receiver a rocking
lever I, supported by a standard J in the interior of the receiver, is
placed in contact with the stem of a valve K. To the opposite end of
the lever I is attached a float L, so that when the level of the
liquid in the receiver rises the float L will rise with it and depress the
opposite end of the lever, thereby closing the valve K. When the
level of the liquid falls the float will also fall, and the valve will con-
sequently be raised, and the liquid will flow from the cask down the
large syphon pipe A into the receiver. Counterbalanced levers M, M,
are provided to support the bottles in their places and keep them well -
up to the nozzles of the receiver. The bottles to be filled are placed on
the foot stand of the weighted levers M, as indicated by dots at Fig. 1,
the weights at the end of the levers M being sufficient to keep the necks of
the bottle against the plugs g. These levors may be raised or lowered
by means of the screws N', N', to suit different sizes of bottles.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Apparatus for
Drawing off Wine, Beer, and other Liquids from Casks or other Vessels,
and Transferring such Liquids to Bottles or other Receivers," and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First. Adapting to the shorter leg of a syphon for drawing off liquids
a flexible tube provided with a float for the purpose of keeping the open
end of the syphon pipe near the surface of the liquid, as herein set
forth.
Second. I claim in combination with the drawing off syphon pipe A
the receiver C, with its self-acting supply valve K and taps or nozzles E,
together with the adjustable weighted levers M for supporting the
bottles, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Shanks, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, the First day of June, in the year of our
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