CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WATER, BEER, AND WINE TAPS, APPLICABLE FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Mason, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Beer Engine Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WATER, BEER, AND WINE TAPS,
APPLICABLE FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Sealed the 10th August 1866, and dated the 14th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Mason at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th February 1866.
I, SAMUEL MASON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Beer Engine
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WATER, BEER, AND WINE TAPS,
APPLICABLE FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
According to the general method of constructing taps there is a plug which
fits into the body of the tap, but it is difficult to make this plug fit with
exactness, so that sooner or later leakage ensues. Another fault is that from.
their general construction the waterway is necessarily inconveniently small
by reason of the bearing being generally only about one-quarter or one-half
the size of the shank of the tap. A further inconvenience which is also
inseparable from their construction is that upon driving the tap into a barrel.
a false blow frequently carries away the plug.

page_text: Now according to my Invention the plug is dispensed with altogether, and
instead thereof I provide a valve as herein-after described. Leakage is impos-
sible, and from its construction the waterway may be either the same size as
the shank, or if needful larger than it. The shank of my improved tap may
be of the usual size and shape, but at the inner end thereof, and in the position
usually occupied by the plug, I provide a hollow chamber, into which the liquid
flows. An aperture of any desired size is formed in the bottom of the said
chamber, the said aperture being closed by a valve which is contained in the said
chamber. The said valve works in a guide and is pressed down by a coiled
or helical, spring, which is so placed that its tendency will be to press the valve
downwards, and so keep the tap closed. From what has been said it will be
understood that the valve is so placed in the chamber that the liquid flows
upon it. Immediately underneath the chamber is the neck of the tap, upon
which a thread of suitable size is cut; inside this neck a tube is inserted, the
said tube having a certain space cut out of the upper part thereof, through
which the liquid is to flow when needed, as herein-after described. The said
tube is held in its position by a thumbscrew, inside which is cut a female
screw, corresponding to the thread cut on the neck of the tap, and is screwed
thereon. When it is desired to allow the liquid to flow nothing more is
required than to turn the thumbscrew in the proper direction; this carries the
before-mentioned tube upwards, the said tube in its turn acts upon the valve,
carrying it upwards, and so allows the liquid to flow through the space cut out
of the upper part of the said tube. When it is desired to stop the flow of
liquid the thumbscrew is turned in the reverse direction, and the valve is
then closed by the action of the coiled or helical spring, as herein-before
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Mason in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
MASON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Beer, Engine Manufac-
turer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Samuel Mason, Her special licence, that I, the said Samuel Mason,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Mason, 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 "CERTAIN.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WATER, BEER, AND WINE TAPS, APPLICABLE
FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Samuel Mason, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Mason, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 (that is to say) :-
According to the general method of constructing taps there is a plug which
fits into the body of the tap, but it is difficult to make this plug fit with exact-
ness, so that sooner or later leakage ensues. Another fault is that from their
general construction the waterway is necessarily inconveniently small by reason
of the bearing being generally only about one-quarter or one-half the size of
the shank of the tap. A further inconvenience which is also inseparable from
their construction is that upon driving the tap into a barrel a false blow
frequently carries
away the plug.
Now according to my Invention the plug is dispensed with altogether, and
instead thereof. I provide a valve as herein-after described. Leakage is
impossible, and from its construction the waterway may be either the same
size as the shank, or if needful larger than it. The shank: of my improved
tap may be of the usual size and shape, but at the inner end thereof, and in
the position usually occupied by the plug, I provide a hollow chamber, into
which the liquid flows. An aperture of any desired size is. formed in the
bottom of the said chamber, the said aperture being closed by a valve which
is contained in the said chamber. The said valve works in a guide and is
pressed down by a coiled or helical spring which is so placed that its tendency
will be to press the valve downwards and so keep the tap closed. From
what has been said it will be understood that the valve is so placed in the
chamber that the liquid flows upon it. Immediately underneath the chamber

page_text: is the neck of the tap, upon which a thread of suitable size is cut ; inside this
neck a tube is inserted, the said tube having a certain space cut out of the
upper part thereof, through which the liquid is to flow when needed, as herein-
after described. The said tube is held in its position by a thumbscrew, inside
which is cut a female screw corresponding to the thread cut on the neck of
the tap, and is screwed thereon. When it is desired to allow the liquid' to
flow nothing more is required than to turn the thumbscrew in the proper.
direction; this carries the before-mentioned tube upwards, the said tube in its
turn acts upon the valve, carrying it upwards, and so allows the liquid to flow
through the space cut out of the upper part of the said tube. When it is
desired to stop the flow of liquid the thumbscrew is turned in the reverse.
direction, and the valve is then closed by the action of the coiled or helical
spring, as herein-before described.
That my
Invention may
be better understood I have annexed Drawings:
thereof, which I now proceed to describe: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section,
and Fig. 2 is an external elevation of my improved tap.
a is the shank, which may be of the usual shape and size, perforated at 6 for.
the admission of the liquid; c is a hollow chamber cast upon the shank a,
into which the liquid flows; d is the hollow neck of the tap. which is closed
by the valve e; the washer f of the said valve being pressed down upon the
raised rim g at the bottom of the chamber c, by the coiled spring h. The
pressure of the liquid in the chamber c also assists the spring to keep down
the valve e. The valve e has a stem i which is guided vertically in the socket
k of the cover. The cover is screwed into the open top of the hollow
chamber c, and by means of a washer at m prevents any escape of liquid at
the top of the chamber c. The cover also serves to press down the coiled
spring upon the valve e. The exterior of the neck d has a thread cut upon
h
it; inside the neck a tube n is inserted, having spaces o cut out near its top in
order to admit the liquid to its interior. A collar p is formed upon the tube n
and by means of a thumbscrew r screwed upon the neck d of the tap the tube:
n can be raised (when it is desired to open the tap), so as to press against and
lift the valve e in opposition to the force of the coiled spring hand of the
liquid confined in the chamber c, thereby allowing the liquid to escape under
the valve e through the spaces o and down the tube n. Upon unscrewing the
thumbscrew r the coiled spring causes the valve to close again. s is a knob cast
.upon the chamber c, by which the tap may be driven into the cask or barrel.
I also vary the construction of the tap in the following manner so as to dis-
pense with the coiled spring h:-I attach the valve e to the top of the tube n,
and I screw the tube n into the neck d, which then has an internal thread

page_text: instead of an external one. I also attach the wings of the thumbscrew r to
the tube n, the thumbscrew itself being dispensed with. To open the tap the
tube n is turned round by the said wings so as to rise and open the valve e,
and to close the valve the tube n is turned in the other direction so as to draw
down the valve e tightly upon the seat g. Spaces o for the admission of the
liquid to the tube n are formed in the said tube n just below the valve e in the
same manner as before. This modification of my Invention is so simple and
obvious that I have not thought necessary to shew a Drawing of it, as it will
be so readily understood.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I desire it to be understood that without
limiting myself to the precise details herein-before described, as these may be
varied or modified without departing from the nature of my said Invention,
I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent the construction of a. tap in which the valve is so placed
that the liquid may flow upon it, and generally the Invention substantially as
herein-before set forth and described, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Mason, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of. August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
SAM MASON. (LS.)