IMPROVEMENTS IN BEER MACHINES OR BEER ENGINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Perks, the younger, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Glass and Lead Merchant, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BEER MACHINES OR BEER ENGINES."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 27th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Perks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th June 1864.
I, WILLIAM PERKS, the younger, of Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, Glass and Lead Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEER MACHINES OR BEER ENGINES," to be as
follows:-
In beer machines or beer engines of the ordinary construction the pump by
which the liquid is raised is worked by a handle or lever acted on by the hand,
the said handle or lever being raised and lowered by one hand, and the vessel
in which the liquid is being received being generally held by the other hand.
The object of my Invention is to work the pumps of beer machines by the foot
so as to leave the hand ordinarily employed for working the handle or lever of
the pump at liberty.
In constructing beer machines according to my Invention, I fix near the
base of the engine, and nearly on a level with the floor of the room in which
the beer engine is situated a series of treadles, one treadle being provided for
each pump. As the treadles act on their respective pumps in the same way,

page_text: I will describe only one pump and treadle. The treadle moves in a vertical
plane on a joint, that end of the treadle to be pressed upon by the foot being
formed into a flat plate similar to the pedals of pianofortes, the other end of
the treadle being forked. The forked end of the treadle is jointed to two
vertical connecting rods, one on either side the pump. The tops of these
connecting rods are connected by a cross bar, to the middle of which cross bar
the piston rod of the pump is fixed. By pressing the foot upon the treadle the
forked end of the treadle is raised, and with it the connecting rods, cross bar,
and piston of the pump, and the liquor passes from the pump by a delivery
pipe of the ordinary kind. The return motion of the treadle, and the descent
of the connecting rods, cross bar, and pump piston is effected by springs of
vulcanized india-rubber, or by other springs or weights, or other pressure.
The ends of the treadles pressed upon by the foot may be made to turn up so
as to be capable of being shut and locked in the case of the beer machine. The
pumps may be in a cellar or lower room, and the communication between the
pumps and treadles be made by means of connecting rods of the requisite
length.
By my improvements, beer machines or beer engines are not only worked
more easily, but by the absence of the ordinary handles great facility is afforded
for making the upper part of the beer machine or beer engine ornamental.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Perks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PERKS, the younger, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Glass and
Lead Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Perks, Her special licence that I, the said William
Perks, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Perks, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BEER MACHINES OR BEER ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Perks, 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 William Perks, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
In beer machines or beer engines of the ordinary construction the pump
by which the liquid is raised is worked by a handle or lever acted on by the'
hand, the said handle or lever being raised and lowered by one hand, and the
vessel in which the liquid is being received being generally held by the other
hand.
The object of my Invention is to work the pumps of beer machines by the
foot so as to leave the hand ordinarily employed for working the handle or
lever of the pump at liberty, the liquid raised being forced directly from the
pump out of the delivery pipes or taps.
In constructing beer machines according to my Invention, I fix near the
base of the machine, and nearly on a level with the floor of the room in which
the beer machine is situated a series of treadles, one treadle being provided
for each pump.
As the treadles act on their respective pumps in the same
way, I will describe only one pump and treadle. The treadle moves in a
vertical plane on a joint, that end of the treadle to be pressed upon by the
foot being formed into a flat plate similar to the pedals of pianofortes, the
other end of the treadle being forked. The forked end of the treadle is'
jointed to two vertical connecting rods, one on either side of the pump. The
tops of these connecting rods are connected by a cross bar, to the middle of
which cross bar the piston rod of the pump is fixed. By pressing the foot
upon the treadle the forked end of the treadle is raised, and with it the con-
necting rods, cross bar, and piston of the pump, and the liquid raised passes
from the pump direct to a delivery pipe or tap of the ordinary kind. The
return motion of the treadle and the descent of the connecting rods, cross bar,'
and pump piston are effected by springs of vulcanized india-rubber, or by other"
springs or weights, or other pressure. The ends of the treadles pressed upon
by the foot may be made to turn up so as to be capable of being shut and

page_text: locked in the case of the beer machine. The pumps may be in a cellar or
lower room, and the communication between the pumps and treadles be made
by means of connecting rods of the requisite length.
By my improvements beer machines or beer engines are not only worked
more easily, but by the absence of the ordinary handles great facility is afforded
for making the upper part of the beer machine or beer engine ornamental.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation a beer machine.or engine, the parts,
of which are arranged according to my: Invention, the said machine or engine
being combined with a counter and ornamental urn, which are represented in
perspective; Figure 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale of one of the pumps
of the said machine; and Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same.,
The
same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
a, a, are the pumps of the machine or engine, provided with the ordinary.
internal pumping mechanism, the pump cylinders being fixed to the case of
the machine, or to the counter or floor by means of the brackets 6; c, are
pipes passing from the under side of the pump cylinders to the respective
barrels or vessels from which liquid is to be drawn; and d are other pipes at
the upper part of the pump cylinders, passing upwards, and being connected
directly with the delivery taps or stop-cocks e in the urn f, surmounting the
case or counter g. Fixed near the base of the machine, and nearly on a level
with the floor of the room in which the machine is situated is a series of
treadles h, h, a treadle being provided for each pump. Each of the treadles
moves in a vertical plane on a joint i, the end h³ of the treadle to be pressed
upon by the foot being formed into er having attached to it a flat plate as
represented. The opposite end h³ of the said treadle is forked, and is jointed
at k to the vertical connecting rods 7 on either side of the pump a. The upper
ends of the connecting rods are connected by a cross bar m, the middle of
the said cross bar m being fixed to the piston rod n of the pump in the manner
best seen in Figures 2 and 3. The piston rod n carries a rod o, and the pump
cylinder a carries another rod p. To these rods o, p, two coiled springs q are
connected as represented for giving the return motion to the piston and piston
rod, and parts connected therewith. By pressing the foot upon the treadle at h³
of one or other of the pumps a, the forked end h³ of the said treadle is raised,
and with it the connecting rods 1, l, cross bar m, and piston rod n of the pump,
and liquid is drawn from the vessel with which it is connected, and delivered
directly at one of the delivery taps or stop-cocks e. On removing the pressure

page_text: from the treadle, the return motion of the said treadle, and the descent of the
connecting rods l, l, cross bar m, piston rod n, and piston of the pump are
effected by the springs q. Instead of the spings 9, weights or other pressure
may be employed. The ends h² of the treadles may be made to turn up so as
to be capable of being shut and locked in the case of the beer machine. The
liquid delivered by the delivery taps or stop-cocks e may either be warmed or
cooled by the introduction of warm water or ice into the urn f.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Inven-
tion, but I claim as my Invention the improvements in beer machines or beer
engines herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, arranging or combining the parts of beer machines or beer
engines, so that by the action of the foot upon a treadle, liquid may be raised
by the said machines or engines from the barrel or other vessel, and forced
directly from the delivery pipes or taps.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Perks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM PERKS, JUN³. (L.S.)