IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VENT PEGS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gilbert Pidduck, of Camberwell, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF VENT PEGS."
Sealed the 17th August 1854, and dated the 16th June 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gilbert Pidduck
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th June 1854.
J. WILLIAM GILBERT PIDDUCK, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VENT PEGS" to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct vent pegs in such a manner
that air may be let into the cask when required without the necessity of
removing the vent peg for the purpose, as is now required to be done.
peg, or
This object is effected by making a passage from the bottom of the
that part which is inserted into the barrel, to the upper part or body of the
peg, and causing such passage to communicate with the external atmosphere
by a lateral or other opening, which must be closed by a valve that may be
opened when required by merely depressing the same by means of the finger.
By so doing, a sufficient quantity of liquid will be allowed to be drawn off*
from the cask, and when the valve is allowed to close, the air will be to a
certain extent exhausted from or attenuated in the cask, and will not act
upon and deteriorate the beer or other liquid. The vent peg is screwed at
the lower end, for the purpose of being inserted into and secured in the vent

page_text: hole of the barrel or cask, and in order to facilitate this operation a cross
arm is secured to the upper end, for the purpose of more easily turning the
same. This cross arm will also protect the lever of the valve when the same
is adapted externally.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Gilbert Pidduck in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th December 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GILBERT PIDDUCK, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Gilbert Pidduck, Her special licence that I, the said William
Gilbert Pidduck, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Gilbert Pidduck, 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 IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VENT PEGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Gilbert Pidduck, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 Gilbert Pidduck, 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):-
The object of this Invention is to permit of the admission of air into ale,
porter, and other barrels or casks, when liquor is required to be drawn there-
from, and at the same time to prevent the necessity of removing the vent peg
from its seat.

page_text: This object I effect by forming in the vent peg an air passage, extending
upwards from the bottom of the peg, or that part which is inserted into the
barrel, to an opening in the side thereof, which lateral opening is governed by
a pressure valve, so constructed and applied, that when acted upon to admit
air into or shut it off from the barrel, it will have no tendency to draw up the
liquor, and so get clogged therewith, as has hitherto been the case with hollow
vent pegs.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews my improved vent peg in
elevation; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the middle of the same; and
Fig. 3 is a plan view. The vent peg I prefer to be made of box or other
hard wood, but pewter or any other alloy of metals not easily oxidizable may
be used for forming the hollow stem or barrel, or even earthenware may be
employed. a is the stem or barrel of the vent peg, in which an air passage b
is formed; the upper end of this passage is governed by a lever valve c, which
is let into a recess formed in a flange projecting from the barrel a, and
secured thereto by a fulcrum pin. This valve is kept to its seat by means of
a spring d, which is rivetted to the back of the valve lever, and bears against
the stem or barrel a. For facilitating the fixing of the vent peg in the cask, a
screw thread is tapped on the lower end thereof, and a handle e is provided at
the head of the vent peg, to permit of its being readily turned round when
required to be inserted into or withdrawn from the cask. This handle is
placed immediately over the valve lever, and forms a protection thereto.
In drawing liquor from a cask fitted with my improved vent peg, it will
only be necessary, simultaneously with or immediately after turning on the
cock or tap of the cask, to press the finger on the lever of the valve c; air
will then pass down the air passage b, and keep up the requisite atmospheric
pressure in the cask for insuring a rapid discharge of the liquor. When
nearly the required amount of liquor is drawn out, the pressure of the finger
is removed from the valve lever, and all further supply of air to the interior of
the cask is thus cut off'; the flow of the liquor continuing, a partial exhaus-
tion of air in the cask will take place (which state is very desirable for
keeping fermented liquors in condition), and the tap is then turned off.
From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that the vent peg
will have no tendency to suck up the liquor, or otherwise bring it into contact
with the valve, and that therefore there will be little or no liability of the
valve clogging or sticking if used with ordinary care. The means also
afforded for fixing the vent peg to the cask will prevent the necessity for
using a mallet or hammer to fix it, and thus a further risk of damage from
rough usage will be avoided.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Vent Pegs," and shewn the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim, the peculiar construction of lever valve vent peg, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gilbert Pidduck, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
WILLIAM GILBERT PIDDUCK. (L.S.)