AN IMPROVED TAP OR COCK FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MOORE Ross, of No. 6, Symond's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Iron-
monger, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of January, in the ninth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Moore Ross, His especial licence that I, the said James Moore Ross,
my exors, admors, or assigns, or such others as I, the said James Moore Ross,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"AN IMPROVED TAP OR COCK FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said James Moore Ross, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Moore Ross, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to
consist in a tap or cock, the discharge from which is effected by the motion of

page_text: responding apertures communicating with the barrel of the cock or tap are
formed. And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said James
Moore Ross, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to
be performed by the following description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thercon (that is
to say):
:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1. is an external view of one of the said improved cocks; Figure 2
is a section of the same, taken longitudinally; Figure 3 is a horizontal section
of the same. a is the barrel of the cock; b, the nozzle; c, the stem of the
plug; d, d, the moveable plate affixed to the stem of the plug, in which are
two apertures for the passage of liquor; e, e, the fixed plate or plane surface,
forming a continuation of the barrel of the cock, this plate having similar
apertures, as seen best in Figure 3, the moveable plate below with its apertures
being shewn by dots. Figure 4 is a representation of the moveable plate d as
scen on the top side; and Figure 5 is the plug or stem and discharge part,
detached from the cock after inserting the stem or plug into its socket, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2; the helical spring, Figure 6, is placed over it, with
a washer, as at f, Figure 1, bearing against a shoulder on the neck of the
barrel. Upon the square part of the top of the plug the cross lever or handle is
fitted, and held down by a small screw g, inserted into the end of the stem,
which presses the helical spring into tension, and by the reaction of this spring
the moveable plate d is drawn up and held in close contact with the fixed
plate or surface e. By raising or lowering the screw g, the force of the spring
will be diminished or increased, and hence the junction of the plates be
rendered more or less tight, which, if the surface of the moveable plate and
corresponding parallel fixed surface be properly ground and fitted, prevents
the possibility of leakage even by wear. On turning the lever or handle the
moveable plate d is sliden round, and the apertures brought into coincidence
for the discharge of the liquor. On turning the lever back again the solid
parts of the plates are made to cover the apertures, and the passage for the
flow of the liquor is closed.
Now whereas it is evident that the surfaces of the moveable and fixed
plates may be one convex and the other concave, or vice versa, provided
they be parallel with each other and properly ground to fit. And whereas
also my Invention is equally applicable to urn and other cocks and taps,

page_text: though I have only thought it necessary to give an illustration of a beer cock
or tap as made on my new plan; but I claim as my Invention those parts
described in the Drawing annexed, which effect the discharge and retention
of liquids from and in the said cocks or taps in manuer herein-before de-
scribed; and such my said Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and
belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England,
His said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby
declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believo
this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve
or disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained, wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Moore Ross, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, One thousand eight
Inrolled the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.