Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1889
Specification Accepted, 6th Apr., 1889
I, SAMUEL LEAUX WILLIAMSON of 328 Mile End Road London E., Pewterer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates more especially to the valves or working parts of beer engines
or oil pumps and is designed to supply an effective means of overcoming the backwash
or leakage to which these valves aro liable when, the lever handle is pulled suddenly
down and put back or is oscillated violently, whereby much loss and waste of liquor is
caused. It is however applicable to all pumps with a barrel in which is a lower valve
or clack valve to prevent back flow.
When the barrel of beer or oil to be drawn off by the pump or engine is placed on
or above the level of the barrel, or on nearly the same level, as sometimes happens,
a comparatively slight motion of the handle to and fro will cause back wash, or the
emission of the fluid through the lower valve, and consequent dribbling or over flow
from the tap or spout. The liquor thus spilled is deteriorated or wasted, or in the
case of oil, danger from fire or offensive odours are often occasioned.
The loss is especially serious in the case of high class beers and amounts to an
important item in the course of a year.
By my method this overflow is entirely stopped the lower valve being held firmly
in its seat until the piston and bucket are raised for pumping.
My improvement is to attach to the tap of the clack or bottom valve, or below
the piston, one or more small springs which come into play when the piston descend's,
while they are inoperative when the piston ascends and the liquor is drawn. The
spring may be coiled or plain, or bow shaped, or in one or more folds or leaves, or
of any preferred shape.
I use by preference a flat segmental shaped spring with the ends bent horizontally
so as to receive the impact of the piston the centre being fastened by a screw or rivet
to the summit of the lower valve.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shews a section about half real size, of the
barrel of a beer engine. Fig. 2 shews an elevation of the lower valve and spring

page_text: detached, of full size or thereabouts. A is the barrel or cylinder of the pump B is
the piston C the lower valve D the spring E the screw.
It will be seen that when the piston B descends until it touches the ends of the
spring Da strong pressure is applied to the lower valve, and it is held down tightly
upon its seat so that no escape of liquor or gas is possible until the piston again
ascends.
The steel spring can be electro coated with silver or tin or otherwise covered to
prevent oxydation.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
(1) The method of holding down the lower valve of the barrel of beer engines
and other barrel pumps, by means of a spring of some suitable kind which
comes into play on the back stroke of the piston as herein explained and set
forth.
(2) In a pump or beer-engine barrel the spring D and the screw E or their
equivalents to ensure the closing of the valve as herein explained and set forth.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, E.C.
Patent Agent.