Improvements in Valved Bushes for the Tap Holes of Barrels and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valved Bushes for the Tap Holes of Barrels
and the like.
I, WILLIAM BENJAMIN HUTCHINSON, F.R.A.S., F.I.I., A.I.E.E., &c., of West
Street, Southport, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to valved bushes for the tap holes of barrels and the
like, and its object is to simplify their construction and at the same time ensure.
a ready and always certain opening and closing of the valve by the act of inserting
or removing the tap.
To this end, the invention consists essentially in forming the bush of two conical
shells of which one is provided with one or more suitable side apertures and
inserted as a valve into the other shell which is provided with corresponding side
apertures and acts as a seating for said valve; and in providing the inner shell or
valve with a flange at its outer end to be engaged by a shoulder on the tap in order
that the valve may be turned and its apertures brought into or out of register with
those of the seating by the act of inserting or withdrawing the tap from the bush,
the valve having an internal thread to receive the tap which is correspondingly
threaded.
In carrying the invention into effect I form the outer shell or bush conical
with its smaller or inner end closed and its outer end flanged to afford means
of securing it to the barrel or the like such as by screws or otherwise, and form the
apertures for the liquid in the sides towards the inner end which projects into the
barrel. These apertures are preferably two in number and arranged in the upper
and under sides of the bush so as to be vertically one over the other, and the
under aperture is preferably rather larger in area than the upper one, in order
to allow any obstructive matter which may enter the valve through the upper
aperture to clear away through the larger aperture beneath into the bottom of
the cask or barrel. Into this bush or seating is fitted the inner conical shell or
valve which I grind to accurately fit the sides so as to avoid leakage and which is
provided with side apertures corresponding to those in the seating and is also
closed at its inner end. This valve may be held to its seating in any convenient
manner but I prefer to pass a screw bolt through the closed ends of the valve and
seating and secure it by nuts which allow of adjustment for wear of the valve.
I further provide the valve at its outer end with an internal thread to receive the
tap which has a corresponding external thread and with a flange to be engaged by
a shoulder on the tap when the latter has been screwed into position. On the
flange of the outer shell or seating I arrange a pin or projection to act as a stop
for the valve in its fully opened and fully closed positions the flange of the valve
being cut away or slotted to clear said pin to a suitable extent but forming
shoulders at each end of the part cut away to engage the pin and thus limit the
movement of the valve.
In use the tap is screwed into the inner shell or valve until its shoulder bears

page_text: against the flange of the valve, and on the screwing action being continued the
valve is turned with the tap and thus opened, the pin on the flange of the seating
or outer shell stopping the turning when the valve is fully open. Liquid is thus
allowed to flow to the tap and be drawn off.
On unscrewing the tap to remove it, the valve and tap first move together until
stopped by the pin, thus fully closing the valve, and the tap may then be screwed
off, leaving the valve fully closed. Any hops or other substances which may have
been carried partly into the valve in drawing off the liquid, are cut off by the
shearing action of the valve in closing, and the working of the valve cannot thus
be obstructed.
It will be seen that the action of my improved valved bush does not in any way
depend upon the insertion of the tap at a given point of the thread, as the valve
will be turned the moment the tap has been screwed up sufficiently to bring its
shoulder against the face of the flange on the valve.
66
°
With this improved device, should any solid matter get through and obstruct
the strainer end of the tap which might cause an accumulation, in the valve, of
"
bottoms or other matter likely to cause an obstruction to the flow of the liquid
when the tap is open, it is only necessary to close the bush valve and remove the
tap, whereupon the interior of the valve can be readily cleaned and any obstruction
that may exist be cleared away without loss of any portion of the cask's contents
except the little actually in the valve at the time.
Dated this 13th dox of Avm 1807
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
I,
Improvements in Valved Bushes for the Tap Holes of Barrels
and the like.
ANNE HUTCHINSON, of 4, Westend Terrace, West Street, South-
port, in the County of Lancaster, Executrix of the late William Benjamin
Hutchinson, F.R.A.S., F.I.I., A.I.E.E., &c., of West Street, Southport, in the
County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, 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 to valved bushes for the tap holes or drawing-off orifices
of barrels and the like, and its object is to simplify their construction and at the
same time ensure a ready and always certain opening and closing of the valve by
the act of inserting or removing the tap whereby casks can be tapped without
the loss or disturbance of any of their contents.
A valved bush made in accordance with my invention is shown in the accompany-
ing drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the valved bush with a tap
inserted, the valve being open;
Figure 2, a cross section on the line of Figure 1;
Figures 3 and 4, front and side elevations of Figure 1, the tap not being
shown;
°
Figure 5, a cross section on the line -r of Figure 1 but with the valve
closed.
The invention consists essentially in forming the bush of two conical shells, such
as A and B, of which one is provided with one or more suitable side apertures and
inserted as a valve into the other shell which is provided with corresponding side

page_text: apertures and acts as a seating for said valve; and in providing the inner shell or
valve A with a flange or face at its outer end to be engaged by a shoulder on the
tap in order that the valve may be turned and its apertures brought into or out
of register with those of the seating by the act of inserting or withdrawing the
tap from the bush, the valve having an internal thread to receive the tap which is
correspondingly threaded.
In carrying the invention into effect, I form the outer shell or bush B conical
with its smaller or inner end closed and its outer end 6 flanged to afford means of
securing it to the barrel or the like, such as by screws through screw holes 61, or
otherwise, and form apertures e for the liquid in the sides towards the inner end
which projects into the barrel. These apertures c are preferably two in number
and arranged in the upper and under sides of the bush B so as to be vertically one
over the other, and the under aperture is preferably rather larger in area than
the upper one, in order to allow any obstructive matter which may enter the valve
through the upper aperture to clear away through the larger aperture beneath
into the bottom of the cask or barrel. Into this bush or seating is fitted the inner
conical shell or valve A which I grind to accurately fit the sides so as to avoid
leakage and which is provided with side apertures c¹ corresponding to those in the
seating and is also closed at its inner end. This valve may be held to its seating
in any convenient manner but I prefer to form or attach a screw bolt g to the
closed end of the valve A and pass it through the end of the seating B and secure
it by a nut h which allows of adjustment for wear of the valve. I further provide
the valve A at its outer end with an internal thread f to receive the tap which
has a corresponding external thread, and with a flange or face a to be engaged by
a shoulder on the tap when the latter has been screwed into position. On the
flange 6 of the outer shell or seating B I arrange a pin or projection e to act as a
stop for the valve A in its fully open and fully closed positions, the flange a of the
valve being cut away or slotted to clear said pin to a suitable extent but
forming shoulders or projections a¹ at each end of the part cut away to engage the
pin e and thus limit the movement of the valve.
In use the tap is screwed into the inner shell or valve A until its shoulder d
bears against the flange or face a of the valve, and on the screwing action being
continued the valve A is turned with the tap and thus opened, the pin e on the
flange of the seating or outer shell B stopping the turning when the valve is
fully open (Figures 1 to 4). Liquid is thus allowed to flow to the tap and be
drawn off.
On unscrewing the tap to remove it, the valve A and tap first move together
until stopped by the pin e thus fully closing the valve (Figure 5), and the tap may
Any hops or other substances
then be screwed off, leaving the valve fully closed.
which may have been carried partly into the valve in drawing off the liquid, are
cut off by the shearing action of the valve in closing, and the working of the
valve cannot thus be obstructed. It will be readily understood that the flange b
may be countersunk to receive the flange a if it be desired to have the outer faces
of these flanges flush or nearly flush with each other, the flange b in such case
being grooved to allow sufficient play for the lugs a¹ and the ends of the groove
serving as stops to limit the extent of turning of the valve, thus dispensing with
the pin e.
It will be seen that the action of my improved valved bush does not in any way
depend upon the insertion of the tap at a given point of the thread, as the valve
will be turned the moment the tap has been screwed up sufficiently to bring its
shoulder against the face or flange a on the valve.
or
"bottoms"
.
cause
With this improved device, should any solid matter get through and obstruct
an accumulation,
the strainer end D of the tap which might cause
an obstruc-
other matter likely to
in the valve of
tion to the flow of the liquid when the tap is open, it is only necessary to
close the bush valve and remove the tap, whereupon the interior of the valve
can be readily cleaned and any obstruction that may exist be cleared away without

page_text: loss of any portion of the cask's contents except the little actually in the valve at
the time.
When the contents of the cask are to be drawn off through a pipe, it is obvious
that the tap may be dispensed with, the only requirement being the provision on
the pipe of a union and nipple, said nipple being formed with a shoulder and
thread corresponding with the thread of the valve to act in the same way as the
shank of the tap, and the term tap throughout this specification is to be taken as
including such a nipple.
It will be seen that the improved valved bush is free from any complicated parts
which would increase the cost of manufacture or render it unreliable in working.
It is so simple that ready access can be had to the parts at any time for cleaning or
repairs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:―
1. The improvement in valved bushes for the tap holes of barrels and the like,
which consists in forming the same simply of two conical shells fitted and retained
one within the other and each provided with one or more side apertures, the outer
shell serving as a valve seating and having means for securing it in the tap hole
or drawing-off orifice, and the inner shell serving as a valve within said seating
and having an internal thread to receive the tap which is correspondingly threaded,
and a flange or face to be engaged by a shoulder on the tap, so that the valve will
be turned to bring its aperture or apertures into or out of register with the aperture
or apertures of the seating, and be thus opened or closed, by the act of inserting or
withdrawing the tap, whilst affording ready access to the parts at any time for
cleaning or repairs, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a valved bush such as described, consisting of two apertured conical shells
fitted one within the other; forming the two shells with closed inner ends and
providing a threaded bolt on the end of the inner shell to protrude through a
hole in the end of the outer shell to receive a nut whereby the inner shell or valve
may be drawn and held to the seating formed by the outer shell, thus allowing of
adjustment for wear, substantially as described.
3. In a valved bush such as described, consisting of two apertured conical shells
fitted one within the other; forming the outer end of the inner shell with a flange
or face to be engaged by a shoulder on the tap, and with an internal screwthread
to receive the tap which is correspondingly threaded, so that the valve will be
opened or closed by the act of inserting or withdrawing the tap, suitable means
being provided to limit the movement of the valve and stop it in its fully opened
and fully closed positions, substantially as described.
4. The general construction and combination of parts, taken as a whole, forming
the improved valved bush for the tap holes of barrels and the like, substantially as
herein before described and illustrated.
ԱՆ
The day we may 2000.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.