IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEASURING TAPS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Percival Everitt, of Great Ryburgh, in the County of
Norfolk, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF MEASURING TAPS."
Sealed the 31st October 1879, and dated the 9th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Percival Everitt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th May 1879.
PERCIVAL EVERITT, of Great Ryburgh, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEASURING TAPS."
The object of this Invention is to provide publicans and others with a facile
means for drawing off a measured quantity of spiritous and other liquors, so that
by one movement of the plug of the tap they will draw either the minimum, the
maximum, or any intermediate measure of liquor, and at the same time, if desired,
a registering apparatus may be made to record the amount of liquor discharged, and
thus act as a check against fraud.
The barrel from which the liquor is to be drawn I connect by a spigot and
branch passages with opposite ends of a cylindrical measuring chamber pierced at
different heights with vents for discharging the liquor in varying measured quanti-
ties from the cylinder. These vents are closed by a hollow plug which fits into a
conical socket forming part of the casting of the cylinder, and furnished with a bit
for discharging the liquor. Within the cylinder I fit loosely a piston, which will
fall to the bottom by its own weight, and will be free to rise under the pressure of
the liquor flowing from the barrel. The hollow plug I form with openings at
levels corresponding with the openings in the cylinder, and arranged helically so
that one ouly at a time can be brought into coincidence with an opening in the
cylinder. The branch passage by which the barrel is connected with the top of the
cylinder is controlled by the plug, which, when all the vents from the cylinder are
closed, presents a channel of communication between that passage and the top of
the cylinder.
It will now be understood that if a minimum measure of liquor is required to be
drawn the plug is turned to bring the lower most openings into coincidence. The
effect of this will be to cut off the connection between the top of the cylinder and
upper branch passage, and to allow of the pressure of the liquor in the barrel

page_text: forcing up the piston, the liquor above the piston escaping through the open chan-
nel. As the piston rises by reason of the out flow of the liquor it will gradually
close the lower opening of the cylinder and stop the outflow immediately the
minimum measured quantity has been run out, the attendant will then return the
plug to its former position, and the piston will drop to the bottom of the cylinder.
The like action will take place if the second hole of the plug is brought into
coincidence with the second hole of the cylinder, and so on through all the grades
of measurement, the axial movement imparted to the plug being greater as the
measure to be drawn is greater. The amount of motion required may be indicated
by notches or otherwise on the socket casting.
As an obvious modification of this arrangement the plug may be made of suf-
ficient capacity to constitute a measuring chamber, and it may discharge the
liquor at various heights through a vertical communication with the bib. In this
arrangement the piston will be situated within the plug, and serve as before to close
the discharge openings.
By fitting the piston with a rod passing up through the measuring chamber, and
providing a means for stopping the rise of the piston above certain defined heights
one discharge opening from the measuring chamber instead of several will suffice,
the flow of the liquor ceasing as soon as the rise of the piston is arrested by a
stop.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Percival Everitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th November
1879.
PERCIVAL EVERITT, of Great Ryburgh, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEASURING TAPS."
The object of this Invention is to provide publicans and others with a facile
means for drawing off a measured quantity of spirituous and other liquors, so that
one movement of the plug of the tap will draw either the minimum, the maximum,
or any intermediate measure of liquor, and at the same time, if desired, a registering
apparatus may be made to record the amount of liquor discharged, and thus act as
a check against fraud.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn several arrangements whereby
measured quantities of liquor may be drawn off with facility, and also the means
for actuating a registering apparatus. Fig. 1 shews in sectional elevation an
arrangement of apparatus suitable for drawing off four different measures of liquid
and for actuating a registering apparatus; Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same.
A is a cylindrical measuring chamber cast with an outer casing A', which forms a
vertical passage a for the liquor to be measured, and connects with a space a at
the top, and with a space a³ at the bottom of the casing. The measuring cham-
ber A is closed at top and open at bottom to the space as for the purpose to be
presently explained. This measuring chamber A is pierced at different heights as
at 1, 2, 3, and 4, with openings for discharging the liquor in varying measured
quantities. These openings are closed by a hollow plug B, which fits into a
conical socket forming part of the casting A¹, and is furnished with a handle for
turning it. A is a bib forming part of the main casting. Within the measuring
chamber A. I fit a floating piston C, which will fall to the bottom of the casing by
its own weight, and rest on a cap piece screwed into the casting. This piston
will be free to rise by the upward pressure upon it of the liquor flowing from the
barrel. The hollow plug B I form with vents 1*, 2*, 3×, 4*, at levels corre-
sponding with the openings 1, 2, 3, 4, in the measuring chamber, and these I
arrange helically so that one only at a time (can be brought into coincidence with
its corresponding opening; in the measuring chamber D is a screwed neck for con-
necting the barrel which contains the liquor to be measured with the measuring
apparatus. The liquor as it flows through the neck enters and fills the space a¹,
passes down the passage a, fills the space a², and presses on the underside of the
piston C. In order to admit the liquor to the top side of the piston a recess b is
made in the plug B of such a length that it will bring into communication the
space a¹ and the measuring chamber A through the lateral opeuing 4.
The posi-
tion of this recess b in the plug is such as to establish this communication only
when the vents of the plug are out of action. It will now be understood that if a
minimum measure of liquor is required to be drawn the plug is turned to bring the
lowermost openings 1 and 1× into coincidence. The effect of this will be to, cut off
the communication between the upper part of the measuring chamber and the
space a', and to allow of the pressure of the inflowing liquor forcing up the piston.
The liquor above the piston will then escape through the opening 1, but as the piston
rises by reason of the outflow of the liquor, it will gradually close the opening 1
and stop the outflow immediately the minimum measured quantity has been run
out. The duty of the attendant will then be to return plug B to its former position,
and the piston C will immediately drop to the bottom of the casing. The like
action will take place if the vent 2* of the plug is brought into coincidence with
the opening 2 of the measuring chamber, and so on through the four grades of
measurement, the axial movement imparted to the plug being greater as the
measure to be drawn is greater. These varying amounts of motion may be indicated
by notches or otherwise on the top of the casing as shewn in Fig. 2, but I prefer to

page_text: use a registering apparatus, and to actuate the same by the means shewn in the
Drawing; thus I fix upon the plug B a ratchet wheel c, into the teeth of which a
spring pawl d takes. This spring pawl is mounted upon a star wheel E, which turns
freely around the plug as upon a loose axle. Projecting into the path of the star
wheel is a rock level f, which is pivotted to a lug on the case g, which case serves
to enclose the counting mechanism. This rock lever f carries an actuating and a
locking pawl in gear with the teeth of a ratchet h, which is keyed to a spindle i
leading up to the registering apparatus. It will now be understood that on
turning the plug B to discharge the smallest measure of liquid the star wheel will
be turned and caused to rock the lever f, which will by its driving pawl give a
partial rotation to the ratchet wheel h and spindle i, which latter will transmit the
motion to the registering apparatus. As an increased motion is given to the plug
proportionate to the amount of liquid measured, so will the motion of the star wheel
be increased in a like proportion, and thus the larger as well as the smaller
measurement will be duly recorded by the registering apparatus.
As an obvious modification of the above described arrangement of measuring
apparatus the plug may be made of sufficient capacity to constitute a measuring
chamber, and it may discharge the liquor at various heights through a vertical
channel communicating with the bib. In this arrangement the piston will be
situated within the plug, and serve as before to close the discharge openings.
Fig. 3 shews in vertical section, and Figure 4 in transverse section (taken on the
line A, B, Fig. 3) this modification. B. is the hollow plug forming the measuring
chamber; it is enclosed in a casing A, which is formed with passages that lead the
liquor that is to be measured to the top and bottom of the measuring chamber as
before; C is the floating piston and 1, 2, 3, and 4 are the openings for the escape
of the liquor from the measuring chamber; these openings are arranged like the
vents in the hollow plug of the first arrangement, that is, helically and at heights
corresponding to the various measures required to be drawn. In the casing A a
vertical channel A' is formed, which terminates in a bib A².
The openings in the measuring chamber as they are brought into coincidence
with the channel A¹ will discharge liquor from the measuring chamber until closed
by the rising piston C.
The liquor is admitted to the top of the piston through an opening c, at the top
of the measuring chamber, which opening is closed by the turning of the plug in
the act of bringing one or other of the openings 1, 2, 3, 4 into line with the
channel A¹ For facility of fitting the plug B may be coned on its outer
periphery.
As a further improvement in measuring taps constructed with a floating piston I
propose to provide a mechanical means for arresting the rise of the piston, and
thereby to limit the amount of discharge from the measuring chamber; by this
means one discharge opening only from the measuring chamber will be required.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section, and Fig. 6, a plan view of this modification. A is the
measuring chamber enclosed in a case A¹, and fitted with a floating piston C; B is
a one way cock having a hollow plug which opens into the measuring chamber;
this cock connects by a neck D with the barrel containing the liquor to be
measured, and when turned so as to cut off the connection with the barrel it will
open a communication between the measuring chamber and the bib A. The liquor
is admitted to the opposite sides of the piston so that the pressure of the liquor on
the piston is equal on both sides thereof.
This piston fitted with a rod C¹ which passes through a gland in the top of the
casing, and above this rod a series of draw stops 1, 2, 3, 4 are arranged in a vertical
line for the purpose of arresting the rise of the piston according to the amount of
liquor desired to drawn off. When the stop 1 is drawn out on turning the cock,
and thereby opening the communication between the measuring chamber and the
bib, the piston will rise and force out through the bib an amount of liquor corre-
sponding to the smallest measure required to be drawn.
When this is accomplished the piston rod will strike the draw stop I, and being

page_text: thereby arrested in its ascent the liquor will cease to flow. The cock is then to be
reversed and liquor admitted from the barrel to the top of the piston, the apparatus
will then be ready for measuring out a fresh quantity of liquor. By shifting the
draw stops the rise of the piston may be varied at pleasure to suit the amount of
liquor required to be drawn out.
Instead of draw stops for arresting the rise of the piston, which plan is unsuited
for general use, as the apparatus might be tampered with, I propose to introduce
the stops within the measuring chamber, bringing the same into use by the act of
turning on the discharge cock. This modification is shewn in vertical section at
Fig. 7, and in cross section at Fig. 8, the section being taken on the line 1, 2, of
Fig. 7.
The piston C is in this example made hollow and inverted, and it is formed with
annular ribs 1, 2, 3 in its interior, such ribs being of varying internal diameters,
the uppermost rib 1 having the largest diameter and the lowest rib 3 the smallest
diameter. Fitted to the plug of the cock B, and pendent therefrom is a rod B¹,
which terminates in a button. This rod is so situate with regard to the piston as
to allow of its rising in the measuring chamber to any desired height, and yet of
arresting the piston at any desired position by offering an obstruction through its
button to one or other of the annular ribs or to the piston bead 4. This obstruc-
tion is produced by turning the plug of the cock to open a passage between the
measuring chamber and the bib A. When the smallest measure is to be drawn
the largest radius of the button will be brought over the rib by the turning on
of the discharge cock. The rise of the piston will thus be arrested so soon as it
has discharged the requisite amount of liquor.
By increasing the axial motion of the plug of the cock the button will be cor-
respondingly turned so as to clear the annular ribs 1, 2, or 3, as the case may be,
and thus allow of the pistons increased ascent. When the button is clear of all
the ribs the piston will be free to rise to its greatest height, and striking the button
by the surface 4, it will be arrested after having discharged the largest amount of
liquor which the apparatus is capable of measuring at one operation. It will be
understood that the lateral passage of the plug of the cock for leading the liquor to
the bib must be extended sufficiently to maintain communication with the bib
when the largest axial motion of the button is required.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Measuring Taps," and explained 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 application to measuring taps of a floating piston for controlling
the discharge of liquor therefrom as and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Percival Everitt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
PERCIVAL EVERITT. (L.S.)