An Improvement in Means of Tapping or Drawing Liquids from Casks or Barrels, and also Venting the same.
Year: 1899

page_text: An Improvement in Means of Tapping or Drawing Liquids from
Casks or Barrels, and also Venting the same.
I, JOHN WATKINS, of Pomona Farm. Hereford, Cider and Perry Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to means of tapping or drawing liquid from a cask or
barrel and also giving vent to the same, without the necessity of having a separate
tap, cock, or vent peg or spile, but by a permanent appliance so attached to the
cask as to be out of the way of injury during transport.
For this purpose, I bore a hole in one of the staves preferably the bung stave,
and in the stave opposite to it, on the other side of the cask, I bore a similar hole
In each of these holes is inserted a sleeve projecting into the cask, this is prefer-
ably surrounded by a casing inside the cask, or the sleeve and casing may be made
in one piece.
Through these casings is passed a tube or rod, one or both ends being tubular,
but so fitting the sleeves as to form perfectly air and water tight joints at each end.
In the lower end of the tube, a little distance inside the cask, there is a hole
or slot which can be made to coincide with a passage through the lower sleeve
and casing inside the cask, so that liquid can flow through this passage into the
tube and thus out of the cask.
In the upper end of the tube there is also a hole or passage which can be made
to coincide with a passage through the upper sleeve and casing inside the cask,
so that air can pass into the cask.
The end of the tube or rod is so formed that it can be turned by a key, so that
when it is turned so as to bring the holes or slots to face the passages through
the sleeves and casings, the liquid flows out, and at the same time air is admitted
into the cask.
Additional passages in the sleeves and casings can be so arranged that air can
be admitted. without allowing liquid to flow out, or liquid can flow out without air
being admitted. the tube or rod being turned only so far as to bring its holes into
coincidence with these additional passages.
The end of the tube or rod can be covered by a plate or hoop so grooved or
notched that when a key is inserted and the tube or rod is turned, the key cannot
he withdrawn until the passage of air into, and the liquid out of the barrel is
stopped.
The grooving can be formed in the barrel itself. The key in these cases is
formed with a projection, which turning in the groove. prevents the key from
being withdrawn. unless the projection is brought round to the place where it
can pass into or out of the groove. The key may also be so jointed that it can be
folded under the plate or inside the tube and sealed in this position. Or the tube
or rod may be turned by a fixed handle which can be turned back out of the
way under a projection of the plate or hoop, and locked or sealed in this position.

page_text: According to a modification, the tube, instead of being turned, may have
through it a sliding rod by moving which the passages for air and liquid can be
opened or closed.
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improvement in Means of Tapping or Drawing Liquids from
Casks or Barrels, and also Venting the same.
I, JOHN WATKINS, of Pomona Farm, Hereford, Cider and Perry Merchant, 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:-
My invention relates to the means of tapping or drawing liquids from a cask
or barrel, and also giving vent to the same, without the necessity of having a
separate tap, cock, or vent peg or spile, but by a permanent appliance so attached
to the cask as to be out of the way of injury during transport.
For this purpose, I provide the cask or barrel with an appliance which I shall
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a part longitudinal section at the end of a cask with my appliance
shewn in elevation. Fig. 2 is a part transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan of part of the upper side of the cask shewing key hole, Fig. 4 is a
side and edge view of a folding key. Fig. 5 is a part section shewing a modifica-
tion of the passage for liquid; Fig. 6 is a section of a modification in which slide
valves are employed.
I bore a hole in one of the staves preferably the bung stave, a, and in the
stave b, opposite to it, on the other side of the cask, I bore a similar hole. In each
of these holes is inserted a sleeve preferably corks c and d projecting into the
cask. These are preferably strengthened by being surrounded by a ring e or
strainer finside the cask.
Through these sleeves is passed a tube g but so fitting the sleeves c and d as to
form air and water tight joints with them while it can freely turn in them.
In the lower end of the tube, a little distance inside the cask, the tube has a
lateral hole which by turning the tube to a certain position coincides with a
passage through the lower sleeve d so that liquid can flow through this passage
into the tube and out at the lower mouth of the tube.
¿
In the upper end of the tube there is also a lateral hole; which in the same
position of the tube coincides with a passage & through the upper sleeve so that air
can pass into the cask.
The end of the tube is attached to or burred over a washer and is so formed
or notched that it can be turned by a key, bringing it into position for liquid to
flow out at the lower end of the tube while air flows in at the upper end, or into
position where both flows are stopped.
Additional passages in the sleeves may be arranged to admit air or to allow
escape of gas without allowing liquid to flow out, or to allow liquid to flow out
without admitting air, the tube being turned to such positions as to bring the
one or the other of its lateral holes into coincidence with such additional passage.
The end of the tube is covered by a key plate m having a keyhole fitting a
key n. so shaped that when it is inserted and the tube is turned the key cannot be

page_text: withdrawn unless the tube is turned into the position stopping passage of air
into, and of liquid out of the cask.
The underside of the key plate m may have projecting studs to form stops for
the ears of the key when it is turned to the several positions for giving passage
for air or liquid. The shank of the key may be made in two parts p q jointed
together so that while q is opened out as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4 it
can be turned by the part p operating as a handle. Or the part 9 being folded
into the part p the whole can be inserted into the upper part of the tube for
transport with the cask.
Instead of a continuous tube g obviously a rod having fixed to each end a piece
of tube with lateral hole and end passage might be employed, or, as shewn in
Fig. 5, the passage, instead of being tubular, may be a longitudinal groove in
the side of the rod.
According to the modification shewn in Fig. 6 a tuber has two lateral holes
closed by pistons at fixed on a rod u, these operating as a slide valve which on its
being pulled up to the position indicated by the dotted lines uncovers the lateral
holes, allowing liquid to flow out at the lower end of the tuber and air to enter
by a groove in the side of the piston t.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An appliance, arranged entirely within a cask, for drawing liquid from and
venting the cask, this appliance consisting of a tube or rod having its ends fitting
in sleeves fixed in holes on opposite sides of the cask, these ends and the sleeves
having passages so arranged that in turning the tube or rod as a stop cock by
means of a suitable key, its passages are brought into coincidence with those of
the sleeves, allowing liquid to issue at the lower end and air to enter at the upper
end, substantially as described.
2. The modified appliance in which the rod, having pistons at its ends, instead
of being arranged to turn as a stop cock, is arranged to move lengthwise in a
tube so as to operate as a slide valve, substantially as described,
Dated this 12th day of January 1900.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.