Improvements in Apparatus for Drawing off Liquids from Casks or other Vessels.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drawing off Liquids from Casks
or other Vessels.
I, ALBRECHT MARTIKKE, Engineer of Berlin in the kingdom of Prussia and
German Empire 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 has for its object to draw off Beer, Wine and other liquids from
tightly closed casks or vessels without using any pressure or without having to
tightly adjust the glass or other receptacle which is to be filled under the outlet of
the tap or cock.
This advantage is obtained by means of a special arrangement of the tap or cock
the outer shape of which differs very little from an ordinary beer cock.
The peculiar construction of the apparatus is shown in the annexed drawings
whereon,
Figs. 1 and 5 are side views of the cock, fig. 2 a front view and fig. 3 a plan.
Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section of the cock with a view of the plug when the
cock is shut.
Fig. 6 shows a section of the box of the cock, with a view of the plug in the same
position as in Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is a cross section of the box with a view of the plug in a position at right
angles to Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a section through the line A. B. fig. 6.
Fig. 9 a section through the line C. D. fig. 7.
Fig. 10 is a cross section of the box, without the plug, looking on one side.
Fig. 11 is a cross section of the box, without the plug, looking on the other side.
Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of the plug through the line A. B. fig. 8, when
it is in the position represented at figs. 4 and 6.
Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section of the plug through the line C. D. fig. 9, when
it is in the position shown in figs. 5 and 7.
Fig. 14 is a skeleton design showing the method of closing and opening the
cock.
As shown in figs. 1, 2 and 4, there are two discs a, a, cast on the box of the cock
against which two glass cylinders b. bare adjusted by means of the clamps c, c,
and the thumb screws d, d, which remain fixed thereto until the cask or vessel
is emptied. Both cylinders b, b, serve, first, to receive, alternately, the liquid, such
as beer for instance, from the cask and then to, alternatively, allow it to run into
the glass or other receptacle to be filled and which is placed under the cock.
By means of a thin rubber tube or a hose pipe the cock, after having been fixed
to the cask which is to be drawn off, is connected by the nozzle e with a cylinder or
reservoir void of air.
The plug is provided at its upper and thicker part with a groove g, figs. 6 and 7,
which, as shown in fig. 8, only encircles a part of the body of the plug the object
of which is, on the one hand to establish a communication by means of the nozzle e
with the reservoir void of air, and on the other hand with either of the cylinders &
in order to fill them with the liquid to be drawn off. A little under the
groove g there is another similar groove h which is shown in fig. 9, its object is,
when the cock is in a certain position, that is to say after both cylinders are filled
with the liquid, to allow the entrance in the one first filled, of atmospheric air,
thus causing the emptying of the liquid. The grooves g and h are so placed that

page_text: they extend, as shown, around 7 of the circumference of the plug, so that, even by
a slight opening of the cock, in order to allow of the passage of a smaller quantity
of liquid, the communication with the vacuum always exists.
At the lower part of the plug f, figs. 7, 12 and 13 there is a hollow passage
which is for the purpose of allowing the liquid to flow, alternately, from either of
the cylinders out through the lower end of the plug into the glass or receptacle
to be filled.
The openings (figs. 1, 5 and 10) establish communication between the reservoir
void of air and the vacuum groove 7, and the openings K between the atmosphere
and the air groove h, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, with the interior of
the cylinders b.
Instead of using two cylinders more can be employed, or if desired a single
cylinder may be used.
The cock operates in the following manner;-If the handle of the plug, f, is
turned towards the cask as indicated in figs. 1, 4 and 6, the cock is thereby shut,
now, if the plug f is turned of its revolution, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, the right
hand cylinder will be filled up with liquid, the entrance of which in the cylinder
will be easily seen as it is made of glass. If now the handle of the plug is turned
back so that it comes round to the left side, occupying a position opposite to the
previous one, the left cylinder will be filled, whilst the cylinder previously filled will
be thereby emptied into the glass or other receptacle placed below the cock to be
filled. The cylinders may be thus filled and emptied alternately until the supply in
the cask is completely exhausted.
From the foregoing it will be readily understood that when the handle of the
cock is placed in the direction "5" (see fig. 14) then the communication through
the channels, is interrupted and the cock is shut. If, however, the handle is turned
either to the left or right of the position "5" through a of a revolution, then one
of the measuring vessels or cylinders is filled with liquid from the cask, while the
liquid in the other one is run off. When it is desired to draw off liquid continuously,
one of the cylinders, say the left hand one, is first filled, then the handle is turned
to the right, that is, in the direction 1, 2, 3, 4, arrived at 4 the contents of the
left hand cylinder run off whilst the right band one is filled. The bandle is now
turned back again, to the left in the direction 4, 3, 2, 1, arrived at 1 the right
band cylinder runs off and the left hand one is filled." By quickly turning the
handle from left to right and vice versa in this manner a almost continuous flow of
liquid is obtained.
Should only one cylinder, b, be used instead of two, the plug ought to be
turned right round instead of giving it a half turn in order to fill up the
cylinder.
Having now particularly 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. An apparatus for drawing off liquids by means of a pneumatic arrangement
combined with the use of a plug or cock-peg f at the upper part of which a
groove (figs. 4, 6 and 7) which does not extend around the full circumference
of the plug, as shown at fig. 8, is provided, the said groove communicating, on the
one hand, by means of the nozzle e with a reservoir void of air, and, on the other
hand, through the openings with either of the cylinders b, b which are tightly
screwed on each side of the box of the cock for the purpose of alternately receiving
the liquid out of the air-tight cask or other vessel and then letting it run off;
another groove h being also provided under the vacuum groove g to receive the
atmospheric air and to transmit it through the openings k (figs. 5, and 10) into
either cylinder b, substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown on the drawings
annexed.

page_text: 2. An apparatus for drawing off liquids by means of a pneumatic arrangement
fitted with one cylinder instead of two and with only one disc, a whole turn of
the cock being required instead of half a turn to fill up the cylinder, substantially
as boreinbefore specified.
Dated this Eighteenth day of July 1889.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agent.