IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASES OR VESSELS FOR THE STORING AND PRESERVATION PROVISIONAL SPATION
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bryan I'Anson Bromwich, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASES OR VESSELS FOR THE STORING AND PRESERVATION
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bryan I'Anson Bromwich
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th January 1864.
I, BRYAN I'ANSON BROMWICH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASKS OR VESSELS FOR THE STORING AND PRESERVA-
TION OF WINES, SPIRITS, AND OTHER LIQUORS OR FLUIDS," to be as follows, that
is to say:
My Invention consists in so constructing these vessels that the contents
shall be kept air-tight whilst the bulk is in course of reduction by drawing off.
I construct a cask or other cylindrical vessel, the head or lid of which instead
of being fixed is fitted within the top of the vessel, and is protected from
coming out by a flange or collar round the internal periphery of the top of the
vessel; the edge of this loose head or lid is grooved or sunk to receive a
packing, which may consist of a steel annular spring and an annular packing
of india-rubber tubing, gutta percha, or hempen, or other suitable packing,
thus the loose head is always fitting closely the inside of the vessel, whilst it

page_text: is capable of falling and keeping close down upon the contents by the pressure
of the atmosphere, and this pressure may be assisted by weighting the head
if requisite. At the bottom of the inside of the vessel I provide a distance
flange, so that when the contents are nearly exhausted the loose head rests
upon this flange. The orifice for the insertion of the tap is placed close to the
bottom of the cask, and I provide against dregs or refuse entering the tap
by placing a perforated casing behind the orifice for the tap; this casing acts
as a strainer. Thus as the contents are withdrawn through the tap and the
bulk reduced, the remainder is kept perfectly air-tight and free from evapo-
ration by the loose head descending as the fluid falls by the pressure of the
atmosphere on its outer surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bryan I'Anson Bromwich in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRYAN
I'ANSON BROMWICH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Bryan l'Anson Bromwich, Her special licence that I, the said
Bryan l'Anson Bromwich, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Bryan l'Anson Bromwich, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASKS OR VESSELS
FOR THE STORING AND PRESERVATION OF WINES, SPIRITS, AND OTHER LIQUORS OR
FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Bryan I'Anson
Bromwich, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Bryan l'Anson Bromwich, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in so constructing these vessels that the contents
shall be kept air-tight whilst the bulk is in course of reduction by drawing-off.
I construct a cask or other cylindrical vessel, the head or lid of which, instead of
being fixed is fitted within the top of the vessel, and is protected from coming
out by a flange or collar round the internal periphery of the top of the vessel;
the edge of this loose head or lid is grooved or sunk to receive a packing, which
may consist of a steel annular spring and an annular packing of india-rubber
tubing, gutta percha, or hempen or other suitable packing, thus the loose head
is always fitting closely the inside of the vessel, whilst it is capable of falling
and keeping close down upon the contents by the pressure of the atmosphere,
and this pressure may be assisted by weighting the head, if requisite. At
the bottom of the inside of the vessel I provide a distance flange, so that
when the contents are nearly exhausted the loose head rests upon this flange.
The orifice for the insertion of the tap is placed close to the bottom of the
cask, and I provide against dregs or refuse entering the tap by placing a
perforated casing behind the orifice for the tap; this casing acts as a strainer.
Thus as the contents are withdrawn through the tap and the bulk reduced,
the remainder is kept perfectly air-tight and free from evaporation by the
loose head descending as the fluid falls by the pressure of the atmosphere on

page_text: the cask to prevent the head from going quite to the bottom, which would
have a tendency to force dregs and settlings through the tap; (h) is a per-
forated tubular casing, into which the tap is inserted, and which acts as a
strainer.
The remaining Drawings illustrate other modes of forming and packing the
loose head. In Figure 2 this is done by means of a slit tube of flexible or
resilient material, which tube when in operation and bearing against the
inside of the cask is opened out and springs against the inside in the manner
shewn in dotted lines. In Figure 3 the packing of the same material is
attached to the edge of the head in a line inclining downwards, and by the
action of fitting the head into the cask this packing is forced upwards bearing
with a spring against the inside of the cask. In Figures 4 and 5 the packing
is a tubular flexible ring acting as a cushion, and by its adjusting expansion
or contraction filling up any inequalities or uneven distances between the head
and the inside of the cask, in all these four last described Drawings the hollow
or box form of head is shewn, which would be incapable of tilting and would
require no brackets or guides as in Figure 1.
The mode of using this Invention is as follows:-The cask having been filled
as far as can be conveniently done with the head removed the head is placed
in position and forced down upon the fluid, and for the escape of air the
screw bung may also be removed; should the head not quite touch the fluid
the fluid may be brought to the level of the head by pouring it through the
bung hole; the bung is then screwed in, and the contents of the cask will be
as nearly as possible air-tight, and any portion of them will remain so
until the whole is drawn off, for upon withdrawing a part by means of
the tap no vacuum is thereby caused as the pressure of the atmosphere
upon the outside of the head causes the head to descend as the bulk of fluid
is decreased.
The Drawings represent a cask or vessel intended to be stationary. For
moveable ones it would be necessary to provide a collar or flange that
may easily be attached and removed by screws around the inside of
the top of the cask to prevent the head of the cask from being forced
out by the motion of the fluid, or a common fixed head may be employed in
addition to the loose one.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed I do not limit myself to the
precise details herein specified, but that which I claim is, the several
improvements in the construction of casks or vessels by fitting them with
à loose or descending head kept by the pressure of the atmosphere upon

page_text: the surface of the fluid contents, substantially as herein more fully set forth
and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bryan l'Anson Bromwich, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
BRYAN I'ANSON BROMWICH. (L.S.)