Improvements in or connected with Earthenware Bottles or Jars, or other Vessels or Reservoirs for Containing and Delivering . Liquid.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Earthenware Bottles or Jars,
or other Vessels or Reservoirs for Containing and Delivering
. Liquid.
We, GEORGE JAMES CHAMBERS Manager, and ALFRED BASDEN Traveller,
both of the Fulham Pottery, Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with earthenware bottles
or jars, or other vessels or reservoirs for coutaining and delivering liquid.
.
Reservoirs of this character, and more especially stone bottles or jars are now
commonly employed to contain small quantities of beer, and for that purpose they
are sometimes formed with an apertured boss or bung-hole at the lower part
adapted to receive a tap or cock, generally a small wooden tap.
Taps fitted in this manner are very liable to he blown out by the pressure within
the vessel, or by reason of their projecting a considerable distance out from the
vessel they are liable to be knocked out, and an accident of this character is
commonly attended with serious results, inasmuch as the beer forced out. is
calculated to spoil adjacent carpets or other articles of furniture.
A further objection to the employment of wooden taps in this manner is that
they speedily split and become useless and when frequently renewed the cost
thereof is considerable, and the primary object of the present invention is to over-
come the objections hereinbefore pointed out.
In carrying the invention into effect when applying the same to a stone bottle or
jar, a lug, projection or lump is formed upon the side of the vessel at or near to
the bottom thereof, and this lug is provided with a vertical hole therethrough
preferably a tapered hole, and this vertical hole is connected by a horizontal way
with the interior of the vessel.
The vertical hole is lined with a bushing of cork or other suitable packing
material, apertured to correspond with the horizontal way, and within this bushing
is fitted a plug or valve similar to that of an ordinary wooden tap, that is to say
the plug is hollow and provided with a side opening adapted to register when
desired with the horizontal way, and to deliver the contents of the vessel through
its lower end which is open.
By reason of the plug being arranged transversely to the horizontal way, and
the lug being integral with the vessel it will be impossible for the tap to
blow out.
The body of the vessel upon a level with the key or crossbar of the plug, is
recessed to permit of the latter being turned without projecting the entire device
too far from the body of the vessel, and the key or crossbar is so arranged. that
when the way or aperture of the plug is in its closed position, it will lie within the
recess, and thus any risk of the tap being turned on by the accidental contact
thereof with a passing object is avoided.
If desired the recess may be so arranged that its upper part is inclined or wedge
shaped, so that upon turning off the tap the key or crossbar will come in contact
with such incline or wedge, and the plug of the tap will thus be forced home and
securely held

page_text: The plug or valve of the tap may if desired be held in position by an india-
rubber or other washer, or by other suitable means, in order to prevent its
accidental displacement.
In some cases it may be desirable to form the plug or valve of earthenware like
the body of the vessel, and in this case it will be desirable to grind in the plug
with the vertical tapered hole of the lug, and in order to facilitate the grinding
operation the crossbar is forined separate from the key and fixed therewith after
the completion thereof.
An india-rubber washer or other means is sometimes employed to hold the plug
in position as hereinbefore described.
Or, a bushing may be employed in connection with this device if desired.
For some purposes the plug may be locked in its closed position by means of a
hinged bale or fitting or other suitable device engaging the crossbar or key, and
thus held by means of a padlock so that there will be no possibility of tampering
with the contents of the vessel.
Although the invention is primarily intended to be employed in connection with
stone bottles or jars, it will be obvious that it is equally applicable to other vessels
such as filters or chemical vats, or to metal bottles or vessels, or to vessels formed
of other material, and when dealing with some of these materials it will be
understood that it will be necessary to form the lug or projection separately from
the body of the vessel and to fix it thereon by rivetting, soldering or otherwise.
In some cases it may be desirable to employ a screw plug in lieu of the plaia
plug hereinbefore described, and arranged so as to screw down upon rubber or other
suitable washers disposed above and below the horizontal way, whilst a washer
acting in conjunction with a bevelled shoulder would be employed to prevent the
escape of the liquid around the top of the plug in the open position thereof..
By the means hereinbefore described and more especially referring to stone bottles
or jars, the cost of the vessel is very little increased whilst the barrel of the
ordinary wood tap is dispensed with, and a considerable saving is thus effected in
addition to the other advantages hereinbefore pointed out.
Dated this 19th day of June 1896.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27 Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
Improvements in or connected with Earthenware Bottles or Jars, "
or other Vessels or Reservoirs for Containing and Delivering
Liquid.
We, GEORGE JAMES CHAMBERS, Manager, and ALFRED BASDEN, Traveller,
both of the Fulham Pottery, Fulham in the County of Middlesex do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be 4
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with earthenware bottles
or jars, or other vessels or reservoirs for containing and delivering liquid.
Reservoirs of this character, and more especially stoneware bottles or jars are 4
now commonly employed to contain small quantities of beer, and for that purpose
they are sometimes formed with an apertured boss or bung-hole at the lower part
. adapted to receive a tap or cock, generally a small wooden tap...
Taps fitted in this manner are very liable to be blown out by the pressure within
the vessel, or by reason of their projecting a considerable distance out from the 5

page_text: vessel they are liable to be knocked out, and an accident of this character is
commonly attended with serious results inasmuch as the beer forced out is
calculated to spoil adjacent carpets or other articles of furniture.
A further objection to the employment of woodeu taps in this manner is that
they speedily split. and become useless and when frequently renewed the cost
thereof is considerable, and the primary object of the present invention is to
overcome the objections herein before pointed out.
In carrying the invention into effect when applying the same to a stone bottle
or jar, a lug, projection, or lump is formed upon the side of the vessel at or near to
the bottom thereof, and this lag is provided with a vertical hole therethrough
preferably a tapered hole, and this vertical hole is connected by a horizontal way
with the interior of the vessel.
The vertical hole is lined with a bushing of cork or other suitable packing
material, apertured to correspond with the horizontal way, and within this bushing
is fitted a plug or valve similar to that of an ordinary wooden tap, that is to say.
the plug is hollow and provided with a side opening adapted to register when
desired with the horizontal way, and to deliver the contents of the vessel through
its lower end which is open.
By reason of the plug being arranged transversely to the horizontal way, and
the fug being integral with the vessel it will be impossible for the tap to blow out.
In some cases.it may be desirable to form the plug or valve of earthenware, like
the body of the vessel, and in this case it will be desirable to grind in the plug
with the vertical tapered hole of the lug, and in order to facilitate the grinding
operation the cross bar is formed separate from the key and fixed therewith after
the completion thereof.
An india-rubber washer or other means is sometimes employed to hold the plug
in position as hereinbefore described.
For some purposes the plug may be locked in its closed position by means of a
hinged bail or fitting or other suitable device engaging the crossbar or key and
thus held by means of a padlock so that there will be no possibility of tampering
with the contents of the vessel.
Although the invention is primarily intended to be employed in connection with
earthenware or glass bottles or jars, it will be obvious that it is equally applicable
to other vessels of earthenware or glass and such as filters or chemical pans
or vats.
.
In some cases it may be desirable to employ a screw plug in lieu of the plain
plug hereinbefore described, and arranged so as to screw down upon rubber or
other suitable washers disposed above and below the horizontal way, whilst a
washer acting in conjunction with a bevelled shoulder would be employed to
prevent the escape of the liquid around the top of the plug in the open position
thereof.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is, a front elevation of a stoneware bottle or jar having the present
invention applied thereto, and showing the tap turned off and locked.
Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of part showing the tap turned on."
Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the lug part of the bottle or jar representing
a slight modification."
Figure Biain finn't alaize

page_text: ical section thereof taken on the the
showing the tap turned on.
Figure 8 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure -7, and representing
a modification in the method of fixing the plug in position.
Figure 9 is a front elevation of a portion of a stoneware bottle or jar illustrating
the employment of a screw down plug in connection with the device..
Figure 10 is a plan thereof.
Figure 11 is a vertical transverse section thereof showing the plug in its closed
position and
Figure 12 is a similar view showing the plug or tap in its open position.
In the several figures in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference Figures 3 to 5 and 7 to 12 are drawn to an increased scale with respect
to Figures 1, 2 and 6.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 a represents a stoneware bottle or jar of that kind
in which small quantities of beer are delivered by brewers, and a represents a lug,
projection or lump which is formed upon the side of the vessel at or near to the
bottom thereof.
This lug a is provided with a plain vertical hole a therethrough, or it might be
a tapered hole and this vertical hole a is by a horizontal way a³ connected with
the interior of the vessel a.
The vertical hole a² is preferably formed with a shoulder a' at the lower end
thereof which forms a seat for a bushing b of cork or other suitable packing
material which constitutes a lining to the vertical hole a, and is at b¹ apertured to
correspond with the horizontal way a³.
Within this bushing b is fitted a plug or valve e similar to that of an ordinary
wooden tap that is to say the plug c is hollow and provided with a side opening c
adapted to register when desired with the horizontal way a³ and to deliver the.
contents of the vessel a through its lower eud which is open, whilst it is furnished
with a handle c2 by means of which it may be manipulated.
The opening of the plug in this example is so arranged that in its turned off
position the handle lies approximately against the side of the bottle or jar, whilst
in its turned on position it is required to be turned through an arc of 90 degrees so
as to stand at right angles in its closed position.
The plug c in this example is supposed to be formed of white metal as it has
been found in practice that such metal is especially suitable for the purpose on
account of its freedom from corrosion or it might be of wood earthenware or other
suitable material.
By reason of the plug c being arranged transversely to the horizontal way a³,
and the lug a' being integral with the vessel a it will be impossible for the tap to
blow out or become accidentally displaced.
If desired the plug c may be locked in its closed position, and for this
purpose
as represented at Figures 1 and 2 the lug a' is formed with an angularly disposed
hole a therein through which is passed a ring d³ to which is connected one end of
a short length of chain d2 which is passed over the handle 2 of the plug c, and
the other end of which chain d2 engages the hasp or bolt d' of a padlock d, and
which hasp also passes through the ring d³, and the plug c will thus be securely
held in its shut off position so that there will be no possibility of tampering with
the contents of the vessel.
Or in lieu of this locking device a hinged bail or fitting or other suitable
arrangement engaging the crossbar handle might be employed but such a device
would require to be fastened to the bottle or jar by means of lugs formed thereon
and would therefore add to the cost of construction, and furthermore such lugs
would be liable to be broken.
.
In the example given at Figure 5 the hole a3 and the bushing 6 upon one side
are formed. flat in order to fix the bushing against rotation when the plug cis
being turned but although this device is a convenience in use it is not indispensable

page_text: to the success of the invention as other suitable means might be employed for this
purpose.
In the example given at Figures 6 and 7 the plug c is formed of earthenware
like the lug a¹ on the body a of the vessel, and in this case the plug c and hole a
are formed tapered and the plug c is ground in with the vertical tapered hole a² of
the lug a¹ and in order to facilitate the grinding operation the crossbar or handle c
and cap care formed separate from the plug c and fixed therewith after the.com-
pletion thereof by means of a screw thread upon the inner end of the handle c
which engages a corresponding thread in a lateral aperture of the cap c* a pin c
fixed with the handle at the same time engaging a hole in the plug c and a. flat
upon the plug engaging a corresponding flat in the cap.
An india-rubber washer held in an annular groove in the lower end of the
plug c is employed to hold the plug in position in its seat or any other suitable.
device might be employed for that purpose.
In the example given at Figure 8 the device is substantially the same as that.
lastly hereinbefore described except that in lieu of holding the plug in position by
means of a washer the annular groove c is formed at the upper part of the
plug c and in lieu of the india-rubber washer a pin c is employed the inner end of
which enters the annular groove c and holds the plug e in its seat.
In both of these examples the bandle 2 is so arranged with relation to the
opening c¹ that from the turned off position to the turned on position it is required
to be turned through an arc of one hundred and eighty degrees as represented by
the dotted lines in Figure 6 but this arrangement is of course optional, but it
possesses the advantage that in both positions the handle lies against the body a
of the vessel and therefore out of the way.
In the example given at Figures 9 to 12 a screw plug c is employed in lieu of
the plain plug hereinbefore described.
In this case a screw thread a is formed upon the interior of the vertical hole a²
and an india-rubber ring or washer c is carried by the lower end of the plug c and
is by the screw forced down upon the shoulder at at the bottom of the horizontal
way a whilst a similar ring or washer c is by the plug forced down upon a
shoulder a located above the horizontal way a³ in order to make a tight joint and
efficiently close such way at the times desired whilst a washer c arranged at an
angle at the upper part of the plug c acts in conjunction with a bevelled shoulder a
located at the upper part of the vertical hole a² serves to prevent the escape of the
liquid around the top of the plug c when the same is in its open position and as
represented at Figure 12.
Although the invention is primarily intended to be employed in connection with
stoneware bottles or jars it will be obvious that it is equally applicable to other
earthenware vessels such as filters or chemical pans or vats or to vessels formed of
glass.
By the means hereinbefore described and more especially referring to earthenware
bottles or jars the cost of the vessel is very little increased, whilst the barrel of the
wood tap is dispensed with and a considerable saving is thus effected in addition to
the other advantages herein before pointed out, and furthermore the risk of the beer
becoming spoilt by a fusty wooden tap is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An earthenware or glass bottle, jar or other vessel formed with a lug or
projection on the exterior thereof provided with a vertical hole communicating by
a horizontal way with the interior of the vessel and adapted to be fitted with a
plug or valve substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
2. An earthenware or glass vessel provided with a lug or projection formed with

page_text: a vertical hole communicating by a horizontal way with the interior of the vessel
and fitted with a plug or valve substantially as herein shown and described and for
the purpose stated.
3. An earthenware or glass vessel provided with a lug or projection formed with.
a vertical hole lined with a bushing of cork or other suitable material communi-
cating by a horizontal way with the interior of the vessel and fitted with a rotary
plug or valve substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
4. An earthenware or glass vessel provided with a lug or projection formed with
a vertical hole communicating by a horizontal way with the interior of the vessel
and fitted with a rotary plug or valve ground in to the vertical hole and furnished
with an india-rubber washer or other means for holding it in place substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
5. An earthenware or glass vessel provided with a lug or projection formed with
a vertical hole communicating by a horizontal way with the interior of the vessel
and furnished with a screw thread to receive a screw-down plug or valve the plug
being provided with rings or washers adapted to make a tight joint upon the
screwing down or closing thereof and with an inclined way or washer adapted to
engage a bevelled shoulder at the upper part of the vertical hole on the screwing
up or opening of the valve substantially as herein shown and described. and for the
purpose stated.
Dated this 28th day of November 1896.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27 Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.