AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC SYPHON TAP
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Allison, of the Firm of Allison Brothers,
Patent Agents, of 41, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC SYPHON TAP."
A communication from abroad by Messieurs Clairac, Millot, et Berger, all of
Algiers, Algeria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Allison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st January 1881.
HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the Firm of Allison Brothers, Patent Agents, of
41, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, in the County of Middlesex.
"AN
IMPROVED AUTOMATIC SYPHON TAP." A communication from abroad by Messieurs
Clairac, Millot, et Berger, all of Algiers, Algeria.
This new tap is intended principally for use in households for withdrawing
liquids from barrels.
It facilitates and regulates the admission of air necessary for the liquid to flow
out without having resourse either to vent or air holes, or to the uncorking of the
bung hole.
It consequently prevents the external atmosphere from acting upon the liquids,
which being constantly maintained in the same state of interior pressure are thereby
preserved from the danger of turning sour, since only the air that is absolutely
necessary to allow the liquid to flow out by the tap enters the barrel.
By this same system, the barrel being placed on end and the key of the tap
opened, the tap allows the exit of the necessary air to permit of the filling of the
barrel by the tap itself, which for this object is furnished with a horizontal opening
formed at the commencement of the elbow which conveys the liquid outside.
This opening is closed by a movable nut with a round or pentagonal head;
when required to fill the barrel the nut is withdrawn and a funnel inserted
therein, and when the barrel is full the nut is put back again in its place.
This tap is externally of the same form as ordinary taps, and may be made of.
bronze or other suitable metal, or even of wood. The interior of the key, which

page_text: may be fixed or removable or a safety key, is perforated at its top with a vertical
hole descending into the stem and turning off at right angles in a line parallel with
When the key
and above the hole in the tap through which the liquid runs out.
is turned this hole is brought to coincide with a similar hole made in the thickness
of the top of the tap and continued horizontally as an air conduit to the extremity
of the screw thread which penetrates to the interior of the barrel, at which point
the conduit turns slightly upwards and opens outwards. The opening for the
passage of liquid is below the air conduit and runs from one extremity to the other
of the tap, its outer end being either forked, or preferably continued horizontally
beyond the part bent downwards and through which the liquid escapes, the pro-
longed part being fitted with a screwed plug, and serving to refill the barrel when
empty without having either to remove the tap or use other means than a suitable
funnel. Both in emptying and filling the barrel the column of air which passes
by the conduit facilitates, according to the case, either the entrance or escape of the
quantity of air strictly necessary, acting in the inverse ratio, of the quantity of
liquid that it is desired to withdraw or of the quantity of liquid necessary to fill
the barrel..
By this system, which is exceedingly. simple, only the air enters that is absolutely
necessary to allow the quantity of liquid to be withdrawn, all other means of
aëration are abolished, and the liquid is preserved to the last in a good condition.
When desired to refill the barrel, the air contained therein escapes by the air
conduit as the liquid is conveyed by the tap itself to the interior of the barrel, the
choking and overflowing which generally occurs over the top of the funnel in con-
sequence of the air driven out of the barrel having a difficulty to escape is prevented,
and the complicated manipulations necessary to open the bung hole, or the
temporary displacing of the tap are obviated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Herbert John Allison in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
July 1881.
HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the Firm of Allison Brothers, Patent Agents, of
41, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, in the County of Middlesex.
" AN
IMPROVED AUTOMATIC SYPHON TAP." A communication from abroad by Messieurs
Clairac, Millot, et Berger, all of Algiers, Algeria.
This new tap is intended principally for use in households for withdrawing
liquids from barrels.
It facilitates and regulates the admission of air, necessary for the liquid to flow
out without having resource either to vent or air holes or to the uncorking of the
bung hole.
It consequently prevents the external atmosphere from acting upon the liquids,
which being constantly maintained in the same state of interior pressure are thereby
preserved from the danger of turning sour, since only the air that is absolutely
necessary to allow the liquid to flow out by the tap enters the barrel.
By this same system the barrel being placed on end and the key of the tap
opened, the tap allows the exit of the necessary air to permit of the filling of the
barrel by the tap itself, which for this object is furnished with a horizontal opening
formed at the commencement of the elbow which conveys the liquid outside.
This opening is closed by a movable nut with a round or pentagonal head; when
required to fill the barrel the nut is withdrawn and a funnel inserted therein, and
when the barrel is full the nut is put back again in its place.
This tap is externally of the same form as ordinary taps, and may be made of
bronze or other suitable metal or even of wood. The interior of the key, which
may be fixed or removable or a safety key, is perforated at its top with a vertical
hole descending into the stem and turning off at right angles in a line parallel with
and above the hole in the tap through which the liquid runs out. When the key
is turned this hole is brought to coincide with a similar hole made in the thickness
of the top of the tap and continued horizontally as an air conduit to the extremity
of the screw thread which penetrates to the interior of the barrel, at which point
the conduit turns slightly upwards and opens outwards. The opening for the
passage of liquid is below the air conduit and runs from one extremity to the other
of the tap, its outer end being either forked or preferably continued horizontally
beyond the part bent downwards and through which the liquid escapes, the prolonged
part being fitted with a screw plug and serving to refill the barrel when empty
without having either to remove the tap or use other means than a suitable funnel.
Both in emptying and filling the barrel the column of air which passes by the
conduit facilitates, according to the case, either the entrance or escape of the
quantity of air strictly necessary, acting in the inverse ratio, of the quantity of
liquid that it is desired to withdraw or of the quantity of liquid necessary to fill
the barrel.
By this system, which is exceedingly simple, only the air enters that is
absolutely necessary to allow the quantity of liquid to be withdrawn, all other
means of aëration are abolished, and the liquid is preserved to the last in a good
condition.
When desired to refill the barrel the air contained therein escapes by the air
conduit as the liquid is conveyed by the tap itself to the interior of the barrel, the
choking and overflowing which generally occurs over the top of the funnel in
consequence of the air driven out of the barrel having a difficulty to escape is
prevented, and the complicated manipulations necessary to open the bung hole or
the temporary displacing of the tap are obviated.

page_text: But in order that this Invention may be more clearly understood I will proceed
to describe the same by the aid of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings in which a
vertical section of the improved tap is shown.
A is the vertical hole in the stem of the key and which at its lower end B turns
off at right angles in a line parallel with and above the hole in the tap through
which the liquid runs out. When the key is turned the outer end A¹ of the hole is
brought to coincide with a similar hole A" made in the thickness of the top of the
tap, and continued horizontally as an air conduit to the extremity of the screw
thread which penetrates to the interior of the barrel, at which point the conduit
turns slightly upwards and opens outwards at B¹. The opening for the passage of
liquid is below the air conduit and runs from one extremity to the other of the tap,
its outer end being either forked or preferably continued horizontally at C beyond
the part bent downwards, and through which the liquid escapes, the prolonged part
being fitted with a screwed plug D and serving to refill the barrel when empty
without having either to remove the tap or use other means than a suitable
funnel.
Having now described the nature of this Invention as communicated to me from
abroad, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that what I claim is the construction of an improved automatic syphon
tap, substantially as herein described and shown in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Allison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.