IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE TAPPING OF BEER AND OTHER BARRELS AND VESSEL
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Williato Rose, of Halesowen, in the County of Worcester,
Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND APPARATUS
FOR FACILITATING THE TAPPING OF BEER AND OTHER BARRELS AND
VESSEL"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rose at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st January 1882.
WILLIAM ROSE of Halesowen in the County of Worcester Gentleman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE TAPPING OF
BEER AND OTHER BARRELS AND VESSELS."
"
My invention has for its object to facilitate the tapping of beer and other
barrels and vessels having tap holes of the ordinary kind closed by corks in the
ordinary way and consists of the improvements bereinafter described in taps and
in apparatus for that purpose.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a beer barrel.
On the end of the tap which is introduced into the barrel I make a scrow thread
and at the tap hole of the barrel I fix a metallic plate having in its middle a hole
of the size of the tap hole. Projecting from the said plate is a short tube the
interior of which has the same diameter as the hole in the plate and the tap hole
of the barrel the said tube and hole in the plate and tap hole being coincident.
The base or inner end of the said tube has in its interior a screw thread of a size
and shape suitable for the screw on the end of the tap to engage in. The plate
carrying the tube may be fixed to the barrel by screws and may be attached at the
brewery or the barrel may be sent out from the brewery in the ordinary way and
the person receiving it may attach the plate and tube. In this case the same plate
and tube and tap can be used for many barrels in succession.
In tapping the barrel the tap is passed into the tube and turned in the direction
proper to drive home a screw. The tap is thereby mado slowly to advance with
great force driving the cork before it into the barrel. The tap is in this way
readily quickly and noiselessly fixed in the barrel without the loss of any of its
contents. When the barrel has been emptied the tap is withdrawn by giving it
an unscrewing motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Rose in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July
1882.
WILLIAM ROSE of Halesowen in the County of Worcester Gentleman
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE TAPPING OF
BEER AND OTHER BARRELS AND VESSELS."
My Invention has for its object to facilitate the tapping of beer and other
barrels and vessels having tap holes of the ordinary kind closed by corks in the
ordinary way; and consists of the improvements hereinafter described in taps and
in apparatus for that purpose.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a beer barrel.
On the end of the tap which is introduced into the barrel I make a screw thread
and at the tap hole of the barrel I fix a metallic plate having in its middle a hole
of the size of the tap hole. Projecting from the said plate is a short tube the
interior of which has the same diameter as the hole in the plate and the tap hole
of the barrel, the said tube and hole in the plate and tap hole being coincident.
The base or inner end of the said tube has in its interior a screw thread of a size
and shape suitable for the screw on the end of the tap to engage in. The plate
carrying the tube may be fixed to the barrel by screws and may be attached at
the brewery; or the barrel may be sent out from the brewery in the ordinary way
and the person receiving it may attach the plate and tube. In this case the same
plate and tube and tap can be used for many barrels in succession.
In tapping the barrel the tap is passed into the tube and turned in the direction
proper to drive home a scrow. The tap is thereby made slowly to advanco with
great force driving the cork before it into the barrel. The tap is in this way
readily, quickly and noiselessly fixed in the barrel without the loss of any of its
contents. When the barrel has been emptied the tap is withdrawn by giving it
an unscrewing motion.
I will proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front and side elevation the metallic plate carrying the
short tube or socket which is fixed at the tap hole of the barrel and Figure 2
represents in side elevation the tap to be used with the combined plate and tube
or socket Figure 1; Figure 3 represents the apparatus applied to the barrel the
tap being represented in the act of driving the cork before it for tapping the
barrel; and Figure 4 represents the apparatus after the barrel has been tapped.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4.
a is the metallic plate projecting from which is the short tube or socket b the
said tube or socket b being fixed over the cork hole in the head of the barrel.
The said metallic plate a is fixed by screws at a to the head d of the barrel a
washer of leather or vulcanized indiarubber c being interposed between the plate
and the head of the barrel. The plate a carrying the tube or socket b is preferably
attached at the brewery so as to form a permanent part of the barrel. It will be
seen by reference to the Drawing that the diameter of the tube or socket bis
greater than that of the cork hole e and that the interior of the said socket is
screwed with a concave screw. On the leg of the tap a convex screw fis made of
a size and shape suitable to engage with the screw in the interior of the tube or
socket b. The part g of the leg of the tap is plain or unscrewed and of a size to
permit it to pass through the cork hole e in the barrel the said plain part g and its

page_text: extreme end being pierced with holes for the passage of the liquid from the barrel
into the tap.
In tapping a barrel by the use of the apparatus described and represented the
screwed part of the leg of the tap is introduced into the screwed tube or Bocket b
fixed on the barrel, and the said tap is rotated so as to cause it to tako into the
said socket b. The rotation of the tap causes it slowly to advance in the tube or
socket b the plain part g of the tap driving before it the cork into the barrel.
The screw f of the tap having been driven home the washer i at the end of the leg
is bound against the front of the socket bas illustrated in Figure 4 and the barrel
is tapped without the loss of any of its contents and the liquid is ready to be
withdrawn from the barrel. When the barrel has been emptied the tap is with-
drawn from the socket b by giving it an unscrewing motion.
Figure 5 represents in vertical section a modification of the apparatus last
described and Figure 6 represents the part fixed on the barrel and Figure 7
ropresents a screw nut or screw cap which I use in combination with the scrowed
leg of the tap and with the part fixed on the barrel.
In this arrangement the tubo or socket b on the metallic plate a is screwed
externally instead of internally and I use a separate screw nut or screw cap (sec
Figure 7) having screwed parts of different diameters. The screwed part of
largest diameters of the nut or cap is of a size proper to screw upon the externally
screwed socket b and the screwed part of smaller diameter is of a size proper for
the screwed leg m of the tap to engage with the said leg m being screwed from end
to end as represented. The part of the screw nut or cap is of a diameter a littlo
less than that of the cork hole e (see Figure 5). In the end of the screw nut or
cap, is a washer a made of leather, vulcanized india rubber or other clastic
material the hole in which washer is somewhat smaller in diameter than the
screwed leg m of the tap so when the screwed leg is introduced into the screwed
hole of the screw cap the said elastic washer n is compressed and made to fill up
the thread of the screw and thereby form a liquid and air tight joint between the
screw and screw cap.
When the tap is not in use the screw nut or cap k. l is carried upon the screwed
leg m.
In tapping a barrel by the use of this apparatus the scrow nut or cap k. I is first
screwed on the exterior of the socket b fixed on the barrel until the washer n
abuts against the said screwed socket b as represented in Figure 5. The screwed
leg m of the tap is then introduced into the part of the screw nut or cap and
rotated so as to cause it to advance therein and drive beforo it the cork into the
barrel as represented in Figure 5 the washer p bearing against the front of the
screw cap. The barrel is thereby tapped. When the barrel is empty the tap is
unscrewed from the screw nut or cap k. and the said cap unscrewed from the
screwed socket b on the barrel.
Figure 8 represents another modification of my Invention; Figure 9 represents
the fixed part applied to the barrel; Figure 10 represents the said fixed part
detached and Figure 11 represents the screw cap detached.
In this modification I make the screwed socket b fixed on the barrel serve as a
metallic cork hole for receiving the cork k. For this purpose I reduce the diameter
of the screwed socket b and provide it at back with a tubular part b³ which fits
tightly in the cork hole e, the plate a carrying the metallic cork hole being fixed to
the head & of the barrel as represented in Figures 8 and 9. The barrel is tapped
when this metallic cork hole is used in precisely the same way as when the
apparatus represented in Figures 5 and 6 is used. That is to say, the screw nut or
cap k, is first screwed on the external screw b of the metallic cork hole and the
screwed leg m of the the tap is engaged with the smaller screwed part 6 of the said
cap. By the advance of the screwed leg m the cork.h is driven out of the metallic
cork hole into the barrel and the harrel is tapped as illustrated in Figure 8.
Although I have described the socket part a. b of the apparatus or the metallic
cork hole u. b. ¿ª as forming a permanent part of the barrel being attached at the

page_text: brewery, yet the barrel may be sent out from the brewery in the ordinary way and
the person receiving it may attach the socket part or the metallic cork hole to the
barrel before tapping the barrel. When howover the fixed or socket part of the
apparatus is to be applied to the barrel by the person tapping the barrel I prefer to
modify the said fixed or socket part in the following manner. I dispense with the
fixing plate on the socket and lengthen inwards or at back the tubular part of the
socket and give it a diameter suitable to take into the cork hole, the said prolonged
tubular part of the socket being slightly conical. By the use of the conical
prolonged part of the socket the latter may be driven into and fixed securely in the
cork hole of the barrel and the cork driven before it. The said prolonged part of 1
the socket is inade however of such a length that the cork is not completely driven
into the barrel, the completion of the driving inwards of the cork being effected by
the screwed leg of the tap as before described.
This part of my Invention is illustrated in section together with the tap in
Figure 12, the internally screwed socket b being fixed in the barrel d by its 1
prolonged taper part being driven into the cork hole, forcing before it the cork h
but not completely into the barrel as shown in the Drawing. By screwing the
screwed leg of the tap into the internally screwed socket 6 the cork is completely
driven out of the cork hole and the barrel tapped. Figure 13 represents the socket
in elevation. Or the prolonged tubular conical socket b may be screwed externally
as represented in Figure 14 for the purpose of screwing it into the cork hole and
thereby making it ready to receive the screwed leg of the tap for tapping the
barrel.
This construction of socket may be used with the screw nut or scrow cap herein-
before described by lengthening that part of the socket situated outside the barrel
and screwing it externally to receive the screw nut or cap.
Or the screwed leg of the tap may be employed without any addition to tap a
barrel, the end of the said screwed leg being introduced into the cork hole and
turned in the direction proper to screw it into the cork hole, pressure being applied
at the same time. The leg of the tap as it advances in the cork hole drives the
cork before it.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details herein described and illustrated as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention.
But I claim as my Invention of "Improvements in Taps and Apparatus for
Facilitating the Tapping of Beer and other Barrels and Vessels.
First. The internally screwed socket a, b fixed at the cork hole of the barrel or
other vessel, and the combination with the said screwed socket of the screwed leg
of the tap substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2. 3
and 4 of the accompanying Drawings, whereby the advance of the screwed leg of
the tap in the socket is made to force the cork before it from the cork hole into the
barrel so as to eflect the tapping of the barrel.
Secondly The modification hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 5, 6
and 7 of the accompanying Drawings in which the socket is screwed externally for
the separate screw nut or screw cap k,l to take upon the screwed leg of the tap
taking into a screwed portion of the screw nut or screw cap of less diameter than
that which screws upon the socket.
Thirdly-The modification described and illustrated in Figures 8, 9. 10 and 11
of the accompanying Drawings in which the screwed socket is made to constitute
a metallic cork hole; also the modifications herein before described and illustrated
in Figures 12. 13. and 14 of the accompanying Drawings in which the fixing plate
is dispensed with and the socket is fixed in the cork hole of the barrel or vessel by
the driving or screwing of a conical prolongation of the socket into the said cork
hole.
Lastly Producing a liquid and air tight joint between the screwed leg of the
tap and that part in which it works of the screw nut or screw cap by means of a

page_text: washer of leather, india rubber or other elastic material at the bottom of the said
screw nut or cap, the said washer being compressed into the thread of the screwed
leg of the tap as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 5 and 8 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said William Rose have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Thirteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty two.
Witness.
RICHARD SKERRETT
37 Temple Street.
Birmingham.
WILLIAM ROSE, (L.S.)