IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS AND APPARATUS FOR STORING, IMPROVING, AND DISCHARGING LIQUIDS
Year: 1856

page_text: 477
LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Desmond, of Upper Thames Street, in the
City of London, Beer Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VESSELS AND APPARATUS FOR STORING, IMPROVING, AND DISCHARGING
LIQUIDS."
"
.
L
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Desmond at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the
2nd October 1856. . . .
į
Í, DANIEL DESMOND, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London, Beer
Merchant, do liereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VESSELS AND APPARATUS FOR STORING, IMPROVING, AND DISCHARGING
LIQUIDS," to be as follows:-
To storing wines, spirits, malt, or other liquids in vessels of moderate
capacity there has hitherto been a strong objection, the entrance of the
atmospheric air after the use of the liquid has commenced deteriorating the
quality thereof, and more or less quickly (according to the nature of the liquid)
spoiling it. I propose to obviate this objection by rendering a vessel air tight
from the moment it is charged or filled with liquid until the last portion of
such liquid is drawn off, thus storing the liquor bright and improving its
flavor. I propose to make a cylinder, closed at both ends, of iron (orother
metal or material), to contain generally from four to nine gallons; the

page_text: cylinder may either be tinned with pure tin, or enamelled, or otherwise coated
on its interior surface; on the top plate (supposing the cylinder to be in an
upright position) I propose to secure a weighted hollow piston and stuffing
apparatus; in the centre of this piston will be a tube, so arranged as to allow
the exit of the air while the piston is falling, which it will do each time any
portion of the liquid is withdrawn from the vessel by the tap, which will be
screwed or otherwise secured in the bottom plate of the cylinder, so as to allow
every portion of the liquid to be drawn off. The piston apparatus will be so
arranged that it can be locked up by the brewer or wine merchant before it
leaves store, and the key of the tap only need be sent to the customer.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Daniel Desmond in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
DESMOND, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London, Beer Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, and in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Daniel Desmond, Her special license that I, the said Daniel Desmond,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Daniel Desmond, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VESSELS AND APPARATUS FOR STORING, IMPROVING, AND DISCHARGING LIQUIDS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Daniel Desmond, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should, particularly 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.
1

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Daniel Desmond, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-.
formed, to. be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, on which similar letters of reference are placed to denote similar
parts.
The object of my Invention is to receive or store beer, wine, or other liquids
in vessels (of any capacity) fitted with an apparatus which shall effectually
exclude the admission of atmospheric air to the liquid contained in such, vessel,
and by such exclusion permit the ripening of the beer or other liquid therein
contained, which will continue for any desired time, and although the beer
shall be from time to time drawn off for consumption. Although I have stated.
that the vessels used by me may be of any capacity, I expect the size thereof
will be usually such as to contain from four to six or nine imperial gallons,
into which the liquor is to be stored bright, and from the body or quantity of
liquor stored in the vessels made according to my Invention it will be, found
that it ripens with a much greater richness and fulness of flavor than when it
is stored in quart or pint measures. By preserving liquor in the before--
mentioned vessels small or large portions may be drawn at all times at the
wish of the consumer, while the liquor remaining in the vessel preserves its
richness and flavor till the whole is drawn off. By storing liquids in vessels
made according to. my Invention the process will not be attended with
breakage, corks and wire will be dispensed with, and the labour of storing.
quantities will be found to be much less than if the liquor be stored in ordinary
glass bottles, while the quality is much improved, and all waste prevented,
these savings of time and material allowing a considerable reduction to be
made in the price of the article so stored. The vessel is so arranged as to be
secured by a locked cover, the merchant or brewer keeping the key thereof..
The contents are obtainable only by means of a locked tap, the key of which is
delivered with the vessel to the consumer, who may place the latter (which
may be made of any graceful form and ornamentally japanned. or painted) on a
sideboard or any convenient locality of his premises (of suitable temperature)
without risk of the contents being abstracted from the vessel. The liquids
usually stored in these vessels are wines of all kinds, spirits, ales and light
beers, stout, porter, cider, perry, or.others.
I will now proceed to describe the vessel herein-before mentioned, and the
means by which I exclude the atmospheric air from the interior thereof...By
reference to the annexed Drawing (forming part of this my Specification), it
will be observed that Figure 1.is a side elevation of the storing cylinder as it

page_text: appears when in use, but; as before: stated; the outsidea may be ornamented in
any manner, it being only necessary that the interior be of cylindrical .forni.
Figure 2 shews'a vertical section, taken through the entire ivessel; Figure. 3,<a
side view of cover with notchFigure 4 plan view of elastic tubular ring;
Figure 5, section of elastic tubular ring, taken through:Figure 4:at. the line
A, B; Figure 6, side view of self-acting piston; Figure 7, section of the
piston taken through its centre;) Figure 8; plan view of open work cover;
Figure 9, side and plan view of air-tight cap.***
At Figure 2 is seen (in section) tai metallic cylindera :containing liquor;
a portion of which is assumed to be drawn toff, having handles bb, onits
sides for removing the vessel froni places to place. The liquor: being poured
into the cylinder, a pistone is placed above it and pressed downwards until cits
under face coines in contact with the liquor; buty as it is obvious the
atmospheric air between the piston and liquor would not allow the former..to
descend upon the latter without some contrivance for that purpose, sa holetis
made in the centre of the piston c, andia piece of pipe; soldered to the edges of
the hole, is fitted with a screw capid (Figure 19), son that when this cap. is
removed the air escapes, thus allowing the under face of the piston; to be
brought into contact with the liquor the cap is then replaced, and the
atmospheric air completely excluded: When any portion of the contents of
the vessel is required to be withdrawn the tape, Figüre:cl; is turned; the
weight of the piston and the pressure of the atmospheric air (above the; piston)
forces the liquor out as required; and however often the process of drawing off
may be repeated, the last drop of the liquid will be found: to be as good as that
first drawn off. The piston 'c is made of plates of thin; metal (as shewn at
Figures 6 and 7), with a space on its periphery-for the elastic tubular; ring f,
Figures 4 and 51 to be placed round it, care being taken that the edge of the
metal shall not touch the interior of the cylinder, and allowing the; outer
surface of the elastic ring to' project slightly beyond. the edges of the; metal
plates In many cases I find it advisable to use two of these elastic tubular
rings, indeed circumstances may occur in which a greater number may prove
serviceable: And I would here remark, that the under plate of the piston; the
inside of the cylinder, and in short every portion of ther apparatus which
touches the liquor (the tubular ring only excepted) should beacoated.or
covered with pure tin, unless indeed the more precious metals, gold or silver;
were used...Around the centre of this hollow piston: a metallic weight. k, in
the form of a thick ring, is placed, ast the pressure of the atmospheric air is not
in all cases sufficient to drive the piston down on the liquor. The weight of
this metallic ring must depend in a great measure upon; the elasticity and

page_text: rigidity of the elastic tubular ring or rings, which latter must fit the interior of
the cylinder, so as hermetically to shut off any admission of the atmospheric
air, and this ring is made tubular to allow of an universal pressure in the
cylinder. In case of any uneaveness it might find in its downward course, when
the entire quantity of the liquor has been withdrawn, the cover of the cylinder
being removed (or raised), the piston e can be lifted and removed by means of
handles g placed on its upper surface. The cylinder is then cleaned and ready
to be refilled. A cover h is placed on the top of the cylinder, and also a lock,
to prevent any unauthorized person getting at the contents. The cover is made
open (in any plain or ornamental form), so that the atmospheric air is allowed
to enter through it and impinge upon the piston, to assist in keeping up a
continual pressure of the piston on the liquor.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention, and described a mode of
carrying the same into practical effect, I desire it to be distinctly understood
that I do not restrict myself to the exact arrangements herein described and
shewn in the Drawing hereunto annexed, as the relative proportions and dis-
position of parts may be varied or modified without in any way departing from
the principle of my Invention. And I would further say, I lay no claim to
the exclusive use of any of the parts described or shewn taken as parts and
not used in combination or for the purposes of my Invention, which I declare
to be, and I claim the exclusive use of, a cylindrical vessel for storing, im-
proving, and discharging liquids, fitted with the apparatus berein-before
described to exclude the atmospheric air from the liquid contained in the said
vessel during the storage and discharge or withdrawal thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Desmond, have hereunto affixed
my hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
JOHN GEDGE, Patent Agent,
4, Wellington Street South, Strand,
London.
DAN DESMOND. (L.B.)