Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Tilting Barrels.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Tilting Barrels.
I, WILLIAM LANCASTER, of Mill Street, Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention refers to apparatus by which casks or barrels are gradually raised or
tilted at the back as the contents is drawn off and is primarily intended to be applied
to barrels containing beer or other similar liquors. It is designed with the object of
providing an apparatus which will gradually and without any shaking or jerking
raise the back of the barrel as the weight is reduced by the drawing off of the
liquor, and which will while holding the barrel partly suspended not be liable to
vibration.
It consists essentially of a lever to one end of which the back of the barrel is con-
nected and to the other end of which is attached a weight suspended by a chain,
formed with a cam or curved surface, upon which the chain rests, gradually
approaching the centre and lessening the length of the lever, so that as the weight in
the barrel decreases the leverage exerted to raise it is also decreased.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 side elevation of apparatus applied to a barrel showing my invention.
Fig. 2 front elevation of same.
Fig. 3. front elevation of apparatus of slightly modified form.
The barrel A and stillage B are of any usual form with a chain C connected to the
barrel for the purpose of raising it at the back by means of a lever.
to
Instead of forming the lever in the form of a straight arm or rod as has hitherto
been the case to which to attach, or from which to suspend a weight, I form the
lever D with a curved or cam shaped face E gradually receding from the point x,
the point y so that the point y is considerably nearer to the fulcrum or contre d about
which the lever moves and thus secure a gradual and even decrease of the
leverage.
A weight F is connected to the lever D by means of a chain G. The chain is
attached to the lever at the point y which is nearest to the centre or fulcrum d
and rests upon the cam surface E the weight being attached to chain G clear of the
point x.
The cam surface that I find to be most suitable to give the steadiest and
most gradual decrease in the length of the lever is a portion of the periphery of
what is well known as a heart-shaped cam taking the point a to be the extremity or
nose of the cam.
=
'
The lever is formed with a quadrant H at the short end to keep the chain C a
constant distance from the centre d.
Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 the long and short arms of the lever D
are cast or forged in one piece and it is supported by a single forked bracket I
suspended from a beam J.
In Fig. 3 the lever D is shown with the long arm carrying the cam surface E in
one piece to which the weight F is connected and the short arm or quadrant H in a
separate piece both fastened to a spindle d' which serves as a fulcrum. The spindle d¹
is supported at each end by a bracket I¹ suspended from a beam J.
In erecting the apparatus in cellars or other places it is supported from a flat beam
or rail J by means of the brackets I or I¹. These brackets hook over or onto
the rail J and their position can be easily adjusted to any situation on the
beam J.
When a full barrel A is placed upon the stillage B the chain 0 is connected

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to it by the books & the other end of the chain being affixed to the top edge of the
quadrant H and the apparatus assumes the position shown in full lines in
Figs. 1-2-3 as the contents of the barrel is withdrawn the back of the barrel is
raised by the downward movement of the weight F until wben empty the barrel and the
tilting apparatus assume the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 1. The curve of
the surface E is such that as the weight falls and the lever D moves about the axis d
the weight will act with gradually decreasing force upon the short arm of the lever
while at the same time the chain G always remains in contact with the surface E at
the point that is horizontal with the centre d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood
that levers and springs have I am aware been applied in several forms for tilting
barrels and I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An apparatus for tilting barrels having a pivoted lever formed with a curved or
cam shaped face (such as E) gradually receding from the extremity of the lever and
approaching the centre or fulcrum, to gradually decrease the leverage exerted to raise
the barrel as the liquor is drawn off substantially as described.
2. A barrel tilting apparatus constructed and arranged with a gradually decreasing
leverage substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.