Improvements applicable to Barrels for Containing Beer and similar Liquids.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements applicable to Barrels for Containing Beer and
similar Liquids.
We JOHN MULLIN of Shrigley Road Bollington in the County of Chester,
Gentleman and JAMES POLLITT of 13 Bath Street Werneth Oldham in the
County of Lancaster, Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
The objects of this invention are to avoid the waste and unpleasantness which
frequently occur when tapping barrels or casks of beer and similar liquids and also
to increase the durability of the said barrels or casks.
Our invention consists of a valve of special construction to be permanently
applied to the end of the barrel or cask.
The valve casing is formed with a flange or suitable lugs provided with holes in
order to secure it firmly to the end of the barrel where the usual tap hole is made
but we make this hole slightly larger than usual so that the valve casing can be
passed into the barrel and leave no projecting parts outside. The valve casing
contains two openings or passages the first passing directly into the barrel and the
second running parallel thereto for a short distance and then joining the same. The
first passage is provided at its inner end with a short closed tube perforated to
allow of the exit of the beer or other fluid, the said short tube is by preference
screwed into the valve casing, and the end thereof forms a seating for a plunger
head or disc faced on both sides with leather or other suitable material and made
or provided with a screwed spindle passing through to the outer end of the said
passage first above named (which is formed with a gland or stuffing box) and
having a squared end so that it can be turned by a key."
To the outer end of the second passage may be fixed by screwing or otherwise a
short pipe or tube to which the pipe from a beer pump may be attached or which
may be provided with a bent cranked or curved end like an ordinary faucet or beer
tap, or an ordinary tap can be fixed in the end of this second passage.
It will be seen that when the leather faced plunger head is forced by the screw
against the seating formed by the open end of the perforated tube above named the
contents of the barrel or cask cannot escape, and the tap or beer pump connection
can be applied to the second passage at leisure, and when it is required to withdraw
any of the contents of the barrel or cask, all that is required is to turn the screwed
valve spindle by applying a suitable key to the squared end thereof and withdraw
the plunger head from the valve seating and thus open the communication between
the two passages, and on turning the screw still further the other leather face of the
plunger head comes against a second seating at the end of or slightly beyond the
junction of the two passages thereby most completely preventing the escape of
the contents of the cask around the screw of the valve spindle.
Thus the skill required for tapping a barrel or. cask in the ordinary way now
adopted is dispensed with and all waste or unpleasantness arising from unskilful
tapping is avoided.
The barrels or casks also to which our invention is applied will last longer as it
will not be necessary to "wing" the same because the tap hole will not become worn
or enlarged, as the valve is a permanent fixture on the end of the barrel.
Dated this 30th day of December 1892.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements applicable to Barrels for Containing Beer and
similar Liquids.
We JOHN MULLIN of Shrigley Road Bollington in the County of Chester,
Gentleman, and JAMES POLLITT of 13 Bath Street Werneth Oldham in the
County of Lancaster, Mill Manager, 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 :-
The objects of this invention are to avoid the waste and unpleasantness,which
frequently occur when tapping barrels or casks of beer and similar liquids and also
to increase the durability of the said barrels or casks.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood we have annexed hereunto
a sheet of drawings and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following description.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew respectively a front elevation and a plan in section of one
modification of our improvements.
Figs. 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 are similar views of other modifications thereof here-
after described.
Our improvements consist of a valve of special construction to be permanently
applied to the end of the barrel or cask.
The valve casing a is formed with a flange a² (see Figs. 3 and 4) or suitable
lugs a' (see Figs. 1 and 2) provided with holes in order to secure it firmly to the
end of the barrel where the usual tap hole is made but we make this hole slightly
larger than usual so that the valve casing can be passed into the barrel and leave
no projecting parts outside. The valve casing a contains two openings or passages
the first passing directly into the barrel and the second a³ running parallel thereto
for a short distance and then joining the same by the passage a'. The first passage
is provided at its inner end with a short closed tube c, see Figs. 2, 4 and 6
perforated to allow of the exit of the beer or other fluid, the said short tube may
be screwed into the valve casing a as shewn at Fig. 2 and the end thereof then
forms a seating c¹ for a plunger head or disc d faced on one or both sides with a
leather or other suitable material and made or, provided with a screwed spindle d
passing through to the outer end of the said passage first above named (which is
formed with a gland or stuffing box d³) and having a squared end d³ so that it can
be turned by a key.
To the outer end of the second passage a³ may be fixed by screwing or otherwise
a short pipe or tube c to which the pipe from a beer pump may be attached or
which may be provided with a bent cranked or curved end like an ordinary faucet
or beer tap, or an ordinary tap can be fixed in the end of this second passage.
It will be seen that in the modification shown on Figs. 1 and 2 when the leather
faced plunger head d is forced by the screw d' against the seating c¹ formed by the
open end of the perforated tube c above named the contents of the barrel or cask
cannot escape, and the tap or beer pump connection can be applied to the second
passage at leisure and when it is required to withdraw any of the contents of the
barrel or cask, all that is required is to turn the screwed valve spindle d¹ by
applying a suitable key to the squared end thereof and withdraw the plunger
head d from the valve seating c¹ and thus open the communication a' between the
two passages, and on turning the screw d' still further, if desired, the other leather
face of the plunger 'head d comes against a second seating a at the end of or
slightly beyond the junction a¹ of the two passages thereby most completely
preventing the escape of the contents of the cask around the screw of the valve
spindle d. This second seating as however is not. absolutely necessary as the
stuffing box will effectually prevent the escape of the contents of the cask.

page_text: Sometimes the screw of the valve spindle may fit into the end of the short tube c
which is enlarged as shewn at Figs. 4 and 6 to form the seating c¹ and perforated
at to communicate with the passage a*.
In some cases also the valve casing a may be separate from the passage a³ and
the passage a may be cut in the wooden end of the barrel, for example, by
cutting a mortice therein from the edge as shewn at Fig. 5 and covering it in by
the piece 6* driven tightly in to prevent escape of the beer. In this case the
casing a and the screwed socket forming the entrance of the passage a³ may be
simply driven into the barrel end b and prevented from turning by the lugs a* (see
Fig. 5) or other equivalent means.
In some cases the valve d may be held in place by a spring d× (see Fig. 6); the
end of the valve spindle in this case is hollow and tapped with a screw thread,
and a screwed key d** is used for opening the valve.
By our invention the skill required for tapping a barrel or cask in the ordinary
way now adopted is dispensed with and all waste or unpleasantness arising from
unskilful tapping is avoided.
The barrels or casks also to which our invention is applied will last longer, as it
will not he necessary to "wing" the same because the tap hole will not become worn
or enlarged, as the valve is a permanent fixture on the end of the barrel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The combination of valve casing (a) seating (c) valve d, d¹ with end d for key,
stuffing box d passages a' and a³ and means for connecting a tube, pipe or tap to
the latter substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 10th day of June 1893.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.