An Improved Bung, Valve, or Stopper, and Seating or Hole for the same, and Means for Sealing it.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1892.
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Bung, Valve, or Stopper, and Seating or Hole for the
same, and Means for Sealing it.
We THOMAS Critchley BarrACLOUGH of 20 Bucklersbury in the City of
London, Engineer, and THOMAS TANNETT HEATON of 40 Freelands Road,
Bromley, in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of an improved bung, valve or stopper and seating or
hole for the same, and means for sealing it, and its chief object is to provide means
of readily securing the contents of a cask, barrel, drum or other like vessel by
means of a bung, valve or stopper, and of readily removing the bung, valve or
stopper when so required.
Our bung, valve or stopper and its seating or hole consist mainly of three
parts. These are:-
First a screw threaded bush or nut made either in a piece with or welded or
otherwise affixed to the cask, or secured within an opening in same; the lower
part of this bush is not screw threaded and is conical so as to forin a seat for the
valve hereinafter described. Between this valve seat and the threaded part of
the nut there is preferably an annular space somewhat larger in diameter than
the outside diameter of the screw in order to enable the screw cutting tool to
nake a clean thread in the nut.
Second, a hollow or tubular screw to engage with the screw threaded bush.
The sectional form of the interior or hollow of this tubular screw is such that it
can as required either engage with or free the upper part of the conical valve
about to be described.
Third, a conical valve to fit into the conical seat above described. The upper
part of this valve is so shaped relatively to the interior of the tubular screw that
in one position with respect to the screw it can be passed through it, while in
another position it cannot be passed through it. The valve has a shank that projects
up into the interior of the screw.
The bung, valve or stopper is used as follows:-
The hellow screw having been screwed into the bush until it is nearly at the
normal or closing position, the valve is next passed through the screw until it rests
on the conical seat, and then the screw is given a partial revolution in which
movement it engages with the top of the valve and at the same time presses it
down upon its seat thereby tightly closing the bung-hole of the cask or vessel..
In order to open the bung hole the screw is given a partial turn by means of a key
or like instrument in the reverse direction, thus releasing the valve or stopper;
the valve is then turned by means of its shank until it is got into the position in
which it can pass through the screw, and it is then withdrawn, thereby leaving the
bung hole unobstructed.
The arrangement thus described enables the full effect of the pressure due to
the screw thread to be obtained, while at the same time not interfering with its
wearing surface and allowing the valve to be rapidly closed or released with a very
slight movement of the hollow screw.
Although the invention has been specially designed for casks, drums, and other
like vessels it can also be adapted to other purposes where ready means of closing
and opening a hole or aperture are desirable.
In combination with the bung, valve or stopper hereinbefore described we
provide means whereby it can be sealed so as to prevent fraudulent abstraction of
the contents of the vessels.

page_text: One way of effecting this is to form two holes at an angle to each other in the
nut or outer part of the bung so that they meet at their lower end, to form the
upper part of the hollow screw with radial notches or grooves and to make a hole
in the shank of the valve. A wire is threaded or passed through the holes in the
nut and one of its ends is then passed through the hole in the shank and then
twisted with the other end, the ends being previously laid at the bottom of two of
the radial grooves in the screw. The wire having been made perfectly tight by
the twisting the ends are then sealed together by a lead seal or other suitable
device. The wires prevent the hollow screw being turned round, and therefore
the shank and valve cannot move unless the wires are cut or the seal tampered
with. Another way is to form a hole say quarter of an inch deep in the nut or
in the body of the barrel and to cut from the part of the hole nearest the thread
of the nut into the hollow of the nut leaving the circular edge of the hole about
say two-thirds complete. The projecting parts of this circular edge are then
undercut. In the top surface of the hollow screw radial notches are formed all
round but they do not extend more than say two-thirds of the thickness from the
outside edge. These notches are considerably narrower than the width or space
between the projecting parts of the circular edge above referred to. When the
hollow screw is screwed down one or more of the notches will be opposite the
opening from the hole in the nut. Lead is run or placed in the hole until it fills it
and the notches in its neighbourhood and it is then stamped with a seal or mark.
The hollow screw cannot now be turned to loosen the valve without breaking the
lead. The undercutting above described keeps the lead in place. In either of
the ways described string or other suitable material may be used instead of the
wire.
Dated this 21st day of December 1892.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
A
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Bung, Valve, or Stopper, and Seating or Hole for the
same, and Means for Sealing it.
We, THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH of 20 Bucklersbury in the City of
London, Engineer, and THOMAS TANNETT HEATON of 40 Freelands Road,
Bromley in the County of Kent, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to construct bungs, valves or stoppers and their
seatings or holes in such manner that the contents of casks, barrels, drums, tanks
or other like vessels which are provided with said bungs, valves or stoppers and
said seatings or holes can be rapidly and effectually secured by means of said
bungs valves or stoppers, and when required, sealed, and that the bungs, valves or
stoppers can be rapidly removed when desired.
Our invention comprises first an internally screw threaded bush or nut made in
a piece with or welded or otherwise secured or affixed to the cask or vessel, in
combination with a conical valve seat beyond the screw of said bush.
Secondly, a hollow or tubular screw adapted to screw into the bush or nut above
described and having two or more internal projections adapted to engage when
required with the back of a conical valve.
Thirdly, a conical valve adapted to fit the conical seat above described and
having at its edge two or more gaps or recesses to enable it to pass the internal
projections of said hollow screw, but only when the said gaps are in line with said
projections.
Fourthly, means whereby said tubular screw can be secured to said bush or nut
and sealed with lead or otherwise.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan and Figure 2 a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1 of a bung,
valve or stopper and bunghole or seating for same and means of sealing it
constructed according to our invention and showing its application to the outside
of the end or head of a metal cask to which the bush is welded.
Figure 3 is a plan and Figure 4 a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3, illustrating
the application of our bung, valve or stopper, bunghole or seating and means of
sealing to the body of a metal cask to the inside of which the bush is welded.
Figure 5 is a plan and Figure 6 a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5 illustrating the
application of our bung, valve or stopper and bunghole or seating to a wooden
cask. No means of sealing are shown in these two figures.
Figure 7 is a side elevation and Figure 8 a back elevation of a faucet or tap
one end of which is in the form of a conical valve adapted for use in combination
with the bushes or nuts and hollow screws shown in Figures 1 to 6.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 aa represent the metal barrel, is a boss.
welded to the outside of the barrel end. The boss is cut with an internal screw
thread for a portion of its length so as to constitute a bush or nut. d is a conical
valve seat formed in the end of the cask concentric with the bush b. e is a hollow
It is
or tubular screw adapted to engage with the screw-thread of the bush b.
formed with three internal projections fff. g is a conical valve adapted to fit the
seat d and having at its edge as many gaps or recesses hhh as there are
projections fff in the tubular screw e. i is a shank projecting from the back of
the valve gk is a recess cut in the top of the bush or nut 6 and extending to
the internal edge of the said bush or nut; pp are two holes formed in the boss b
below the recess k the holes being at an angle so as to meet at their lower end.
Two holes are also formed in the shank i. mmm are notches, preferably radial as
shown, extending all round the top or outer edge of the hollow screw e.
until the valve rests on
revolution (by means of a
engage with the back of
The operations of closing and opening the bunghole are as follows:-In order
to close the bunghole the hollow screw e having been screwed into the bush until
it is nearly at the normal or closing position, the valve g is next passed through
the screw, its gaps hhh passing over the projections
the conical seat d. The screw e is then given a partial
key or otherwise) in which movement the projections
the valve and at the same time press it down upon its seat, thereby effectually
closing the bung hole of the cask. In order to seal the bung and thereby
prevent fraudulent abstraction of the contents of the cask a wire or cord ris
passed through the holes pp and its two ends are then led through two of the
notches mm and through the holes or one of the holes in the shank i. The ends
are then twisted or tied tightly together as shown and secured from being tampered
with by means of a leaden or other seal being affixed to the wire or cord r. The
screw e cannot be turned to loosen the valve without breaking the seal.
In order to open the bunghole the seal is broken and the screw e is given a
partial turn in the reverse direction to that given to it in the closing action; the
valve is thus released and it is then turned round by means of the shank until
its gaps come opposite the projections f in the screw. The valve can then be
withdrawn leaving the bunghole unobstructed.
g
It will readily be understood that by the arrangement described the full effect of
the pressure due to the screw-thread is obtained, while at the same time its
wearing surface is protected and the valve can be rapidly closed or released with
a very slight movement of the hollow screw.
The arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4 differs from that shown in Figures 1
and 2 in that the boss b is welded to the inside of the body of the cask, the valve
seat d being cut in the inner end of the boss and a holen cut in the cask body.
The arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6 is the same as that shown in
Figures 3 and 4 except that the devices for use in sealing are omitted and the boss
or bush is flanged at to rest in a corresponding recess in the body of the cask,
which is of wood, the boss 6 being secured thereto by screws 8 8.

page_text: Although the invention has been specially designed for casks, drums and other
like vessels it can also be adapted to other purposes where ready means of closing
and opening a hole or aperture are desirable. Figures 7 and 8 show for example
how the invention can be used in connection with a faucet or tap. The conical
valve is carried by the rear end of the faucet which takes the place of the
shank in Figures 1 to 6; the valve is used in combination with a bush or nut,
hollow screw and valve seat the same as those shown in Figures 1 and 6 and has
an aperture u to allow of the egress of the liquid.
The shape, size and number of the projections in the screw e and of the gaps h
in the valve y may of course be greatly varied. It is enough that in one position
of the valve relatively to the screw, the former can pass down or up the inside of
the screw while in another position it cannot pass either down or up it.
The various portions of our bung, valve or stopper will be made of such
materials as may be thought best according to the purpose for which the device is
intended. For example it may for some purposes be desirable to use say steel for
the screw-threaded parts and brass for the actual valve or bung.
The means herein before described of sealing our improved bung, valve or
stopper have been specially designed by us for the purpose but any other suitable
means of sealing may be substituted therefor, and where it is not required to
provide for sealing the bung the means of doing so may of course be dispensed
with.
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 :—
1. For closing and opening a bunghole or other aperture a fixed internally
threaded bush and a fixed valve seat in combination with a valve adapted to fit the
said seat, and a hollow screw adapted to fit said bush, which screw in one position
relatively to said valve will give passage to the valve, and in another position
relatively to said valve will engage with the back of said valve, whereby when the
valve has been passed through the said screw to the valve seat and a partial turn
is given to the said screw the valve is forced down upon the seat, and whereby
when the screw is given a partial turn in the reverse direction the valve is released
and can be withdrawn through the said hollow screw, all substantially as set
forth.
2. In an arrangement as described in Claim 1, the hollow screw e having
projections ff in combination with the conical valve having corresponding
gaps hh, and the valve seat d, substantially as set forth.
3. In an arrangement as described in Claim 1, the conical valve 9 having
gaps adapted to allow it to pass the projections ff of the hollow screw e, said
valve having also the shank i substantially as set forth.
4. In combination with an arrangement as described in Claim 1, the means of
sealing consisting of the recess at the top of the bush bin combination with
notches m m in the top edge of the screw e, the holes pp in the bush and holes in
the shank and the wire or cord to receive a leaden or other seal, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 20th day of September 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.