IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING OR DISCHARGING ALE OR OTHER LIQUOR OR LIQUID PROM CASKS OR RECEPTACLES, AND FOR RAISING THE SAID ALE, LIQUOR, OR LIQUID TO A HIGHER LEVEL
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Heinrich Stapfer, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Dentist, and Joseph Sinclair, of the same Place, Fish
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
WITHDRAWING OR DISCHARGING ALE OR OTHER LIQUOR OR LIQUID PROM CASKS
OR RECEPTACLES, AND FOR RAISING THE SAID ALE, LIQUOR, OR LIQUID TO A
HIGHER LEVEL."
Sealed the 19th April 1872, and dated the 24th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Heinrich Stapfer and
Joseph Sinclair at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 24th October 1871.
We, HEINRICH STAPFER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Dentist, and JOSEPH SINCLAIR, of the same Place, Fish Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING OR DISCHARGING ALE OR OTHER LIQUOR OR LIQUID
PROM CASES OR RECEPTACLES, AND FOR RAISING THE SAID ALE, LIQUOR, OR LIQUID
TO A HIGHER LEVEL," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates more particularly to apparatus to be employed
in lieu of the ordinary beer engines or pumps for raising or forcing ale

page_text: or other malt liquor into the vault, bar, or other place in which or from
whence the said ale or liquor is supplied to consumers, which said vault,
bar, or place is ordinarily on a higher level than the store, vault, or
room containing the cask or casks of ale or liquor.
Our Invention may also be applicable in the case of other liquids, such
as for example spirits or oils. For the said purpose we in the first
place make use of a pressure of air obtained by admitting water at a
suitable or sufficient pressure to the interior of a closed vessel or chamber.
The air contained in the said vessel or chamber is compressed by the
influx of the water, and a communication is established for the passage
of air from the said vessel or chamber to the interior of an air-tight bag,
by preference made of caoutchouc, which bag is introduced into the cask
and when expanded by the pressure of air acts on the ale or liquid for
the purpose as aforesaid.
The arrangements for controlling the flow of water and air may be
varied. In an arrangement which we have adopted the said vessel is
made of copper or other suitable metal, and.is fitted with a ball or float
valve, through which water is admitted from the main or other source of
supply, and also with a valve by means of which the water may be
discharged from the said vessel, and with inlet and outlet valves for air.
In some cases wherein the pressure of the water is greater than is
required or than the vessel is designed to resist, the said vessel may be
fitted with a relief or safety valve, or the water inlet pipe may be fitted
with a diminishing valve, or both the safety and the diminishing valve
may be employed.
The outlet valve for air is preferably formed as a back pressure valve,
and the said valve or a pipe leading therefrom is coupled by means of
a length of flexible tubing with a tube or hollow peg screwed or suitably
fixed in or on the cask, to which peg the aforesaid air-tight bag is
attached.
A stop valve is fitted to the pipe through which the water enters the
said vessel, and the said valve is so arranged in connection with the air
inlet valve and with the water discharge valve as that the said valves
may be operated upon simultaneously by means of a rod or handle
situated in the room or place into which the liquor or liquid is forced or
raised, so that supposing the said vessel to be empty as far as water is
concerned by actuating the said handle the air inlet and the water

page_text: discharge valves will be closed and the said stop valve will be opened;
and the apparatus may be employed for the herein specified purpose
until the water has risen to such a height within the vessel as to raise
the float of the ball valve and so to stop the inlet of the water. The air
inlet and water discharge valves may now be opened and the stop
valve be closed by means of the said handle, whereby the water will be
caused or permitted to discharge itself from the vessel. One vessel
may be connected with more than one cask if required. Two or more
vessels may be employed in connection, so that in the case of two vessels
for example, one vessel may be in operation during the time required to
empty the other vessel.
"
The functions of two or more of the said valves may be united in a
valve having two or more ways." We may make the apparatus
entirely or to a great extent self-acting, as for example, we may employ
two floats within the apparatus, one float at the upper part and one at
the lower part thereof, the upper float acting by its buoyancy on the
water inlet and discharge valves or on a two-way valve when the said
float is submerged or partly submerged, the lower float acting on the
said valve or valves by its gravity when the said float is left uncovered
by the effluent water. In such a case the air inlet valve may be opened
or closed by the action of the said floats, or may be suitably formed to
open and close self-actingly as in the case of the outlet valve for air.
The term valve as herein used must not be understood as excluding
cocks or taps.
0
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Heinrich Stapfer and Joseph Sinclair in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HEINRICH
STAPFER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Dentist, and
JOSEPH SINCLAIR, of the same Place, Fish Merchant, send greeting.

page_text: pressure to the interior of a closed vessel or chamber. The air contained
in the said vessel or chamber is compressed by the influx of the water,
and a communication is established for the passage of air from the said
vessel or chamber into the cask or into the interior of an air-tight bag
which may be introduced into the cask.
The arrangements for controlling the flow of water and air may be
varied. In an arrangement which we have adopted the said vessel is
made of copper or other suitable metal, and is fitted with a ball or float
valve through which water is admitted from tho main or other source of
supply, and also with a valve by means of which the water may be
discharged from the said vessel, and with inlet and outlet valves for air.
In some cases wherein the pressure of the water is greater than is
required or than the vessel is designed to resist, the said vessel may be
fitted with a relief or safety valve, or the water inlet pipe may be fitted
with a diminishing valve, or both the safety valve and the diminishing
valve may be employed.
The outlet valve for air is preferably formed as a back pressure valve,
and the said valve or a pipe leading therefrom is coupled by means of
a length of flexible tubing with a tube or hollow peg screwed or suitably
fixed in or on the cask.
A stop valve is fitted to the pipe through which the water enters the said
vessel, and the said valve is so arranged in connection with the air inlet
valve and with the water discharge valve as that the said valves may be
operated upon simultaneously by means of a rod or handle connected
with the room or place into which the liquor or liquid is forced or raised.
Two or more vessels may be employed in connection, so that in the case
of two vessels for example one vessel may be in operation during the
time required to empty the other vessel. The functions of two or more
of the said valves may be united in a valve having two or more "ways."
The term valve as herein used must not be understood as excluding
cocks or taps.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood, we will in this
place refer to the accompanying Drawing, made to a scale of about two
inches to the foot, and illustrative of our method of carrying the said
Invention into practical effect.

page_text: In the said Drawing a is a cylindrical air-tight vessel, preferably
made of copper; is the inlet pipe for water, and c is the inlet
cock and d is the outlet cock for water. The pipe is provided
with a diminishing valve e, which is adjusted to the highest pressure
which will be required within the vesse a. The said pipe is also
fitted with a float valve or cock g, which is situated within the vessel.
The said vessel is fitted with an air inlet cock h and levers on the
plugs of the cocks c, d, and h, are connected together by the rod i, so
that all the said three cocks can be operated simultaneously by moving
the said rod. An outlet valve jis fixed on the upper part of the said vessel
and in connection therewith is a back pressure valve k, which permits
air to flow out of the said vessel but does not permit air to return to the
said vessel. A pipe connects the said vessel with the pipe m, from
which pipes or tubes may extend to a number of casks.
Drawing only one cask is represented, and a hollow peg o is connected
by the tube p with the pipe m. The tap or cock q is connected by
means of the tube with the cock 8, which is fixed in a convenient
position in the bar, vault, or place into which the liquor has to be
delivered. In the example illustrated the said cock is enclosed in a
casing mounted on the counter t, and is provided with a handle u. The
plug of the said cock is connected by means of the rod with the plug
of an air cock w, which is fixed between the pipe m and the tube p, the
arrangement being such as that both of the cocks are opened and closed
simultaneously when the said handle is acted upon in order to withdraw
a certain quantity of liquor from the cask.
The vessel a is represented as provided with a "glass guage
this is not a necessary fitting and may be dispensed with.
"
In the
x, but
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing a full cask to
have been connected with the air vessel and with the cock &, as in the
Drawing, and supposing the vessel a to be empty or nearly empty, that
is filled only with air, the rod is moved in the direction which will
cause the air cock h and the water cock d to be closed and the cock c
to be opened. Water will now flow into the said vessel, and will com-
press the air contained therein until the pressure of the said air is equal
to the water pressure.
When it is required to withdraw liquor from the cask the handle is
turned so as to open the cocks & and w. Air will now flow through the
8

page_text: tubes or pipes and p into the cask, and the pressure of the air acting
on the liquor in the cask will cause the said liquor to rise in the tuber
and to flow through the cock 8. Whenever the pressure within the
vessel a becomes reduced in consequence of the outflow of air into the
cask, water flows into the said vessel until there is again a balance of
pressure between the air in the vessel and the water in the inlet pipe.
When the said vessel becomes nearly filled with water the float of
the valve g is acted upon and the said valve is closed, thereby stopping
the further influx of water. On continuing to withdraw liquor from the
cask the pressure within the vessel will be reduced until there is not
sufficient pressure to cause the liquor to flow through the cock 8. It
then becomes necessary to discharge water from the said vessel, and
this is effected by moving the rod in the direction which will close
the inlet cock c and will open the cock to admit air and will open
the cock d to permit the water to flow out of the vessel. The water
or the greater part thereof having run out the rod i is again moved
in the direction first indicated, so as to re-admit water to the vessel.
The dotted lines indicate an arrangement which may be adopted for
giving motion to the rod i.
If it be desired to prevent the contact of the air with the liquid in the
cask an elastic bag is fastened to the inner end of the hollow peg o and
is introduced into the cask through the bung-hole, and the air is per-
mitted to flow into the said bag, which expands and presses on the liquid
in the cask.
The form and arrangement of the cock 8 may be varied as desired.
It may be necessary or advisable in some cases to employ more than
one air vessel, as for example two air vessels may be conveniently used,
in which case they may be arranged to work alternately, and the levers
of the cocks may be connected together so that by one movement of the
connecting rod the cocks c, d, and h, on both vessels will be operated
upon so as to permit water to flow into one vessel and at the same time
to flow out of the other vessel.
In order that the tube may be cleansed at intervals access may be
had to the interior of the said tube by removing the screw cap y. Hot
water may then be poured into and through the said tube, and a suitable
brush may
be passed into or through the said tube.

page_text: When carrying our Invention into effect we have ascertained that the
freshness of malt liquor is retained to a much greater extent than when
the ordinary pumps are used, and that in some cases the quality of the
said liquor may be said to have been improved.
At the end of our Provisional Specification we mentioned that the
apparatus might be made self-acting, but as yet we have not carried this
into practical effect.
Having now fully described and illustrated the nature of our said
Invention, and our method of carrying the same into practical effect, we
would in conclusion have it to be understood. that we claim, the
apparatus formed, fitted, aranged, and acting substantially as and for
the purpose or purposes herein-before indicated and described, and as
illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Heinrich Stapfer and Joseph
Sinclair, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
third day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.
Signed and sealed by the said
Heinrich Stapfer and Joseph
Sinclair, in the presence of
HUGH GRANT,
HEINRICH STAPFER. (L.S.)
JOSEPH SINCLAIR.
Clerk to Edward K. Dutton,
Agent for the Patentees,
3, Smithy Door,
Manchester.
(L.S.)