AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR BUNGING BARRELS OR CASES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
DEVICE FOR BUNGING BARRELS OR CASES."-A communication from abroad
by John Ruigg and Joseph Gambrill Marriott, of St. Louis, Missouri,
United States of America.
Sealed the 9th April 1868, and dated the 10th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th October 1867.
1, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR BUNGING BARRELS OR CASKS," a communication,
to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is the construction of a bung and socket or
bushing for beer and other barrels which will be more capable of enduring
the rough usage arising from their frequent insertion and removal from the
barrels. Iron bushings have before been used for barrel bungs, but have always
been attached to the barrel by means of rivets alone, and consequently have
quickly become loose. Into these metallic bushings wooden plugs are usually

page_text: driven, and these plugs can only be withdrawn by repeated blows with a
heavy instrument; this treatment now causes the rapid destruction of that
stave of the cask in which the bung is placed. The bung being so tightly
driven in can only be withdrawn with much time and labour, and it is con-
sequently difficult and tedious to move the bung slightly for the purpose of
giving vent to the cask. To remedy these evils, and more especially the last,
I employ a metallic bushing which is to be both screwed into the stave and
rivetted to the same; the bung is then screwed into the said bushing, and
a cap plate fixed over it to thoroughly protect it during transportation. An
air channel is cut in one side of the bung for the purpose of admitting air to
the interior of the cask when the bung is but slightly withdrawn. The
bushing consists of a neck piece and a flange. The said neck on both its
interior and exterior surface is provided with screw threads. The exterior
threads are for the purpose of screwing the bushing into the bung stave, while
the interior threads serve to secure the bung in the bushing. In addition to
the threads for securing the bushing to the stave the flange of the said
bushing is provided with a series of holes through which rivets are inserted
and secured to the stave. The bung is a cylindrical stopper with screw
threads on its periphery fitted to the interior screw threads of the bushing.
The outer end of the bung is recessed and provided with a central angular
shank adapted to the application of a wrench for the purpose of screwing the
bung into the bushing. On one side of the bung a channel is formed; when
the bung is screwed down tightly into the bushing its inner end forms a tight
joint on a packing ring which rests upon an annular seat formed on the interior
of the bushing, but when the bung is slightly unscrewed a sufficient amount of
air will pass through the said channel into the barrel. In this manner just
enough air may be admitted to afford the required vent, and the contents of
the barrel will in consequence remain sweet a longer time than if a greater
volume of air were allowed to enter. When the bung is screwed down
tightly into its bushing the cap plate is placed over it and secured to the
bushing flange by screws or other suitable means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 35
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton

page_text: Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One,
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said,
William Robert Lake, Her special licence that 1, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times thereafter;
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc,.
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "AN IMPROVED DEVICE
FOR BUNGING BARRELS OR CASKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Robert Lake,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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby declare.
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the.
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of,
Drawings forming a part of this Specification:
The object of this Invention is the construction of a bung and socket or
bushing for beer and other barrels which will be more capable than ordinary
bungs of enduring the rough usage arising from frequent insertion and
removal from the barrels. Iron bushings have before been used for barrel
bungs, but they have always been attached to the barrel by means of rivets
alone, and consequently have quickly become loosé. Into these metallic
bushings wooden plugs are usually driven, and these plugs can only bo with-
drawn by repeated blows with a heavy instrument; this treatment soon causes
the rapid destruction of that stave of the cask in which it may be placed.
The bung being so tightly driven in much time and labour is required to
withdraw it, and it is consequently difficult and tedious to move the bung
slightly for the purpose of giving vent to the cask. To remedy these evils,
and more especially the last, I employ a metallic bushing which is to be
both screwed into the stave and rivetted into the same; the bung is then

page_text: screwed into the busbing, and a cap plate screwed down over it so as to
thoroughly protect it during transportation. An air channel is cut in one side
of the bung for the purpose of admitting air to the interior of the cask for
vent when the bung is but slightly withdrawn.
To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my improved bung I
will proceed to describe its construction and operation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of the said bung and bushing; Figure 2 is a plan of
the same, showing the exterior cap removed; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation;
Figure 4 is a plan of the bung without the bushing.
The said bushing consists of a neck piece A and a flange A¹; the neck
A has both its interior and exterior surfaces provided with screw threads.
The exterior threads a are for the purpose of screwing the bushing into the
bung stave while the threads a' or the interior threads are for the purpose of
securing the bung into the bushing. In addition to the threads a as a means
of securing the bushing to the stave the flange A¹ is provided with a series
of holes as through which rivets are to be inserted and secured to the stave;
the bung B is a cylindrical stopper with screw threads on its periphery adapted
to fit the screw threads a¹ of the bushing. The top end of the bung is recessed
so as to form a central angular shank 6 adapted to the application of a wrench
for the purpose of screwing the bung into the bushing; on one side of the
bung is a channel 61, as seen best in Figure 4. When the bung is screwed
down tightly into the bushing its bottom end will form a tight joint on the
packing a which rests upon an annular seat formed on the interior of the
bushing, but when the bung is slightly unscrewed a sufficient amount of external
air will pass through the channel 6' to afford vent for the barrel; in this
manner just enough and no more air may be admitted to afford the required
vent, and the contents of the barrel will in consequence remain sweet a longer
time than if the air were allowed to enter in larger volumes. When the bung
is screwed down tightly into its bushing a cap plate C is to be placed over it
'and secured to the bushing flange by means of the screws c.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, and shown how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice I claim,-
First. The bushing A, A', when provided with screw threads a, a¹, and rivet
holes a, and with a cap or lock plate C, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Second. The bung B when provided with screw threads, by means of which

page_text: it is secured to the bushing, and the vent chamber or channel 6' and wrench
shank b, substantially as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.B.)
Witness,
Tao. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Mess. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.