A Novel or Improved Automatic Measuring and Automatic Registering Tap.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Feb.. 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Novel or Improved Automatic Measuring and Automatic
Registering Tap.
I, GERARD BARKER, of Lynn Street, West Hartlepool in the County of
Durham, Grocer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
•
My invention relates to taps and is more especially applicable to taps for
drawing off whiskey and the like spirits in the small and exact quantities in which
these articles are usually sold for retail consumption the object being that the taps
be so constructed that the quantity discharged therefrom on opening the tap may
be exactly to measure and that each such measure be duly and automatically
recorded on an indicator in such a manner that the money due on the quantity of
spirit drawn off can be accurately and readily ascertained.
The nature of my invention consists as follows:-A cylindrical vessel capable of
moving about its centre is fitted into a fixed cylindrical casing, the contact between
which is sufficiently accurate to be spirit tight. The communication between the
spirit keg discharge pipe and the delivery spout is controlled by the cylindrical
vessel in the manner required for the purposes of my invention, that is to say that
whatever quantity of spirit is to be passed through the tap is first received by
measure into the said cylindrical vessel the movement of which to effect its
discharge is conveyed by a suitable train of wheels or other equivalent mechanism
to an indicator on the diagram of which each discharge is recorded. But in order
to adapt my automatic measuring and automatic registering tap to the requirements
of the liquor trade it is essential that the tap should discharge a large or a small
measure at the option of the person using it and that the indicator should record
the discharge as a large or a small measure as the case may be. To effect, this I
divide the cylindrical vessel into two chambers by a partition extending across the
full width thereof so that the contents of both chambers have to be discharged for
A suitable
a large measure and of only one chamber for the small measure.
position being assigned to the opening from the supply pipe into the cylindrical
vessel in the outer or fixed casing corresponding to an opening leading into each of
the compartments of the measuring vessel, it will be readily seen that when, the
measuring vessel is turned about its centre and these two openings are brought
together the spirit will flow into, and fill up both compartments simultaneously.
Each compartment has a separate outlet communicating with the same delivery
spout. By moving the cylindrical measuring vessel so far round, this joint inlet
becomes closed to both compartments and the outlet port of one chamber is brought
opposite to the port communicating with the delivery spout and in this position the
contents of one chamber only or a small measure is discharged through the delivery
spout and a corresponding movement is imparted to the indicating mechanism, but
by turning the cylindrical measuring vessel further round, the outlet of the other
compartment is also brought into communication with a port leading to the delivery
spout, when the contents of both compartments are then simultaneously discharged,
the movement of the indicator, mechanism corresponding to the full measure
movement of cylindrical vessel, the discharge of which is automatically recorded.
Dated this 5th day of 1002
.G.. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for. the Applicant.

page_text: A Novel or Improved Automatic Measuring and Automatic
Registering Tap.
I, GERARD BARKER, of Lynn Street, West Hartlepool, in the County of
Durham, Grocer, 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 :--
My invention relates to taps and is more especially applicable to taps for
drawing off whiskey and the like spirits in the small and exact quantities in which
these articles are usually sold for retail consumption, the object being that the
taps be so constructed that the quantity discharged therefrom on opening the tap
may be exactly to measure and that each such measure be duly and automatically
recorded on an indicator or series of dials in such a manner that the money due on
the quantity of spirit drawn off can be accurately and readily ascertained.
The nature of my invention consists as follows:-A cylindrical vessel capable
of moving about its centre is fitted into a fixed cylindrical casing, the contact
between which is sufficiently accurate to be spirit tight. The communication
between the spirit keg discharge pipe and the delivery spout is controlled by the
cylindrical vessel in the manner required for the purposes of my invention, that is
to say that whatever quantity of spirits is to be passed through the tap is first
received by measure into the said cylindrical vessel the movement of which to
effect its discharge is conveyed by a suitable train of wheels or other equivalent
mechanism to an indicator on the diagram of which each discharge is recorded.
But in order to adapt my automatic measuring and automatic registering tap to the
requirements of the liquor trade, it is essential that the tap should discharge a
large or a small measure at the option of the person using it and that the indicator
should record the discharge as a large or a small measure as the case may be.
In the drawings in which the same letters of reference indicate the like or
corresponding parts in all the figures,
Figure is a sectional view of a tap embodying my invention, the indicating
mechanism being omitted to avoid confusion in illustrating the internal construction
of the tap.
Figure 2 is an end view and Figure 3 is a broadside view external to the
measuring compartments of the tap and showing how suitable indicating mechanism
may be combined therewith in the manner hereinafter described.
In the tap as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 a is the cylindrical vessel capable
of moving about its centre; b a fixed outer casing; the supply pipe such as a
spirit keg discharge pipe; d the delivery pipe; a a² the two chambers into which
vessel a is divided by a partition x x across; ele inlet ports; f₁f outlet ports;
and g g corresponding ports communicating with the delivery pipe d. A move
on its centre in the direction of the arrow closes inlet ports and brings outlet
port opposite port g', and at position a half measure is obtained. A
further turn to a' brings port fopposite g' and a full measure, that is, contents
of both compartments a² a³, is discharged.
-
But every movement of this cylindrical vessel a to effect the discharge of the
liquor is conveyed by a suitable train of wheels or other equivalent mechanism to
an indicator on the dials of which each discharge is recorded automatically in the
manner shown by way of example in Figure 3 in which a train of wheels is shown
the corresponding dials of which would conveniently represent units, tens and
hundreds in the order respectively of 1, 2 and 3. But it must now be understood
that in order to obtain a proper action of the tap so that it cannot be tampered
with or misused it is essential that the cylindrical vessel a shall be limited in its

page_text: movement so that it cannot be turned round say to the inverted or any other
position which would bring the inlet ports el e³ opposite the ports gl g³ or the outlet
ports ff opposite the supply pipe c. To prevent this I furnish the spindle /
with wing or projection which is secured to or forms part of the spindle corre-
sponding to which I also provide on the fixed casing 6 stop pieces h³ so placed
that the vessel a can only be turned from the position in which it is shown in
Figure 5 at which it receives the charge of liquor from pipe c to the position
corresponding to line at which the contents of both chambers a' a' are being
discharged, all further movement in either direction being arrested by the wing or
projection on the spindle h coming into contact with the stop pieces h³ h³.
Furthermore the backward or return movement of the vessel a must not be shared
by the indicating wheels. Any suitable device may be employed for effecting this
result such as a paul and ratchet attached to any one of the wheels 1, 2 and 3 or
their spindles, this of course locks the train of wheels in one direction in the well
known manner.
But in combination with this, provision must also be made to
enable the spindle h which imparts its movement to the wheels 1, 2 and 3 in the
discharging direction to be turned back whilst they remain locked. And I effect
this by fitting the spindle h concentrically into the pinion 1 so that a disc secured
to one with a paul suitably attached thereto would engage in the manner required
with a ratchet secured to the other and thus enable the spindle to drive the pinion
round in one direction, and to turn back by itself in the other direction.
To provide the requisite ingress and egress of air to the compartments a' a² as these
are successively discharged and refilled I provide air valves at jj, a suitable form of
which is shown in detail in Figure 4 and consists of an inverted cup k suspended
bell fashion from a spindle or crown bolt k' which passes through a collar or head-
stock with a loose fit and a limited vertical play of about a 64th of an inch so
that the cup k sinks down as the liquor is drawn off and air passes into the vessel,
but when the liquor rises up to the top of the vessel it forces up the cup k to an
airtight contact with the collar or headstock above it and so prevents leakage.
This detail is essential to the proper working of the tap and must be careful and
accurate workmanship and should consist of light material such as thin brass or
aluminium so as to be as buoyant as possible in the liquor, leaving all round a small
annular space sufficient to allow a free ingress and egress of air as the measure is
emptied and filled.
The particular construction of tap as hereinbefore described although generally
adapted in its arrangement and action for the purposes of my invention may be
modified and thereby simplified in certain details of construction by which the vessel a
is divided into more than two compartments and rotates in one direction only in
discharging and refilling the said compartments in succession. Such a modification
is illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7 in which the measuring vessel a is divided into
the four compartments a¹, a³, a³, a'. These figures bear the same relation to each
other as Figures 1, 2 and 3, Figure 5 being a sectional view showing the internal
construction of the tap with the indicating mechanism omitted to avoid confusion,
corresponding to which Figure 6 is an end view showing the indicating mechanism
set in position and Figure 7 is an external view showing the arrangement and
gearing of the train wheels 1, 2 and 3 to represent respectively, units tens and
hundreds.
In this construction it will be observed that the same parts e', e³, e³, e', which
serve as inlet ports when opposite the supply pipe c also serve as outlet pipes when
opposite the delivery pipe d. j is the egress air valve which may take the same
construction as herein before described with reference to Figure 4, and j' is an air
passage or duct for the ingress of air; the several compartments being served in
respect to the admission and expulsion of air in turn. The rotation of the measuring
vessel a being always in one direction, the provision for enabling the spindle h to
reverse its motion in the manner described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 is
unnecessary. The spindle and pinion i being if preferred consolidated or incapable
of separate movement.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood
that I do not limit the invention to any precise arrangement of parts for effecting
its purpose as these may be readily modified without departing from the essential
or characteristic features thereof and the modifications shown in the drawings are
to be taken as convenient and reliable forms of construction .for carrying it into
effect and I declare that what I claim.is :-
Firstly. An automatic measuring tap consisting essentially of a measuring vessel
divided into two compartments into which the liquor is supplied and from one or
both of which the liquor is again drawn off by turning the measuring vessel within
a fixed casing in which and corresponding to the measuring vessel itself are
provided suitable ducts or channels or ports and air valves for controlling and
passing the liquor through the tap the said tap to be used in combination or not
with suitable mechanism for automatically registering the liquor so passed through
it, all constructed arranged and operating as a whole as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
Secondly. An automatic measuring tap, consisting of a measuring vessel divided
into a series of compartments into which the liquor is supplied and again drawn off
in succession by turning the measuring vessel within a fixed casing in which and
corresponding to the vessel itself are provided suitable duct channels or ports
and air valves or inlets for controlling and passing the liquor through the tap, the
said tap to be used in combination or not with suitable mechanism for automatically
registering the liquor so passed through it, all constructed arranged and operating
as a whole as and for the purpose substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th d of a 1004
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.