US2146382A - Stopper - Google Patents

Description

F. E. RICE Feb. 7, 1939.

STOPPER Fil ed Oct. 25, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l- F. E. RICE 2,146,382

STOPPER Filed Oct. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 7, 1939.

tion between it and a tap-bush whereby a shorter cork may be used to secure efficient sealing eifect and to provide a substantial bulge at the inner end of the cork to prevent its blowing out of the bush.

Embodiments of the lustrated in the accompanying the views thereof are as follows:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view through a Peerless tap-bush equipped with a stopper or cork of the present invention, showing the cork in sealing position in the tube opening of the bush.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the arrangement of Figure 1, with the fragmental portion of the barrel or keg eliminated.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a stopper or cork constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 is an end view of the cork of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view showing a cork about to be applied to a tap-bush of the Peerless type and showing the relationships of the diameters of the cork and the tube opening in the bush.

Figure 6 is a modified form of cork when the concavity or recess is formed by straight lines as opposed to the curved lines of the cork of Figure 3.

Figure '7 is a vertical sectional view through a tap-bush of the Peerless type, with the tube opening tapered inwardly from its outer end, divergently, with a straight sided cork in place showing a bulge or protuberance at the inner end of the tube opening.

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of Figure '7, with the fragmental portion of the barrel omitted.

Figure 9 is a view of the modified tap of Figure 7, and a straight sided cork about to be applied, showing the relationship of the tube opening and cork.

Figure 10 is a fragmental vertical sectional view through another form of Peerless tapbush, showing the taper of the tube opening formed by curved lines.

Figure 11 is a fragmental central-vertical sectional view of another modification of bush showing the tube opening as having a substantially cylindrical entrance end with the interior of the opening of greater diameter inwardly of the entrance end.

The drawings will now be explained.

The tap-bush illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, is formed as a casting with a threaded outer margin l for threading into a'bush opening in a barrel B, and with a top flange 2 which is set into a countersunk portion of the bush opening in the barrel. The bush A hasa central neck 3 which is formed with a cylindrical tube opening 4 extending from the outer surface to the inner surface of the bush. The outer end of the neck is provided with the usual overhanging shoulders 5 for cooperating with the lug of a tap, in the well known manner.

The bush is illustrated with a plurality of sharpened prongs 6 projecting below the inner face of the tap-bush and aboutthe lower margin of the tube opening 4 for the purpose of engaging the bulge of a cork or stopper with lock action, as an additional securing means, and as exemplified in applicants Patent No. 2,048,031, dated July 21, 1936.

It is to be understood that the sharpened prongs 6 might be eliminated without in any present invention are ildrawings and manner defeating the functioning of the stopper or cork of the present invention.

One form of stopper or cork is illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 and as so shown has two cylindrically shaped ends 1 and 8, of the same diameter, with an intermediate portion 9 concaved between the cylindrical ends, the concavity being formed on a radius struck from a center which is in a line through the middle of the cork between the planes of its ends.

The cork illustrated in Figure 6 has cylindrically shaped ends Ill and l I and an intermediate concave portion formed by straight lines which converge from each of the cylindrical ends meeting at substantially mid-length of the cork as at l2.

As may be observed in Figure 5 the diameters of the cylindrical ends of the cork as well as the minimum diameter of the concavity are greater than the diameter of the tube opening 4 of the bush.

The corks are driven into the tap-bushes by a machine known as a corker which is set to drive the corks into the tube opening with the upper ends of the corks displaced approximately one-quarter of an inch below the outer margin of the tube opening 4, as is illustrated in Figure 1. It is to be understood that when the corks are so driven into place, and compressed, the upper end surface will be slightly distorted due to the compression incurred by the cork when driven.

The length of the cork is greater than the axial length of the tube opening 4 and when the cork is driven into a bush as illustrated in Figure 4, the inner end of the cork will project beyond the inner end of the tube opening 4 and because of its resilient characteristic, will form a bulge C as illustrated. The bulge C is greater than the diameter of the tube opening 4 so that gas pressure within a barrel tends to squeeze the bulge tightly against the margin of the tube opening and increase the frictional engagement of the cork with the opening to prevent blowout of the cork.

When a tap-bush is equipped with the prongs or lugs 6, additional holding or locking means thus are provided.

In driving a cork of the form shown in either Figure 3 or Figure 6, as soon as the lower cylindrical end passes the upper end of the tube opening 4 surface friction between the cork and the opening will be decreased because of the concaved portion of the cork, thus enabling driving of the cork into position with less force than that required to drive a straight sided cork, of the form shown in Figure 9.

The formation of a cork as illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6, is such that the lower cylindrical end will provide a bulge C of uniform shape thus increasing the sealing effect between the cork and the tap-bush when excessive gas pressure occurs in a barrel.

It has been demonstrated that a cork constructed as shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6 need be only 1% long to produce a satisfactory and efficient bulge C at the inner end of the cork when the same is driven into place, to secure maximum holding effect.

To drive a straight sided cork such as that shown in Figure 9, into the bush illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, would require a cork of at least 1 long in order to assume formation of a sufficient bulge to prevent blowout of the cork.

It must be observed that the cork of the present invention immediately reduces the length of the cork necessary to secure the same sealing eifect, thereby reducing the cost of corks as much as $1.60 per thousand.

The form of invention illustrated in. Figures 7 to 11 inclusive, includes a novel tap-bush constructed to receive a straight sided cork D and to hold the cork in place by wedge action.

In Figures '7 and 9, the tap-bush D is provided with a neck l3 which has a tube receiving opening l4 diverging from the entrance end l5 of the opening, to the lower end of the opening at the lower surface or face of the bush. This divergence is slight. However, it is sufiicient to form an efficient frictional lock with the cork to prevent blowout of the same.

Figure '7 illustrates a straight sided cork D placed in a tapered opening I4 and showing a bulge E at the inner end of the cork which is subjected to gas pressure in the barrel.

In this form of the invention when excessivegas pressure occurs in the barrel, the tendency is to force the cork upwardly as viewed in Figure '7, Such tendency will tighten the frictional engagement between the cork and the tube opening l4, because of the tapered shape of the latter and thus effectively hold the cork against blowout or accidental displacement.

The taper of the tube opening M, in the bush D, is substantially a straight line taper.

The bush F has a neck l6 provided with a tube opening II which tapers divergently from the entrance end I8 of the opening and which is formed on a slight curve.

A cork D if driven into this character of bush, will function in the same manner as described with reference to the cork and bush in Figure 7.

The bush G of Figure 11 has a neck l9 provided with a tube opening having an upper cylindrical surface 20 and a lower cylindrical surface 2| and an intermediate convex portion 22.

A straight sided cork, such as the cork D, driven into the bush G of Figure 11 will be so driven that the upper surface of the same will align substantially with the junction between the upper cylindrical surface 20 of the opening and the concave portion 22, the tendency of the cork to expand after insertion will fill the concave portion 22 thus effectually sealing the cork in the opening. There is of course the usual bulge projecting beyond the inner surface of the bush, in the manner described with other figures of the drawings.

It will be observed that the stopper of my invention is one which may be readily driven into place in the tap-bush, with minimum effort.

3 This is especially true of the form of a stopper or cork illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6.

A cork or stopper constructed as described with reference to these figures, reduces side friction between the cork and the tube opening of the bush during the driving operation, so that the cork is foreshortened a very slight amount if any at all, thus making it possible to reduce the overall length of the cork, thereby reducing the cost of the same.

It will be observed that the stopper means of the present invention contemplates a cooperating tap-bush and stopper or cork wherein the stopper or cork is expanded to fit the bush with wedge action and thus resist any effort to accidentally blowout the stopper from the bush, any excessive gas pressure tending to increase the binding effeet between the cork and the bush rather than to reduce it.

The stopper or cork of the present invention may be said to be a cork in the form of a solid of revolution about a vertical axis, with similar end portions and an intermediate concave portion.

The stopper is of somewhat hourglass shape in side elevation.

The invention has been described herein more or less precisely as to details, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby, and changes may be made in the arrangernent and proportion of parts, and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a beer barrel, a tap-bush having av bored neck to receive a draught tube, said neck having a straight bore of substantial length at its entrance end to guidedly receive a draught tube, said neck having a portion intermediate the entrance end and the inner end thereof of greater bore diameter than the bore diameter at the said entrance and the said inner ends, and a stopper of resilient material entered in said bore and adapted to conform itself to snugly fit said neck and oppose dislodgement.

2. In a beer barrel, a tap-bush having a bored,

neck to receive a draught tube, said neck having an entrance end and an inner end of a bore formed extending through said neck, a portion of said neck intermediate said entrance end and said inner end having the bore thereof enlarged to define a concave recess in the wall bounding the bore, and a stopper of resilient material entered in said bore and adapted to conform itself to snugly fit said neck and oppose dislodgement.

FRANK E. RICE.

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