Today in 1914, US Patent 1086931 A was issued, an invention of George Anton Orth and Joshua J. White, for their “Fluid-Separator.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states the “object of the invention is to provide a separator, particularly adapted for use in connection with ales and beers, for separating sediment from the body of the fluid.” The description continues:

The invention embodies among other features a device provided with an inlet pipe for connection with the main barrel or the keg and an outlet pipe for connection with the tap or faucet, the mentioned pipes terminating in a container, with an end of the inlet pipe terminating in a separator cup provided with a valve operable by a float arranged within the container and movable upwardly therein as the depth of the fluid in the container increases, the float in its upward movement being adapted to close the inlet pipe to prevent the entrance of additional fluid and in its downward movement being adapted to permit the valve to open to admit more fluid to the container.

By connecting our device directly with the keg or barrel, the pressure in the device will be the same as in the keg or barrel, so that when the fluid is taken from the tap it will be as fresh as if it were taken directly from the keg.