Today in 1969, US Patent 3438553 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Tapping Device for Beer Kegs and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states the following. “This invention relates to a new and improved tapping device for drawing liquids such as beer from containers such as beer kegs or barrels, using a gas to drive the fluid from the container. In particular, the invention relates to a new improved tapping device usable with conventional beer kegs such as the so-called peerless and golden gate systems, and comprises a sub-unit called a keg adapter which constantly seals the keg, and another sub-unit called a coupler which it attached to the beer dispensing apparatus in a restaurant or tavern and is readily connected to the keg adapter so that the tapping device is automatically in operating condition.”
