Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Patent No. 3100056A: Reusable Bottle Cases

By

patent-logo
Today in 1963, US Patent 3100056 A was issued, an invention of John A. Friday Jr., assigned to the Duquesne Brewing Company Of Pittsburgh, for his “Reusable Bottle Cases.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates broadly to reusable containers for bottles and the like and is particularly useful for beverage bottle cases, such as beer cases where the container is subjected to frequent reuse.

In my invention, I provide a reusable case for bottles and the like comprising, in combination, a unitary molded container having side walls, end walls, a bottom wall and opposed top flap elements, all of said elements and walls being integrally formed complete in a single piece of plastic material and a plurality of longitudinal and lateral cell-forming partition members disposed in said container, said end walls having handle means comprising openings in the upper central portions thereof, said top flap elements having lockable closing means selectively engageable with said handle means. I further provide hinge means comprising thinned flexible portions in said top flap elements adjacent said side walls. In addition, I provide convex bulges in the side and end walls at the corners of the container. Further, I provide roughened surfaces on particular portions of the container to prevent slippage between the cases from occurring when stacking or transporting them.

Thus, I have invented a bottle case that is a unitary container which is integrally formed as a single piece of plastic, which is tough and durable and may be used many times over and above the ordinary case. My case ice has a lockably closable top for the complete protection of the bottles contained therein and bulged corners for the protection of the printed material on the sides and ends of the container.

The advantages of a unitary structure are, inter alia, that the case is free of connections that are weaker than the case itself. There is less likelihood of weak spots. It also eliminates costly assembly operations and thus, is not only stronger but less expensive.

US3100056-0

Patent No. 2291980A: Beer Barrel

By

patent-logo
Today in 1942, US Patent 230815 A was issued, an invention of James C. Mullen, assigned to the Verdi Bros Cooperage Company, for his “Beer Barrel.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to barrels, vats and the like and more particularly to the type of barrels employed in the shipment and dispensation of malt-liquors and similar products.

This invention specifically relates to barrels made up of ply Wood laminations.

It is a common practice that barrels, used for the purposes referred to, are preferably built up of barrel staves of which their end portions are made much heavier than their middle portions, whereby to resist the severe handling in shipment.

When employing ply wood laminations in the manufacture of barrel staves, a thickening and thereby strengthening of their end portions introduces however certain mechanical difficulties.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a practical barrel stave comprising wood ply laminations and of which the physical contour of said stave, approximates or duplicates those of the conventional one-piece, oaken staves.

A further object is to provide a stave adapted for the manufacture of barrels, and of which the wood ply lamination utilized therein are formed and arranged in a manner to give to the barrel all of the desirable characteristics of the conventional oaken barrel, while being cheaper to manufacture, stronger in construction and therefore more enduring.

US2291980-0
US2291980-1

Patent No. 457243A: Beer Pump

By

patent-logo
Today in 1891, US Patent 457243 A was issued, an invention of Charles A. Bartliff, for his “Beer Pump.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention relates to an improvement in air-pumps for forcing and compressing air in a cask; and it consists in the peculiar construction and novel combination of parts, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

The object of my invention is to provide an air-pump which is adapted to force beer or other liquid from the cask by atmospheric pressure; and a further object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective, and inexpensive pump which may be operated either by foot or by hand power.

US457243-0
US457243-1

Beer In Ads #1992: Carlsberg Gives Strength And Courage

By


Wednesday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1926. IN this old advertising painting, a worker holding a mug of beer looks at the audience while directing our attention behind him at the Carlsberg brewery complex in Copenhagen. Above him, the text reads “Gamle den er god giver Kraft og Mod,” which Google clumsily translates to “Old is good gives strength and courage.”

carlsberg-1926-painting

Patent No. 230815A: Beer Cooler

By

patent-logo
Today in 1880, US Patent 230815 A was issued, an invention of Alvin D. Puffer, for his “Beer Cooler.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to improvements in a class of apparatus for reducing the temperature of soda-water or other liquids manufactured by myself, and shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States issued to me on the 6th day of December, 1870, and the 3d day of April, 1877, respectively, the purpose of the invention shown in the first-named patent being to economize the waste of ice used in cooling liquids; and it consists, primarily, in conducting the liquid to be refrigerated through a preliminary or auxiliary series or coil of pipes or cylinders situated within the ice-water which accumulates from the melting of the ice with which the primary cylinders or coolers are packed, or otherwise taking advantage of the low degree of temperature of such ice water to reduce the temperature of the soda water or other liquid previous to its entering the primary coolers, which receive cold directly from the ice, while the invention embraced in the second-named patent consists in a new or peculiar manner of conducting ,soda water through a cooler or refrigerating apparatus, the purpose of the invention being to thoroughly and effectually carry or force the water, in its passage through a series of cooling-cylinders, against the refrigerated sides or inner surfaces of such cylinders, or to prevent the formation of a central or inner current through the body of water in such cylinders.

US230815-0

Patent No. 6769981B1: Hop Vine Processor

By

patent-logo
Today in 2004, US Patent 6769981 B1 was issued, an invention of Kenneth J. Perrault and Charles J. Perrault, for their “Hop Vine Processor.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method and apparatus for the processing of hop vines. An automated hop processor cuts bulk-harvested hop vines into manageable segments with a minimum of handling operations. The bulk of hop vines are off-loaded onto an in-feed conveyor by positioning a transport on the in-feed conveyor. After verifying proper position of the transport a fork can be inserted into the transport. The transport is moved off of the in-feed conveyor and the fork removed from the bulk of hop vines. The Hop vines are then moved on the in-feed conveyor to a cutter, after verifying the transport is clear of the in-feed conveyor. The in-feed conveyor is stopped when the hop vines are in position for cutting and the hops are cut with a cutting mechanism. The cut hop vines are then conveyed to a shredder for shredding and further processing into component hop cones and hop vine silage.

US06769981-20040803-D00001

Beer In Ads #1990: I Told You Not To Touch My Carlsberg

By


Monday’s ad is for Carlsberg, and is done by famed fantasy and science fiction artist Frank Frazetta in 1985. Using the tagline “I Told You Not To Touch My Carlsberg,” the painting suggests the carnage that might ensue should someone decide to “touch” his beer. There’s another slogan at the bottom of the ad, “Denmark’s Greatest Export Since the Vikings,” which may explain why they chose this work by Frazetta.

Carlsberg-1985-frazetta