Today in 1914, US Patent 1092999 A was issued, an invention of William R. Kinnear, for his “Metallic Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The object of my invention is to provide a beer keg with an inner and an outer shell, each shell being made in two pieces and joined together at the center with a liquid proof joint, the inner shell being enameled on the inside and the outside; the connection joining the two sections of each shell being such that the shells may readily be taken apart and examined, and if the enamel should in any way become defective, the inner shell can be removed from the outer and re-enameled.

A further object of my invention is to provide a liquid shock absorber and a nonconductor in the space between the inner and outer shells, which distributes any shock which may be given to the keg throughout the entire area of the absorber and thus protects the inner shell from said shocks and preserves the enamel intact, the non-conductor preventing the passage of heat.

A further object of my invention is to construct the joint between the sections of each shell in such manner that the securing means is in the space between the two shells, so that the inner face of the inner shell presents an unbroken enameled surface; and with these and other objects in view, my invention consists of the parts and. combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

Today in 2005, US Patent EP 1295845 B1 was issued, an invention of Chang Kung-Chien, for his “Safe Device For a Double Valve Arrangement For Beer Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a double valve arrangement used for a pressurized beer keg, said arrangement comprises a safety device in order to prevent a valve body popped out of the keg under pressure causing unintended personal injury, or when the dismount is handled by somebody who is unauthorized to do so.

Today in 1938, US Patent 2113887 A was issued, an invention of Thomas A. Hutsell, for his “Beverage Dispensing Faucet.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My present invention relates to a method for the dispensing and measuring of effervescent or gas-charged liquids. A particular adaptation of my method lends itself particularly well to the dispensing of draft beer. Consequently for the sake of clearness of description I prefer to explain my method as employed in the dispensing of beer, it will be understood, it is believed, that any gas-containing or gas-producing liquid could be dispensed in a similar manner.

Today in 1870, US Patent 101966 A was issued, an invention of Felix Manz, for his “Improvement in Beer-Faucets.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The nature of my invention consists in constructing a beer or ale-cock in such a manner that, as the beer or ale is drawn from the’ barrel, the faucet by means of a plunger contained init, will force the beer or ale through the valve, thereby causing the old, as well as new beer, to produce a rich creamy surface.

Today in 1967, US Patent 3313442 A was issued, an invention of Raymond J. Wurzelbacher, for his “Wooden Bung For Beer Barrel.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention embodies certain of the principles of the compression by rolling method just described. However, a materially improved bung is provided in that the tapered edges of the rollers have formed thereon a series of ridges and grooves which in turn impart a ridged and grooved construction to the bung blanks compressed by the rollers. It has been found that the provision of a series of closely adjacent ridges extending peripherally around the sides of the bung blank and compressed provide a materially improved bung insofar as concerns tight securance in the bushing and the prevention of leakage. This is partly due to the fact that each ridge, in effect, constitutes a separate gasket sealing the sides of the bung blank against the bushing or bung hole. Additionally, since all parts of the ridged surface are compressed the total area of compression is a great deal larger than on the ordinary smooth surface bung so that when liquid is applied to the grooves between the ridges, the expansion occurs much more rapidly and more completely than in the case of a smooth surface. There is also an increased and uniform denseness over the entire side surfaces because the depth of the grooves is uniform and more compression is required to from them than would be the case with smooth surfaces.

In order to manufacture a bung of the type to which the invention relates, it is necessary to use a rolling process and it is also necessary to insert the bung blank between the rollers in the same plane as the rollers and in a direction opposed to the rollers axes.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention has been to provide a hung for a beer barrel, the sides of which contain a plurality of closely adjacent parallel compressed ridges and corresponding grooves.

Another object has been to provide a wooden bung for a beer barrel in which the sides of the bung are compressed over an area substantially greater than the distance between the upper surface and lower surface of the bung.

Another object has been to provide a bung in which the sides are denser and the degree of denseness is more uniform than in the case of a smooth sided bung.