Today in 1951, US Patent 2575658 A was issued, an invention of Roger Del Nero, for his “Beer Faucet.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

Beer has always presented problems in dispensing. It contains carbon dioxide gas, which in a sealed keg is held in solution. Upon tapping of the keg, however, it is necessary to apply pressure from an external source to keep the gas dissolved within the keg, this pressure ranging, for example, from 25 to 35 pounds. It would be desirable to retain the gas in solution until the beer is dispensed from the faucet. It is here, however, that many problems arise, and these will be mentioned briefly.

For example, the faucet is of course exposed to room temperature, and yet should be chilled if a good glass of beer is to be drawn, since the relative warmth of the faucet may cause excessive foaming of the beer by release of the gas. Keeping a faucet at a single low temperature is practically impossible, because it might be inactive for a time, during a slack period of sales, and become relatively warm.

At other times, continuous drawing will keep it chilled. All this can happen during the use of a single keg. After a period of inactivity, good bartenders spit the faucet before drawing the next glass, that is, they clear the faucet of beer trapped therein that may be stale, and of escaped gases rising to the faucet through the supply lines and coils. The loss of good beer through the drain, before the faucet is again dispensing beer properly, has been considerable.

Other factors affect the drawing of beer, too, as for instance, agitation of the beer within the keg when tapping, the melting of ice in the coil box, and change of temperature in a mechanically cooled system.

From the above, it is seen that merely putting a keg under a pressure previously determined as best will not in itself result in each and every glass drawn having no more than a proper amount of foam, even though the particular bartender may be fully expert in his work. This has been the problem, and to meet it, the art has concerned itself with devising a faucet that can be adjusted by the bartender to meet varying conditions experienced from glass to glass. All such faucets as have been commercially practicable have been of a two-valve type, having a main valve operated by the usual knob lever, and a second valve separately adjustable for the purpose of restricting the passageway through the faucet in varying degree.

So far as I am aware, however, the faucets heretofore devised, and aimed at conquering the drawing. This is when it is most important to do so, because he does not note any change in the characteristics of the beer until he actually begins drawing. If he has to stop drawing, make an adjustment of the flow control valve, test the new position, and perhaps stop and make still another adjustment, valuable time is lost. 01′, if he attempts an adjustment without stopping, he must relinquish the knob lever. Usually, by the time he reaches the adjustment lever, the glass is overflowing.

Additionally, the provision of faucets of this type has brought forth an undesirable condition, in that many of them contain so many parts that they not only can get out of order easily, but what is more important, perhaps, the volume of parts, and the comparatively large size of the faucet, affects adversely proper chilling thereof, and tends to bring forth one of the very conditions intended to be overcome.

I have had in mind, then, the provision of a faucet that can be small and will have less parts than other faucets intended to accomplish the same purpose; that will permit an adjusted setting of the flow control valve, to be made on installation, taking into consideration such factors as beer temperature desired, length and size of supply lines and coils, and the pressure applied to the keg; that will additionally permit the bartender to make further adjustment of said valve during actual drawing, to meet varying abnormal and unexpected conditions not expected at the time the drawing of the glass began, such further adjustment to be made immediately and without loss of control of the knob lever; and that will permit spitting of the faucet without loss of good beer.

To this end, the presently preferred form of my invention embodies, mainly, a faucet having a main valve operated by the conventional knob lever; a flow control valve; an adjusting sleeve that effects an adjusted, normal setting of the flow control valve, usually made at installation, this means being capable of being locked; and a stem that extends from the flow control valve and is engageable by the main valve, whereby the bartender can make a further adjustment of the flow control valve during drawing by operation of the knob lever.

Today in 1974, US Patent 3848631 A was issued, an invention of Merton R. Fallon, assigned to Draft Systems, Inc., for his “Beer Keg Protective Device.” Here’s the Abstract:

The safety device is disposable in the gas line connecting between a gas source under pressure and a tapping device installed in a keg. The safety device includes a valve housing carrying a spring biased axially movable piston including a stem and an axially adjustable element on the upstream side of the stem, the element and piston having axial passages. On the downstream side of the piston, a slit valve is provided. In use, gas flowing into the valve through the passages in the element and piston flows into the keg through the slit valve. Upon an increase in gas line pressure above a predetermined pressure, the gas acts on the piston to displace it in an upstream direction against the bias of the spring to seal the stem against the element and preclude further ingress of gas into the keg. When keg pressure is relived as by drawing beer from the keg, the spring returns the piston to open the gas passage through the valve at the predetermined pressure. The gas check valve precludes backflow of liquid and gas through the gas passage.

Today in 1895, US Patent 550232 A was issued, an invention of William A. Wagner, for his “Apparatus for Cooling and Drawing Beverages.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

The invention consists in the combination with a suitable cooling-chamber, a supply-pipe passing through the same and projecting from it, a sealed air-tight jacket forming a non-heat-conducting chamber about said projecting portion for protecting it from the external heat, and a faucet connected to the end of said projecting pipe.

It also consists in the combination with a suitable cooling chamber, a supply-pipe pass ing through the same and projecting from it, a sealed air-tight jacket forming a chamber about said projecting portion, a non-heat-conducting filling for said chamber for protecting said projecting end from the external heat, and a faucet connected to the end of said projecting pipe.

Today in 1984, US Patent 4481791 A was issued, an invention of Gary L. German, for his “Insulated Beer Keg Cooler.” Here’s the Abstract:

An insulated cooler for beer kegs which is specifically constructed to enclose both half-barrel and quarter-barrel kegs by inverting the top cover. The cooler has insulated bottom, top and side walls and encloses the keg with ice surrounding the same and provides an access opening through which the pump and tap assembly extends. Suitable handles are provided for carrying the keg and ice pack unit.

Today in 2003, US Patent WO 2003093163 A1 was issued, an invention of Christopher Wheaton and Courtenay Simon, for their “Dispensing Valve Assembly for a Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

A dispensing valve assembly for a beer keg comprises a body (11) having a pair of flexible legs (24) which form non-pivotal projection means when splayed outwardly by locking means (14) fixed on a valve stem (12) which is biased sealingly to engage a valve seat (32) of the body (11). The valve stem (12) has an internal valve seat against which is biased a plug (33). In a first position of the locking means (24), when the valve stem is off its valve seat (32), the legs (24) are unsplayed and can pass through an opening of the beer keg, whilst once the valve assembly is thereafter engaged in the beer keg the locking means are allowed to move under spring means (45) to splay the legs outwardly and prevent removal of the assembly from the keg. A special insertion tool is provided to hold the valve stem off its valve seat, and thus the locking means in its first position, prior to assembly of the valve in the beer keg, removal of the tool thereafter allowing the locking means automatically to move to its second position.

Today in 1957, US Patent 2812876 A was issued, an invention of Michael Karl Goetz, for his “Cover for Tap Opening of Beer Kegs.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates generally to the field of containers for beer or the like and, more particularly, to cover structure for use on beer kegs to shield and protect the tap opening portion thereof.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide cover structure adapted for protecting the tap opening of a keg from damage during transportation or storage, for excluding dust and foreign matter from the vicinity of such tap opening and for preventing inadvertent displacement of the cork normally employed to seal such opening until the keg is tapped.

It is another important object of this invention to provide such cover structure which may be conveniently and positively emplaced upon a keg and which may be readily removed from the keg when the latter is tobe tapped.

It is another important object of this invention to provide such cover structure which may be manufactured at low cost and in large quantities with a minimum of material and processing.

It is another important object of this invention to provide such cover structure which is adapted, when installed on a beer keg, to not only cover the tap opening of the keg but to effect a positive, protective seal between the cover and parts of the keg surrounding such tap opening.

It is still another important object of this invention to provide such cover structure which may be easily and effectively cleaned for re-use.

Today in 1947, US Patent 2430774 A was issued, an invention of Frederick E. Lynn, for his “Liquid Cooler.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention relates more particularly to a beverage serving system and apparatus, and especially to means for cooling or chilling beverages such as beer during flow thereof from a container can be maintained in service while ‘other faucets or pipes supplying the same are being replaced or repaired.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement wherein danger of leakage of refrigerant liquid into the beverage pipes or leakage from the beverage pipes into the refrigerant conduit or expansion chamber is minimized, without substantial detraction from the effectiveness of the heat transfer as between the beverage pipes and the refrigerant.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a refrigerating or cooling system that can conveniently be expanded to care for more than one group of dispensing faucets.