Today in 1910, US Patent 954397 A was issued, an invention of Adolph C. La Budde, for his “Keg-Rinser.” There’s no Abstract, but here’s how it’s described:

The invention is an improvement in of all sizes, such as barrels, half barrel, quarter barrels and eighth barrels, and is designed to economize in labor and time; both in working the nozzle and the controlling valve or the water supply, and properly positioning the keg to receive the nozzle, as well as to make the rinsing more effectively

The invention in general consists of a water supply conduit having a nozzle and a controlling valve, a foot lever operable to simultaneously project the nozzle valve into the keg and open the valve, and rollers to support the keg over the nozzle, each roller tapering toward the center to conform to the keg and facilitate its movement to rinsing position.

Today in 2013, US Patent 20130081661 A1 was issued, an invention of Stephen L. Hambly, assigned to Global Stainless Systems, Inc., for his “Keg Washers.” Here’s the Abstract:

Keg washers and locking mechanisms for keg washers are disclosed. The keg washers may include a base assembly, a cleaning head, a head mechanism, and a locking mechanism configured to secure the keg to the base assembly. The locking mechanism may include a holder mechanism and a neck holder fixedly mounted to the holder mechanism. The neck holder may include a first opening and a second opening. The holder mechanism may be configured, when the cleaning head is moved from a retracted position toward an extended position, to move the neck holder from a first position in which a first neck portion of a keg is received in the first opening but a second neck portion is not received in the second opening, to a second position in which the first neck portion is received in the first opening and the second neck portion is received in the second opening.

Today in 1972, US Patent 3653557 A was issued, an invention of Kay R. Lamb, for his or her “Keg Sealing and Tapping Apparatus.” Here’s the Abstract:

An apparatus for sealing and tapping containers for pressurized liquids such as beer kegs and the like including a resilient valve plug mounted in the tap hole of a keg and tap head removably mounted on the keg having an inner liquid delivery tube and an outer fluid supply tube extending downwardly through the valve plug into the keg to allow pressurized fluid to be supplied to the keg through the fluid supply tube and liquid to be withdrawn from the keg through the liquid delivery tube. The plug has integral valve means arranged to seal against the outer fluid supply tube when the head is mounted on the container, and which is adapted to close and seal the container when the head is removed.

Today in 1866, US Patent 53692 A was issued, an invention of Emile Sirret, for his “Improvement in Beer-Faucets” There’s no Abstract, but he describes his invention as “A device for foaming beer and other liquids artificially previous to their being drawn, so as to be able to cause the foaming of the liquid to any degree desired within a common faucet, and that immediately after, when the pin of the faucet is turned so as to open, the liquid will flow from it in a creamy and gaseous state sufficient to fill two or three glasses without renewing the operation.” More specifically:

The nature of my invention consists in having a hollow room or chamber inside a common faucet, between the cross-pin and the end which taps into the barrel. The hole in the faucet running through this chamber will constantly keep it filled with liquid, so that when it is required the foaming operation can be performed, which is done by placing down in the chamber a kind of syringe with a ring of line holes around the lowest end of the tube, this end being fastened to the bottom of the chamber by means of a screw. Ihe upper end of the tube with the piston-rod extending outside is tightly fastened on the top of the chamber, so as to prevent any escape of liquid. The head of the piston-rod extending out of the tube, and running parallel with the head of the cross-pin, enables the same hand to handle both of them with facility. The up-and-down movement of the piston will naturally force in and out of the tube through the small holes all the liquid contained in the chamber, and convert it into a foaming substance.

Today in 1901, US Patent 671321 A was issued, an invention of John W. Kinsey, for his “Faucet or Tapping-Bung For Tapping Beer, Etc.” There’s no Abstract, but the description claims that he’s “invented certain new and useful Improvements in Faucets or Tapping- Bungs for Tapping Beer, Ale, Porter, and other Aerated Liquors.” More particularly:

The object of the invention is to produce a faucet or tapping-bung for tapping such kegs containing said aerated liquids in a more convenient and easy manner; also, to produce a hung having an adjustable closing-valve so arranged as to be easy of access and readily operated, thereby dispensing with the use of the cork now required in closing the. end of the faucet or tapping-bung, and which must, after making the tap, be forced down into the keg with the hollow rod through which the beer, ale, &c., is drawn; also, to accomplish this in an easy and expeditious manner-at a small expense, and, finally, to produce the faucet or tapping-bung so that it is not liable to get out of order or that it can be readily repaired if any part shall be broken.

Today in 1935, US Patent 1996184A was issued, an invention of Edward Werthner, for his “Keg Tapping Seal.” There’s no Abstract, and the OCR was taking the day off when they digitized this one. I’ve tried to fix it where I could but some of it is just gibberish:

The usual beer keg is commonly only provided a cupped wooden bung and the dispensing means for discharging the beer as needed includes a tapered tap to be driven into the cupped bung to break out the bung bottom and their wedge fluid tightly into the bung side wall, said tap carrying the usual faucet tube or red; it often happens, however, that the side wall of the bung instead of remaining intact in the bung hole, breaks and will not fit tightly seal around the tap, or that the bung is driven completely into the keg. When such occurrences happen, not only does the keg-tapping person becomes showered with leaking beer squirting under pressure from the keg, but the gas from the beer is lost and the beer soon spoils. It is the object of my invention, however, to overcome such difficulties with the foregoing in-view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawing.

Today in 1987, US Patent 4653290 A was issued, an invention of Shelley R. Byrne, for his “Beer Keg Ice Sleeve and Method of Making Same.” Here’s the Abstract:

An ice sleeve cooler for beer kegs or other beverages comprising a slip-over ice sleeve open at the bottom and open at the top and having inner and outer sleeve members with an ice pocket therebetween. The bottom of the sleeve members are joined in sealed relation and have a draw-string for attachment around the lower side wall of the keg, and both inner and outer sleeve members have top draw-strings for individually attaching these members to the keg. The method of fabricating the ice sleeve cooler from a one-piece sheet of plastic stock involves the steps of folding and sealing the sheet to form the double sleeve members with an integral bottom edge.

Today in 1995, US Patent EP 0645342 A1 was issued, an invention of Robert Bernard Harwood Cook, for his “Safety Dispensing Valve.” Here’s the Abstract:

A spear valve assembly (5) has a valve body (14) for engagement with a keg neck (3) and a skirt (17) on the valve body (14) including openings (18) for the throughflow of beer during filling. A downtube assembly (12) is movable relative to the valve body (14) and the skirt (17) and includes a downtube (12) for projecting into beer in a keg. A locking member (7) is carried by the downtube assembly (12) and is arranged to project through at least one further opening (19) in the skirt. In use, the locking member (7) normally prevents the spear valve assembly (5) from being ejected from a beer keg by engagement behind the keg neck. However, for removal of the spear valve assembly (5) the downtube assembly (12) is tilted relative to the skirt (17) to retract the locking element (7).

Today in 1916, US Patent 1177529 A was issued, an invention of Frederick Marquardt, for his “Beer-Faucet.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention is to provide a faucet especially adapted to be used for dispensing beer, ale orthe like, and the faucet is provided with a meter which is operated by the passage of the liquid through the same to register the quantities of liquid drawn through the faucet.”

Today in 1967, US Patent 3311267 A was issued, an invention of James E. Houston, Ryals E. Lee,and George M. Norman, for their “Measuring Attachment for Beer Keg or the Like.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention relates to the dispensing of liquids including beer from closed opaque kegs or containers subjected to pressure to discharge the contents and with regard to which it is desirable to be able to determine the amount of liquid contained at any particular time between the initial dispensing and exhausting of the contents of such keg or container.” There’s not much more, but they explain its object:

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, practical, readily usable, measuring attachment for a beer keg or the like, which can be quickly applied and removed, and by means of which an immediate reading of the contents can be made at any time.