Today in 1900, US Patent 644171 A was issued, an invention of William Handler, for his “Attachment for Beer-Dispensing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description Handler explains that his “invention relates to an attachment for beer-dispensing apparatus,” adding that the “object of this invention is to produce what may be termed an anti-froth device, which may be applied at any point between the barrel, keg, or vessel and the discharge outlet of the dispensing-faucet, the said device operating to retard or hold back the froth,while permitting a ready outflow of the liquid, and thereby equalizing the amount of froth delivered with the liquid from the first to the last glass of liquid drawn from the vessel.”
Patent No. 619978A: Tap For Beer Or Other Kegs
Today in 1899, US Patent 619978 A was issued, an invention of Henry Mock, for his “Tap for Beer or Other Kegs.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention relates to a tap which is readily changeable from one beer or other keg to another and which insures a tight joint between the tap and the keg, so that all loss of liquid or gas is prevented and the pressure on the liquor necessary for drawing it is easily sustained.
Patent No. 2147862A: Beer Dispensing Apparatus
Today in 1939, US Patent 2147862 A was issued, an invention of Hans Sollinger, for his “Beer Dispensing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention relates to a beer dispensing apparatus by means of which beer can be dispensed without pressure from barrels situated at a lower level than the faucet,” before going into more detail:
The apparatus is also suitable for dispensing wine and cider and has, in known manner, a packing ange against which the Vessel to be filled is pressed and hermetically closed by the suction action of the air pump. According to the invention the dispensing faucet of the apparatus is connected by a gearing with the air pump by which, when the apparatus is in use, the air is drawn out of the beer glass pressed against the packing surface and then, when the dispensing faucet is subsequently opened and during the filling of the glass, the excess carbon dioxide flowing into the glass passes into the pump whereupon, during the return movement of the gearing, the dispensing faucet is closed, and the air and excess carbon dioxide in the pump is returned by the pump to` the barrel through a filter.
Patent No. 2369721A: Beer Dispenser
Today in 1945, US Patent 2369721 A was issued, an invention of William F. Delzer, for his “Beer Dispenser.” There’s no Abstract, but the introduction to the description gives something similar.
This invention relates to beer dispensers. The dispenser of the present invention is particularly adapted for home, club, picnic, or other uses where bar facilities are not available for the serving of draft beer. An object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser readily applicable to present commercial forms of kegs and the like and capable of discharging beer there from without the necessity of using hand pumps or other types of pressure devices heretofore required in dispensing.
Patent No. 879604A: Beer-Tap
Today in 1908, US Patent 879604 A was issued, an invention of John Wawrzinski, for his “Beer-Tap.” There’s no Abstract, but it’s described as an “invention as for its object [is] to provide a beer tap with a back pressure valve of novel construction which Will effectively prevent the pressure from the beer keg entering `the communication leading to the beer-tap from the air pressure reservoir.”
Patent No. 3563424A: Beer Tap
Today in 1971, US Patent 3563424 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Beer Tap.” There’s no Abstract, but the application states that his “invention relates to a beer-tapping device and especially to an improved adapter for attachment in the beer outlet of a standard keg. It comprises a metallically enclosed, readily assembled unit, insertable from outside the keg with a laterally offset liquid passageway through the adapter. The offset passage takes optimum advantage of the limited space available while, at the same time, the unit is compatible with existing systems. Also disclosed is a novel metallic locking unit for separating the beer and gas passageways in the adapter as well as a novel flexible resilient check valve for the gas passage through the adapter.”
Patent No. 237884A: Cask For Beer And Other Liquids
Today in 1881, US Patent 237884 A was issued, an invention of William Mainzer and John Singer, for their “Cask for Beer and Other Liquids.” There’s no Abstract, but the application states that “the object of this invention is to furnish casks for holding beer and other liquids, so constructed that they can be safely handled and transported without detaching the faucets, and can thus be furnished to the consumer with faucets applied ready for use, and can be returned to be refilled without detaching the faucets.”
Patent No. 3077202A: Beer Keg Tap
Today in 1963, US Patent 3077202 A was issued, an invention of Hilbert R. Perlick, for his “Beer Keg Tap.” There’s no Abstract, but the description makes plain the aims of this patent, and what improvement it’s bring to the tapping of beer kegs:
With a view toward overcoming the danger inherent in beer keg taps heretofore available, this invention has as its purpose to provide simple means to positively assure against accidental ejection of the tap rod from the keg, by equipping the beer keg tap with a self-energizing unidirecional clutch means carried by the body thereof and operable to automatically grip the tap rod and secure it against outward movement.
Another object of this invention is to provide a beer keg tap having a self-energizing unidirectional clutch means to grip the tap rod and hold it against outward movement in which this safety feature is so designed and constructed that the attainment of the desired objective is accomplished with a minimum structural change to the existing tap and in which only one of its elements, namely the packing gland or top nut requires any modification whatsoever.
Patent No. 8646660B2: Reusable Beer Keg
Today in 2014, just one year ago, US Patent 8646660 B2 was issued, an invention of Thomas W. Bates, Dan Morgan, and Leslie W. Ross, for their “Reusable Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:
A reusable beer keg is disclosed including a hollow beer keg body with a dispenser tube assembly having a dispenser valve, dispenser tube, and a disposable bladder. The dispenser valve is releasably attached to a top portion of the keg body and the dispenser tube and bladder extend into the interior of the keg body. When beer flows through the open dispenser valve and into the bladder, the beer causes the bladder to expand until it contacts the inside surface of the keg body. When the beer keg has been emptied it can be returned to the brewery for reuse by cleaning the dispenser valve, dispenser tube and disposing of the used bladder. The beer keg parts can then be reassembled, using a new bladder in place of the used bladder.
Patent No. 3865276A: Portable Keg Tapper
Today in 1975, US Patent 3865276 A was issued, an invention of Hank A. Thompson, for his “Portable Keg Tapper.” Here’s the Abstract:
Portable apparatus is provided for tapping a beverage container such as a beer keg. A portable ice container adapted to be supported by the top of the keg has an opening in the bottom communicating with the tapping aperture of the keg. A dispensing faucet is carried by the ice chamber. A beverage delivery conduit is formed into a cooling coil inside the ice chamber. The inlet of the conduit terminates in a releasable coupling adapted to be attached to a conventional tapping pipe. The outlet of the conduit communicates with the dispensing faucet.
