Today in 1953, US Patent 2628009 A was issued, an invention of Edward D. Idzi, for his “Tap Box.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states the following:

My invention consists in a new and useful improvement in tap boxes and is designed to provide improved apparatus for chilling and dispensing draught beer tapped from kegs. The particularly novel and useful features of my improved device are the non-metallic composition beer conduits composed of a suitable plastic, such as Lucite, with suitable coupling means of the same composition for connecting the conduits to the kegs and by which the beer is conducted from the keg to the dispensing faucet entirely free of any contact with metal; the novel refrigeration system by means of which the temperature of the beer is reduced to the desired degree by being subjected to the effect of a refrigerant throughout the entire course of flow from the keg to the faucet; novel chilling units through which the beer flows immediately prior to reaching the faucets; novel mounting means by which the chilling units, beer conduits and faucets are disposed in the tap box; a freeze box for making ice, associated with the chilling units; and a beer glass trackway associated with the freeze box and having a blower for chilling the glasses passed there along.

Today in 1899, US Patent 619133 A was issued, an invention of Richard F. Burke, for his “Bung and Tap for Barrels.” There’s no Abstract, but according to the description, he’s “invented certain ‘new and useful Improvements in Bungs and Taps for Barrels, of which the following is aspecication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon. He continues. “My invention relates to devices adapted to be employed in barrels containing liquids, whether under pressure or otherwise, whereby they may be readily tapped and as readily closed.”

The object of my invention is to produce a device a portion of which may remain permanently in a barrel or cask, the same being so constructed that by the introduction of a key-like faucet an inner core can be turned in a manner to permit the free discharge of the contents and the introduction of air into the cask. Said discharge is effected through a special device for the purpose which will be comparatively inexpensive in cost of manufacture, convenient to adjust, easy to manipulate, and at the same time to provide a secure and tight connection.

Today in 1974, US Patent 3790039 A was issued, an invention of Homer R. Zucconi, for his “Keg Tapping Assembly.” There’s no Abstract, but this application apparently continues from a previous filing, and it “relates to an attachment for enabling the use of a conventional tapping attachment for application to two different tapping systems, namely, one in which a single tapping connection is made at the top (central) hole axially of the keg, or to one in which a connection is made not only at the top central hole, but also at a bottom side hole, which double connections have been used for many years in the industry.”

Today in 1963, US Patent 3076484 A was issued, an invention of Edward E. Tennant, assigned to Schlitz Brewing Co., for his “Beer Dispenser.” There’s no Abstract, but the application describes it, saying the “dispenser of the present invention is adapted for use with beer kegs or the like, such as are frequently used for party, picnic and other related applications where no regular beer dispensing equipment is available. The present device is of the general type utilizing gravity flow of the contained beverage which type of dispenser is highly desirable inasmuch as no hand pump or other pressure device is required to force the beer from the keg. The dispenser of the invention constitutes an improvement over gravity feed devices previously employed for dispensing beer.”

Today in 1966, US Patent 3232491 A was issued, an invention of William F. Hunt, assigned to Reynolds Metals Co., for his “Container for a Keg or the Like.” There’s no Abstract, and although the drawings suggest the invention is a jockey box-like container for kegs, at one point he mentions “beer is now being sold in barrel-shaped kegs formed of metallic material, such as aluminum containing metallic material or the like, having a capacity of around 2 to 2 1/2 gallons,” adding that this phenomena is growing in popularity and “that people are more frequently buying beer and other beverages in larger and more economical containers not only for home use but also for picnics and the like.” Now admittedly I was only seven in 1966, so wasn’t buying too many kegs at the time, but I certainly don’t remember these 2 to 2-1/2 gallon kegs of which he speaks. I do remember 5L mini kegs made primarily by German brewers in the mid-1990s, but that would have been just over 1.3 gallons. So despite its appearance, this keg box would have been much smaller than it looks, being designed for a much smaller keg, though it’s described as “an improved container is provided for receiving such a keg or the like wherein the container supports the keg in a novel manner to permit the same to be completely surrounded by ice or other cooling medium so that the keg will be refrigerated and the beverage remain cool until the same is dispensed from the keg.”

Today in 2011, US Patent 20110017737 A1 was issued, an invention of William P. Apps, for his “Plastic Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

A plastic beer keg includes an outer container and an inner liner. A removable lid is secured over an opening to the container to enclose the liner. The liner includes a neck portion and a body portion. A head contact member transfers axial forces imparted by handling equipment away from the neck portion.

From reading through the description, the idea of this invention is to replace the costlier metal kegs currently in use today. Only time will tell.

Today in 1972, US Patent 3637117 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, assigned to Republic Corp., for his “Keg Tapping Device.” Here’s the Abstract:

The device comprises a keg adapter mounted about a keg opening and a dispenser coupler releasably coupled to the keg adapter having gas inlet and beer dispensing outlet passages terminating in two side-by-side probes depending from the coupler. The liquid probe is movably mounted in the coupler and biased in one direction. An inverted J-shaped tube is carried by the coupler in communication with the liquid probe and displacement of the tube moves the liquid probe in the opposite direction to open the beer valve in the keg adapter. The gas passage is in communication with a hand operated portable plunger-type pump whereby gas is provided through the keg adapter into the keg.