Today in 1882, US Patent 264457 A was issued, an invention of George Hirschman, for his “Beer Faucet and Tap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention relates to devices for tapping barrels and casks; and it consists in a sleeve adapted to be screwed or otherwise attached to a metal bushing surrounding the plug or bung, and a shouldered faucet arranged to move a limited distance longitudinally within the sleeve, so that if forced back by the pressure of the liquid it can move only such limited distance, but is held in position to be driven to its place.

Today in 1970, US Patent 3527391 A was issued, an invention of Anthony George Dimuria, for his “Means for Expelling Liquid from a Container by Applied External Pressure.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

A liquid container having two generally side by side openings, one for ingress of pressure applying medium and the other for egress of liquid, valve means normally maintaining said openings closed and a unit having a connection to a source of pressure applying medium and a liquid dispensing connection adapted to be applied to the container, the unit having means for operating the valve means to open said openings and thus put said container in communication with said connections respectively. Each Opening may have a valve seat with a valve element normally maintained resiliently seated thereon and each connection is dimensioned to project through its corresponding valve seat and to unseat the valve element associated therewith when the unit is applied to the container, said connections sealingly engaging said valve seats before unseating the respective valve elements whereby each valve seat also acts as a seal for one of said connections.

This invention relates to means for expelling liquid from a container by applied external pressure. While the invention has broad application it is particularly well adapted for use in dispensing beer from a barrel or keg. For purposes of explanation and illustration the invention will be described as embodied in means for dispensing beer from a barrel, as in the dispensing of draught beer in a tavern, but it is to be distinctly understood that the invention has other applications. The dispensing container may take various forms, the liquid being expelled or dispensed from the container may be any liquid and the pressure applying medium, which is preferably carbon dioxide in the case of dispensing beer, may in other cases be compressed air or other gas.

Today in 1866, US Patent 57746 A was issued, an invention of Robert W. McClelland, for his “Improved Refrigerator For Liquids.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

What I claim as my invention, and seek to secure by Letters Patent, is a refrigerator for cooling ale, beer, and other liquids, arranged so that the casks may be supported upon slides E, resting upon the ways D in the upper part of the chest A, and the liquids be conducted by a flexible pipe, G, into a receiver, I, inclosed in the cooling-tube H, and then drawn for use through a faucet, M, passing through the small doors 0, said several parts being constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

Today in 1985, US Patent 4538746 A was issued, an invention of James H. Hines, for his “Keg-Tapping Assembly.” Here’s the Abstract:

The invention contemplates improved safety interlock mechanism incorporated in a keg-tapping assembly which is removably attachable to a standard beer keg or the like, via a bayonet-type engagement between lugs on the keg and a slotted flange on the keg-tapping assembly. The keg-tapping assembly is of the variety in which a handle is depressed to gain beverage-dispensing access to the keg and in which the handle is raised to close the keg and to shut off supply of gas pressure to the keg. A guide formed in the keg-tapping assembly locates a vertically displaceable locking leg, having articulated connection to the handle, such that in a downward actuation of the handle, the guided locking leg will be in a position to deny lug displacement into or through one of the slots of the slotted flange, before handle displacement can either begin to open the keg or to admit gas pressure thereto. The result is that unless the handle is sufficiently raised to allow safe removal of the keg-tapping assembly from a keg, the keg-tapping assembly cannot be removed.

Today in 1969, US Patent 3464435 A was issued, an invention of Kay R. Lamb and Charles R. Mandeville, for their “Quick Keg Tap with Self-Sealing Connection.” Here’s the Abstract:

A keg-tapping assembly consisting of a collar installed in an opening of a keg. A bushing assembly carrying a sleeve is fastened on the collar with the sleeve extending through the collar with clearance for gas to pass into the keg. A normally closed pressure-responsive gas admission valve of the type used in pneumatic tires is provided on the bushing assembly. The bushing assembly also includes a normally collapsed live rubber axial conduit. A removable draft tube assembly can be mounted on the bushing assembly, the draft tube assembly including a rigid draft tube which is forced through the live rubber conduit and is contained coaxially in the sleeve, the draft tube extending into the keg to a considerable depth so that beverage can be forced out through the draft tube responsive to the admission of gas under pressure through the gas-admission valve. When the draft tube assembly is withdrawn, the live rubber conduit collapses, sealing otf the assembly so that foreign material cannot enter the keg.

Today in 1980, US Patent 4220048 A was issued, an invention of John A. Grepiotis and Joseph A. Grepiotis, for their “Cooler and Level Indicator For Beer Kegs.” Here’s the Abstract:

A cooler and level indicator for beer kegs comprising an insulated container for holding iced water in contact with a keg of beer, an insulated cover for sealing the container and an externally readable level gauge for indicating the iced water level, said level being proportional to the amount of beer remaining in the keg after the keg becomes buoyant.

Today in 1897, US Patent 589237 A was issued, an invention of William B. Baker, for his “Combined Beer Tap, Cooler and Pump.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to a combined beer tap, cooler, and pump; and it consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of parts in such an apparatus, as hereinafter described and claimed; In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of parts in a beer tap, cooler, and pump constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the pump with bar-faucet in side elevation. Fig. 3 is atop view of the pump and bar-faucet. Fig. 4 is a plan of the cooler with cover removed. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation of the cooler. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the drawing-off pipe, bung-plug provided with stuffing-box, and a recessed bung driver surrounding the drawing-off pipe and normally resting on the bung-plug. Fig. 7 is a plan or top view of the bung-plug with drawing-off pipe in cross-section.