Today in 1905, US Patent 783521 A was issued, an invention of Joshua W. Harris, for his “Beer Cooling Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
This invention relates to certain improvements in devices of that class employed for the cooling of beer and other beverages, and has for its principal object to construct a novel form of cooling-tank in which any desired quantity of liquid may be retained in accordance with the demand.
Today in 1905, US Patent 783610 A was issued, an invention of Michael J. Owens, for his “Air Vent for Beer Barrels.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in air-vents for beer barrels and the like.
It has ‘for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive construction ot air-vent which may be quickly and positively connected or detached from the receptacle where employed, and more I particularly for use with a bung-socket such as illustrated and specified in patent No. 729,545, issued June 2, 1,903, whereby the beer-tap therein described is made interchangeable with the air-vent of the present invention. 1t is obvious with the use of the beer-tap described in the said invention that no supplemental means other than therein described is necessary to admit air into the barrel; .but many people prefer to use the ordinary spigot for withdrawing the contents, and in such cases it is necessary that air be supplied to replace the beer as drawn off. This has heretofore been accomplished by air vent plugs having’ tapered ends, which are driven into auger-holes made in the heads of barrels, a very unsatisfactory arrangement, for not only is it difficult to make a positive connection there between, but the tapering ends of the plugs have a tendency to split the heads from blows delivered upon the plug when securing the same in place, and where tliel.)ar1’el-he:uls are not destroyed by splitting the holes provided for the plugs are z’tli’ter ‘rei’ieated use so enlarged as to unfit them for continued service. I overcome the aforementioned objectionable features inherent to the aforementioned devices by the novel construction and combination of devices hereinafter explained.
Today in 1968, US Patent 3370720 A was issued, an invention of Ernst R. Schickle, assigned to Rheingold Breweries Inc., for his “Keg Handling System.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
Since kegs for draught beer are relatively costly, the empty kegs are returned to the brewery and there washed or cleaned prior to being refilled with beer for distribution to taverns and the like. In order to maintain the sterility of the kegs, the cleaned kegs cannot be stored, but rather must be conveyed directly from the washing apparatus to the rackers at which the kegs are filled. Thus, the efficient utilization of the washing apparatus and the rackers requires that, during the filling of kegs, there be available to the keg washing apparatus a continuously adequate supply of empty kegs to permit the operation of the washing apparatus at its optimum capacity which corresponds substantially to the rate at which the cleaned kegs can be filled by the rackers. However, the delivery trucks return the empty kegs in varying quantities to the brewery during limited and random time periods and such trucks must be unloaded, reloaded with filled kegs and moved from the loading docks or bays as quickly as possible. Thus, the random times during which varying quantities of empty kegs are returned to the brewery cannot be correlated with the necessary continuous keg washing and refilling operations so that, at certain periods, it is necessary to store varying quantities of the empty kegs as they are returned, and thereafter to remove empty kegs from storage in order to maintain a continuously adequate supply thereof to the washing apparatus. Due to the number and bulk of the kegs involved, such storage and handling of the empty kegs give n’se to very serious problems, as concerns the operating expenses of the brewery.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an efficient automated system for handling empty kegs returned to the brewery, and for continuously maintaining an adequate supply of such empty kegs at the keg washing apparatus so as to permit continuity of operation of the latter at its optimum rate. Another object is to provide a keg handling system which, during the period when empty kegs in excess of the demand of the washing apparatus are returned to the brewery, accumulates those excess kegs in convenient groupings for storage and, thereafter, or whenever the demand for kegs at the washing apparatus exceeds the rate at which returned kegs are being conveyed thereto, is effective to separate individual :kegs from groupings thereof removed from storage and to convey the same in succession to the washing apparatus so as to permit continuity of operation of the latter.
A further object is to provide a keg handling system of the described character which transports or conveys the kegs in a prone position, that is, with each keg lying on its side so as to facilitate the movement and handling thereof, and which disposes each keg to be stored in an erect position, that is, standing on an end thereof, so as to require the smallest possible floor space for the storage vof the groupings of empty kegs and further to facilitate the stacking thereof, until such time as the empty kegs are required to satisfy the demand of the washing apparatus.
Still another object is to provide a keg handling system of the described character which requires a minimum of supervision of its operation, but which is nevertheless extremely flexible so as to be capable of satisfying the varying requirements and exigencies of brewery operation.
Today in 1895, US Patent 534840 A was issued, an invention of Michael J. Owens, for his “Apparatus For Blowing Glass.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to an apparatus for blowing glass, and has for its object to perform mechanically, what has heretofore been done manually.
The invention consists in providing an apparatus which shall receive a blow pipe and mechanically blow the glass thereon into the desired form.
Heretofore in the art of blowing glass, there has been a blower necessary, who manually blows the article into the desired form, there being a gathering boy to secure the gathering upon the pipe previous to blowing, and remove the moil after the article is formed and removed from the pipe.
This invention has for its object to mechanically blow the glass and dispense with the blower, it only being necessary for the gathering boy to secure the gathering upon the pipe and place it upon the apparatus and remove the same when the article has assumed the desired shape.
Today in 1901, US Patent 669033 A was issued, an invention of William J. Hayes, for his “Mender for Beer-Pipes.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates especially to a device for temporarily unending or stopping a leak in the lead pipe which connects beer or barrels containing other malt liquors with the tap or With an air pressure supply. Frequently a hole is accidentally blown in such pipes and immediate repairs become necessary before artisans can be summoned to effect a permanent sealing. In accomplishing this I form an open cylinder A, of sheet-brass or other flexible metal, somewhat less in diameter than the pipe. This is provided at its edges with ears or lugs b, both of which are tapped and one screw-threaded to receive a take-up screw f. Inside this cylinder is disposed a rubber bushing cylindrical and split at 7L, Fig. 2.
Today in 1908, US Patent 879983 A was issued, an invention of Harry J. Sandell, for his “Tap and Bush for Beer-Kegs.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention has for its object to provide an improved tap anc bush” especially adapted for application to beer kegs, and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.
Today in 1913, US Patent 1054121 A was issued, an invention of Emil Clemens Horst, for his “Hop-Cluster Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to means for mechanically picking hops and has particular reference to a machine for picking the hops from. clusters which have been separated from the vine during the earlier picking operations.
This mechanism is in a sense a combination with the machine shown in my co-pending application, filed of even date herewith and entitled separating cylinders. In that application an inclined cylinder of polygonal cross section is shown, there being separating means underneath the cylinder. It was found that many clusters of hops did not pass through the interstices in the cylinder but passed as clusters out of the lower end of the machine.
It is the object, therefore, of the present invent-ion to provide novel mechanism whereby any clusters which pass through the separating cylinder shall enter the cylinders of the present invention and there be finally separated.
Today in 1986, US Patent 4571920 A was issued, an invention of Henry P. Roach and Jeffrey W. Gunn, for their “Beer Keg Capping Machine.” Here’s the Abstract:
A keg capping machine primarily for use with beer kegs having protruding neck portions upon which flexible plastic caps are to be fitted. The machine has a capping head attached to the lower end of an inclined cap chute which is attached on its upper end to a cap storing hopper. The capping head has horizontal flanges on its bottom edge which serve as stops and guideways for caps sliding down the chute. The neck of a keg which is carried along a conveyor moves between the guideways and engages the lower portion of a cap forcing it through the capping head. A cap driving rocker within the capping head is employed to force the cap down tightly onto the neck of the keg.
Today in 1925, US Patent 1527897 A was issued, an invention of George Eugene Mittinger, for his “Barrel or Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to improvements in barrels or kegs and more particularly to improvements in collapsible barrels or kegs having a novel construction whereby the barrel is held together in its assembled form and being also constructed in such a manner that the unassembled parts of the barrel will stack so that in shipment tonnage can be put in a freight car.
The object of my invention is to provide a collapsible barrel or keg made in a plurality of sections and adapted to be readily collapsed and assembled as desired.
Another object of my invention is to pro vide a barrel or keg made in a plurality of sections and adapted to be collapsed so that the sections can be readily nested or stacked, whereby a vast amount of space is saved in transportation of the empty containers and tonnage can be packed in a car or the like.
Today in 1910, US Patent 950295 A was issued, an invention of Mark W. Marsden and Edward Dahn, assigned to the United Beverage Improvement Company, for their “Beer-Rod.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
The object is to provide in a single or unitary element an eduction passage for dispensing the beer or other beverage and means for supplying air for forcing purposes and for cooling the eduction passage.
