Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. D503550S1: Combined Beer Dispensing Cooler And Lawn Chair

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Today in 2005, US Patent D503550 S1 was issued, an invention of Brian Miesieski, Devin Kelly, and Geoff Blanck, assigned to Labatt Brewing Company Ltd, for their “Combined Beer Dispensing Cooler and Lawn Chair.” There’s no Abstract, which is unusual for such a recent patent. The patent application merely lists the seven submitted drawings of the design and the only other text at all is this short claim. “The ornamental design for a combined beer dispensing cooler and lawn chair, as shown.”

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My first thought was this had to be a promotional item that Labatt used for some sales campaign. And, in fact, that’s what it was used for. I found a picture of the finished product, which also included this caption:

This unit was designed to promote Labatt’s “Blueprint” advertising campaign which was centered around a series of beer dispensers. This chair was featured on ABC’s“Good Morning America”, a nationally broadcast television show, as one of the “Best Gadgets For Your Life”. The cooler keeps 12 cans of beer ice cold while storing one can in a chilled holding pen. When the handle is pushed it releases the can in the holding pen and reloads itself.

And the Global Marketing Group of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, a marketing display company, currently lists the chair in their catalog under Unique Solutions. So you could still get your own beer can chair, if you really, really wanted one.

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Patent No. 20130081661A1: Keg Washers

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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.

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Patent No. 3653557A: Keg Sealing & Tapping Apparatus

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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.

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Patent No. 2372854A: Yeast

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Today in 1945, US Patent 2372854 A was issued, an invention of Gustave T. Reich, for his “Yeast.” There’s no Abstract, but the descriptions states that the “invention relates to yeast and its production and it is particularly directed to a method of improving the quality of yeast obtained in the alcoholic fermentation of saccharine materials, particularly sugar rellnery materials such as black-strap molasses. It also claims to improve yeast production in twelve different ways, and then lists each way, if you’re curious.

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Patent No. 4913680A: Low-Trellis Mobile Hop Picker

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Today in 1990, US Patent 4913680 A was issued, an invention of Donald A. Desmarais, for his “Low-Trellis Mobile Hop Picker.” Here’s the Abstract:

A mobile hop picking machine is provided with independently elevatable wheels. The picker straddles a trellis to position opposing picking cats on either side of the vines. Front and rear banks of picking hooks move upwardly to pick the hops. A bank of resilient raking tines comb the vines upwardly between the picking banks. The picking cats are pivoted about their front edges and are supported for transverse movement on their rear edges. Cylinders urge the rear of the cats toward the vines. A contact member connected to the cat moves the cat transversely, to avoid cat contact with poles, against a biased mounting provided for the hydraulic cylinder. Longitudinal conveyors transport the hops rearwardly and upwardly. A squeeze conveyor floats on a top support over the elevating end of the longitudinal conveyors. An alternate arrangement intersperses the raking tines and picking hooks.

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Patent No. 53692A: Improvement In Beer-Faucets

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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.

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Patent No. 671321A: Faucet Or Tapping-Bung For Tapping Beer

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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.

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Patent No. 1996550A: Container Opener Or Church Key

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Today in 1935, US Patent 1996550 A was issued, an invention of John M. Hothersall and Dewitt F. Sampson, assigned to American Can Co., for their “Container Opener.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention relates in general to container opening devices and more particularly to a punch opener for producing a substantial pouring opening in containers having projecting end scams or joints.” Essentially it’s a church key that includes a bottle opener, as well. Here’s how this church key is special:

The principal object of the invention is to provide a container opener which at one stroke or turning movement produces a substantial pouring opening in a wall of a container through which the contents, be they fluid or granular, may be readily dispensed.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a container opening punch or cutter adapted to work on the lever principle and which employs a projecting end joint of a container, for example, the end seam, as a fulcrum or pivot point about which the cutter may be rocked into opening position in a single arcuate movement.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of such a rocker punch whose operating parts are all adapted to be formed out of a single piece of steel or other suitable material in a few simple die operations, and which, because of its simplicity of construction, can be produced inexpensively and automatically with a view to supplying the public with an efficient opening tool at small cost.

Still another important object of the invention is the provision of such a punch opener which is adapted to produce a substantial and complete pouring opening quickly at one arcuate movement of the opener. While such rapidly and completely created opening is desirable in connection with containers filled with most products, dry or wet, from the standpoint of the time element, it lends itself exceptionally well to and solves a real problem in the opening of containers filled with effervescent liquids such as beer, where a quick and adequate opening will prevent ebullition and spilling of the contents.

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Patent No. 1996184A: Keg Tapping Seal

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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.

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Patent No. 3436319A: Thin Layer Steam Distillation Of Hop Oil Extract

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Today in 1969, US Patent 3436319 A was issued, an invention of Louis Anton Freiherr Von Horst and Maximilian Kellner, for their “Thin Layer Steam Distillation of Hop Oil Extract.” There’s no Abstract, but it’s described as relating “to a process of producing essential oil of hop preparations, and more particularly to a continuous process of producing such oil of hop, and to products obtained thereby,” with something approximating an abstract:

Improved process of recovering oil of hop from a solvent extract of hops by steam distillation in a novel manner, namely by passing the hop extract downwardly in a thin layer along an externally heated surface counter currently to the upwardly flowing steam in an oxygen-free atmosphere. This process has the advantage of completely recovering the oil of hop from the steam distillate and simultaneously producing a residual hop extract containing other components of said extract in substantially unaltered form. If the temperature of the starting solvent extract of hops is between about 80 C. and about 135 C., partial isomerization of the humulones to the isohumulones which are important brewing additives, takes place.

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