Taps

Sept. 9, 1958

T. H. BRADBURY

TAPS

Filed March 27, 1956

2,851,202

FIG.I.

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FIG. 2.

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United States Patent Office _r²&gt;⁸⁵¹&gt;²⁰²

Patented Sept. 9, 1958

2,851,202

TAPS

Thomas Henry Bradbury, Birmingham, England, assignor io Phillips Telescopic Taps Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company

Application March 27,1956, Serial No. 574,188

Claims. (Cl. 222—505)

This invention relates to taps, particularly for oil drums or the like of the type in which a pouring or telescopic tube is adapted to be withdrawn a distance outwardly together with a sleeve valve which closes a pouring opening in the pouring tube, after which further withdrawal movement of the pouring tube opens the pouring opening, and this invention has for its object simple automatic means for operating the sleeve valve for opening and closing the pouring tube by the withdrawal and return movement of the pouring tube. A further object is to provide a tap which is simplified in construction and cheap to manufacture.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a bearing tube, and Figure 2 is an end view.

Figure 3 is an elevation of a pouring tube, and Figure 4 is an end view.

Figure 5 is an elevation of a valve sleeve, and Figure 6 is an end view.

Figure 7 is a side view of a tap constructed according to this invention in the closed position.

.¾¹¹¹¹⁵ 8 is a view with the pouring tube partially withdrawn but with the pouring outlet closed, and

Figure 9 is a view of the tap opened.

. According to a convenient embodiment of the present invention, the tap for an oil drum or the like comprises a rose or flanged boss 1 which is fixed in the wall of the drum with a slide guide sleeve 2 thereon passing into the interior of the drum. A pouring of telescopic tube 3 is slidably mounted in the slide guide sleeve 2 and has a pouring opening 4 therein. A sleeve valve 5 is mounted in the pouring tube 3, such sleeve valve comprising a part cylindrical flexible member which is normally positioned to close the pouring opening 4 in the pouring tube. The sleeve valve 5 is adapted to move with the pouring tube 3, in its position closing the pouring opening, during the initial withdrawal of the pouring tube from the drum or the like to position the pouring opening a distance from the wall of the drum (Figure 8) and the sleeve valve 5 is held stationary whilst the pouring tube 3 is further withdrawn (Figure 9), or again retracted to close the pouring opening. The pouring tube 3 has diametrically opposite longitudinal projections 6 pressed therefrom for engaging slots or keyways 7 in the said fixed slide guide tube 2 in the flanged boss 1 to restrict the pouring tube 3 to an axial sliding movement. The sleeve valve 5 is fixed to the pouring tube in position closing the pouring opening 4 by means of a spring catch which comprises a projection 8 pierced and pressed from the wall of the pouring tube 3 to engage the circumferential portion 9a of an L-shaped slot 9 in the sleeve valve, and with the catch 8 in this position the sleeve valve is constrained to move with the pouring tube. A projection 10 is bent from a corner of the cylindrical spring plate forming the sleeve valve 5 and when the pouring tube has been initially withdrawn, the corner projection 10 engages and slides on a helical shoulder or abutment 11 formed by the slot 11α at the edge of the said fixed guide tube or sleeve 2 and flexes the sleeve valve so that the longitudinal portion of the said L-slot is brought into register with the projection 8 engaging the slot. The 5 sleeve valve 5 has a circumferential slot 5α to make the portion having the slot 9 therein flexible. The other side of the sleeve valve 5 is anchored to the pouring tube by means of a projection 12 on the pouring tube which engages a longitudinal slot 13 in the sleeve valve. The 10 sleeve valve 5 is thus anchored to the fixed guide tube 2 and the pouring tube 3 is free to be further withdrawn, so that the pouring opening 4 moves away from the sleeve valve. When the pouring tube 3 is returned, the pouring opening is moved over the sleeve valve 5, held 15 by the slot 11α to close the opening and the aforementioned projection 8 moves to the end of the longitudinal portion of the said L-slot 9. On further inward movement of the pouring tube 3, the corner projection 10 moves away from the helical shoulder 11 on the fixed ²⁰ sleeve, thereby allowing the sleeve valve to spring back to bring the circumferential portion 9α of the slot into engagement with the projection 8 engaging the slot, so that the sleeve valve 5 is fixed to the pouring tube 3 and the sleeve valve and the pouring tube move into the drum or container. The inner ends 6α of the longitudinal projections 6 on the pouring tube are adapted to leave the slots 7 in the fixed guide tube 2 and when the pouring tube is turned, the ends of the projections engage helical shoulders 14 on the end of the guide to pull a shoulder 15 at the closed end of the pouring tube against a sealing washer.