Rectangular barrel for aging whiskey

• US 4,484,688 A
• Filed: 02/15/1983
• Issued: 11/27/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Henry Smith Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Robert Henry Smith Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Application Number:
  US06/466,510
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 217/72, 217/17, 217/65, 217/88, 217/96, 217/91, 217/94, 217/12 R, 144/353, 144/354
• US Class Current: 217/91
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 9/06 Boxes or crates of polygonal cross-section

Abstract

A rectangular barrel-like structure having four wooden stave sides and two wooden stave head sections, joined together by specially designed triangular corner members. Each of the staves used in making the side walls and in making the head sections are of white oak and are of tongue-and-groove construction. Additionally, each of the staves utilized in the wall sections contains a croze at the top and at the bottom for snug engagement with the staves forming the head sections. Each of the triangular corner members is truncated at the junction of the leg and the base of the triangle so as to form a planar section equal in width to the width of the wall section stave. The truncated planar section contains a projecting tongue on one side for engagement with a complementary groove of a wall stave of one side section and a complementary groove on the other for engagement with a projecting tongue of one of the wall staves of the other wall section. A series of bumper members comprising wooden pieces each equal in length to the width of a wall section and of two corner members are tapered at each end and are arranged transversely across the wall section near the top and near the bottom. A metal tensioning strap of conventional construction encircles the four wooden bumpers and tension is applied so that pressure is applied to the wall sections and particularly to the apex of the triangular corner piece. The forces, therefore, when resolved, are at right angles so that the side wall staves are drawn into tight compressive tongue-and-groove engagement. No glues or bonding agents are employed whatsoever.

Claims

1. A rectangular barrel-like container, adapted for the aging of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages, which comprises, in combination:

A. head and side wall stave sections made from wooden oak staves;

1. said staves having substantially planar surfaces and being of uniform width from top to bottom and from stave to stave,

2. each of said staves having a tongue on one edge and a groove on the other edge for engaging with the groove or with the tongue of an adjacent stave,

3. the staves forming the wall having a croze at opposite ends and a body portion, which has a straight longitudinal axis and is of uniform length,

4. the staves forming the head having shaped ends, adapted to fit into the croze formed by staves forming the walls,

5. said head staves being of uniform length and width;

B. four corner members,

1. each of said corner members being in the form of a triangle, when viewed in cross section, and having an apex, legs and a base,

2. each of said corner members having been sawn from white oak bolts,

3. each of said corner members being truncated at the junction of each of the legs of said triangle with the base of said triangle, and

4. the base of said triangle forming a planar section, running the length of said member;

a. one of said truncated edges having a tongue running its length and the other of said truncated edges having a complementary groove running its length,

b. each of said four corner members having a croze at the top and bottom in the base of the triangle in the planar surface thereof;

C. at least two sets of bumper and compression members, in which each set comprises;

1. four flat bars, each bar;

a. being equal in length to the width of one wall section,

b. being tapered at each end to fit flush with the apex of said triangular corner member,

c. and being adapted for transverse mounting across the side of a wall section in proximity to the croze,

2.

3. tongue-and-groove engagement. 2. A rectangular barrel-like container, as defined in claim 1, in which each stave has a width in the range of from 3-5 inches and has a thickness in the range of from about 3/4 to 11/4 inches.

4. A rectangular barrel-like container, as defined in claim 1, in which the wooden oak staves are quarter-sawn from white oak bolts.

5. A rectangular barrel-like container, as defined in claim 1, the further combination therewith of an additional bumper and compression member, comprising four flat bars mounted transversely around the middle portion of said wall sections, each bar being tapered at each end so as to fit flush with the apex of the triangular corner member, and a metal compression strap surrounding said four flat bars and said triangular corner members and tensioned into a compressive water-tight engagement.

6. A rectangular barrel-like container, as defined in claim 1, in whch at least two of each set of head staves are sawn angularly at an angle of about 45°

at each end and shaped to fit into the croze of the corner members and which are shaped on one edge so as to fit into the croze of the wall section staves and which contains on the other edge either a tongue or a groove for engagement with an adjacent head stave.

9. A corner construction, as defined in claim 6, in which:

A. said triangular corner member has a croze at each end for engagement with a stave of the head section of tongue-and-groove construction made of wooden oak staves of uniform dimensions;

B. said staves being sawn at about 45°

at each end and shaped to fit into the croze of said triangular member.

2. a metal compression strap surrounding each set of said four flat bars and the apex of each of said triangular corner members,wherein application of tension to said compression strap pulls the wall sections and the head sections into compressive, water-tight,

7. A corner construction for use with a side wall stave section in making rectangular barrel-like containers, comprising:

A. a triangular corner member, forming a triangle in cross section, but truncated at the juncture of each of the legs of the triangle with the base of the triangle so as to form five planar sections extending the length of said corner member,

1. one of said truncated edges of said corner member having a tongue running its entire length for engagement with a side wall section,

8. the other of said truncated edges having a groove running its length for engagement with a projecting tongue of a stave forming part of said side wall section;

B. tensioning means in operative relation with the apex of said triangle of said triangular member comprising;

1. external bumper members with tapered ends, and

2. a metal compression strap surrounding said external bumper members and in operative relation with the apex of said triangular corner member,

3. whereby tension applied to said strap, and to the apex of said corner triangular member, is translated to forces extending at right angles so as to apply pressure to the tongue and groove engagement of the triangular member with the staves forming the side wall section.

10. A method of fabricating a rectangular barrel-like container for the aging of whiskey, which comprises:

A. forming a series of oak staves, each of uniform diameter relative to each other and each having a projecting tongue on one edge, a complementary groove on the other edge, and a croze at either end;

B. fitting said staves together to form four wall sections;

C. forming four corner members in the shape of a triangle, when viewed in cross section, each of said triangular-shaped corner members being truncated at the junction of the leg of the triangle and at the base thereof, and each containing a croze on the base portion at either end, one leg of each triangular member containing a projecting tongue and the other leg containing a complementary groove;

D. forming a series of head staves of oak, each of said head staves being of uniform dimension, and each having a projecting tongue on one edge and a complementary groove on the other edge, the ends of each of said head staves being shaped for snug engagement with the croze of the wall section,

1. forming four head staves of uniform length to the length of the other head staves, but having each end sawn at an angle and shaped for snug engagement with the croze of one of said corner members and having one edge shaped for snug engagement with the croze of the assembled wall stave section and the other edge equipped either with a projecting tongue or a complementary groove;

E. forming a series of bumper members, the length of the width of the assembled wall stave section and tapered at each end to fit flush with the apex of said triangular shaped corner members;

F. providing two metal tensioning straps, slightly greater in length to the circumference of the rectangular container;

G. fitting three assembled wall stave sections into two of the triangular corner members;

H. fitting one assembled wall stave section in tongue and groove engagement with the remaining two corner members;

I. engaging the shaped edge of two of the four head staves, having angular and shaped ends, into the croze of one wall section and the croze of the two triangular members, both top and bottom;

J. engaging the head staves in tongue-and-groove engagement with each other and with their shaped ends in snug engagement with the croze of the two wall sections, top and bottom;

K. engaging the remaining two wall staves with the finished edge and angular and shaped ends into the croze of the remaining two triangular corner members, top and bottom and into snug engagement with the croze of the remaining wall stave sections, at both top and bottom;

L. arranging four bumper members across the four wall stave sections, top and bottom in a flush fit with the apices of said triangular corner members; and

M. encircling said arranged bumper members and apices of said triangular corner members with a metal tensioning strap and applying tension to pull all of the sections and the corner members into water-tight tongue-and-groove engagement.