Refillable and rechargeable grease gun reservoir

A refillable reusable grease gun reservoir has grease inlet and outlet ports coupled with dry break fittings enabling the reservoir to be used and refilled. The reservoir may be filled through the top and/or bottom of the reservoir body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally related to the operation of grease guns. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a system and method for refilling the reservoir of a grease gun.

Grease guns utilize a reservoir, for example, tubes or cartridges, to hold grease while a plunger, pull rod mechanism, or other similar mechanism forces grease from the reservoir to a dispenser. When the gun runs out of grease, the tube in reservoir is usually replaced. Replacing the reservoir generally means removing the spent tube or cartridge and replacing it with a new one. Replacing the reservoir also means that one comes into contact with grease residue contained in the old reservoir or grease from the new reservoir resulting in an unwanted mess. Moreover, disposal of the spent reservoir becomes an environmental concern because of the remaining grease residue. Though the grease gun has been improved over the years, grease residue resulting from the process of switching from an old grease reservoir to a new grease reservoir remains an issue.

For example, to remove a spent tube of grease, one must first grasp the T-bar that is fixed to the outer end of the pull rod mechanism at the bottom outer portion of the grease reservoir. In drawing the pull rod out through the bottom of the grease reservoir, the wiper piston is also pulled back through the spent tube of grease due to the design of the pressure mechanism of the grease gun. The pressure mechanism is made up of the pull rod with a T-handle affixed to the outer end portion for one to grab onto. The piston rod runs the full length of the grease reservoir. A compression spring runs the full length inside the grease reservoir. The piston rod slides through a slotted hold in the bottom of the grease reservoir and traverses fully through the center of the compression spring inside the grease reservoir. The piston rod slides through the center of the wiper piston and has its end buttoned off so that it cannot slide backward out of the piston. This design enables one to draw the wiper piston back through the spent grease tube and compress the compression spring. The piston rod being drawn out completely compresses the compression spring and places the wiper piston at the bottom of the spent tube of grease. To hold the pressure of the compression spring in this compressed condition while replacing the spent tube of greases causes one to rotate the piston rod sideways into the slot at the bottom of the grease reservoir where it engages a machined ring in the piston rod below the wiper piston to reveal itself outside the bottom of the grease reservoir.

Next, one needs to unscrew the grease reservoir from the head of the grease gun. Removal reveals the outer ring of the spent grease tube in the grease reservoir. The spent grease tube can now be removed as the piston rod assembly has been fixed at the bottom of the grease reservoir.

After removing the spent tube, a full tube of grease is inserted into the grease reservoir housing assembly. Fully inserting the new tube of grease into the reservoir housing bases the grease in the bottom of the new tube of grease to come into contact with the wiper piston being held in place by the pull rod. The grease reservoir is rethreaded into the head of the grease gun. After securing the two operating members together, the pull rod is rotated out of the slot assembly at the bottom of the grease reservoir. The pressure generated by the compression spring is fully transferred to the wiper piston that is in contact with new grease in the tube. The pull rod must be pushed into and through the new grease in the new tube so that the T-bar handle shows at the bottom of the grease reservoir. As grease is consumed, the wiper piston continues to slide along the pull rod being pushed by the compression spring and applying pressure to the grease in the tube to force it towards the head of the grease gun where the grease engages with the gun's pumping mechanism.

As described above, changing grease tubes in grease guns involve multiple steps and a mess that needs to be cleaned up. What is needed is a system that eliminates or partially eliminates the need for a pull rod mechanism and its associated functionality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While the way in which the present invention addresses the disadvantages of the prior art will be discussed in greater detail below, in general, the present invention provides for a refillable grease gun reservoir body.

The reservoir body includes a tube defining an inner area that contains the grease and the pressure mechanism. Depending on the embodiment, the inner area may also contain a bladder that contains the grease within the inner area. Fitting/couplings are situated at the top of the reservoir body for making connections to grease guns, refill apparatus, or other systems as needed. The fitting/couplings prevent the flow of grease from the bladder upon disconnection from the grease gun or other apparatus. Within the fitting/couplings are grease ports coupled to the container for grease. In some embodiments, the grease ports serve as inlet and outlet ports. In other embodiments, the grease ports are either an inlet port or an outlet port. A pressure mechanism is situated within the inner area that forces the grease from the inner area through a port to the head of the grease gun. The reservoir body is refillable through a combination inlet/outlet port or an inlet port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the invention are described in detail below. While specific implementations involving grease gun reservoirs are described, it should be understood that their description is merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the various aspects of the invention. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be easily used or substituted than those that are described here without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the system may be embodied as a customization of an existing system, an add-on product, and/or a stand-alone system.

The present invention facilitates refilling a grease gun reservoir. The invention provides a rechargeable reservoir body that can be adapted to function with existing grease gun systems or used with newly manufactured grease guns specific to the described grease gun reservoir body. The invention also includes a bulk grease delivery system used to charge an individual grease gun's reservoir. Thus, as will become apparent from the following descriptions, the present invention facilitates an efficient and environmentally friendly way to refill and recharge a reusable grease gun reservoir body.

FIG. 1illustrates, an exemplary refillable grease gun reservoir utilizing an internal bladder10of the invention. A reservoir tube16is equipped with a fitting/coupling11on top of the reservoir tube for receiving a grease gun or a refilling apparatus. The reservoir tube16may be of any suitable material and shape designed to contained the elements of the invention. The tube may be any color or clear in order to see the amount of grease contained in the bladder13. Preferably, the fitting/coupling11is a dry break fitting/coupling that automatically seals off grease flow when disconnected. In a preferred embodiment, fitting/coupling11also enables quick connect and disconnect to the grease gun and refilling apparatus. Fitting/couplings are well known in the grease gun art and will not be described. However, any type of fitting/coupling now known or known in the future that limits the grease flow when disconnected is within the spirit of the invention. The fitting/coupling11also may be equipped with a pressure relief mechanism. The fitting/coupling11encompasses a grease inlet/outlet port12that enables grease to flow from the bladder13to the grease gun. The grease inlet/outlet port12also is used to charge and refill the bladder13with grease. The bladder13is contained within the reservoir tube16. The bladder13may be of any suitable material designed to contain grease and expand/contract while delivering grease or be filled with grease. The reservoir tube16may optionally be equipped with an additional pressure relief mechanism14. Such mechanisms are well known in the art and will not be described. The reservoir tube16has an internal reservoir17. The internal reservoir17may be charged with a gas, for example nitrogen, to act as an accumulator. When the grease gun is operated, the gas within the internal reservoir17expands causing pressure on the bladder13, which distributes the grease through the grease inlet/outlet port12. The reservoir tube16may have threads15situated on the outside of the tube for releasably attaching the tube to a grease gun, refilling apparatus, or storage apparatus.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 2, which enables the refillable grease gun reservoir to be refilled from the bottom of the reservoir.FIG. 2illustrates an exemplary refillable grease gun reservoir utilizing an internal bladder that is refillable from the bottom of the reservoir20. The reservoir tube29is equipped with a fitting/coupling21a, internal bladder24, pressure relief mechanism26, internal reservoir27, and threads28similar toFIG. 1. However, because the reservoir is to be filled from the bottom of the body, reservoir tube is equipped with a grease outlet22for delivering grease to the grease gun and a separate grease inlet25for refilling the bladder24with grease. A grease refilling apparatus is connected to the fitting/coupling12b. The grease is delivered to the bladder via a grease channel23. The grease channel is contained by the reservoir tube29, but is outside the internal reservoir27.

A modification of the grease gun reservoir is shown inFIGS. 3-5. Grease guns may utilize a variety of methods of applying pressure to distribute grease, e.g., pressurized air, wiper plate. Though only two types are described in detail, any method of applying pressure to force grease from the reservoir known now or in the future is within the spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 3illustrates an exemplary refillable grease gun reservoir utilizing an internal wiper plate that is refillable from the top of the reservoir. A reservoir tube37is equipped with a fitting/coupling31, grease inlet/outlet port32, and threads36similar to those inFIG. 1. The reservoir tube37contains a wiper plate33connected to a stem rod/grease guide35so that the wiper plate33is able to freely move up and down the stem rod/grease guide35. The stem rod/grease guide35is coupled to the grease inlet/outlet port32so that grease may be delivered from the reservoir tube37through the stem rod/grease guide35and out the inlet/outlet port32to the grease gun. The reservoir body is refilled through the inlet/outlet port32such that the grease travels through the port to the reservoir tube37via the stem rod/grease guide35. To assist with compression and movement of the wiper plate33, a compression spring34may be employed depending on the particular application.

FIG. 4illustrates an exemplary refillable grease gun reservoir utilizing an internal wiper plate that is refillable from the bottom of the reservoir40. A reservoir tube48is equipped with a fitting/coupling41a, wiper plate43, and threads36similar to those inFIG. 3. However, because the reservoir is to be filled from the bottom of the tube, reservoir tube48is equipped with a separate fitting/coupling41band a grease outlet42for delivering grease to the grease gun and a separate grease inlet46for refilling the reservoir tube48. The stem rod/grease guide44is coupled to the grease inlet46delivers grease from the grease inlet46to the top of the wiper plate43thereby filling the reservoir. Additionally, an optional compression spring45may be used to assist forcing grease from the reservoir.

FIG. 5illustrates an exemplary refillable grease gun reservoir utilizing an internal wiper plate that is refillable from the bottom and/or top of the reservoir50. A reservoir tube50ais equipped with two fitting/couplings51aand51bas described above. At the top of the reservoir tube50a, a grease inlet/outlet port52is used to for bi-directional flow of grease. A grease inlet port57is situated at the bottom of the reservoir tube50afor refilling operations. The grease inlet port57is connected to a grease channel56situated inside the reservoir body50athat directs grease to the top of the wiper plate53. The wiper plate is situated within the reservoir body50aand the grease channel56. The wiper plate53is coupled and guide by a stem rod54. An optional compression spring55may be used to assist forcing the grease from the reservoir. The reservoir tube may be filled using the grease inlet/outlet port52and/or the grease inlet port57. When filling from the grease inlet/outlet port52, the grease forces the wiper plate53down the stem rod54until full. When filling from the grease inlet port57, the grease enters the grease channel and travels the length of the reservoir tube50auntil the grease forces the wiper plate53down the stem rod54. The grease channel is equipped with a mechanism that enables one-way travel of grease from the inlet port57to the top of the wiper plate53. This mechanism prevents grease escaping back through the grease channel when operating the grease gun. These mechanisms are well known in the art and will not be described in detail.

The grease gun reservoir of the present invention may also be adapted for use with existing grease gun systems.FIG. 6illustrates an exemplary adapter ring60. The adaptor ring is a body61that has threads62situated at the top of the body61and on the outer edges such that the body may receive a grease gun apparatus. Inner threads65are situated at the bottom of the body61and on the inner edges of the body61such that the body61may receive a grease gun reservoir. A fitting/coupling64is situated within the bottom of the body61and within the cavity to accept the grease gun reservoir. A cavity63within the top of the body61accepts the grease gun connection. The cavity63will varies depending on the type of grease gun to be used.

FIG. 7illustrates an embodiment of adapter ring usage. A reservoir body71of the present invention is coupled to the adapter ring60by screwing the adapter ring onto the reservoir body71using the threads75. The reservoir body71is also screwed into a docking station72via additional threads75on the bottom of the reservoir body75. When the reservoir body71needs to be refilled with grease, the reservoir body71is partially unscrewed from the adapter ring60such that grease is unable to flow through the fitting/coupling73. The reservoir body71is tightly screwed to the docking station such that a connection is made between the bottom of the reservoir body and the docking station72. The grease may then be pumped into the reservoir body71. Grease may also be pumped from a fill grease location utilizing the pressurized action of an attached grease gun and pumped from the grease gun through a docking station fitting/coupling77situated on the docking station72into the bottom of the reservoir body. When the reservoir body is filled, the reservoir body is unscrewed from the docking station72. The adapter ring60is screwed tightly onto the reservoir body71such that a connection is made between the fitting/couplings73and a grease pathway to the grease gun in opened for application.

FIG. 8illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a grease case for refilling grease reservoir bodies. A grease case of the present invention provides for a re-useable, returnable, rechargeable, portable bulk storage and transport solution. A grease case may be of any size suitable to safely store, transport and transfer grease to the grease reservoir bodies described above. In various embodiments, a grease case may be in 2½, 5 or 10 gallon sizes. In an exemplary embodiment as depicted byFIG. 8, a grease case80takes the form of a toolbox or a suitcase. Within the suitcase form, a bladder81contains grease to be delivered. The grease case80may also contain one or more pressure relief mechanisms82situated on the outer edge of the case. The grease case80is equipped with a grease reservoir body receptacle83to receive a grease reservoir body84for a refilling operation. When the grease reservoir is full, the grease reservoir body may is disengaged from the grease case receptacle and ready for use. The grease case80is optionally equipped with a hose fitted with a fitting/coupling85that can be used to connect to a grease gun86, a recharger, or to drain the grease case80.

FIG. 9illustrates a grease case utilizing an exemplary grease pump station90. A grease pump station90allows for an increased length of delivery hose, from a small retractable hose reel built into the pumping station and lends its self to a pressurized delivery system so that a control switch need not be extend to the end of the delivery hose or require the use of a wireless remote on/off controller at the end of the delivery hose. As a result, only a hand nozzle and trigger mechanism would be required at the hose's end. The grease case91is coupled to the grease pump station via a hose or tube typical in grease gun applications. The grease pump station90contains a pumping mechanism92and a retractable hose reel93. The pumping mechanism92may be powered by a variety of means, for example, a rechargeable electric battery, a pressurized bladder accumulator, a manually induced pump or a remote air compressor assisted pump. The pumping mechanism may also contain a pressure sensor to sense loss of pressure in the grease line. The grease case91is snapped into the pumping station90so that a connection is made between the hose of the grease case91and the pumping mechanism92connection. When in use with a grease gun94, the pressure sensor of the pumping mechanism92will sense the loss of pressure in the grease line when the trigger of the grease gun is pulled. This in turn would activate the pumping mechanism92and begin to pump grease from the grease case91through the grease line to the grease gun94.

Although the above description may contain specific details, they should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way. Other configurations of the described embodiments of the invention are part of the scope of this invention. The descriptions and embodiments are not intended to be an exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Accordingly, the appended claims and their legal equivalents should only define the invention, rather than any specific examples given.