IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL CANS OR FEEDERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Jobson, of Bulwark Street, Dover, in the
County of Kent, Engine Driver, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OIL CANS OR FEEDERS."
Sealed the 24th November 1857, and dated the 3rd June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Jobson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd June 1857.
I, JOHN JOBSON, of Bulwark Street, Dover, in the County of Kent, Engine
Driver, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OIL CANS OR FEEDERS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in oil cans or feeders are for the better
regulation and insuring the supply of oil allowed to flow when oiling or
lubricating bearings of machinery or other parts requiring a supply of oil,
whereby waste is prevented and the lubrication rendered more perfect. For
this purpose I place a barrel or tube in a position, by preference, horizontal
with the top of the oil can, and immediately over and in line with the spout.
In this barrel I place a piston, directly connected with a rod, which passes
through a guide on the top of the can to a position near to or within the handle
of the can, and in which it may be acted on by the finger, so as to move the

page_text: piston in its barrel; a retrograde motion of the piston is produced by a spring
or otherwise. The duct or spout from the lower part of the can is carried up
to the side of the barrel before mentioned, and has an opening of communi-
cation at the side at which the oil enters from the can. The oil so entering
passes out at the end of the barrel, which is in direct communication with the
spout or channel of escape or delivery of the oil. When the piston is free to
move by the action of the spring it is carried forward and covers or closes the
entrance aperture in the barrel from the can; but when drawn back and the
can held in the proper position, this opening will be uncovered and oil will be
free to pass to the delivery spout and so escape, but which immediately stops
when the piston is released and that aperture closed: By means of a regulating
screw and nut I limit the motion of the piston, and consequently the opening
of communication acted on, so that the oil will pass at a quicker or slower rate,
that is to say, to flow freely or to drop fast or slow; or the closing of the aper-
ture may be similarly acted on, so that the can may be regulated to flow at a
given rate, as may be required, according to the thickness of the oil, and with-
out the movement of the piston at the time of application. This piston may
also be made to act in forcing the oil out at the spout by first allowing it
ingress into the barrel or cylinder by the backward motion, which is repeated
while the forward motion produced by the spring forces it as required. I
further place a strainer in these cans in the form of a perforated partition
inside.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Jobson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JonN
JOBSON, of Bulwark Street, Dover, in the County of Kent, Engine Driver,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Jobson, Her special licence that I, the said John Jobson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Jobson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL
CANS OR FEEDERS,," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Jobson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Jobson," do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is 'to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to tlie Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of improvements in oil cans or feeders is for the better regu-
lation of and limiting the supply of oil allowed to flow when oiling'or lubri-
cating bearings of machinery or other parts requiring a supply of lubricating
matter, and whereby waste is prevented and the lubrication rendered more
perfect. For this purpose I place a barrel or tube in a position, by preference,
horizontal with the top of the oil can, and immediately over and in-line with
the spout. In this barrel I place a piston, directly connected with a rod, which
passes through a guide on the top of the can to a position near to or within
the handle of the can, and in which it may be acted on by the finger, so as to
move the piston in its barrel; a retrograde motion of the piston is produced
by a spring or otherwise. The duct or spout from the lower part of the can
is carried up to the barrel before mentioned, and has an opening of communi-
cation at which the oil enters from the can. The oil so entering passes out at
the end of the barrel, which is in direct communication with the spout or
channel of escape, for delivery of the oil. When the piston is free to move by
the action of the spring it is carried forward and covers and closes the entrance
aperture in the barrel from the can, but when drawn back and the can held in
the proper position, this opening will be uncovered and oil will be free to pass
to the delivery spout and so escape, but which immediately stops when the
piston is released and that aperture is closed. By means of a regulating screw
and nut I limit the motion of the piston, and consequently the opening of com-
munication is regulated, so that the oil will pass at a quicker or slower rate,

page_text: that is to say, to flow freely or to flow fast or slow; the closing of the aper-
ture may also be similarly restricted, so that the can may be regulated and set
to flow at such a given rate, as may be required, or according to the thickness
of the oil, without the movement of the piston at the time of application. This
piston may also be made to act in forcing the oil out at the spout by first
allowing it ingress into the barrel or cylinder by the backward motion, which
is repeated while the forward motion produced by the spring forces it out.
I further place a strainer in these cans in the form of a perforated partition
ing to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the can, showing the regulating
barrel and spout in horizontal section; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical
section of the same; while Figs. 4 and 5 show some of the parts detached.
The body of the oil can a, a, is the same as ordinarily used for locomotives,
with the handle b and spout c in the usual position; d, d, is the tube or barrel,
placed. in connection with the spout; it is formed of brass, and bored or other-
wise rendered smooth and true; it is fitted with a piston e, made of a series of
discs of leather or other suitable material, placed upon the piston rod f and
held firmly between metal collars g, g; this piston moves oil-tight in the barrel
d. h is a cap or cover, screwed on the end of the barrel. Between the cover. h
and the piston e a spring i is placed, coiled round the rod f; this spring i has a
constant tendency to force the piston e and cover h asunder; the cover h being
a fixture, the piston e is thus permanently forced towards the open end of the
barrel d. The piston rod f is screwed into a junction piece k, the opposite
end of which is connected by a fork and cross pin to the rod m; the rod m
passes through a tube n in the top of the can a, which acts as a guide for
it; the opposite end of the rod m enters within the handle b, and has a
hook o formed on it, whereby the fore or other finger of the hand holding
the oil can act on the piston in order to permit the oil to flow at the spout.
The parts of the spout c and c' are separated by the barrel d, and have com-
munication only through the hole p formed in the under side of the barrel d.
This hole p is quite covered when the piston e is projected forwards by the
spring i, as seen in the vertical section, Fig. 3, and therefore the passage of oil
or any fluid contents of the can a is prevented; but when the piston e is drawn
backwards by the application of the finger at o, the hole p is opened, as seen
at Fig. 2, and the oil is free to pass through hole p from c¹ to c, and thence

page_text: escape by the orifice of the spout. The part c¹ of the spout has free commu-
nication with the body of the cân a. When sufficient oil or lubricating matter
has escaped at the orifice of the spout for the purpose required the hook o is
released, when the passage p is immediately closed by the piston e advancing
and covering it, when all further escape of the oil is suspended.
Thus, the oil
or other lubricating matter is not permitted to flow until the point of the
spout is at the part where the lubricating matter is required to be applied,
and when sufficient of the oil or lubricating matter has escaped, all further
escape is suspended by releasing the piston, therefore no waste of the
lubricating matter can take place.
Fig. 4 represents two sections of the barrel or tube detached, the one at
right angles to the other; and Fig. 5 is a separate view of the piston e and
spring i.
The piston rod f, it will be observed, is screwed a considerable portion of its
length, and on the screwed part a disc or nut r is placed, which is intended to
act as a stop, if it is desired to set the piston in a position so that a regulated
flow of oil may take place at the spout without moving the piston by the finger,
as before described. For this purpose the nut r is screwed to a position on
the rod f, so that it comes against the cap h and retains the piston e in a
position with the hole partly or wholly uncovered; according to the position of
the piston as so retained, and the extent of the hole p disclosed, so will be the
rate of flow of the lubricating matter from the oil can. Thus, it may be so
regulated that a free flow of the lubricating matter may pass from the spout
c, or it may only drop at the rate required.
Another similar disc or nut may be applied on the rod, so as to come against
another fixed stop and limit the opening of the hole p when the piston is acted
on by the finger of the operator.
Instead of disposing the barrel horizontally and in line with the spout, it
may be otherwise disposed and arranged, so as to permit and regulate or stop
the flow of the oil or lubricating matter, as described.
s, s, is the strainer, which is a mere perforated partition placed across the
body of the can between the filling orifice t and the spout c. This partition
has minute perforations to intercept the passage of any matters that may be
contained in the lubricating matter calculated to stop the spout or impede the
working of the piston.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be secured by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, .is, the use and application of a

page_text: tube or barrel having an opening closed by a piston, as described, placed in the
spout or escape passage of oil cans or feeders, to permit, regulate, and control
or stop the escape of the lubricating matter, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jobson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane, London.
JOHN JOBSON. (L.S.)