IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL CANS OR OIL FEEDERS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lorenzo Field, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Cabinet Maker, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL
CANS OR OIL FEEDERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lorenzo Field at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th February 1881.
_LORENZO FIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Cabinet Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL CANS OR OIL FEEDERS."
My Invention has reference to oil cans or oil feeders which are used for
delivering oil for lubricating machinery, and for other purposes where it is required
to deliver oil at places difficult of access.
In constructing according to my Invention an oil can or oil feeder by which the
oil is delivered by being poured from the feeder by means of a long spout, I
employ the ordinary curved wire terminating at one end in a thumb plate on the
top of the feeder, the said wire being forced forward by the pressure of the thumb
on the thumb plate, and drawn back when the pressure of the thumb is removed
by means of a coiled spring. The said wire extends through the body of the
feeder and the long delivery spout, and terminates in a conical head or valve, which
seats itself upon a conical seat forming the termination of the spout. When the
thumb plate is not pressed upon, the end of the spout is closed by the valve. In
using the feeder it is only necessary to pass the end of the spout to the place where
oil is to be delivered, and then press upon the thumb plate.
The valve is thereby opened and oil runs through the opened valve. Instead of
having the valve on the extreme external end of the spout it may be placed just
within the extreme end of the spout. In this case the valve opens by being
drawn inwards, and the required motion is obtained by the use of a bell crank
lever between the end of the wire carrying the thumb plate and the end carrying
the valve.

page_text: In constructing according to my Invention an oil can or oil feeder by which the
valve terminating the spout is opened and oil at the same time projected, I con-
struct and arrange the parts as follows:-In the case of a conical feeder the wire
carrying the valve is drawn inwards by a coiled spring, the inner end of the said
wire terminating immediately above the middle of the bottom of the feeder. By
properly directing the end of the pipe and pressing upon the bottom of the feeder
the valve is opened and oil ejected. Instead of making the wire extend to the
bottom of the feeder a projection may be fixed to the middle of the bottom of the
feeder, and the wire extend to the said projection.
Where the body of the feeder is flat the lower end of the wire carrying the valve
terminates about the middle of, the body, the lower end terminating in an incline
resting on an incline on one of the sides of the body.
By pressing upon the flat sides of the feeder the incline on the bottom of the
wire is forced up the incline on the body and the valve opened, oil being at the
same time forced out of the open valve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Lorenzo Field in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th August
1881.
LORENZO FIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Cabinet Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL CANS OR OIL FEEDERS."
My Invention has reference to oil cans or oil feeders which are used for
delivering oil for lubricating machinery, and for other purposes where it is required
to deliver oil at places difficult of access.
In constructing according to my Invention an oil can or oil feeder by which the
oil is delivered by being poured from the feeder by means of a long spout, I
employ the ordinary curved wire terminating at one end in a thumb plate on the
top of the feeder, the said wire being forced forward by the pressure of the thumb
on the thumb plate, and drawn back when the pressure of the thumb is removed
by means of a coiled spring. The said wire extends through the body of the
feeder and the long delivery spout, and terminates in a conical head or valve, which
seats itself upon a conical seat forming the termination of the spout. When the
thumb plate is not pressed upon, the end of the spout is closed by the valve. In
using the feeder it is only necessary to pass the end of the spout to the place where
oil is to be delivered, and then press upon the thumb plate.
The valve is thereby opened and oil runs through the opened valve.
Instead of having the valve on the extreme external end of the spout it may be
placed just within the extreme end of the spout. In this case the valve opens by
being drawn inwards, and the required motion is obtained by the use of a bel!
crank lever between the end of the wire carrying the thumb plate and the end.
carrying the valve.
In constructing according to my Invention an oil can or oil feeder by which the
valve terminating the spout is opened and oil at the same time projected, I con-
struct and arrange the parts as follows:-In the case of a conical feeder the wire
carrying the valve is drawn inwards by a coiled spring, the inner end of the said
wire terminating immediately above the middle of the bottom of the feeder. By
properly directing the end of the pipe and pressing upon the bottom of the feeder
the valve is opened and oil ejected. Instead of making the wire extend to the
bottom of the feeder a projection may be fixed to the middle of the bottom of the
feeder, and the wire extend to the said projection.
Where the body of the feeder is flat the lower end of the wire carrying the valve
terminates about the middle of the body, the lower end terminating in an incline
resting on an incline on one of the sides of the body.
By pressing upon the flat sides of the feeder the incline on the bottom of the
wire is forced up the incline on the body and the valve opened, oil being at the
same time forced out of the open valve.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section an oil can or oil feeder for lubricating
locomotives and for other like purposes constructed according to my Invention;
Figures 2 and 3 represent portions of the said oil can drawn to a larger scale, and
Figure 4 represents in longitudinal section an oil can or oil feeder for oiling
machinery, and commonly called an engineer's oil can.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4.
a is the body of the oil can or oil feeder containing the oil, and b is the long
delivery spout of the same, made in two parts and having a nozzle c. In the fore

page_text: end of the delivery spout b is a wire d carrying at its outer end a conical valve e;
fis the seat for the valve e made in the delivery spout, and situated at the rear end
of the nozzle c, which nozzle is screwed upon the spout b, as best seen in Figure 3.
By means of a coiled spring g acting upon the head h on the wire d& the said wire
is urged in the direction of the body a so as to press the valve e to its seat f, and
close the oil can, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 4.
The oil can is opened when it is wished to deliver oil from it in the following
manner-On the top of the oil can a is a thumb plate i, the rod of which is
jointed to the bell crank lever k turning on the axis 2, the said lever and thumb
plate being made to take the normal positions represented in Figures 1 and 4 by
the action of the spring . To the short arm of the bell crank lever k a rod m is
connected, which extends along the delivery spout b and terminates at the inner
end of the wire d carrying the valve e. The front end of the rod m is furnished
with a cup n into which the head h on the wire d is forced by the spring g. When
the thumb plate i is not pressed upon the end of the spout b is closed by the
valve e, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 4. In using the oil can or oil feeder it is
only necessary to pass the end of the nozzle c to the place where the oil is to be
delivered, and then press upon the thumb plate i. The bell crank lever k is
thereby made to take the position represented in Figure 2 and press forward the
rod m.
This rod acting upon the head h of the wire d forces forward the said
wire and lifts the valve e from its seat f and opens the oil can, as illustrated in
Figure 3. Oil now runs from the spout b through the open valve, and is delivered
by the nozzle c. On removing the pressure from the thumb plate i the parts
resume the positions represented in Figures 1 and 4 by the action of the springs g
and . By this arrangement the whole of the oil in the spout b is retained on the
closing of the valve e, the oil in the nozzle c only running from the can after the
valve has been closed.
The delivery nozzle c may be dispensed with and the valve seat be made at
the extreme end of the spout b, but I prefer the arrangement of parts represented
in the Drawing.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in vertical section a conical oil can or oil feeder
containing my improvements, in which oil can the oil is projected from the nozzle
on the opening of the valve. In Figure 5 the valve is represented closed, and in
Figure 6 open.
2 is the conical body of the oil can, and p² is the elastic bottom of the said
body; q is the nozzle closed by the valve r, the said valve being carried by the
wire 8, on the inner end of which is a head t which is pressed into the conical cup
or seat u by the action of the spring v, the said spring drawing the wire inwards
and closing the valve r. From the conical cup or scat u a rod w passes, its head
bearing against the elastic bottom p² of the body p. By pressing upon the
bottom p² the wire s is raised in the nozzle q, and the valve ? opened and oil
ejected from the open nozzle, as illustrated in Figure 6. On removing the pressure
from the bottom p² the parts are returned to the normal positions represented in
Figure 5 and the valve closed by the action of the spring v.
In applying this part of my Invention to flat oil cans, such as bicycle oil cans
and similar oil cans, I arrange the parts in the manner represented in Figures 7, 8,
and 9; Figures 7 and 8 representing sections of an oil can taken in planes at right
angles to one another with the valve closed, and Figure 9 the same view as
Figure 8 with the valve opened. In this arrangement the conical cup or seat u, in
which the head t of the valve wire s seats itself, is made capable of expanding and
contracting, the said cup being carried upon the elastic arms u², so that when the
elastic sides p³, 23, of the body of the oil can are pressed inwards, as illustrated in
Figure 9, the sides of the conical cup or seat u approach each other and the wire s
is lifted in the nozzle so as to open the valve and the oil ejected through the open
nozzle. On removing the pressure from the sides p³, p³, the parts are returned
to their normal positions, and the valve r closed by the spring v.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which

page_text: the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention,-
First. The improvements in oil cans or oil feeders herein before described, and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawing, that is to say,
arranging the valve and its seat at or near the termination of the delivery spout
of the oil can or oil feeder, substantially as described and illustrated, whereby the
loss of oil after the valve has been closed is avoided, also the combination or
arrangement of parts described and illustrated for opening and closing the valves of
the said oil cans or oil feeders.
Secondly. The arrangements or combinations of parts herein before described
and illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawing, for
opening and closing the nozzles of such oil cans or oil feeders as are made to eject
the oil from the said nozzles on pressing inwards the elastic bottoms or sides of the
oil cans or oil feeders.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lorenzo Field, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
37, Temple Street,
Birmingham.
LORENZO FIELD. (L.S.)