Improvements in Sight-feed and other Lubricators.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1894 ·
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sight-feed and other Lubricators.
We, JOHN MCLEOWNAN MCMURTRIE, of 21 Princes Street, Pollokshields,
Glasgow, Engineer, and THOMAS HINSHELWOOD, of Glenpark Street, Glasgow,
Oil Refiner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to sight-feed and other lubricators, and is designed to
improve the construction and increase the efficiency of the same, and to provide
for the supply of oil to bearings and other parts of machinery or the like in a
regular and uniform manner.
In some of the lubricators hitherto constructed, two independent valves are
used, one to open and close the feed-aperture, and the other to regulate or control
the supply of oil through the first valve, a central conical aperture being formed
in the bottom of the oil cup or reservoir into which a conical valve or plug is
pressed by a spring when the lubricator is not in action. These lubricators have
generally been provided at the top with a tongue attached to the spindle of the
regulating valve in such a manner that the said tongue, by its position, indicates
whether the apparatus is in or out of action.
In our improved lubricator we reduce the number of parts as compared with the
said lubricators heretofore constructed, and, to ensure the more efficient and
reliable working of the lubricator, we construct the same as follows:-riz.-We
provide the cup or reservoir with a central tube, which, when the outer wall is
formed of a cylinder of glass or the like, serves as a stem to which the discs
forming the top or cover and the bottom of the cup or reservoir are attached.
The lower end of the said tube is formed with a taper or conical seat; in this seat.
is fitted and held by a spring a taper plug or key having a suitable way or passage
through it and having a hollow downward prolongation which extends into a lower
chamber preferably provided with windows, so that the oil may be seen as it flows
or drops from the central aperture or orifice.
The central passage of the plug or key communicates with an aperture in the
taper or conical portion of the said plug or key, which aperture is arranged to
register with a corresponding aperture formed in the seat of the cock and.
communicating with the interior of the oil cup or reservoir by means of a passage
through the aforesaid central tube of the lubricator. The said taper plug or key
is provided with a rod or stem passing up through the said central tube and
provided with a cross-bar or other handle whereby it may be turned in its seat so
as to open or close or partially close the aperture for the flow of the oil from the
cup or reservoir. The said cross-bar indicates by its position, whether the lubricator
is in or out of action; if desired the angular motion of the plug or key may be
limited by means of a pin attached to the spindle and working in a segmental slot
in the central tube above the seat of the cock. In order to keep the taper plug or
key firmly pressed in its seat, a spiral or other spring is provided which bears upon.
the upper surface of the said plug or key or on a shoulder on the said spindle, the
upper end of the said spring bearing against a screw-threaded projection on the
lid or cover of the oil cup or reservoir, which screw-threaded projection is screwed
into the central tube, thus clamping the glass or other cylinder in place and
compressing the aforesaid spring, a washer being preferably placed between the
upper end of the spring and the said projection.
It will be seen that, by the above mentioned improvements, we provide a very
efficient and durable lubricator, since any wear that may take place in the cock is

page_text: automatically compensated for by means of the spring which keeps the wearing
surfaces in contact.
Our said invention further comprises an improvement in the lower chamber
provided with the windows through which the rate of feed of the oil may be
observed. In apparatus of this kind or class hitherto constructed, this chamber
has been completely closed; this form of construction is disadvantageous because
the heating of the air and the generation of gases in the bearing or the like cause
an accumulation of pressure in the said chamber, which pressure resists and in
some cases, entirely stops the flow of oil into the said chamber from the reservoir.
Now, in our improved lubricator, we obviate this defect and prevent any
accumulation of pressure in the said chamber, by forming a suitable aperture
therein, preferably in the upper portion thereof, through which the heated air
and other gases may escape.
The action of the lubricator is thus facilitated and
improved.
It is obvious that the construction of our improved lubricator may be somewhat
modified without departing from the nature of our said invention.
Dated the 19th day of August 1893.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Sight-feed and other Lubricators.
We, JOHN MCLEOWNAN MCMURTRIE, of 21 Princes Street, Pollokshields,
Glasgow, Engineer, and THOMAS HINSHELWOOD, of Glenpark Street, Glasgow,
Oil Refiner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to sight-feed and other lubricators, and is designed to
improve the construction and increase the efficiency of the same, and to provide
for the supply of oil to bearings and other parts of machinery or the like in a
regular and uniform manner.
In some of the sight-feed lubricators hitherto constructed, two valves are used, a
conical or plug valve to open and close the feed-aperture, and another valve
arranged within the said plug-valve to regulate or control the supply of oil
through the same, a central conical aperture being formed in the bottom of the oil
cup or reservoir, into which the conical or plug valve is pressed by a spring when
the lubricator is not in action. These lubricators have generally been provided at
the top with a tongue attached to the spindle of the regulating valve in such a
manner that the said tongue, by its position, indicates whether the apparatus is in
or out of action.
In our improved lubricator, we reduce the number of parts as compared with the
said lubricators heretofore constructed, and, to ensure the more efficient and reliable
working of the lubricator, we construct the same with a single plug-valve which is
adapted to control the supply of the lubricant without removal of the plug of the
said valve from its seat.
Our said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a vertical central section, and
Figure 2 a plan, partly in horizontal section on the line a, a, Figure 1, showing
the construction of our improved lubricator.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts in these two figures.
The cup or reservoir for containing the oil or other lubricant, preferably consists

page_text: of a cylinder A of glass or other suitable material, clamped between two flanged
discs B, B' forming the top and bottom of the said reservoir respectively. The
said discs are held together by means of a central tube C formed integrally with
the lower disc B₁ and screwed upon a boss or sleeve B' forned with the disc B and
projecting from the under side of this disc, washers a of leather or other suitable
material being provided to ensure tightness of the joints between the cylinder A'
and discs B, B. The lower end of the tube C is made with a taper or conical
seat I) through which is formed a hole or port d, and in which is fitted a taper
plug or key E having a downward prolongation E' which extends into a lower
chamber F, secured by screw-threads (or otherwise) to the disc B¹. The plug E
is adapted to be turned about its axis and is formed with a bent way or passage &
whereby the port d may be put in communication with the chamber F, which
chamber is preferably provided with windows F¹, so that the oil may be seen as it
flows or drops from the central aperture or orifice e.
The taper plug or key E is firmly pressed into its seat D by means of a spiral.
spring surrounding the spindle E' of the plug E, which spring bears at its lower
end upon the said plug, and at its upper end against the screw-threaded boss or
sleeve B' on the lid or cover B; the said boss or sleeve, when screwed into the
central tube C, therefore, compresses the spring f.
The spindle E' of the taper plug E extends through the boss or sleeve B³
and is provided at its upper end with a cross-bar or handle G whereby the
said plug may be turned in its seat D so as to open or close or partially close
the aperture d for the flow of oil from the reservoir. The said cross-bar may
also serve to indicate, by its position, whether the lubricator is in or out of
action.
:
The angular motion of the plug or key E is limited or determined by means
of a device comprising a pin g fixed in the spindle E' and working in a segmental
slot in the boss or sleeve B. An adjustable slotted ring or tube k is fitted upon
the upper part of the boss or sleeve B' so that the pin g extends through the slot in
the said ring or tube. This ring or tube is secured, in any position to which it
may be adjusted, by means of a lock-nut or jam-nut . The angular movement of
the spindle E' and plug E is limited in one direction by the shoulder ' of the boss
or sleeve B, and in the other direction by the shoulder k', Figure 2, of the ring k.
Therefore, by turning the ring k so as to move the shoulder nearer to or further
from the shoulder, the angle through which the spindle E' can be turned about
its axis to open the port or aperture d, and consequently the rate at which the
lubricant is allowed to flow or drop from the aperture e when the valve is
opened, may be increased or diminished at will. The lubricator having been
once adjusted in this manner to permit the flow of the required number of drops
per minute when the valve is turned on, the valve can afterwards be readily opened
and closed without the necessity for careful adjustment on each occasion.
To prevent any accumulation of pressure in the chamber F due to the heating of
the air or the generation of gases in the bearing or other part to be lubricated,
which
pressure would resist, and, in some cases, entirely stop the flow of oil into
the said chamber from the reservoir, we provide a small aperture F* in the upper
part of the said chamber, through which aperture the said gases may freely
escape.
To facilitate the filling of the lubricator with oil, we provide an aperture m in
the upper disc B, which aperture is closed by a cover H pivoted upon the upper
part of the boss or sleeve B. A stop H' is provided to facilitate the adjustment.
of this cover.
It will be seen that, by the above mentioned improvements, we provide a very
efficient and durable lubricator, since any wear that may be take place in the valve
is automatically compensated for by the spring f which keeps the wearing surfaces
in contact.
It is obvious that the construction of our improved lubricator may be somewhat
modified without departing from the nature of our said invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is :-
First. A lubricator such as we have hereinabove described, which is constructed
with a single plug-valve having a spindle extending through a central tube in the
reservoir and through the cover of the said reservoir, for regulating or controlling
the flow of the lubricant from the reservoir.
Second. A lubricator comprising an oil-cup or reservoir provided with a conical
seat having an aperture or port in communication with the said reservoir, a chamber
below the said reservoir, with or without one or more windows, and a taper or conical
plug held in the said seat by a spring and having a way or passage whereby the
said aperture or port may be put in communication with the said chamber,
substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Third. The combination, with the reservoir and the plug-valve, of means for
limiting the angular movement of the plug in its seat, substantially as, and for the
purposes, set forth.
Fourth. The improved lubricator constructed as above described with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
JOHN M. MCMURTRIE.
THOS. HINSHELWOOD.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.