AN IMPROVED OIL LUBRICATOR
Year: 1855

page_text: 1.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Bickerton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st.
May 1855
I, SAMUEL BICKERTON, of Oldham, 'in. the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED OIL LUBRICATOR"
to be as follows, viz. :--
This Invention is a self-acting apparatus for oiling the bearings journals
of shafts, during the time only when the shafts are running, and in such
quantity, as the particular bearing may require, and consists of an oil vessel or
cup,.which may be made partly of glass, so as to show the oil level.. On the
outside of the cup, but not in communication with it, is a passage extending
downwards, and, by means of a small pipe, opening on the shaft or bearing.
This pipe passing through the, oil hole of the cup serves to .attach the oil
vessel to the same. Across the top of the oil cup, and supported by its sides,
is a small shaft on which is a small pulley.
...This shaft is hollow from one end up to the pulley, which, when the shaft is
in its proper position, is about the middle of the oil cup. There is an opening

page_text: made from the rim of the pulley to the hollow passage in the shaft. The hollow
end of the shaft projects a little, so as to be above the passage (before men-
tioned), communicating with the bearing.
The other end of this shaft extends a short distance from the oil cup. To
this end of the shaft is attached a driving pulley of suitable size, worked by a
band or string passing round the shaft to. be, lubricated. Over the inner pulley
is passed an endless chain, which chain hangs down nearly to the bottom of
the oil vessel. The quantity of oil passed on to the journal is regulated by
means of a small screw contracting or enlarging the opening in the pulley.
When the cup is charged with oil, and the small shaft caused to rotate in the
manner described, the chain is continually being carried over the small pulley,
and with it portions of oil, some of which passes down the opening in the rim
along the hollow in the shaft, forming in drops at the end, which fall down the
passage on to the bearing. There is a suitable lid or covering fitting the cup
closely, and enclosing the pulley, &c.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Bickerton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BICKERTON, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster. send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Bickerton. Her special license that I, the said Samuel Bickerton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel
Bickerton, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
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 "AN IMPROVED OIL LUBRICATOR,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Bickerton, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain 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

page_text: said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Bickerton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
Statement:
This Invention consists in a self-acting apparatus for oiling the bearings or
journals of shafts during the time only when the shafts are revolving, and in
such quantity as the particular bearing may require.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawings represents a longitudinal section of
the apparatus; and Fig. 2, an elevation of the same.
A is the oil. vessel or cup (with a suitable cover A¹), which may be made
partly of glass a, so as to shew the oil level. On the outside of the cup is a
passage B extending downwards. This passage is connected to the bearing or
journals by the pipe C screwed into the passage B, and also to the bearing.
Across the top of the oil cup, and supported by its sides, is a small shaft D,
made hollow from one end to the centre of a small pulley E (on the said shaft),
having an opening 6 from its rim, communicating with the hollow passage c of
the shaft. The hollow end of the shaft projects a little so as to be above the
passage B communicating with the bearing; the other end of this shaft
extends a short distance from the oil cup, for the purpose of fixing a driving
pulley F thereon, which is worked by a band or cord passing round the shaft
to be lubricated. Over the inner pulley E is passed an endless chain G, which
hangs down nearly to the bottom of the oil vessel, so that when the cup A is
charged with oil, and the shaft D caused to rotate by the movement of the
shaft to be lubricated, the chain is continually being carried over the small
pulley, and with it portions of oil, some of which passes down the opening b
(in the rim), along the hollow passage c in the shaft, forming into drops at
the end, which fall down the passage B and pipe C into the shaft. The
quantity of oil to lubricate the shaft can be regulated by the screw d in the
small pulley.
Instead of using the chain, as above mentioned, the pulley E may be
increased in diameter, so as to revolve in the oil, and by so doing the oil can
be gradually introduced into a hollow tubular revolving shaft or spindle, and
thence to the bearing; or one or more hollow arows may project at right
angles to the shaft, but in communication with it, so that oil can, when lifted
by the arms, pass down their hollow parts to the hollow shaft, and run to the
bearing; but I prefer the first method as described and shewn; and without

page_text: confining myself exclusively to that form or arrangement, I claim, lubricating
bearings substantially in the manner herein described, but especially the tubular
revolving shaft, or spindle D, with the different modifications for gathering
the oil.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Bickerton; have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
SAM BICKERTON. (L.s.):