IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL AND GREASE CUPS
Year: 1886

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON of the firm of Allison Brothers, Patent Agents of
52 Chancery Lane, London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL AND GREASE CUPS" which
invention has been communicated to me from abroad by John Scott Hall,
manufacturer, of the City of New York in the County and State of New York,
United States of America, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an oil or grease cup employed to feed the lubricant
to machines, journals and bearings, and it consists in the devices and their
combinations hereinafter particularly described and more at length recited in the
claims.
Figure 1 is vertical elevation partly in central longitudinal section of an oil or
grease cup containing.my invention ;
Figure 2 is a vertical, central longitudinal section of the same on a plane at right
angles to the plane of the partial section in Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is a top view with the screw regulating cap removed;
Figure 4 is an under-face view of the regulating cap;
Figure 5 is a central longitudinal view of my improved springs hereinafter
described;
Figure 6 is a plan of the piston of the grease cup; and
Figure 7 is a vertical central section of a cup containing a modified form of my
invention.
A is the cup for holding the lubricant, and is usually in the form of a cylinder,
as shown, with the screw-cap B closing the top, and with the pipe or connection A¹
extended from the bottom and by which it may be seated in the bearing to be
lubricated and through which the lubricant passes to the journal. C is a rod the
lower extremity of which forms or carries a valve c which works to a seat a on the
cup-end of the tube A¹; the upper end of this valve rod extends through a tube b
fixed or formed centrally of the screw cap B and it is seated in a cap C¹ which
screws upon the exteriorally threaded tube b. An air-inlet to the cup is provided
[Price 831

page_text: at c¹ and by an annular recess c² on the valve rod as shown. D is a piston which
is free to move longitudinally of the interior of the cup being conformable in
outline to the wall of the cup and having a central transverse opening & fitted to,
and through which the valve rod passes as shown. The piston is prevented from
escaping from the lower end of the rod by the pin or projection c³ transverse of the
rod. The piston is operated to be driven or pressed to the lower end of the cup,
thus forcing the contained grease out through the pipe A¹, by the spring D¹, which
has bearing against the upper side of the piston and the under face of the cap B.
Near the upper end of the valve rod within the cup is the transverse pin c* in the
rod as shown. The wall of the opening d in the. piston has. the annular recess d
which has a depth equal to the length of the extended ends of the pin c¹ and the
upper face of the piston at said opening has the transverse slot d² leading to said
annular recess and adapted to allow said pin c¹ to pass to said recess.
It is evident that when the cup is freshly filled with grease and it is desired to
Beat the piston upon the top of such contained grease and to screw on the cap B
the piston, which with its spring and the valve rod has been detached from the
cup on the removal of the cap B in order that the fresh supply of grease may be
introduced, may be slid to the upper end of the rod the spring being collapsed]
between the piston and the cap B and the pin c' may be passed through the slot d
and then by a half turn more or less of the piston on the rod the said pin may be
seated in the recess d. The piston will then be locked in the described position
to the valve rod and the detached parts may be introduced into the cup and the
cap B screwed into place without the liability of the piston to press upon or force
out the contained grease. When the cap is screwed to its place then a balf turn
more or less of the valve rod, which may be effected through the cap C¹ carrying
the rod as described, will bring the pin cinto position coincident to the slot d³
when the spring D' will operate to release the piston from the pin and force it
upon the grease.
E is a leaf-spring composed of the shank e the ring-like body e¹ and the tongue e
on the upper face of which is formed the projection e³. This spring it is obvious
may be stamped and struck complete in one piece from a suitable ribbon of steel.
This spring is mounted on the top of the cap B by means of a rivet passing through
the shank e as shown; and the ring-like body el encircles the tube b so that the
tongue carrying the projection e³ is brought under the perimeter of the cap C¹ as
shown. This under side of the perimeter of the cap Chas the radial ratchet
teeth and the projection e³ on the spring is adapted to engage these teeth, the
spring thus acting to hold the cap C¹ in a desired position in its rotation on the
tube b, and at the same time yielding so as to permit the projection e³ to slip past
one tooth to another when the cap C¹ is forcibly turned on the tube b. As the
turning of the cap C¹, which I term the "regulating Cap," up or down on the
tube b operates to more or less open or close the valve c, the described spring
affords an effective means for holding the valve fixedly open to any desired extent,
or firmly closed.
With the screw cap C¹ I connect an indicator whereby the position of the said
cap on the valve-stem C will indicate to the eye when the valve is closed down on
its seat and to what extent the valve is opened.
It will be observed by reference to Figure 2, that the said screw cap is secured
to the top end of the rod C and is screwed onto the neck or tube b of the cap B
whereby the valve is opened and closed by running the screw cap up and down on
said neck. By connecting an indicator with this cap C¹ which will move with it
the exact extent to which the valve is opened will be indicated to the eye, the
cap C¹ being made to serve the double purpose of opening and closing the valve
and also of indicating the extent of the opening. I prefer to put the indicator
scale, which may be figures, letters or other characters, onto the periphery of the
base of the cap C¹ with a pointer, which may be the projection e³, on the spring E.
It is also advisable to arrange the scale and pointer so that when the pointer
points to zero of the scale the valve will be closed; and as the cap C¹ is turned
"
T

page_text: to open the valve successive characters on the scale will come opposite to the
pointer. Thus the indication of the extent of the opening of the valve, and the
opening of the valve itself, are both effected by the cap C and the operator is
enabled to readily set the valve for any desired rate of outflow of the grease from
the cup.
The scale may be put onto the body of the cup and the pointer onto the screw
cap as shown in Figure 7. The pointer C is carried by disk c which is pressed
into engagement with the cap C₁ by a jam-nut c'. The indicator scale is placed
on the cap B and the pointer reaches down to it. The pointer will thus rotate
with the cap C and will indicate on the scale the extent to which the valve is
opened.
In the described device when wear of the valve on its seat occurs the pointer C³
may be reset on the cap C¹ by loosening the jam-nut so that when the valve is
closed the pointer will indicate zero or other proper character for the purpose on
the scale.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a lubricant cup having the lubricant holder A and its vent A¹, and cover B,
valve rod C, piston D, and its operating spring D¹, the combination of the pin c¹
fixed transversely of the valve rod, and the annular groove & and slot d³ in the
central opening of the piston, constructed and arranged to operate as and for the
purpose specified.
2. In a lubricant cup having the lubricant holder A, and its vent A¹, and the
cover B, and its central exteriorally threaded tube b, the valve rod C, and its
hollow internally threaded cap C', the combination therewith of the leaf-spring E
carrying projection e³ adapted to engage the ratchet c³, on the cap C¹, as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. In the described lubricating cup provided with a valve governing the vent
a valve rod extending out through the wall of the cup and secured to a screw cap
on its outward end and a screw-threaded neck projecting from the cup on which
said cap works the combination with the said valve and screw cap of an indicator,
whereby the said screw-cap serves both the purpose of opening and closing the
valve and indicating the extent of its opening substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1886.