Improvements in Automatic Supply Reservoirs for Lubricators, Lamps, and other Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Supply Reservoirs for Lubricators,
Lamps, and other Purposes.
1, HENRY BAMFORD of 16 White Lion Street, Pentonville in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to automatically supply, and maintain at one
uniform level, the oil or other fluid, in the cisterns of Lubricators, Lamps, or other
apparatus.
In carrying out this invention I use a vessel (preferably of glass) which I call the
reservoir.' This reservoir resembles a bottle, with an orifice or neck at one end,
all other parts being air tight. When in operation the reservoir is held in a vertical
position with the neck downwards.
A tube is firmly fixed and made air-tight in the neck of the reservoir, and is carried
downwards and connected to the interior of a hollow conical plug (this tube I call the
upper tube).
The upper tube may be made in one piece with the conical plug, or may be
firmly fixed to it at its largest end, so that when the tube is inclined to an angle,
the conical plug is rotated with it.
The conical plug is accurately fitted to the interior of a conical shell, and is free to
rotate within it, in the same manner as the plug of an ordinary cock. The axis of the
conical plug may be horizontal or at any convenient angle.
The conical plug is perforated with a hole which communicates with its interior.
When the upper tube is in a vertical position, this hole corresponds with a perforation
in the conical shell.
The perforation in the conical shell communicates with the cistern which it is
desired to supply, by means of a tube which slopes downwards (this tube I call the
lower tube). The lower tube enters the cistern at its side, or in such a manner
that the orifice at its lowest end is just covered by the oil or other fluid, when at its
proper level.
'
The top of the conical shell is perforated with a hole which communicates with a
funnel shaped projection above it. The relative positions of the hole in the conical
plug and the holes in the conical shell must be such, that when the glass reservoir
is sloped to a sufficient angle below the horizontal line (for the purpose of filling)
the hole in the conical plug which formerly communicated with the cistern (by means
of the lower tube) will correspond with the hole on the top of the conical shell, the
communication with the cistern will at the same time be closed by the rotation of the
conical plug.
When in this position the reservoir can be filled by pouring oil or other fluid
into the funnel on the top of the conical shell. A small hole may be drilled
through the shell and plug to allow the air to escape while the reservoir is
being filled.
When the reservoir is returned to its vertical position, the communication with the
funnel will be closed, and the communication with the cistern will be opened, by the
rotation of the conical plug. No oil will then escape from the reservoir into
the cistern, until air enters the orifice in the cistern, at the end of the lower tube.
This air will rise through the lower tube, the interior of the conical plug, and the
upper tube, into the reservoir, and will allow the oil or other fluid to escape until
it rises in the cistern and again covers the orifice.
Dated this 90th day of Fahr 1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Supply Reservoirs for Lubricators,
Lamps, and other Purposes.
I, HENRY BAMFORD of 16 White Lion Street, l'entonville, in the County of
Middlesex Engineer 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:-
The object of this invention is to automatically supply and maintain at one
uniform level, the oil or other fluid, in the cisterns of lubricators, lamps, or other
apparatus.
My invention consists of an air-tight vessel (preferably of glass) in the form of a
bottle, which when in operation is held in a vertical position, with the orifice or
neck downwards.
This vessel I call the 'reservoir.' From the neck of this reservoir a tube is carried
downwards and communicates with the interior of a hollow conical plug.
This plug is accurately fitted to a conical shell and is free to rotate within it, its
axis being horizontal.
A tube communicates from the lower part of the conical shell to the cistern it is
desired to supply.
This tube slopes at a suitable angle, and enters the cistern at the side, or in such a
manner that the oil or other fluid covers the orifice in its lower end, when it is at the
desired level.
The conical plug is perforated with a hole which corresponds with the orifice in
the upper end of the tube, and establishes a communication between the interior of
the conical plug and the cistern.
A communication is thus established between the cistern and the reservoir, through
the two tubes and the hollow plug.
So long as the oil or other fluid covers the orifice at the lower end of the
tube, no air can enter, when however it falls below this level, air will enter the
tube and rise up into the reservoir, thus allowing the oil or other fluid to escape into
the cistern until it again covers the orifice.
For the convenience of filling the reservoir, the upper part of the conical shell is
formed in the shape of a funnel, with an orifice at the bottom, communicating with
the interior of the shell.
When the reservoir is in a vertical position, the orifice at the bottom of the funnel
is closed by the conical plug, when however the reservoir is sloped to a suitable angle
below the horizontal line, the conical plug will be rotated with it, and the hole which
formerly corresponded with the orifice in the upper end of the tube communicating
with the cistern will correspond with the hole at the bottom of the funnel, the upper
end of the tube to cistern being at the same time closed, by the rotation of the plug.
Oil or other fluid can then be poured into the funnel, and will flow through the
tube into the reservoir, the air at the same time escaping through a small hole in the
upper part of the conical shell, which corresponds with a hole through the plug when
the reservoir is sloped for filling.
Having stated the nature of my invention I now proceed to describe it more
minutely by the aid of the accompanying drawing.
Fig. 1 is a section of the apparatus on line A B (Fig. 2) looking from E.
Fig. 2 is a section through fine CD (Fig. 1) looking from F.
The same reference letters apply to the same parts in both figures.
G represents the air-tight reservoir, the interior of which communicates with the
cavity in the hollow plug H, by means of the tube I.
K represents the cistern in which it is desired to maintain the oil or other fluid at
the level J.
The interior of the hollow plug H communicates with the cistern K by means of
the orifice M and the tube N.

page_text: When the oil or other fluid, falls below the level L, air will creep up the tube N
and through the hollow plug H and the tube I into the reservoir, and allow the oil
or other fluid to escape into the cistern K, until it again rises to the level L, and
closes the orifice at the lower end of the tube N, thus the oil or other fluid will be
maintained at the level L so long as there is any left in the reservoir G.
For the purpose of filling the reservoir G, it must be inclined to an angle as shewn
in dotted lines at O, the hollow plug will at the same time be rotated until the
orifice M comes opposite the orifice in the bottom of the funnel P, the upper end of
the tube N will at the same time be closed by the rotation of the plug.
In this position oil or other fluid poured into the funnel P, will flow through the
hollow plug H, and down the tube I into the reservoir G, the air at the same time
escaping by the hole Q through the shell, which will correspond with the hole R in
the hollow plug, when the reservoir is in the position for filling. (The air holes Q and R
are only shewn in Fig. 2.)
When the reservoir is filled it must be returned to its vertical position and retained
there by the screw S (Fig. 2) or other suitable means.
The reservoir may be retained in the position O while being filled, by means of a
stop (not shewn in the drawings).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
I declare that what I claim is
The combination of an air-tight reservoir with a hollow plug cock, so arranged
that the movement of the reservoir rotates the plug of the cock, and opens and
closes the communications with the said reservoir, in the manner and for the
purpose as described herein.
Dated this 28th day of November 1889.
HENRY BAMFORD.