IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRI-
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Oliver, of White Bank, near Chesterfield, in
the County of Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRI-
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Oliver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
January 1859. ..
I, JOHN OLIVER, of White Bank, near Chesterfield, in the County of Derby,
do. hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LUBRICATORS FOR STEAM ENGINE CYLINDERS," to be as follows:-
The oil or melted tallow or other lubricating material is placed in a vessel of
spherical or other convenient form, which communicates with the interior of the
steam engine cylinder by a neck or pipe, and is covered by a screw cap. In this
neck or pipe is a small chamber containing a valve, which rests upon a seat
at the bottom of the chamber. The upper surface of this valve is also faced,
or two valves are connected together, and the upper face or valve shuts
against an inverted seat in the top of the chamber; thus the valve is closed.
against the lower seat when down, and against the upper seat when
The
valve may be guided by a triangular stem or otherwise. When the valve is
down, the small chamber becomes filled or partially filled with oil. When the
steam enters the cylinder, its pressure raises the valve, and presses it against
its upper seat. The oil or a portion of the oil in the small chamber then runs
down into the cylinder, and its space is occupied by steam. When this end
of the cylinder is: opened to the exhaust passage or to the condenser, the
up.

page_text: valve descends on to the lower seat. The small portion of steam in the
chamber passes up into the oil vessel, and allows. more oil to descend into the
chamber, and thus the lubrication is effected at each stroke of the engine. I
sometimes make the top of the oil vessel with an opening for pouring in oil, while
the engine is at work, and to prevent any spirting out of the oil, a cup is
fixed over the oil vessel,, and a pipe from the upper part of the oil vessel is
carried up into a cap or chamber above this cup. Any oil carried up with the
steam or air falls again into this cup, and runs down into the oil vessel. The
fresh oil or melted tallow or other lubricating material is poured into the
cup, and runs down into the oil vessel. In order to regulate the supply of
oil, I construct the valve with a stem above it with one, or two, or more
grooves. This stem passes through the aperture at the bottom of the oil
vessel, and regulates the entrance of the oil. This stem may be carried
up through the oil vessel if desired, and in some cases depending on the
pressure of steam to be employed, a spring or weight may be applied to depress
or to raise the valve.. The valve or valves may be of conical, spherical, or;
other suitable form.
SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Oliver in the Great Seal Patent Office on, the 25th
June 1859..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN)
OLIVER, of White Bank, near Chesterfield, in the County of Derby; send:
greeting.
2
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters:
Patent, bearing date the First day of January, in the year of our Lord 2.
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her:
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,:
the said John Oliver, Her special licence that. I, the said John Oliver,>
my executors; administrators; and assigns, or such others as. I, the said.
John Oliver, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should. at any time: 3
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATORS FOR STEAM ENGINE CYLINDERS," upon the con- 3.
dition (amongst others) that I,. the said John Oliver; my executors..or

page_text: administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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 Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Oliver, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
The oil or melted tallow or other lubricating material is placed in a vessel
of spherical or other convenient form, which communicates with the interior of
the steam engine cylinder by a neck or pipe, and is covered by a screw. cap.
In this neck or pipe is a small chamber containing a valve, which rests upon
a seat at the bottom of the chamber. The upper surface of this valve is also
faced, or two valves are connected together, and the upper face or valve shuts
against an inverted seat in the top of the chamber; thus the valve is closed
against the lower seat when down, and against the upper seat when up. The
valve may be guided by a triangular stem or otherwise. When the valve is
down, the small chamber becomes filled or partially filled with oil. When
the steam enters the cylinder its pressure raises the valve, and presses.it
against its upper seat; the oil or a portion of the oil in the small chamber
then runs down into the cylinder, and its space is occupied by steam. When
this end of the cylinder is opened to the exhaust passage or to the con-
denser, the valve descends on to the lower seat, the small portion of
steam in the chamber passes up into the oil vessel, and allows more oil to
descend into the chamber, and thus the lubrication is effected at each stroke
of the engine. I sometimes make the top of the oil vessel with an opening
for pouring in oil, while the engine is at work, and to prevent any spirting
out of the oil, a cup is fixed over the oil vessel, and a pipe from the upper
part of the oil vessel is carried up into a cap or chamber above.this cup.
Any oil carried up with the steam or air falls again into this cup, and runs down
into the oil vessel. The fresh or melted tallow or other lubricating material
is poured into the cup, and runs down into the oil vessel. In order to
regulate the supply of oil, I construct the valve with a stem above it with one;
or two, or more-grooves. This stem-passes through the aperture at the bottom
of the oil vessel, and regulates the entrance of the oil. This stem may be carried
up through the oil vessel if desired, and in some cases, depending on the
0

page_text: pressure of steam to be employed, a spring or weight may be applied to depress.
or to raise the valve. The valve or valves may be of conical, spherical, or;
other suitable form..
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a vertical section, and Figure 2 is,
an elevation of a lubricator constructed according to my Invention. The
same letters refer to similar parts in each Figure. A is the oil vessel or
reservoir closed by a screwed cover B; C is the neck or pipe communicating
with the cylinder of the steam engine; D is a small chamber, in which is the
valve E, which is guided by the stalk e and stem d. This valve fits on a seat a,
and the back or upper surface of the valve is made to fit an inverted seat b.
The stem d has a groove or grooves in its side, as indicated by dotted lines.
When this double faced valve E is in the position shown in the Drawing, the
oil passes down and fills or partially fills the chamber D. When the steam,
enters the steam engine cylinder, its pressure forces up the valve E against
the upper seat, and the oil or a portion of it runs down into the neck C, and
thence into the cylinder. When the exhaust passage of the cylinder is
opened so as to allow the steam to pass to the condenser or to escape into the
atmosphere, the valve E falls into the position shown in the Drawing, and a
fresh portion of oil descends into the chamber D, and so on.
A small portion
of oil or melted tallow or other lubricating material is thus admitted into the
cylinder at each stroke. The oil vessel A may be fitted with an air-tight
cover B, or there may be an air-hole in the cover. In applying the lubricator
to locomotive engines and others in which there is considerable back pressure
during the return or exhaust stroke, I sometimes close the oil reservoir by
an air-tight cover, and place it in a warm situation, or protect it by felt or
non-conducting material, and it then becomes filled with steam at a higher
pressure than the atmosphere, and of sufficient pressure to insure the action
of the valve. Figure 3 is a vertical section, and Figure 4 is an elevation of
another lubricator constructed according to my Invention, and having an open
top to the oil vessel. The neck C is here shown of a straight form, and
adapted for placing on the cover of a vertical cylinder. The chamber D,
double faced valve E, stalk e, stem d, and seats a and b, are similar to those
in Figure 1. The upper part of the oil reservoir A is enlarged to form a
cup F. The cover B is screwed on a hollow pillar G, which is screwed into
the bottom of the cup F. This pillar G has a flange g with a notch or notches
in the edge to allow of the passage of the oil. It has also a groove f for the
same purpose, and one or more holes h, for the passage of air or steam.
The lower part of the cover B has a hole or holes at i opening into the cup F ;
the oil is poured into the cup F, the cover B being partially unscrewed to

page_text: allow the oil to enter. Any air or steam which may puff out during this opera-
tion passes up the pillar G, and through the holes h and i, and out at the
mouth of the cup F. Any oil which may be spirted up with the air or steam
is thrown back by the cover B into the cup F. The cover B may be then
left slightly open as shown in the Drawing, or it may be screwed down tight
if required. Figure 5 is a section of another lubricator constructed according
to my Invention, and similar to that shown in Figures 3 and 4, except as
regards the arrangement of the valve. In this case the oil reservoir A
communicates with the lower side of the double faced valve E by a passage
k, and the upper side of the valve communicates with the neck C by a
passage. This arrangement may be used with advantage for condensing
engines working with steam but little above the atmospheric pressure. The
pressure of the steam assisted by the weight of the valve overcomes the
pressure of the column of oil, and causes the valve to descend. In the
return stroke the vacuum overcomes the weight of the valve, and causes it to.
rise. The valve may also be adjusted if required by prolonging its stem d,
shown in Figure 3, up through the cover B, and applying a spring or weight
to press it down or up with any required force. By placing the ear near, the
lubricator, the beats of the valve may be heard, and it is thus easy to ascertain
if it is in proper action. In lieu of constructing the valve with two faces,
two valves connected together may be employed, but I consider the first
arrangement to be preferable..
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I
claim is, constructing lubricators for steam engine cylinders with a reservoir
and a small chamber containing a double faced valve or two valves connected
together, and so arranged as to be moved by the alternating or varying
pressure in the cylinder, and thus to effect the supply of the oil or lubricating
material, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Oliver, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JOHN OLIVER. (L.S.)