Improvements in Automatic Oilers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1888
Specification Accepted. 19th Oct., 1888
Improvements in Automatic Oilers.
We, JOHN T. SMITH, Shipwright, of 31, Commercial Street, San Francisco, in
the county of San Francisco, and State of California, United States of America, and
DUNCAN HENDERSON, Blacksmith, of 2633, Mission Street, San Francisco, aforesaid,
do hereby declare the nature of this our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
OILERS," 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 an improved automatic or self-operating oiler, and it
consists of a cup of any suitable material with a tube adapted to pass down through
the cap of the bearing or journal-box to a point nearly in contact with the revolving
shaft. This tube is contracted at the lower end, having a small perforation through
which oil may pass out by the action produced by the revolution of the shaft. The interior
of this tube is filled with porous material, which may serve as a filter, and a screw-
stem extends down into this tube, so that it may be made to press upon the material
within it to any desired degree.
These and other details of construction will be more fully explained hereinafter,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section of our oiler, showing it applied to a machine shaft.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a long tube, with an interior compression tube. Fig. 3
is a vertical section of the oiler tube, as applied to the hub of a loose pulley or of a
vehicle. Fig. 4 shows a conical-pointed stem and spring used in some cases.
Fig. 5 shows the bottom of the oiler-tube, before the insertion of the metallic
disk; and Fig. 6 shows the bottom of this tube after the metallic disk has been
introduced.
Like letters of referenco designate corresponding parts throughout the several
views.
In the drawings, A is the oil-cup, which may be made of any suitable material
or desired form of construction to suit the place where it is to be employed, and B is
the cap or cover.
Through the bottom of this cup, a tube C, extends, the upper end rising within the
cup sufficiently high so that any sediment which may settle from the oil within the

page_text: cup will settle in the space around the tube and not enter it.. That portion of the tube
which projects below the cup is made of sufficient length to reach the point to be
lubricated In some cases the tube may be made as much as iten or twelve inches in
length, so as to pass down through the hole made for it and allow the lower end of
the tube to approach near to the revolving shaft or other part which is to be
lubricated. It may be found convenient at times to use washers (shown in Fig. 1)
resting on the cap of the journal-box or bearing and supporting the bowl of the
oil-cup, so as to keep the lower end of the tube from bearing too heavily upon the
shaft. The tube may be made of brass or other metal, and the lower end is chainfered,
as shown in Fig. 5.
A copper or other suitable metallic disk, D, is swaged or formed so that one
side is convex and the other concave, a hole-being made through the center.
This disk is of such diameter that it will just slip down inside the tube until it
reaches the chamfered lower end. This end, with the disk inside is then set into
a swage or formed, and a rod having, a convex end is introduced within the tube,
and with some blows of a hammer, the copper disk is firmly swaged within the
lower end of the tube. The outer or convex side of this disk, is then grooved
or channeled radially, so that if it approaches very nearly or rests in actual contact
with the shaft or surface, to, he lubricated, the oil may flow out from the central
opening through these transverse channels, and thus be properly distributed.
Within the tube, and in close proximity with the bottom, we place a filling of any
suitable porous substance, and above this is placed a short left-hand spiral spring E,
which is also filled with a porous substance, as shown.
The upper end of the tube is screw-threaded internally, and a disk or nut, F, is
fitted to be moved up and down in these screw-threads by means of a shank or stem G.
This shank may be made of any desired length-In ordinary shaft-cups, it will not
extend up quite to the top or cover of the cup, and has its upper end so formed
that it may be turned, so as to screw the disk down into the tube, and thus compress
the fibrous or porous filling within the tube to any desired extent. The oil within
the cup will not flow out when the shaft is stationary when the latter is set in
motion, the revolution produces a slight suction through the opening and causes the
oil to flow through, at a rate which is determined by the closeness of the packing or
the amount of compression. The oil will thus be filtered, and any foreign substance
will be prevented from passing down to the shaft.
;
The traveling disk or nut F will be slotted or channeled in two or three places a,
on the edge, so as to allow the oil to pass down into the tube. It will be manifest
that the shank G may be extended up through the cap or cover B of the cup, and that
the screw-threads may be formed upon this shank and turned in similar threads
formed in the cap (see Fig. 4). In such cases the stem or shank may be hollow and
oil fed into the cup or into the tube below through it; but in many cases, it is better
to have the whole mechanism within the cup. If the tube C is of very considerable
length, a smaller light tube may be inserted within it, extending down to near the
bottom, and the movable nut or disk F pressing upon the top of this tube will cause
its lower end to act as a compressor for the material within the tube (see Fig. 2).
By filling the spiral spring with the fibrous or porous material, the movement of the
spring will, when compressed, compress this material; but when it is relieved,
it will spread this material out again and cause it to regain its loose or porous
form, and thus prevent it from being permanently packed or compressed by
any usage.
In some cases of shaft-oilers, the stem G extends down into the tube, and has at its
lower end a long conical point H, which extends down into the fibrous packing at the
bottom of the tube, and it has an enlargement or collar I, at the upper end of this
conical point, as shown in Fig. 4.-Slots or channels a are made in the edges of this
collar to allow the oil to flow down into the packing which is contained around
this point, and within which the spiral spring is also fitted. When this device is used,
if the oil flows too freely, or it is desired to prevent its flow, the shank is screwed
down and the collar presses the spring, underneath which the fibrous material lies,

page_text: downward, while the conical point entering it at the same time, spreads out the fibrous
substance, and causes it to become packed more tightly within the tube, thus impeding
or stopping the flow of oil to any desired extent.
It will be manifest that when used in the hub of a loose pulley or of a vehicle, or
in other places where a cup could not be used, it will only be necessary to use the
tube alone, the whole mechanism and improvement being contained within it, as
shown in Fig. 3. In this case the upper end of the tube is slightly enlarged, and
screw-threaded on the outside to fit into the corresponding hole in the hub, (see Fig. 3)
and it has a screw-cover fitting into it, so as to be flush with the outer surface of
the hub, a stem going down from it to press upon the packing in the bottom, as
before described.
In some cases, it will be necessary to use oil-cups where the tube must pass down in
close proximity to some obstruction which would prevent the cup of the ordinary shape
from being used. In order to accommodate our cups to such a condition, we make them
lop-sided, i.e. in such a shape that the tube will run down nearly straight with one side
of the bowl.
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
-
1. A lubricating cup having a tube extending inwardly and outwardly from its
bottom, said tube being contracted at its lower end, and containing a concavo-convex
metallic disk, D, having a central opening, a filtering material with a left-hand spiral
spring, E, together with a traveling screw-threaded disk or nut, F, provided with
a shank or stem G, so as to press upon the contained material, substantially as set
forth.
2. A lubricating tube having its lower end chamfered, in combination with an
independent disk of metal; swaged or compressed into the contracted end of the tube,
so as to form a bottom, and having a central opening, and radial channels in its
lower surface, intersecting with the central opening, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3. The lubricating-tube extending downwardly and a perforated bottom swaged
or secured within the tube, as shown, in combination with a screw-threaded disk having
a shank or stem extending upwardly into the cup, said disk traveling in corresponding
threads in the upper end of the tube, a packing of fibrous or porous material in the
lower end of the tube, and a spiral spring having its interior filled with a similar
packing, which may he compressed and expanded with the spring by the action of the
disk, substantially as set forth.
4. A lubricating-tube extending downwardly, with a convex perforated bottom fitted
to it, as shown, in combination with a screw-stem or shank extending downwardly
into the tube, having a tapering or conical-pointed lower end, and a collar at the upper
end of the cone, and the fibrous packing and spring into which the cone point extends,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
D
1
201 J
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.