Improvements in Automatic Oilers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1895
Improvements in Automatic Oilers.
We, WILLIAM JOHN FERGUSON, Engineer, and WILLIAM GILPIN HARRISON
STUMP and WILLIAM HALL WHITRIDGE, Gentlemen, all of Equitable
Building, in the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, United States of
America, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in automatic oilers to be carried on the
movable parts of engines and machinery. The invention will first be described
and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved oiler.
Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section of the oiler.
Figure 3 is a view of the cap of the interior cup.
Figure 4 is a view of the holder for the absorbent material.
Figure 5 is a top view of the washer.
Figure 6 is a top view of the oil-controlling plate.
The letter, A, designates the exterior case which may be of any suitable form,
but in the present instance is circular or round; at the bottom is a screw-threaded
neck, b, having a passage, c, for the discharge of oil. This neck is adapted to
engage with a screw-threaded hole in any movable part of an engine or machine.
The case, A, has a glass or mica side, d; on the inner wall of the case is a
shoulder, e, and a glass panel, d, rests thereon; the inner edge of the case outside
of said shoulder has a screw-thread, f, and a ring, g, screws thereinto and thus
confines the glass panel. A suitable washer, h, h', is on either side of the glass or
mica panel and serve to make the parts tight.
The glass side shows the amount of oil in the chamber, B, and also shows the
action of the oil as it is thrown or sloshed from one side to the other. The top
of the case has a circular opening and a flange, i, around it which is screw-
threaded and closed by a screw-cap, j
An interior cup, K, has at its bottom a tubular stem, l, which fits in the neck, b,
of the case and a passage, c', in this stem connects with the passage, c, in the
neck. The stem, l, supports the cup, K, rigidly. This cup is imperforate except
the open tubular stem at the bottom.
Within the cup is an open-work or perforated holder, m, for suitable absorbent
material, n, such as cotton waste or sponge.
The top of the holder, m, has a ring, o, with a lateral flange, o', which latter sits
upon the top edge of the cup, K, while the perforated holder, m, hangs pendant
within the cup, and an annular space, p, is formed around the said holder and
between it and the wall of the cup. It will be seen that oil may ooze through
the perforations of the holder at its sides as well as at the bottom, and the
annular space, p, affords facility for this oozing.
The cap, K, of the interior cup sits down over the lateral flange, o', and screws
onto the cup; thus this cap closes the cup and by pressing on the flange, o¹, also
confines the pendant holder. The cap has at one side an inlet hole, q, and an
upward-projecting stem, r, in the center; at its base this stein is square and above
the square part it is screw-threaded as at, r. A plate, 8, is on top of the

page_text: cap, K, and has in the center a square hole, t, which fits over the square base of
the stem, r, and is thereby prevented from turning; this plate, s, has four
holes, u, u, u³, u', of graduated size from, u', the smallest in size to, ut, the
largest. This plate may be set in position on the cap so as to have either of the
said graduated holes coincident with, or in register with, the inlet hole, q, in
the cap; thus the particular one of these four holes which happens to be in
register with the inlet, q, will constitute the control of feed-oil, and may be
adjusted by changing the holes. A thumb-nut, v, fits on the screw-threaded
part,, of the stem and confines the oil-controlling plate, s, to its position. A
suitable washer, w, is, or may be, interposed between the top of the cap, K', and
the plate, s; this washer is intended to remain stationary and has a hole, q', which
is in register with the inlet hole, q, in the cap.
It will be seen that in operation, when the chamber, B, contains oil to a point
below the cap of the interior cup, K, the sloshing of the oil, caused by the
constant movement of the entire device, will cause oil to lodge on the plate, s, and
some of this oil will pass through one of the graduated holes and the inlet hole, q,
into the holder, m, where it will be absorbed by the material, n; the oil held
absorbed will then trickle or filter through the material and ooze from the
perforated holder and drop down the passage, cl, c, to the part of machinery that
is to be oiled.
The tubular stem, l, of the interior cup has a small hole, a, which allows oil to
flow to the passages, c', c, direct from the chamber, B, without first passing
through the cup, K, or through the absorbent material, n; this direct feed-hole is
governed by a valve, y, which passes through the exterior case in the wall of
which its screw-thread, y', fits; by turning the arm, y², on the outside, this valve
will partly, or entirely open the direct feed-hole, a, or will entirely close said
hole. This direct oil-feed, a, is useful when a crank, eccentric, or other part
needs flushing as when new, or after it has been cleaned or repaired.
The interior cup, K, may be made integral with the case or as a separate part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. An automatic oiler comprising an exterior case having at its bottom a neck
with a passage in it for discharging oil; an interior cup having a passage which
connects with the said discharge passage of the case and said exterior case
forming an oil-chamber which surrounds the cup; a perforated holder inside of
the interior cup with a surrounding space between the two and said holder
containing absorbent material; and a cap closing said interior cup and said cap
having an inlet hole.
2. An automatic oiler comprising an exterior case having at its bottom a neck
with a passage in it for discharging oil; an interior cup having a passage which
connects with the said discharge passage of the case and said exterior case
forming an oil chamber which surrounds the cup; a perforated holder inside of
the interior cup with a surrounding space between the two and said holder being
secured by its top and hanging pendant within the cup; a cap closing said cup ;
and a plate with graduated holes to control the feed of oil into said cup and
holder.
3. An automatic oiler comprising an exterior case having at its bottom a neck
with a passage in it for discharging oil; an interior cup having a passage which
connects with the said discharge passage of the case and said exterior case
forming an oil chamber which surrounds the cup; a cap closing said interior cup
and having an inlet hole and provided with an upward-projecting stem; and an
adjustable plate resting on said cap and provided with a series of holes of
graduated size either one of which may register with said hole in the cap.
4. An automatic oiler comprising an exterior case having at its bottom a neck
with a passage in it for discharging oil; an interior cup having a passage which

page_text: connects with the said discharge passage of the case and said exterior case
forming an oil chamber which surrounds the cup; a cap closing said interior cup
and having an inlet hole and provided with an upward-projecting stem having a
square base and a screw-threaded end; an adjustable plate resting on said cap and
provided with a series of holes of graduated sizes either one of which may register
with said inlet hole in the cap and said plate having a square hole to fit about the
said square base; and a screw-nut to take on the said stem and retain the
adjustable plate in position.
5. An automatic oiler comprising an exterior case having in its bottom a neck
with a passage in it for discharging oil; an interior cup having a passage which
connects with the said discharge passage of the case and said exterior case
forming an oil-chamber which surrounds the cup; an oil inlet at the top of the
said cup; a feed-hole direct from the oil-chamber to the oil-discharge passage
below the cup; and a valve to open and close said feed-hole,-the stem of said
valve passing through the oil-chamber and the exterior case to the outside.
Dated this 6th day of August 1895.
WILLIAM JOHN FERGUSON.
WILLIAM GILPIN HARRISON STUMP.
WILLIAM HALL WHITRIDGE.