Improvements in Oil Cans.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 16th Apr.,
1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by MYRTIE ESTELLA HART, of 448, North Fourth
Street, and JAMES FARWELL COWEE, Merchant, of 161, River Street, both
of Troy, New York, United States of America.]
Improvements in Oil Cans.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
Fig. 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of the improved oil-can.
Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of same taken on the broken line, 2-2,
in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section taken on the broken line, 3-3, in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4. is a sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 of one of the bail-
attaching ears on an enlarged scale.
The novel features of the can are the locking mechanism for the filling aperture;
the oscillatory outlet nozzle having an automatic cut-off or valve; the pocket in
the sidewall of the can for containing such nozzle and connections when not in use;
and the attaching car for the bail or handle formed by continuing a portion of the
can-wall upward above the can-top or oil-reservoir. A represents the body of the
can, or oil-reservoir, having the top, A', provided with the usual filling aperture, A³,
closed by the detachable screw-threaded cap, A, which may be unscrewed and
removed when it is desired to fill the can. It is customary for an oil-merchant to
own a large number of cans which he loans to his customers, the merchant deriving
Some customers,
his profit from the oil he sells to repeatedly refill such cans.
however, do not purchase oil exclusively from the merchant who owns the can, but
patronize various other merchants, thereby causing the owner of the can to lose
part of the profit he otherwise would make by the sale of all oil to fill cans
owned by him.
By providing the filling aperture with a locking device of which only the
merchant owning the can has a key, he may safely loan such can, knowing that it
cannot be refilled by rival merchants. The filling aperture, A³, is shown provided
with a locking device in the form of a strap or hasp, A', extending transversely of
the cap, A³, and movably secured to the can-top at one end by staple, A, one leg
of which passes through an aperture in the end of the strap. The other end of the
strap is provided with an eye adapted to receive the staple, A', and be locked
thereon, as by the padlock, A. The cap cannot be removed without upward
movement, and such movement is prevented by the strap. The strap may be of
any suitable form and material; and any known form of cap or plug may be used
to close the filling aperture. The lower part of the can-body is provided with a
pocket or recess, B, adapted to contain the outlet mechanism of the can when not
in use. Such pocket is formerl by indenting a portion of the side or vertical wall
by means of suitable dies, to project interiorly of the oil-reservoir. The outlet
mechanism consists of an oscillatory nozzle, C, hinged to the outlet pipe, D, by
means of a well known form of hook-and-eye hinge, to swing into and out of the
pocket, and communicating with such outlet-pipe by means of a valve adapted to be
automatically opened when the nozzle is swung downward and closed when the
nozzle is swung upward.
The hook-and-eye hinge is formed by inserting the tapered spigot, C³, in a
tapered aperture in the T-head, D', secured upon the outer end of the outlet-pipe
which leads from the oil-reservoir exteriorly through the wall of the pocket, and

page_text: drawing the spigot tightly to its seat by means of the flanged screw, C³, as shown.
The spigot is hollow and the valve leading from the outlet, D, to the interior of
the spigot is formed by a narrow slot, C³, in the spigot wall. The spigot while
being firmly seated in the T-head is free to rotate therein. The outer projecting
end of the spigot forms the valve-stem, and the nozzle, C, is secured thereon
and communicates interiorly therewith. The nozzle thus serves as a lever for
operating the valve, and the valve-slot, C³, is adapted to register with the aperture
in the outlet-pipe, D, when the nozzle is lowered to the position shown by solid
lines in Fig. 2, in which position the valve is open; the slot being closed by the
wall of the T-head when the nozzle is swung into the pocket, as indicated by
dotted lines, a, in Fig. 2, in which position the valve is closed. It is desirable that
the valve be closed before the nozzle reaches a horizontal position in its upward
movement, to allow all oil that has passed the valve to flow from the nozzle, and
prevent any portion of such oil from remaining in the nozzle when it is in a vertical
position within the pocket.
The bottom of the outlet-pipe is elevated and partly closed at its outer end to
form a straight edge, D, and the slot, C³, is so located in the spigot, wall that
when the nozzle is at its lowest position, shown by solid lines, the bottom wall of the
slot is on a level with or just above the straight bottom edge, D³, of the outlet-pipe,
and the valve is open; and the slot is made of such a width that when the nozzle
is swung upward, the top wall of the slot will reach the level of the bottom
edge, D³, of the outlet to close the valve, while the nozzle is still downwardly
inclined and below the level of such outlet, as indicated by dotted lines, b, in
which position all oil will freely flow from the same. All parts of the mechanism
for withdrawing the contents from the can are contained within the pocket when
not in use, and are located entirely within the contour of the oil-reservoir, whereby
they are protected by the can-body from injury by external objects without
increasing the bulk of the can to afford such protection. When a portion of the
can-wall is pressed inward to form the pocket, the bottom edge of the pressed-in
portion is drawn up above the level of the bottom edge of the can-body. The
bottom, A', of the can is therefore concaved to conform to the bottom edge of the
pocket-wall, and is secured thereto, as shown in Fig. 2.
When desired the pocket may be formed of a separate piece and secured to the
wall of the can surrounding an aperture formed therein, as indicated by dotted
lines, d, in Fig. 3.
The can-top, A', is inserted within the inclosing vertical wall of the can a short
distance from the top edge of the same, thus closing the upper end of the oil-
reservoir and leaving the upper edge, A", of the vertical wall projecting above the
reservoir. The bail-attaching ear, F, is formed integral with the upper projecting
portion, A, by making a perforation therein adapted to receive the end of the
bail, F. The can-top, A', is provided with an upwardly projecting peripheral
flange, F, adapted to support and strengthen the upwardly projecting portion, A",
of the vertical wall, and may also be provided with a perforation registering with
the perforation in the ear, F.
Such perforations may be provided with a reinforcing eyelet, F', as shown. A
vertical wall or flange is thus formed around the periphery of the can-top, which
being double adds great strength to the can, and it may be further strengthened by
forming a bead, F, on the upper edge of the flange and inclosing a wire, F³, within
the same as shown in Fig. 4. The form of ear shown allows the bail to lie entirely
within the peripheral flange, upon the can-top, when not in use, as shown in Fig. 1,
in which position it is protected by such flange. When desired, a separate ear for
the bail may be supported by the upper edge, A", by being riveted thereto, in
which case all rivet holes would be located in such upwardly projecting portion
above the oil-reservoir, and no leakage could occur at such holes. When the ear
is riveted to the can-wall below the top, as is customary, the rivet holes pass
directly into the oil-reservoir, and when the rivets become loosened by wear,
leakage occurs at such holes.

page_text: The improved can is adapted for containing any other liquid as well as oil, and
may be made in any desired shape.
Having now particularly described and asertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an oil-can, the Combination with an apertured can-top; of a vertically
movable cap or plug, adapted to close such aperture; a strap extending across the
vertical path of the plug or cap; means for locking the strap to the can, whereby
vertical movement of the plug or cap is limited or prevented; and means for
withdrawing the contents of the can without unlocking the strap, substantially as
described.
2. The combination with a reservoir provided with an outlet in its lower
portion; of a valve having its stem rotary on a horizontal axis for controlling the
outlet; a nozzle communicating with the outlet and secured to the valve stem in a
position to oscillate in a vertical plane, the nozzle being so adjusted relatively to
the valve that the valve is open only when the mouth of the nozzle is below the
level of the reservoir outlet, substantially as described.
3. In an oil-can, the combination with a reservoir having a side-wall pocket
projecting interiorly of the reservoir and opening outwardly; an outlet leading from
the reservoir; and a valve for controlling the outlet; of an oscillatory nozzle
communicating with the reservoir outlet and arranged to swing into and out of the
pocket, whereby the nozzle and its connections may be brought within the contour
of the reservoir when not in use, substantially as described.
4. In an oil-can, the combination with a reservoir having an outwardly opening
pocket integral with the side-wall of the reservoir and projecting within the
reservoir; an outlet leading from the reservoir and a valve for controlling the
outlet of an oscillatory nozzle communicating with the outlet and arranged to
swing into and out of the pocket, substantially as described.
5. In an oil-can, the combination with the body-part having an indentation or
pocket formed by pressing a portion of the body-wall inwardly; of a concaved
can-bottom secured to the bottom edge of the bent-in portion, substantially as
described.
6. A bail-attaching mechanism for cans consisting of a portion of the vertical
wall of the can projecting above the can-top and provided with an attaching ear
for the bail, substantially as described.
DL: 1841 M 1800
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.