GB688162A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for dispensing liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

688,162. Dispensing measured quantities of liquids. AVERY-HARDOLL, Ltd. Dec. 11, 1951 [Dec. 14, 1950; Oct. 17, 1951], Nos. 30570/50 and 24268/51. Classes 106 (v) and 116 [Also in Group XXVIII]. A liquid dispensing unit, particularly for the supply of lubricating oil at garages, comprises a conical piston 40 displaceable in a cylinder 34 in one direction by oil entering a manually-operable valve 52 and in the other direction to expel the measured quantity of oil by a spring 59, and means are provided for preventing fraudulent closing of the valve until completion of the filling or emptying operations; the dispensing unit is used in combination with a supply unit having a number of circularlyarranged supply points 15 each connected by a pipe 16 to a supply of oil under pressure and the dispensing unit and the supply points are provided with interlocking means which, when engaged, bring the valve 52 in the dispensing unit to a position where it can operate a valve 91 in the supply point, the opening of the valves preventing release of the interlocking means. The dispensing unit, when not in use, is stowed in a central compartment 12 under a cover 26 which has a lockable latch 28 and is pivoted on a cover plate 17 rotatable to bring an aperture 22 over the desired supply point 15, and to indicate the brand of oil at one of several windows 21. The cylinder 34 of the dispensing unit is transparent and is fitted in an apertured casing 36 which tapers to a delivery nozzle 37 having a conical valve 52; the valve is urged to the closed position by a spring 56 and is opened by a lever 57 pivoted in a handle 39 and acting on the valve rod 49. In use, the dispensing unit is engaged with the supply point by a bayonet-clip formed by a flange 71 on the delivery nozzle and a groove 77 in the supply unit and the rotation of the unit to engage the clip brings wings 55 on the valve 52 into alignment with grooves 96 in a valve seat member 80. The seat member 80 is axially movable but rotationally fixed and is depressed slightly by the nozzle, against the action of a spring 85, to form a fluidtight seal. The lever 57 can then be operated to open both the valve 52 and a spring-loaded valve 91 in the valve seat member 80 and, while the valves are open, relative turning of the two units in order to remove the dispensing unit is prevented by engagement of the wings 55 with the grooves 96 in the seat member and also with grooves 46 in the nozzle 37. As the piston 40 begins to move upwards, balls 65 in apertures in a sleeve 47 fixed to the casing 36 are forced inwards by a chamfered ring 62 on a sleeve 48 fixed to the piston and are held in this position by the narrower internal bore of the sleeve 48 while the cylinder is filling. The balls act on a ring 66 on the valve rod and prevent the valve 52 from being closed. When the cylinder is full, the balls are prevented from moving outward into the recess 61 at the lower end of the sleeve 48 by a spring 67 which engages them radially outwards of their centres and the valve 52 must be momentarily opened fully by means of the lever 57 so that the conical nose of a plunger 68 positively displaces the balls outwardly. In emptying the cylinder, the balls act similarly to prevent the valve 52 being closed until all the contents have been delivered, and the final opening of the valve to its fullest extent to displace the balls into the recess 60 at the upper end of the sleeve 48 allows free escape of the last drops of oil. A flanged plug 98 in each supply point has a small-bore passage through it and a notch 99 in the side and is raised by the flow of oil to operate an external indicator (not shown) by means of a lever 102.