US1721817A - Grease-dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

July 23, 1929. 1.; GOODMAN GREASE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Feb 6, 1928 IN VEN TOR Lou/s Gaodmarr M I NM, fmm

Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS GOODMAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GREASE-DISPENSING DEvIeE.

Application filed February 6, 1928. Serial No. 252,226.

cheap to manufacture but which will be pro vided with reliable means for furnishing grease under low pressure to a high pressure booster means.

It is a further object of this in vention to devise a grease dispensing device of the type utilizing a spring for forcing a follower down upon the charge of grease, which will be provided with releasable means for retaining the spring in inactive compressed condition while at the same time permitting free movement gf the follower for refilling the grease cham- It is a further object of this invention to devise a high pressure grease dispensing device having means for relieving the high pressure in the discharge pipe before this pipe is removed from the bearing or other device being supplied with grease.

It is a further object of this invention to devise a high pressure pump for discharging grease or other lubricants, having means for readily adjusting the packing of the pump plunger. 1

Further objects of this invention will appear from the following description in which I have set forth the preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood that the appended claims are to be accorded a range of equivalents consistent with the state of the prior art.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse cross sectional 'view illustrating adevice incorporating the various features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view of the grease chamber removed from the high pressure pump, illustrating .the manner in which the invention. is utilized for aiding re 7 filling of the grease chamber.

In'the drawingI have illustrated one spe' cific embodiment of my device in ordento explain the principles of my invention. To

form a chamber for holding a charge of grease, I prefer to utilize a shell 10 which is preferably cylindrical in shape. To one end of this shell there is attached a booster ll, 01' in other words a high pressure pump for receiving grease from the grease ch amber and discharging it at high pressure. Extending into the other end of the shell, there is an actuator rod 12 to the inner end of which is secured a suitable follower 13. For a reason which will presently be apparent, I propose to form the follower 13 out of two oppositely faced cup Washers 14. A handle 16 is preferably secured to the outer end of actuator rod 12, in the event this rod is to be manually operated, as is usually the case. The end of the shell thru which rod l2projects, is preferably cbvered by a suitable removable closure 17.

Disposed within the shell between the closure 17 and the follower 13, there is a compression spring 18 which is intended to per form the normal function of pressing the follower 13 down upon a charge of grease 19. To withdraw the follower 13 into the shell by pulling upon the handle 16 it is therefore normally necessary to compress the spring 18. Generally in filling a grease dispensing device of this kind, it is customary for the operator to disconnect the shell 10 from the booster 11, and thento insert the open end of. the shell in a barrel or other container of grease, at which time the actuator rod 12 is pulled outwardly to suck a charge of grease into the shell. However since the spring offers considerable resistance to movement of the follower, it is apparent that the operator cannot readily feel whether or not grease is being drawn into the shell, with result that in some instances considerable time is lost in properly filling the dispensing device, or the shell may be attached to the booster 11 withp out having been properly filled. It is also inconvenient to manually hold the follower in retracted position against the compression of the spring while the shell is being attached 1 to the booster. It has previously been pro posed to remedy this latter difficulty by pro viding means interlocking the actuator rod with the shell when the follower is in retracted position, this means being releasable so that the spring may normally press the follower down upon the grease after the shell is attached to the booster. Dispensing devices utilizing this construction are still subject to the difficulty of being unable to properly feel the grease when performing a refilling opera tion.

a In my invention I provide releasable means for retaining the spring 18 in inactive compressed condition, but this means permits free reciprocating movements ofthe actuator rod and follower 13 in order to assist the operator in properly refilling the shell. Thus referring again to the drawing, I have shown a sleeve or other suitable mem ber 21 slidably disposed upon the inner portion of actuatorrod 12. Sleeve 21 is cooperably associated with that end of compression spring 18 which is adapted to press upon the follower 13. For example to obtain this result I have shown the compression spring 18 as being seated-upon a suitable cup'shaped member 22, which in turn is retained u on the sleeve 21 as by means of a collar 23. ne end of sleeve 21 is provided with asuitable shoulder 24 which is adapted to automatically engage and be retained b a slidable latch 26. Latch 26 is prefera ly slidably mounted Within the closure tap 17 and has secured thereto a laterally projectmg rod 27 by means of which latch 26 may be manually retracted by an operator. Latch 26 is prefnormally urged toward engaging position as by means of a compression spring 28. When the follower 13 .has been practically fully retracted within the shell, shoulder 24 automatically engages with latch 26 and thereafter retains spring 18 in compressed inaetive condltion. With latch 26 in this engaged condition, theoperator is free to reciprocate ro d 12 and follower 13 to perform the desired refilling operation. After the shell has been properly filled and it has been again attached to booster 11, latch 26 may be manually retracted to cause its disengagement from shoulder 24, thus again permitting spring 18 to press down upon follower 13. k I

The booster 11 is of more or less conventional construction except with respect to certain features to be polnted out below. It

preferably consists of a body 30 having a threaded connection 31 with the shell 10. Body 30 is formed with an inner cylinder bore 32 within which is reciprocally-disposed the plunger 33. Reciprocation of plunger 33 is accomplished by some suitable actuating mechanism, as for example the manual lever 34 connected with the plunger 33 thru suitable motion applying linkage mechanism 36. Thehigh pressure end of plunger 33 is preferably packed against leakage, and for this purpose I have shown a packing washer 37 of leather, rubber, or some other material which may be expanded into fluid tight relationship with the cylinder walls. As a con-' venient means for retaining this washer upon the plunger and for effecting expansion of the packing washer upon the cylinder walls,

I have. shown a screw 38 threaded into the I ends of the plunger and having a tapered or conical head 39. Since I construct the check valve and fittings for the booster so that they may be readily removed from the discharge end of cylinder bore 32,-it is a simple matter to efiect adjustment of the packing 37 by inserting a screw driver to tighten the screw 38.

Cylinder bore 32 is in communication with the interior of shell 10 at the top of its stroke,

tion of bearings for automobiles or other:

motor vehicles, hose 42 is generally provided with a suitable connector which is detachably securetl to a fitting, the fitting being permanently secured to the bearing to be lubricated. Assuming that the hose is attached to a fitting and that a certain charge of grease has passed thru the hose by operation of the booster 11, if an ordinary type of check valve is employed near the discharge of cylinder bore 32, then the pressure within pipe 42 will not be relieved until the connector is disengaged fromthe bearing fitting. The presence of such a high pressure makes removal of the connector difficult and also causes the dis.- charge of a certain amount of excess grease the instant the connector-is removed.

As one feature of my invention, I propose to provide means for relieving this pressure after the operator stops operating the booster,

and before the hose 42 is disconnected from the bearing fitting. The specific means which I have disclosed forthis result consists of another cylinder bore 44 which is preferably in alinement with cylinder bore 33 so as to form in effect a counter bore. \Vithimthe bore 44, there is a'member 46 in the form of a opens ball check 48 and permits-the greaseto discharge thruthe pipe 42. Upon the up stroke of plunger 33 sulficient vacuum is created to suck the grease thru the port 41 from the shell 10. lVhen suflicient grease has been injected into the bearing being lubricated, considerable pressure will be present within pipe 42, and this pressure immediately upon relieving the force applied to plunger 33, will force'member 46 and the check valve inwardly to the limit of its movements. This movement of member 46 is sufiicicnt to substantially relieve pressure within pipe 42, so that when this pipe is removed from the fitting being lubricated, the grease pressure will be insufficient to cause theescape of superfluous grease. Furthermore the absence of pressure within pipe 42 makes it easy for the operator to remove the connector from the beari'n g fitting.

To briefly review the operation of the device as a whole, to refill the device, the operator unscrews the shell 10 from the booster 11, and then draws handle 16 outwardly until latch 26 engages and retains the spring 18 in inactive compressed condition. Handle 16 is then manually moved forwardly to carry the follower 13 to substantially the open end of shell 10, after which the shell is inserted in a quantity of grease. Retraeting the follower by again pulling outwardly upon handle 16, causes the semi-fluid grease to be sucked into the chamber 10. The vacuum necessary for sucking the grease into the shell may be readily felt by the operator, so that the operator is assured that the shell is being properly filled. After theshell has been filled and the follower 13Ais still in retracted position, the shell 10 is again screwed upon the booster 11, and then latch 26 is replunger to eject the desired quantity of grease under high pressure. The packing for the plunger 33 may be readily adjusted merely by removing the nipple 43'and the member 46.

I claim: v

1. A grease dispensing device comprising a grease chamber, a follower disposed in said chamber, spring means for pressing said follower upon grease in said chamber, and releasable means for rendering said spring ineffective without preventing free reciprocating movement of said follower 2. A grease dispensing device comprising a grease chamber, an actuating rod extending into one end of said chamber, a follower secured to the inner end of said rod, a compression spring disposed within the chamber between said follower and said end of the chamnormally force said rod and follower toward said end of the shell for discharging grease, latch mechanism comprising a pair of engageable members, one of said members being mounted on said shell, and the other of said members being secured to one end of said spring, said mechanism serving as means for releasably. retaining said spring" in ineifective compressed condition to permit force reciprocation of said rod and follower.

' 4. A grease dispensing device comprising a shell adapted to hold a charge of grease, a discharge passage in one end of said shell, pressure boosting means associated with said discharge outlet, a rod extending into the other end of the shell, a follower'secu'red to the inner end of said rod, a compression spring adapted to normally force said rod and follower toward said end of the rod. for discharging grease, latch mechanism comprising a pair of engageable members,.one of said members being mounted on said shell, and the other of said members being secured to one end of said spring, said mechanism serving as means for releasably retaining said spring in ineffective compressed condition to permit force reciprocation of said rod and follower.

5. In a high pressure grease dispensing device, a high pressure grease pump, a discharge pipe associated with the pump, said pipe be ing adapted for detachable connection to a device to be lubricated, and means for controlling fiow of grease between said pump and pipe comprising a cylinder having its ends communicating respectively withsaid pump and pipe, a plunger disposed in said cylinder and movable a limited amount, a passage thru said plunger, and a pressure op-. erated check controlling said passage whereby when grease is discharged from the pump said member is moved to its limit in one direction after which said check is opened by pressure to permit grease to discharge in the pipe, and when the pump is inactive said member is moved to its limit in the opposite controlling flow of grease thru said passage.

comprising a cylinder having its ends communicating respectively with said pumping means and said discharge passage, a plunger disposedin the cylinder and movable a limited amount, a passage thru said plunger, and a pressure operated check controlling said passage whereby when grease is discharged from the pumping means'said member is moved to its limitin one direction after which said check is opened by pressure to permit grease to discharge, and when the pump is inactive said member is moved to its limit in the opposite direction to relieve pressure in the pipe.

, 7. In a, high pressure grease dispensing de-' vice, a high pressure grease pump, a discharge pipe associated with the pump, said pipe being adapted for detachable connection to a device to be lubricated, check valve for controlling back flow of grease into the pump, and a movable member carrying said valve, said member being bodily movable relative to said pipe-for relieving pressure in said pipe when the pump is inactive.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS GOODMAN.

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