US1977571A - Liquid feeder - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 16, 1934.,

LIQUIDfFEDER Filed Feb. l24,1952

Fig. 4 j

INVENTOR GEORGE O. BRUMM ATTORNEY 1 G. o. BRUMM l 1,977,571

Patented Oct. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE LIQUID FEEDER George O. Brumm, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Oil Burner Products Company, Incorporated, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Y Application February 24, 1932, Serial No.'594=,853v

5 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid feeders, and more particularly to feeders of the type having inverted bottles or tanks which supply oil to oil stoves, or burners, of the gravity feed type.

The bottle in such a construction is inverted over a shallowreservoir from which the oilflows to the place of consumption, the arrangement being such that as oil is withdrawn from the reservoir additional oil will be discharged from the bottle into the reservoir to maintain the oil level therein constant. It is customary to provide the bottle with a cap to prevent spilling of the oil after. the bottle has been filled and while it is being placed in inverted position 4above theY reservoir. 'I'hecap is usually formed with a valve therein which opens automatically when the bottle is mounted in operative position, to allow oil to flow into the reservoir. In the ordinary construction, the lower end of the valve stem contacts with the bottom of .the reservoir, whereby the valve is forced open against the pressure of a coil spring.

It is found that under certain circumstances the valved caps of the prior art do not allow the necessary quantity of oil to ow into the reservoir. As a result the oil'level in the reservoir is lowered, the combustion rate decreases, and the flame eventually becomes extinguished. I have discovered that this difficulty is caused by the formation of i a film or scum of oil which prevents the entrance of air into the bottle and thus stops the feeding of oil. This lm usually forms over the coil spring 'which is commonly used in these devices, but it may form on other parts also and particularly over openings in vertical walls. I believe that the film formation is a phenomenon caused 'by the surface tension of the oil, and I have foundithatthe greatest diiiiculty is usually encountered at night, when the oil feed is turned low and the `house is quiet. During the day there is ordinarily sufiicient vibration from people walking near the burner to prevent detrimental film formation. 1

It is the main object of 'my invention to overcome these difculties and toprovide a liquid feeder comprising a valved bottle closure which can be applied to thefusual oil bottle in common use today andwhich is so constructed that no oil film can form thereon to block the free delivery of oil to the reservoir. l

It is a further object of the invention to provide a liquid feeder comprising a simple, inexpensive and easily manufactured device which will effectively preventspilling of oil from the bottle as it is being mounted overrthe reservoir,v and which will ensure the maintenanceof a constant level of oil in the reservoir at all times.

With these and other objects in view, as will i be apparent to those skilled in the art, my inven. tion resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto. f

In accordance with my inventionl provide, in

combination with a liquid reservoir and an inverted bottle, a bottle closure comprising a vcap which is adapted to be mounted on the bottle and which can be easily removed therefrom when the bottle requires refilling. The cap is preferably circular` in shape and provided with an upwardly extending cylindrical shell having screw threads formed thereon to `fit suitable threads on the outside vof the bottle. A vertical valve stemis slidable axially through the cap, and this stem carries a valve located above the cap and arranged to control the flow through an opening in the cap. A coil spring surrounds the valve stem below the cap and urges the valve downwardly toward closed position, the spring being so located with respect to the opening that fluid may flow therethrough without passing through the coils ofthe spring. In the preferred construction the spring extends between the lower surface of the cap and a suit yable abutment, such as an enlarged head, on the valve stem, and the opening in the cap is located outside of the spring.

Referring to the Vdrawing illustrating one emrbodiment of the invention and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showing `an apparatus for supplying oil to an oil stove or burner;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the valved bottle closure,shown in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the closure' shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 1,

showing a modification; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the bottle supporting device illustrated inA Fig. 4.'

The embodiment illustrated in the drawing comprises the usual oil reservoir or pan 1()V from which a pipe 11 leadsto the oil burner (not shown) This reservoir 10 is formed with a laterally projecting apertured 1ug12 which fits a vertical supporting post 14. A set screw 15 serves to fasten the lug 12 to the post at any desired height. The post is mounted at its lower end in a suitable base 16 arranged to rest upon the floor. i

Y Above the reservoir 10 I have shown the usual inverted oil bottle Yor tank 18, lwhich is ordinarily Cil Pie

`opening in the cap 25.

formed of glass and provided with a comparatively small downwardly extending cylindrical neck 19. A valved closure 20 is attached to the lower end of this neck. The bottle is held at its upper portion between clamps 22 mounted on the postv 14, and the weight of the bottle is supported on aledge or shelf 23 formed integral with the reservoir and extending partially beneath the closure 20.

This closure 20, with which the present invention is principally concerned, is shown inA detail in Figs. 2 and 3. The preferred construction illustrated comprises a cap 25 shown as a fiat circular plate adapted to be Vapplied rto the lower end of the bottle neck. A flat annular gasket 26 of a suitable yieldable material is provided on the upper surface of the cap to contact with the bottle and form a tight joint. While the cap 25 may be held in place by various means, I prefer to utilize a cylindrical shell 27 which projects upwardly 'from the outer edge thereof. This shell is provided With screw threads 28.which are shaped lto fit similar threads formed on the outer surface of the bottle neck 19, as shown in Fig. l. The fs'hell and cap are preferably integral, 'and they may be drawn from a single piece of a suitable sheet metal, such as brass. It will be apparent that this construction provides a simple, inexpensive, and readily removable closure for the bottle 18.

In order that oil may flow from thebottle into the reservoir to maintain the desired level therein, it is necessary to provide an opening in the cap 25. It is furthermore desirable that this opening should be closed automatically when the bottle is removedfrorn the reservoir to be lled, 'so that no oil will be spilled during the removal vor replacement of the bottle.

v For this purpose I have provided a vertical valve stem 30 which is slidable axially through acentral On the upper end of the valve stem a flat circular valve disk 31 is'mounted. In the preferred construction the valve stem is slightly reduced in diameter at the top to iit a. small central hole in the valve, and the stem is headed over or upset to hold the disk inplace. The valve disk 31 'is somewhat smaller inV diameter than the interior of the bottle neck 19, and yet it is larger in diameter than the central opening in the annular gasket 26, so that it may contact with the gasket and form a tight joint. The valve stem 30 is preferably made from an ordinary rivet having an enlarged head 32 at its lower end which provides an abutment. A coil spring the reservoir and maintain the desired oil level therein. Iv have illustrated a cap havingY two of 'these openings, arcuate in shape and located on opposite sides of the valve stem, but itgwill be `understood thatvthe shape or number of the openings may be varied without departing from the scope of myfinvention. It is however important that-these openings belocated outside of the spring 34:y and in a position to be closed by the valvedisk when the-bottle "is removed from the reservoir. VIn -the Apreferred 'construct-ion operation.

illustrated the outer edges of these openings 36 are curved in the arc of a circle having the same diameter as the central opening in the annular gasket 26, and their inner edges are curved in an arc of as small a radius as possible while retaining suicient metal at the center `to support the valve stem and spring.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a slightly modified construction for supporting the weight of the bottle 18. Instead of resting upon a shelf integral with the reservoir, the bottle is carried by` Aa bracket 38 mounted on the valve stem 3U. This bracket may be formed from a flat strip of kmetal by bending the end portions 39 thereof up- Wardly,-and providing a central circular opening 40 to t the valve stem.

The operation of the invention will now be apparent from rthev above disclosure. When the bottle 18 requires relling, it is removed from the reservoir and the closure 20 is unscrewed. Oil is poured into the bottle, the'closure is replaced, and the Ybottle is then inverted, leakage being prevented lby the valve 31, which .isheld closed by the spring 34. The bottle is mounted between the clamps 22 with the cap 25 resting on either the ledge 23 or the bracket 38. The head 32 of the valve `stern strikes the bottom of the `reservoir, thus raising the valve 31 and allowing oil to ow into the reservoir through-the openings 36. Whenever the oil levelin the reservoir drops Aslightly below the lower 'surface of the cap 25., air is free to enter` the bottle through the openings 36 and thus allow oil Yto iiowV out and restore the desired level. .This incoming air does not iiow between the coils `of the spring 34, and there is nothing upon which a film of oil may form to block the operation. lHence the normal oillevel in the reservoir will be maintained irrespective of the rate at which oil is Withdrawn therefrom, `and there is no possibility of the .burner becoming extinguished through lack of oil, so long as there isa supply in the bottle.

The bottle closure which I have disclosed can be readily applied to the type of oil bottle which is in common use. It is constructed from a few parts and is comparatively simple and-inexpensive to manufacture. Notonly is the coil spring out of the path of the oil iiow,;but it isalso well supported by the valve stem. There isnothing which can get out of order or cause trouble` in Having thus described vmy invention, what! claim as new and desire :toY secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. In combination with a liquid reservoir and abottle mounted in an inverted position above too iles

iao

`the reservoir to feed liquid thereto and maintain y a constant level of liquid therein, a closurefor the'lower fend of the bottle comprising a substantially horizontalcap releasably fastened tothe .f

bottle, a valve stem slidable vertically through the cap, a valve mounted on the valve stem above the cap, the cap having an opening thereinwhich is controlled by the valve, and a coil spring surrounding the valve stem below the cap and arranged to urge the valve downwardly` toward its closed position, the opening being located outside of the spring so that iiuid may iiow through the opening without passing through the coils of the spring.

2. Incombinat'ion with a liquid reservoir and a bottle lmounted in an inverted position above the reservoir to feed liquid thereto and maintain a constant level of liquid therein,r a closure for Gli tially horizontal circular cap, a cylindrical screwthreaded shell projecting upwardly from the outer edge thereof and serving to fasten the cap to the bottle, a valve stem slidable vertically through the cap, a valve mounted on the valve stem above the cap, the cap having an opening therein which is controlled by the valve, and a coil spring surrounding the valve stern below the cap and arranged to urge the valve downwardly toward its closed position, the opening being located outside of the spring so that fluid may flow through the opening Without passing through the coils of the spring.

3. In combination with a liquid reservoir and a bottle mounted in an inverted position above the reservoir to feed liquid thereto and maintain a constant level of liquid therein, a closure for the lower end of the bottle comprising a substantially horizontal cap releasably fastened to the bottle, a valve stem slidable vertically through the cap, said stem having an enlarged head at its lower end, a coil spring surrounding the valve stem and extending between the lower surface of the cap and said head, the cap having an opening extending vertically therethrough and located outside of the spring, and a valve mounted on the valve stem above the cap, said valve when in its lowermost position serving to close said opening.

4. In combination with a liquid reservoir and a bottle mounted in an inverted position above the reservoir to feed liquid thereto and maintain a constant level of liquid therein, a closure for the lower end of the bottle comprising a circular cap, means to fasten the cap to the bottle, an annular gasket located between the upper surface of the cap and the lower end of the bottle, said able valve mounted above the cap, said valve,

when in its lowermost position contacting with the gasket and thus serving to close the opening in the cap, and a coil spring arranged to urge the valve downwardly toward its closed position, the opening in the cap being so located with respect to the spring that fluid may ow through the opening without passing through the coils of the spring.

5. In combination with a liquid reservoir and a bottle mounted in an inverted position above the reservoir to feed liquid thereto and maintain a constant level of liquid therein, a closure for the lower end of the bottle comprising a circular cap, means to fasten the cap to the bottle, an annular gasket located between the upper surface of the cap and the lower end of the bottle, said gasket having a central opening therein, a vertical Valve stem slidable axially through the center of the cap, a coil spring surrounding the valve stem below the cap and arranged to urge the valve stem downwardly, and a valve mounted on the valve stem above the cap, the cap having an opening therethrough located outside of the spring and registering with the opening in the gasket, and the valve when in its lowermost position contacting with the gasket and thus serving to close the opening in the cap.

GEORGE O. BRUMM.

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