US2071407A - Dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 23, 1937. w. H. JOHNSON 2,071,407

DI SPENS ING DEVICE Filed Nov. 7, 1950 s Sheets-Sheei 2 m 14 I L Feb. 23, 1937. I w. JOHNSON 2,071,407 I DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Nov. 7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING DEVICE Application November 7, 1930, Serial No. 494,046

8 Claims.

My invention relates to a device for dispensing material, and particularly to a device of this character comprising a storage tank or other container in which an actuating piston is adapted to reciprocate to eject the material to be dispensed, under the influence of fluid pressure applied to the piston. The invention is very well adapted to the dispensing of lubricating material such as grease and will be described with reference to such use thereof, although the invention is not limited to this application, but may be used as well for other purposes.

Several types of grease dispensers for filling the gear cases and grease cups of motor vehicles, for example, have been known previously. An example of these is that shown in the United States Patent No. 1,668,003 to Buchet. All of these devices with which I am familiar, however, are subject to numerous disadvantages of construction or operation. As will be understood, the automatic dispensing and registering of quantities of material for sale comes within the field of regulation of the various State Boards for the inspection of weights and measures. Such Boards require a high degree of accuracy in devices of this type, and it is one of the objects of the invention to provide a dispensing device which, because of its extreme accuracy, will satisfactorily meet any and all legal requirements.

Another feature of novelty characterizing the invention is the use of air pressure as a means for actuating the ejecting piston. This has not been possible heretofore because of the difficulty that has been experienced in obtaining a tight joint between the ejecting piston and a spirally twisted rod of non-circular cross-section traversing the piston, which is employed to actuate registering mechanism. As a result of the structure described in greater detail hereinafter, I have provided an air-tight piston which is suitable for operation by air pressure.

One of the sources of inaccuracy in dispensing devices known heretofore is the twisted rod, generally square, traversing the ejecting piston to operate the registering mechanism. These rods have heretofore been made from a square bar by heating it and twisting it into a spiral. Obviously, lack of uniformity in heating or twisting will produce a twisted rod in which the angle of twist varies in different portions of the length of the rod. The invention contemplates means for overcoming this defect of previous constructions.

The invention also includes improvements in the construction and. operation of the registering mechanism which have for their objects to prevent unauthorized manual movement of the indicator showing the amount of material dispensed, to provide a resetting mechanism for the indicator, and to permit reverse movement of the indicator without obstruction when the tank is relieved of the actuating air pressure for purposes of filling.

According to the invention, a dispensing device comprises a storage tank or cylinder adapted to be traversed by an ejecting piston operated by fluid pressure. For convenience in manipulation and transportation, I preferably mount the tank in a wheeled carriage. The piston is of novel design for the purpose of establishing air-tight connection thereof with the cylinder wall. As an actuating means for the registering mechanism, I preferably employ a rod, originally circular in cross-section, having a flattened or other shaped surface milled or machined spirally thereon. This rod traverses the ejecting piston, to which it is connected, through a novel form of packing gland, which will be described hereinafter. The registering mechanism actuated by the spirally milled rod comprises a dial indicating the amount of material in the tank at all times, as well as a dial for indicating the amount of material dispensed at any particular operation. The pointer of the former dial, of course, is automatically reset when the tank is refilled. The pointer of the latter dial, however, is reset after each dispensing operation, and I provide a resetting knob for the pointer, having a resilient detent adapted to engage a retractable resetting stop for the purpose of determining the initial position of the dial. In order to prevent this indicator from being advanced when the dispenser is not delivering material, I provide a resetting ratchet which positively prevents forward movement of the indicator, unless the ejecting piston is operating, without interfering with the resetting of the indicator. The resilient detent permits the pointer to travel forward more than one turn in case the operator fails to reset for dispensing the amount of material indicated by one revolution of the indicator. Since the refilling of the tank necessitates reverse movement of the pointer for a number of revolutions, I provide a retractable resetting stop actuated by the pressure on the material in the tank. When this pressure is released, the stop is Withdrawn and permits unlimited reverse travel of the pointer.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, illustrating a present preferred embodiment of the invention. The drawings, of course, do not constitute limitations upon the scope of the invention, since the latter may be embodied in other forms within the spirit of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a dispenser embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section therethrough along the line 11-11 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the registering dials isolated from the remainder of the device;

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line' VI-VI of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a partial plan View of the registering mechanism with the cover plate thereof removed;

Figure 8 is a sectional view along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 5;

Figure 9 is a sectional view along the line IXIX of Figure 8, and

Figure is a side elevation of a detail.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a storage tank or cylinder I0 adapted to be filled with the material to be dispensed, for example lubricating grease. The tank is preferably of one piece, seamless construction of material sufficiently substantial to sustain the pressure under which the material is supplied. A wheeled carriage II has a ring I2 formed integral therewith which embraces the bottom of the tank ID for ease in handling and transporting it.

Adjacent the bottom of the tank, a bearing bracket I3 is positioned preferably by spot welding to the inside of the tank. A register-operating rod I4 has its lower end journalled in the bracket I3 and its upper end is received in a bearing I5 formed in a cylinder head I6 overlying the top of the cylinder and bolted thereto. The rod I4 has a spirally disposed flat portion I'I milled or machined on the original circular crosssection of the rod. Obviously, any other suitable shape of machined surface can be employed instead of a flat surface.

The rod I4 traverses an ejecting piston I8 reciprocable within the cylinder II]. The piston I8 includes a piston plate I9 seated on the upper end of a stud 29 and secured thereto by a nut 2|. A lower cup plate 22 is also seated on the stud and between the piston I9 and the cup plate 22 a packing ring 23 is located. A follower plate 24 is fixed to the lower end of the stud 28 to guide the piston in its movement in the tank. The lower limit of the piston movement is determined by the engagement of the follower plate 24 with the bracket I3. The plate 24 has a hole 25 therein to permit free passage of the rod I4 therethrough. Above the piston I9 an upper cup plate 26 is disposed having upstanding fingers 2i integral therewith. A packing ring 28 is disposed between the piston I9 and the upper cup plate 26. For the packing rings 23 and 28, I prefer to employ the material disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,520,704. This material comprises fabric layers united by a bond of rubber composition and is especially adapted for the use illustrated. It not only serves as an effective seal to prevent leakage of air from the chamber below the piston, but also prevents leakage of grease in the tank I0 past the piston.

The piston as a whole is urged toward its lowermost position by a compression spring 29 seating on the upper cup plate 26 and the cylinder head I6. When the piston is raised by air pressure, as will be described later, the spring is compressed and its coils are concentrated around the fingers 21, which provide a guiding 'cage therefor.

Since the registering rod I4 must pass through the piston I8, and air-tight joint therebetween must be provided. Toward this end, I form upper and lower bosses 30 and 3| integral with the piston I9. The lower boss 3| has a transverse bore 32, and both bosses have a longitudinal bore through which the rod I4 is adapted to pass. In the bottom of the lower boss, a bushing 33 of babbitt or other suitable material is formed which is locked from rotation in the boss by extensions filling the transverse bore 32. As shown in Figure 4, the opening through the bushing 33 conforms to the shape of the rod I4, so that on relative movement thereof the rod will be turned. Referring again to Figure l, a packing ring 34 rests on the top of the bushing 33. On top of the packing ring 34 a washer 35 is placed and a compression spring 36 forces the washer firmly against the packing. Inside the coils of the spring 36, a thin walled brass bushing 31 is disposed to protect the rod I 4. A threaded plug 38, bored out to receive the rod I4, is received in the upper boss 30, which is suitably threaded for that purpose. The plug serves to compress the spring 36 to any desired extent to govern the pressure exerted on the packing 34.

The packing 34, together with the provisions for its adjustment, and the rings 23 and 28 close all possible paths of leakage for air under pressure from the lower side of the piston to the space thereabove.

Air under pressure is admitted to the space below the piston I9 through a valve 39 communicating with the interior of the tank through a port 40. A hose 4| supplies air to the valve 39 and a gauge 4Ia may be conveniently located, as shown. Obviously, when the valve 39 is open, the piston I8 will tend to rise to compress the material in the space thereabove and, if the outlet of the tank, to be described later, is open, to eject the material contained therein.

Referring again to the cylinder head I6, a boss 42 is formed thereon. The upper end of the rod I4 is reduced and projects into the boss 42 through a packing gland 43 to operate the registering dials, to be described later. A handle bar 44 is formed integral with the cylinder head and is provided with a caster 45 to facilitate movement of the tank when lying on its side. The cylinder head is also provided with a hole 46 adapted to be closed by a plug 4'! threaded on a nipple 48 by means of a clamping spider 49 and a wing nut 50. The nipple 48 is connected to a valve 5|. A flexible hose 52 serves to deliver the grease to any desired point. Preferably, I provide a valvecontrolled nozzle for the hose 52.

The registering equipment is illustrated in Fig:- ures 5 to 10. This equipment is enclosed in a case 53 mounted on the boss 42 having a top plate 54, a bottom plate 55 and a side wall strip 56. The upper end of the rod I4 projects into the case 53 and carries a pinion 51 therein. A dial 58 on the top plate 54 cooperating with a pointer 59 carried at the end of the rod I4 in a head 60 indicates the amount of material in the tank III. The head 60 may be adjusted on the rod by means of set screws 6|.

An intermediate gear 62 is journalled in the casing 53 on a spindle 63 and meshes with a pinion 64 carried on a spindle 65. A control knob 66 is mounted on the spindle and carries a pointer 61 cooperating with a dial 68 for showing the amount of material delivered by the dispenser in a particular operation. The lower face of the knob 66 is provided with an annular recess 69 in which a split ring 69a is secured, as shown in Figure 9. One end 10 of the ring is sprung downwardly and is adapted to engage a stop pin II when the knob is turned back to zero after the completion of a dispensing operation, to determine the initial position of the pointer 61. The knob 66 is not rigidly mounted on the spindle 65, but is connected therewith through a ratchet drive or friction clutch including a coil spring 12 disposed around the upper end of the spindle 65. One end of the spring is bent radially as at 13 in Figure 9, and enters a slot I4 in the lower face of the knob 66. When the knob is turned so as to reset the pointer 61 at zero, the spring 12 is expanded and permits free movement of the knob 66 on the spindle 65. If it is attempted manually to advance the pointer 61 by turning the knob 66, however, the spring 12 will be contracted about the spindle 65 and lock the knob 66 rigidly thereto. Any forward movement of the pointer 61 is thus prevented except that which is effected by turning of the rod l4 resulting from discharge of material from the tank and upward movement of the piston IS.

The frictional engagement of the spindle 65 by the spring I2 is sufiicient to advance the pointer 61 on rotation of the rod l 4 when dispensing, even though this tends to unwind the spring, as the advancement of the pointer is unopposed.

The stop pin II has a piston 15 at the lower end thereof adapted to reciprocate in a barrel 16 secured to the bottom plate 55 of the dial mechanism. A spring 11 within the barrel I6 urges the piston against a limit stop 18. The stop pin H is raised to operative position only when the material in the tank I0 is under pressure as a result of the opening of the valve 39. This permits unlimited reverse rotation of the pointer 61 and knob 66 when the piston I8 is being lowered from a position near the top of the tank III to the bottom thereof by the spring 29 for the purpose of filling the tank, so as to restore the pointer 59 to zero.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the invention provides a dispensing device having numerous novel features and advantages. I believe I am the first to provide a dispenser for such materials as lubricating grease in which an ejecting piston is moved through a storage cylinder under air pressure, with a metering rod traversing the piston. For the construction described, I obtain perfect sealing of the piston with the cylinder walls both above and below the piston, as well as an air-tight joint between the meter rod and the piston. The accuracy of the device is greatly improved by the use of a milled rod of originally circular cross-section, instead of the old twisted square rod. The registering equipment provides an indication of the amount of grease remaining in the tank, as well as an indication of the amount discharged at each operation. The latter indication cannot be increased manually, but may be freely reset to the starting position. The resetting stop is retractable so as to avoid obstructing reverse rotation of the pointer when the ejecting piston is lowered to permit filling of the tank.

Although I have illustrated and described but a single present preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious that other embodiments thereof may be resorted to without sacriflcing the advantages mentioned or departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser register, an indicator, actuating means therefor including a slip connection for permitting manual resetting of the pointer and preventing manual advancement thereof, and a detent cooperating with a resetting stop to limit the extent of resetting movement but permitting free forward movement of the pointer, said detent being yieldable so as to be displaced after each successive complete forward rotation of the pointer.

2. A register for a cylinder and piston dispenser having a registering rod actuated by said piston, comprising an indicator adapted to be driven by said rod showing the amount of material dispensed, the indicator being driven by said rod through a friction clutch and having a retractable resetting stop rendered effective by the pressure of the material in the cylinder.

3. A register for a dispenser, including a dial, a shaft therefor, a pointer free on the shaft, means actuated in accordance with discharge of material from the dispenser for actuating the shaft, a coil spring on the shaft connected with said pointer, and means for manually resetting the pointer, said spring being effective to prevent manual advancing of the pointer.

4. A register for a dispenser, including an actuating member moved in accordance with the flow of material from the dispenser, a gear train driven thereby, a pointer operated by the gear train, a stop limiting resetting movement of the pointer, and a yielding detent movable with said pointer for engaging said stop on resetting move ment of the pointer, said detent being displaceable by said stop on forward movement of the pointer, permitting the pointer to be advanced more than one revolution.

5. A register for a pressure dispenser, including actuating means therefor and means for resetting the register, a stop for the resetting means, and means responsive to the pressure in the dispenser for actuating said stop to effective position.

6. In a. register adapted to indicate the amount of material dispensed from a container, means for operating the register in accordance with the material dispensed, and a resetting stop adapted to cooperate with said register, and means projecting into the container for operating the stop into effective position in response to the pressure on the material in the container.

'7. In a register adapted to indicate the amount of material dispensed from a container, means for actuating the register in accordance with the discharge of material from the container, a resetting stop adapted to limit the resetting movement of the register, and a plunger projecting into the container and subject to the pressure of material therein for operating said stop into effective position.

8. A register for a dispensing apparatus including a piston and cylinder, comprising a registering rod actuated by movement of said piston, an indicator adapted to be driven by the rod for showing the amount of material dispensed, indicator drive means actuated by the rod, including means whereby the indicator may be manually operated in only one direction, and a, retractable resetting stop for the indicator actuated by the pressure in the cylinder.

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON.

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