US2136593A - Cap for fuel-oil bottles - Google Patents

Description

Nov" 15, 1938. J. J. M LAUGHLIN 2,136,593

CAP FOR FUEL-OIL BOTTLES Filed Oct. 1;, 195'? INVENTOR.

4 A ORNEY.

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFlcE 2,136,593 CAP FOR FUEL-OIL BoT LEs v John J. McLaughlin, Gloucester, Mass.

' Application October 11, 1937, Serial No. 168,331

1 Claim. (01.21548 p This invention relates to oil feeding apparatus for oil burners and similar devices.

Such apparatus customarily is of the barometric feed type. It comprises a small reservoir in which a bottle holding a supply of oil is mounted in an inverted position. One or more oil supply pipes lead from said reservoir to the oil burner or burners. Normally the mouth of the bottle is closed against the entrance of air by the fact that ""it is submerged in the body of oil in said reservoir. In other words, the oil in the bottle is held back by air pressure on the oil in the reservoir, this pressure, plus the small hydrostatic head of oil, balancing the weight of the oil in the bottle and the low pressure in the air space above the body of oil in the bottle. As .the supply of oil in the reservoir is consumed, the oil level drops until it no longer seals the mouth of the bottle but allows some air to enter. This displaces oil in the bottle which flows into the reservoir. These operations are repeated as the burner continues to operate. The admission of air occurs at intervals in considerable quantities so that the oil level is raised very materially with each intake of air. Such a change increases the rate of flow of oil to the burner and consequently modifies the character of the flame, often producing a yellow, smoky flame instead of the hot, clean, bluish flame characteristic of normal operation.

The present invention aims to improve oil feeding apparatus of this type with a view to maintaining an approximately uniform level of oil in the reservoir and thus reducing to a minimum fluctuations in the burner flame due to changes in the oil level.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of those parts of an oil supply apparatus with which the present invention is more especially concerned, the reservoir structure being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the novel bottle cap provided by this invention; and

I Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view of said cap. 50 Referring first to Fig. 1, a typical oil reservoir is there shown at 2, this reservoir structure being mounted on a standard 3 which rests on the floor. A pipe 4 leads from the bottom of the reservoir to the burner or burners. Mounted in this reser- 55 voir, in the usual inverted position, is an oil supply bottle 5 held in place by a rest 6 and equipped with a cap I of a novel form.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this cap comprises a main cap mem ber or shell 8 adapted to fit over the mouth and the adjacent end portion of 5' the neck of the bottle, the cap being screw threaded to take the threads provided on the bottle neck. Mounted inside this shell and on the bottom of itis" alining disk 9 of cork, leather, syntheticrubber; or any other suitable composi- 16" tion, and holes Ill and II are formed centrally through both the bottom of the shell and the disk 9 to permit the flow of oil through the cap and into the reservoir. Normally such flow is prevented by a valve comprising a disk l2 secured on l5' the upper end of a valve plunger 13. A spring [4 encircling this plunger bears on the plunger head l5 and tends to hold the valve closed. However, when the bottle is in its inverted position, as shown in Fig. 1, the end of this plunger rests on 20 the bottom of the reservoir and thus holds the valve open.

So far as the features above described are concerned, the cap shown is much like those heretofore used. 25

According to the present invention a supplemental cap member E6 is telescoped on the bot tom of the shell 8 and crimped thereon so that it is secured rigidly to the shell and, in effect, forms a part of it. The central portion of this supple- 3 mental member is bulged downwardly, and is provided with a series of concentric shoulders, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The bottommost shoulder serves as a rest for the upper end of the spring [4 and centers it with reference to the 5 plunger [3, the bottom of the cap being provided with a hole IT to guide said plunger. Formed through this bulged portion of the supplemental cap are a few holes I8, preferably three or four in number, and preferably, also, formed at about the 40 junction of the base of the bulge with the flat surface of the part It so that these holes do not have much vertical depth. They permit a flow of air therethrough when the level of the oil drops below the bottom of the cap, but this flow is greatly 5 restricted by the fact that the holes are of very limited vertical depth and also are of small diameter. Located between the supplemental member I6 and the bottom of the shell 8 is a collar 29, centered with reference to the aperture I!) by being mounted in one of the internal shouldered grooves of the bulged portion of the part it. This collar effectually blocks off any air which enters the chamber in which it is mounted except at a very narrow slot 2| between the ends of the collar.

With this arrangement the maximum level of the oil remains constantly at a point only very slightly above the bottom of the shell 8. As soon as the level drops below the bottom of the horizontal part of the supplemental cap member IS, a small quantity of air enters one of the holes I8 and flows through the narrow slot 2| and the aperture I into the bottle. The oil so released from the bottle raises the oil level in the reservoir very slightly but enough to close the port I 8 or 2| and thus to prevent a further inflow of air for the time being. These operations are repeated as the oil is consumed, the air, however, being admitted in only small bubbles at a time and the oil consequently being released intermittently in. correspondingly small quantities. Moreover, the apertures l1 and I8 afford only a very restricted escape or outflow of oil from the bottle. This is important in dampening the momentum which the outflowing stream otherwise would acquire. Also it will be observed that the collar 20 serves as a partition to divide the chamber in the supplemental capinto outer and inner compartments, the outer compartment being fundamentally an air inlet space, whereas the inner compartment is primarily an oil discharging space, although these two functions are combined to some degree since air flows inwardly through both compartments and oil flows outwardly through both. The flow between compartments, however, is restricted by the collar 20. Thus the variations in level of the oil in the reservoir are reduced to a minimum, and the operation. of the burner is maintained far more uniform than otherwise would be possible. In addition, the nature of the cap structure is such that the parts can be manufactured and assembled economically and with relatively little labor.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

An oil bottle cap comprising a shell adapted to fit tightly over the mouth and the adjacent end portion of the bottle neck, said shell having an opening through its bottom, a valve mounted in said shell and including a plunger having a valve disk on its upper end adapted to close said opening, a spring encircling said plunger and tending to hold the disk in its closed position, said shell having a supplemental cap member on the bottom thereof bulged outwardly to provide a chamber between the supplemental cap and said bottom and provided with a hole in vertical alinement withsaid opening to guide said plunger and with an external shoulder around said opening to center said spring, said bulged portion also having laterally disposed and restricted apertures controlling both the entrance of air into said chamber and also the escape of oil laterally therefrom, the apertures in said bulged cap member cooperating to provide a controlled and restricted escape of oil from said bottle and cap, whereby an approximately uniform level of oil is maintained in the reservoir, thus reducing to a minimum fluctuations in the burner flame due to changes in the oil level, and a collar supported in centered relationship to said bottom opening in the shell and dividing the space between said supplemental cap and said shell into inner and outer chambers and restricting the lateral inflow of air from said apertures into the bottle and also retarding the outflow of oil from the bottle through the apertures in said supplemental cap.

JOHN J. MCLAUGHLIN.

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