US2776782A

US2776782A - Air-operated can-emptying means

Info

Publication number: US2776782A
Application number: US331611A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stanley C Hope
Original assignee: Gilbert and Barker Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: Gilbarco Inc
Priority date: 1953-01-16
Filing date: 1953-01-16
Publication date: 1957-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1974-01-08

Description

Jan. 8, 1957 s. c. HOPE AIR-OPERATED CAN-EMPTYING MEANS Filed Jan. 16, 1953 zyf.

INVENTOR JZanky G bop,

BY ATT RNEYS United States Patent AIR-OPERATED CAN-EMPTYING MEANS Stanley C. Hope, New York, N. Y., assignor to Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company, West Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 16, 1953, Serial No. 331,611

1 Claim. (Cl. 22282) This invention relates to an improved means for facilitating the emptying of containers and, while the invention is capable of general application, it finds one advantageous use in connection with the emptying of a can of lubricating oil into the fill pipe of an automobile engine.

It is common practice at most automobile service stations to sell standard brands of lubricating oil in sealed cans. Discriminating purchasers are thereby assured that they are getting the kind of oil that they ask for. In dispensing oil from the can, it is customary to place the can in a funnel, the spout of which is inserted in the fill pipe of the engine. In this funnel is a cutter which, when the can is thrust into the funnel, perforates the lower head of the can. The oil then flows outwardly solely by gravity. The air which displaces the oil has to enter through the same opening through which the oil is discharged. Delivery is, therefor, relatively slow and complete emptying of the can cannot be secured in this manner. As a matter of fact, oil companies place somewhat more than a quart of oil in each quart can in order to compensate for the oil that will ordinarily remain clinging to the walls of the can.

This invention has for its object the provision of a hand-operated tool, which may be used by service station operators or others, to expedite the delivery of oil from a can of lubricating oil and efiect substantially complete emptying of the can.

The invention has for another object the provision of a hand-operated air pump which has a discharge conduit having a can-penetrating point and 'a length sufiicient to pass entirely through the can, penetrating both heads and forming an exit opening in the lower head with walls bent outwardly from the head to provide better drainage, the conduit in that part which lies between the heads of the can having many perforations for emitting jets of air into the can to speed up the outflow of oil and also against the walls of the can in order to remove the oil that clings to such walls.

These and other objects will more particularly appear from the detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a can-emptying means embodying the invention, and shown as applied to a can in place in a funnel, portions of the can and funnel being shown in section to reveal interior parts;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view taken similarly to Fig. 1 showing an accessory for use with the second form of can-emptying means, when the can is placed in a funnel, the axis of which is inclined to the vertical, for the purpose of locating the can-puncturing element near the periphery of the can.

Referring to these drawings and first to Fig. 1 thereof, the device there shown is adapted to expedite the emptying of a can 1 of lubricating oil into a funnel 2, the lower end 3 of which is engaged in any suitable way 2,776,782 Patented Jan. 8, 7

. 2 with the fill pipe 4 of an automobile engine. The funnel is of conventional form.

The emptying of the contents of can 1 is expedited by delivering into the can air under. pressure. This is effected by means of an air pump of any suitable form and a discharge conduit which includes a straight tubular portion 23 having at its ,outer end a point 24 for perforating the heads 6 and 9 of can 1. The tubular portion 23 has perforations 10 through which air may be forced by the pump and emitted in jets into the can. As shown, the pump includes a cylinder barrel 11 with

heads

12 and 13 at opposite ends thereof and a piston rod 14 extending through head 13 and having a knob 15, by means of which the piston rod may be manually reciprocated. One example of a pump suitable for the purpose is shown in my copending application Serial No. 313,890, filed October 9, 1952, now Patent No. 2,744,656.

The discharge conduit, in the form herein shown, in-

cludes, in addition to the described portions 23.and 24, a short pipe 16 fixed at one end to the head 12 and at its other end to the branch of a T 17, this T, and a reducing bushing 18, which has its upper end threaded into the lower outlet of the T and in which the upper end of the tubular portion 23 is threaded. The upper outlet of T 17 is closed by the screw 19 of a knob 20. A suitable shoulder or peripheral flange is provided at the upper end of the portion 23, which may be the lower face of the hexagonal head 21 of the bushing.

Also mounted on the tubular portion 23 is a suitable gasket 22.

The point 24 is formed on the lower end of a member 24' which is fixed, as by screw threads, to the lower end of tube 23 and closes such end since the point is solid as shown in Fig. 2. The straight tubular portion 23 of the air conduit is made substantially equal in length to the height of the can. That is, the distance between the peripheral flange 21 and the member 24' is about equal to the distance between the two spaced heads 6 and 9 of can 1. tributed angularly and axially over the entire periphery of the straight tubular portion, will lie within the can, when the portion 23 is positioned, as indicated. The point 24 is adapted to be thrust first through the upper head 9 of can 1 and then through the lower head 6. When this portion 23 has been thrust downwardly until the gasket '22 is pressed tightly against the upper face of head 9, the point 24 will have passed through the lower head 6. Then all of many perforations 25 in the peripheral wall of portion 23 will be located within can 1 so as to deliver air in many radial jets into the can. These jets will impinge the inner walls of the can and remove any oil clinging thereto. The point 24 forces portions of the lower head downwardly or outwardly away from the rest of the head, providing for better drainage by the removal from the interior of the can of all projections which might obstruct the outward flow of oil. The point 24 is of polygonal cross-sectional shape (see Fig. 2) and its maximum transverse dimention is greater than the outside diameter of the tubular portion 23. This point thus will make a hole larger than portion 23 leaving ample space around such portion for the discharge of oil from the can.

In use, the can 1 is placed in the upper cylindrical portion of the funnel 2; the barrel of the air pump is grasped with one hand; the point 24 is positioned on top of head 9; and knob 20 is then forced downwardly, causing point 24 to first penetrate the upper head 9, then travel through the can and finally penetrate the lower head 6; and then the air pump is operated to forcibly eject the oil and clean the walls of the can.

It sometimes happens that the funnel used has the axis of its can-receiving portion inclined to the vertical Thus, all the perforations, which are dis-' and usually also to the lower spout portion which is inserted in the fill pipe 4. Such a funnel is shown in Fig. 4 at 2' with a spout 3. Obviously, the puncture in the bottom head of the can 1 should be located as closely as possible to the peripheral wall of the can '1 and at the lowest point of the head in order to secure complete drainage. To help the operator locate the puncture properly, a guide 25 is slidably mounted on tube 23 between the washer 22 and shoulder 21. This guide has a hook 26 which is adapted to engage the peripheral wall of the can. The guide 25 and washer 22 can slide treely on the tubular portion 23 and will initially be located near the hub of the can-puncturing point 24. Then, this point 24 is placed on head 9 and moved until the hook 26 bears on the periphery of the head at the lowest point thereof. Then, pressure is applied to knob 20 as before to thrust the point 24 first through head 9, into and through the can and finally through the lower head 6. The guide 25 is removable by unscrewing the point 24 from tube 23.

The invention thus provides an improved tool for use by a service station operator to speed up the delivery of lubricating oil from sealed cans. The tool may supplement the usual means, a funnel for receiving the can and a cutter in the funnel for forming an exit in the lower head of the can, by supplying air under pressure to increase the rate of oil discharge, or it may be used in connection with a cutter-less funnel to form a betterdraining exit opening in the lower head of thecan and at the same time provide faster discharge of oil and complete drainage of oil from the can. The service station operator is enabled to speed up his deliveries and the purchaser gets all the oil in the can. t

What is claimed is:

Means for facilitating the emptying of a can having a peripheral wall closed at opposite ends by two spaced heads, said means comprising an air force pump, a conduit connected at one end to the outlet end of the pump and having a straight tubular portion, an external peripheral flange on that end of said portion nearest the pump, a member secured to and closing the other and more remote end of said tubular portion, the distance between said flange and member being substantially equal to the height of the can and said tubular portion having a plurality of air outlet openings spaced angularly and axially over its entire peripheral area between said flange and member, said member having a point adapted to be thrust successively through the upper and lower heads of the can until the flange abuts the upper head, said member also having a projection extending radially beyond the outer periphery of said portion to form in the lower head of the can a discharge opening for Oil to flow out ofthe can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,616 Nall Feb. 25, 1936 2,136,492 Creveling Nov. 15, 1938 2,241,097 Mezzapesa May 6, 1941 2,257,725 Davis Oct. 7, 1941 2,408,058 Gallagher Sept. 24, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 535,172 Great Britain Apr. 1, 1941