Hand operated tank lubricator

Dec. 11, 1945. c. e. fitch 2,390,831

HAND OPERATED TANK LUBRICATOR

Filed June 23, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1

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C7£fo rd/ BY

Οέάβ

Dec. 11, 1945.

2,390,831

C. E. FITCH

HAND OPERATED TANK LUBRICATOR

Filed June 23, 1942

Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTOR.

BY

Qtips.

C. E. FITCH

2,390,831

HAND OPERATED TANK LUBRICATOR

Filed June 23, 1942 /;

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Sheets-Sheet 3

126 -1262

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INVENTOR.

CLCffordz ELLLichr

BY

Patented Dec. 11, 1945

2,390,831

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,390,831

HAND OPERATED TANK LUBRICATOR

Clifford E. Fitch, Bryan, Ohio, assignor to The Aro Equipment Corporation, Bryan, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio

Application June 23, 1942, Serial No. 448,120

Claims. (Cl. 222—262)

The present invention relates to lubricant dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to a portable hand-operated tank lubricator unit, in which air pressure is applied to a follower acting on a head of lubricant, such as grease, in a dispensing chamber, and wherein a pump is utilized for forcibly displacing the grease dispensed from the chamber.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved lubricator apparatus of the character indicated, which is of compact construction, adapted for expeditious and efficient dispensing of lubricants, particularly greases, and which apparatus is capable of being economically manufactured.

A further object is to provide an improved lubrication apparatus of the character indicated, including novel pumping mechanism constructed and arranged for constantly and automatically maintaining relatively uniform air pressure acting on a follower in the storage compartment, containing heavy lubricant, and also serving as the means for forcibly discharging the lubricant dispensed from the storage compartment.

A further object is to provide an improved lubrication apparatus of the character indicated, characterized by the provision of novel pumping mechanism constructed and arranged for constantly and automatically maintaining a relatively uniform head of air pressure on a follower in a storage compartment containing heavy lubricant, and which also serves as the medium for forcibly discharging the lubricant dispensed from the compartment, together with the provision of means for varying the effective range of predetermined air pressure developed by the .pumping mechanism for acting upon the follower.

Still another object is to provide an improved lubrication apparatus of the character indicated characterized by the provision of a novel form of pumping apparatus constructed and arranged for constantly and automatically maintaining relatively uniform air pressure acting on a follower in a storage compartment, containing •heavy lubricant, and. serving also as the .means for forcibly discharging the lubricant dispensed from the compartment, together with .means for by-passing air supplied by the pumping mechanism, when a predetermined pressure in the compartment has been attained, so as to .permit full utilization of energy for pumping the lubricant, as it is dispensed from the compartment.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved safety cover construction for receptacles or compartments con1,0 taining fluid pressure, so that opening of the cover is precluded until the pressure within the receptacle or storage compartment is reduced to substantially atmospheric pressure.

Still a further .object of this invention is to provide a novel form of stabilizing means for maintaining the portable lubricating apparatus in a relatively stationary position during operation thereof.

With these and other objects in view, .my invention consists in the construction, operation and combination of the various parts of my apparatus, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan elevation of the novel lubrication apparatus embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view thereof ;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the apparatus, taken as indicated at line .3—3 on Figure 1;

Figure 4 is .an .enlarged, fragmentary vertical section through the pumping apparatus, taken as indicated ,at line 4—4 on Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the control means for the lubricant pump, in an inoperative position of adjustment, taken substantially as indicated at line 5—5 on Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to Figure 5, but showing the control means in an operating position of adjustment; and

Figures 7 and 8 are transverse sectional views through a portion of the pumping apparatus, .taken as indicated substantially at lines 1—1 and 8—8 respectively on Figure 4.

The lubricant apparatus illustrated in the drawings is of the portable unitary type, which may be physically carried from place to place, or may be mounted upon a wheeled dolly for convenient movement from place to place.

As seen in the .drawings, the apparatus includes a storage compartment or receptacle 10, in the form of a cylinder, which is disposed in upright position for use, and provided at opposite sides with a pair of handles 10^a for conveniently lifting and carrying the entire apparatus.

Formed as an extension of the lower end of the receptacle 10 is an auxiliary cylindrical body 11, which is secured to .the lower end of the receptacle in any convenient manner, such as by welding, and which constitutes the supporting base for the apparatus.

Mounted for vertical .sliding movement within

2,390,831

When the receptacle 10 is vented to atmosphere, and the cover (9 placed in position thereon, the pivoted locking members 27 are swung downwardly so as to cause the hook portions 30 to pass 5 beneath the cooperating ends of the hook members 31. In such position of the cover, the sealing members 20 and 21 are operative to effectively seal the receptacle. Then air under pressure is admitted to the upper end of the receptacle, above ¹⁰ the follower 12, and reacts to exert a pressure upon the follower and the under side of the* cover 19, tending to raise the latter with respect to the receptacle 10, and thereby disposing the locking members 27 in an interlocked relationship to 15 the members 31, as seen in Figure 3 of the drawings. Under such conditions it is impossible to inadvertently open the cover (9 when the receptacle 10 is under pressure. The cover 19 can only be opened when the air pressure within the re20 ceptacle is reduced substantially to atmosphere, so as to permit the operating ends of the hook portions 36 of the locking members 27 to be swung clear of the operating ends of the cooperating hook members 31.

Mounted on the cover 19, in communication with the interior of the receptacle, is a relief valve 33 which is adapted to be adjusted so as to serve as a safety valve in the event of failure of operation of the other mechanism, hereinafter to be 30 described, which would tend to cause the pressure in the receptacle, above the follower, to build up in excess of a predetermined amount.

There is also provided on the cover 19, in communication with the interior of the receptacle, 35 a hand-operated relief valve 34, which, when operated, immediately relieves the pressure within the receptacle so as to permit disengagement of the locking members 27 from the cooperating members 31, preparatory to opening of the cover 40 (9.

The pumping mechanism is mounted against the rear external wall portion of the receptacle ί 0, and is supported on a bracket 36 secured to the receptacle. The pumping mechanism in45 eludes an air cylinder 37 disposed in upright position, seated in sealing engagement at its lower end in a base casting 38, and its upper end is closed by a head 39. The cylinder, base and head are rigidly connected together and con50 nected to the support 36 by bolts 36^a. Mounted within the cylinder 37 is a piston 37^a connected to a vertically reciprocable operating tube 40 which extends downwardly through the base 38 and is sealed thereat against air leakage by a packing 55 gland including a compressible body 42 seated against a coil spring 43, disposed in a recess 44 formed in the support 36. The body of compressible material 42 is held against the spring by a nut 45. The upper end of the-tube 40 is 60 slidably guided in a journal bearing 46 in the head 39, and fixedly secured in the upper end of the tube is a slidable portion of a clevis 47, the upper end of which straddles and is pivotally connected at 47^a to a handle socket fixture 48^a of 55 a manually operable handle 48, which normally extends in horizontal direction, over the receptacle, as seen in Figure 3 of the drawings.

The handle socket includes an extension 49, which is pivotally connected at its outer end by 70 a bolt 56, between a pair of upwardly extending toggle links 51, the lower ends of which are pivotally connected by a bolt 52 to a pair of spaced ears 53, extending upwardly from the air cylinder head 39.

It will now be apparent that by rocking the the receptacle is a follower 12 of generally disc form, the outer marginal edge of which is provided with a flexible, dish-shaped gasket member 14 for insuring snug sealing engagement of the follower with the interior wall of the receptacle. 5 The follower rests directly upon the body of lubricant in the receptacle, and, as shown in Figure 3, corresponds to a position at which it is supported by the body of lubricant. Connected to the upper surface of the follower is a handle member 15, 1° which permits convenient removal of the follower when it is desirable to replenish the supply of lubricant in the receptacle 10.

The lower end of the storage receptacle is provided with an outlet 16 adjacent the bottom 15 thereof, and said outlet, as will hereinafter be described, directly communicates with a pumping apparatus by which the lubricant is forcibly discharged.

The upper end of the receptacle is open, and 20 the marginal portion of the wall of the storage receptacle, at said open end, terminates in an outwardly extending flare, as indicated at 17, in Figure 3 of the drawings. The upper end-of the receptacle is adapted to be closed and sealed by a 25 novel cover construction, including a main cover element 19, to the under surface of which, at the outer marginal edge thereof, is applied a flexible seal 26, the outer marginal portion of which is adapted to overlie, in abutting relation, the upper 30 edge of the flared portion 17 of the upper end of the receptacle. The marginal edge of the cover element 19 terminates in a depending skirt 20^a, dimensioned for telescopically overlapping the outer edge of the flexible seal 26, and the upper 35 flared portion 17 of the receptacle, as seen in the drawings, to serve as a seal against dust and dirt. An inverted, annular cup-shaped seal of flexible material, as indicated at 2 ί, is mounted beneath the seal 20, as seen in Figure 3 of the drawings, 40 and is positioned for a snug sealing engagement with the inner wall of the receptacle ί 0.

The cover is hingedly connected to the receptacle 10, and is provided with a pair of laterally extending, spaced apart arms 23, the outer ends 45 of which are pivotally connected by a bolt 24 to a pair of upstanding lugs 25 connected to the external surface of the receptacle 10, adjacent the upper end, as seen in the drawings.

It is to be understood that the follower 12 is 50 placed in the receptacle 10 so as to rest directly upon the head of lubricant stored therein, and, as will hereinafter be described, air under pressure is introduced in the upper portion of the receptacle above the follower so as to cause the 55 follower to exert a substantial pressure upon the body of lubricant in the receptacle, causing it to flow through the discharge outlet (6.

The cover 19 is adapted to be locked in sealing engagement with the upper end of the receptacle 60 10 by a novel form of safety device. As seen in the drawings, the cover is engaged by three circumferentially spaced apart locking devices, each of which includes a locking member 27 pivotally connected by a pin 28 to a pair of spaced apart 65 ears 29, secured to the upper surface of the cover 19, as seen in the drawings. The locking member 27 terminates at its lower end in a hookshaped portion 30, as seen in Figure 3 of the drawings, and is adapted to be swung into cooperating 70 relation to an oppositely-formed, hook-shaped member 31, with the terminal ends of the hookshaped portion 30 of the member 27 and of the -member 31 disposed in position for interlocking engagement with each other. 75

2,390,831 pump handle 48 about its pivot 47^a, in a vertical plane, causes raising and lowering of the piston 37^a in the cylinder 37. Air is admitted into the cylinder 37 through a duct 54 communicating with an air cleaning chamber 55 formed in the head 39. Said chamber is provided with a filter of suitable material, as indicated at 55^a, for removing solid particles from the air. The upper end of the chamber 55 is closed by an apertured or reticulated cover plate 56.

Air is discharged from the lower end of the cylinder 37, through a duct 58 formed in the base 38. The opposite end of the duct connects into a chamber 59, and is controlled by a valve member 60, yieldingly urged to closed position by a coil spring 61. The valve 59 serves to control communication between the lower end of the duct 58 and a passageway 62, the latter being connected, intermediate its length, to a passageway 63 which is in direct communication with a conduit 64. The other end of the conduit 64 is connected to the interior of the receptacle 10, adjacent the upper end. It is by virtue of these ducts and passageways that air is supplied under pressure to the interior of the receptacle 10, above the follower 12. It is to be understood that the valve 60 is normally closed and is caused to open when the piston 37^a compresses the air in the cylinder 37, until the pressure within the receptacle 10 reaches a predetermined amount. •When the air pressure in the receptacle reaches a predetermined amount the valve 60 will not be opened, and the air compressed by piston 37^a will be by-passed, as will now be described.

The mechanism for by-passing air when the air pressure within the head of the receptacle 10 reaches a predetermined amount, includes a housing 70, formed as an integral part of the base 38, in the lower end of which is formed a cylinder chamber 71, the lower end of which communicates, through aperture 71^a, directly with the passageway 62. Reciprocably movable in the chamber 71 is a piston 72, formed on the lower end of a vertically movable, two-position control member 73.

An auxiliary or by-pass duct 74 is connected to the duct 58, and is normally sealed, at the opposite end, during the time that the air in the head of the receptacle 10 is being built up to a predetermined pressure. When the air pressure within the receptacle reaches a predetermined value, the control member 73 moves to the position seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, at which position the by-pass duct 74 is in full registration with an annular channel 76, formed about the control member 73. Said channel is always in communication with a radial duct 77, which opens into a centrally disposed vertical duct 78, formed in the control member 73, and which latter duct opens at its upper end into a chamber 80.

The control member 73 is normally, during the time that the pressure in the receptacle 10 is being built up, held in a position in which the piston 72 seals the aperture 7 l^a, and at which position of adjustment the end of the duct 74 is likewise sealed by the control member. Said control member is held in such position of adjustment by a coil spring 82, the lower end of which is seated on the upper end of said mem₇ber 73, and the upper end of which is seated against an adjustable screw 83, threaded into a hollow tubular body 84, having a threaded connection with the upper end of the housing 70. The screw 83 is slotted at its upper end for re15 ceiving a screw driver for conveniently threading it in or out for varying the pressure exerted by the coil spring 82. In other words, the pressure exerted by the coil spring 82 determines the approximate amount of pressure of air to be built up in the receptacle 10.

The upper end of the body 70, surrounding the chamber 80, is provided with a pair of passageways 86, providing communication between the chamber 80 and a breather chamber 87, which is formed by a cup-shaped housing 88 surrounding the upper end of said member 73. A filter of suitable material, as indicated at 89, is disposed in the chamber 87 for the purpose of collecting and removing particles of solid matter from the air. The breather chamber 87 is vented to atmosphere through a pair of apertures 90.

It is highly desirable that the control member 73 be moved with a snap action so as to yieldingly maintain the control member at either of its two limiting positions of vertical adjustment. This will eliminate the constant opening and closing of the ducts 58 and 74, due to variation in the pressure in the receptacle 10. For this purpose, the control member is provided with two axially and vertically spaced apart, oppositely disposed frusto-conical surfaces 73^a and 73^b, which serve as cams for cramping the member 73 to its respective positions of adjustment. A pair of metal balls or detents 92 are disposed within apertures formed in the body member 70 in position to engage said surfaces. Said balls are held yieldingly inwardly by an annular coil spring 94, disposed in an annular groove 95 in the body member 70, as seen in Figure 4.

It will now be apparent that as the control member 73 moves from its lowermost position to the position seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, the metal balls 92 are pressed outwardly and are held in an outward position beyond the wall of the cavity in which said member 73 moves, until the clearance or notch portion of the control member, adjacent the frusto-conical surface 73^b, comes into registration with the balls so that the balls then yieldingly engage said frusto-conical face 73^b and thereby retain the control member in the raised position seen in Figure 4 of the drawings.

When the control member moves downwardly, the reverse action takes place until the balls 92 engage the frusto-conical face 73^a and thus tend to cramp the control member in a downward position within the cylinder 72, sealing the aperture 7i^a, and, at the same time, the body of the control member serves to seal the duct 74.

The air pump and associated control members are totally enclosed in a sheet metal housing 75, connected at its vertical edges to the external wall of the receptacle 10.

The apparatus thus far described relates to the control apparatus for automatically maintaining a predetermined air pressure in the receptacle 10 for acting upon the follower 12, and which, in turn, exerts pressure on the body of lubricant within the receptacle for forcing it through the outlet 16. As is well known, the apparatus thus far described in itself is insufficient to exert adequate pressure on the body of heavy lubricant, such as heavy grease, for forcibly dispensing the grease through conduits, for use in lubricating other apparatus. Hence, a separate grease pump is incorporated in this apparatus, and includes a vertically disposed operating rod 100 enclosed within the air pump tube 40. The lower end of the rod terminates in an

2,390,831 elongated solid piston 101 slidably movable in a cylinder in the form of a duct 102, formed in a fixture 103, secured to the lower portion of the receptacle 10, and which includes the outlet duct 16 communicating with the interior of the re- , ceptacle 10. The cylinder or duct 102 intersects the duct 16 and communicates at its lower end with a passageway 104 terminating in an enlarged cavity 105. Disposed in the cavity 105 is a ball check valve 106 normally held seated by 1 a spring 108 reacting against a threaded plug 109. Communicating with the chamber 105 is a fitting 110 which is connected to a conduit 111, the free end of which, it may be understood, is provided with a suitable fixture, not shown, j through which the grease is forcibly discharged. The upper end of the fixture 103, surrounding the piston 101, is provided with a packing gland including a compressible body 112, held firmly in position in sealing engagement with said piston ₂by a hollow screw plug 113.

The upper end of the pump rod 100 is reduced, as indicated at 114, to form a head 115. Mounted within a cavity formed within the clevis 47 is a control member 117, surrounding the reduced ₂portion 114 of said rod, and normally urged to the position, seen in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, by a coil spring 118.

The control member includes a finger-piece 119 for conveniently moving the control mem- „ ber inwardly in a horizontal direction for effect- ° ing disengagement of operating connections with the pump rod 100. The upper face of the control member is recessed to provide a crescentshaped shoulder 120, which normally, in one po- ₃sition of adjustment of the control member, as seen in Figures 4 and 5, is out of engagement with the underside of the head 115 of the pump rod, so that the pump rod remains stationary while the handle 48 may be oscillated for imparting vertical reciprocable movement to the tube 40 and its associated piston 37^a of the air pump.

The control member is provided with a transversely extending pin 125 cooperating with the 4 walls of the clevis 47. Said pin is provided with a head 126 engaging the end of a coil spring 127, disposed in a recess formed in the wall of the clevis member, the spring being held captive by a cap screw 128. The control member is formed with an opening 125^b of elongated cross-section, terminating in a recess 126° into which the head 126 of said pin may be seated. Said opening permits a limited range of horizontal movement of the control member I 17 relatively to said pin 125. The head 126 of said pin is normally seated in recess 126°, as seen in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, at which position the head 115 of the pump rod 100 is disengaged.

When it is desired to engage the pump rod, so as to operate the grease pump piston 10(, the projecting end (25^a of the pin (25, as seen in Figure 5, is pressed inwardly by the finger, so as to move the head 126 into the cavity of the spring 127, as seen in Figure 6 of the drawings, at which time the control member 117 is projected forwardly by the action of the coil spring ί 18, so as to dispose the crescent-shaped shoulder (20 in a position to engage beneath the head ί (5 of the pump rod. This position of the control member (17 may be assumed, even when the pump handle and control member are in raised position, so that, upon downward movement, the control member engages the head 1I5 of the pump rod in cam wise action until the shoulder 120 is in position to snap into operating position beneath said head (15, under control of spring (18. In such position of adjustment of the control member it will be apparent 5 that upon continued operation of the handle 48 the grease pump piston (01 will be operated simultaneously with the air piston 37^a. When it is desired to disengage the grease pump it is merely necessary to grasp the finger-piece 119 0 and push the control member 117 inwardly against the reaction of coil spring (18, until the recess 126° is aligned with the pin head 126, at which time the spring (27 will project pin (25 outwardly into latching engagement in the re5 cess 126° to hold the control member in latched position,’ as seen in Figure 5 of the drawings.

For convenience in use, the operating handle., includes a pair of telescoping tubular members 130 and (31, the former being fixedly connected 0 to the handle socket fixture 4S^a. A rod (33 is fixedly connected in the extreme inner end of the tube 130 and is slidably mounted in the ad-, jacent end of the tube 13!, and is provided with a head (35 for limiting the extent of outward 5 telescopic relationship of the tubes. The outer end of the tube (31 is provided with a hand grip i 36 in the form of a ball for convenience in operating the handle.

It will now be apparent that by virtue of the 0 novel handle construction it is possible, when not in use, to be collapsed in a relatively compact ? relationship to the general over-all dimensions of the entire apparatus, and when in use, the handle may be extended a substantial distance 5 forwardly of the receptacle so as to provide adequate leverage in the operation of the air and grease pumps.

As is well known, due to the nature of apparatus of this type, substantial force is required 0 in operating the pump handle, particularly in discharging heavy grease, and there is a tendency in the application of pressure to the handle to cause tilting or rocking of the total ap_r paratus. To insure adequate stability of the en·’ tire apparatus during the time it is being operated, I provide a novel form of stabilizing means in the nature of a three-point support, including a fixed foot I (^a, formed as a channel and secured to the rear side of the base I (, with ³ the web thereof disposed substantially flush with and constituting an extension of the bottom of said base, and a pair of legs (40, the outer ends of which are swivelly connected to flat-faced discs 141. The under surfaces of the discs are ⁵ provided with taper-pointed bodies 143, for conveniently engaging into- the ground for rigid anchorage. As seen in the drawings, these legs are mounted at opposite sides of the storage receptacle (9, and their inner ends are pivotally ³ connected by wing nut bolts 144 to brackets (45 connected to the receptacle 10.

Rigidly connected to the outer faces of said brackets are locking members 146, disposed adjacent one side of the ends of said legs. The co³ operating faces of the leg members and locking members are each provided with a series of radial serrations (47, adapted to intermesh to hold the legs at any desired position of pivotal adjustment by merely tightening the wing nuts 1 (44^a. Preferably, the legs are disposed in an operating position, as seen in Figure 3 of the drawings,, with the forward end of the base (I elevated so that said foot I l^a, together with the discs ; (41, constitute a three-point support for the ap’ paratus, to maintain it in relatively stable con

2,390,831 dition. while in. use. Said legs may be swung upwardly into inoperative position, adjacent the receptacle 10, as indicated in dot-and-dash outline in Figure 3 of the drawings, permitting the apparatus to rest upon the bottom of its base 11, and also rendering the entire apparatus convenient for movement from place to place.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

After the receptacle fO is filled to a suitable level with lubricant, such as heavy grease, the follower 12 is placed in position and the cover IS moved to a closed sealing position on the receptacle, and the locking members 21 are disposed in a position to interlock with their cooperating members 31. The stabilizing legs may, if desired, be placed in operating position for maintaining the apparatus relatively stable. The pump handle is then preferably extended and vertically oscillated. This action first operates the air piston 37^a for forcing air through the duct 58 and opening the valve 59, because the duct 74 is sealed at this time. The air then passes into the chamber 59 through the ducts 62 and 63 into the conduit 64, which communicates directly with the upper end of the receptacle 10 above the follower. As the air pressure builds up in the upper end of the receptacle 10, the cover becomes positively locked in a sealed position. During the time that the air pressure is being built up in the receptacle >0, air pressure acting through the duct 62 and the aperture 71^a is reacting against the bottom of the piston 72. As the pressure in the tank tends to equalize the pressure exerted by the coil spring 82, the control member 73, by the action of air pressure on the bottom of piston 72, moves upwardly until the detent balls 92 ride into engagement with the frusto-conical surface 73^b, thus tending to hold the control member 73 in such raised position as seen in Figure 4 of the drawings. When this occurs, the duct 74 is then in open communication with the annular duct 76, so that the air is by-passed from the cylinder 37 to the atmosphere. This is the result of the direct communication of the annular duct 76 with the axial duct 77, which opens into the chamber 80, and the latter communicating through ducts 86, and the air filters directly to the exterior through the vent apertures 90.

Thus, when the air within the receptacle has attained a predetermined pressure, any further action of the air pump merely by-passses the air.

When the pressure in the receptacle is reduced to a predetermined amount, such as by equilization of pressure incident to discharge of lubricant from the storage receptacle, the operation of the control apparatus, while the handle 48 is being operated, becomes operative and moves the control member 73 from the position seen in Figure 4, downwardly, causing the piston 72 to seal the aperture 7l^a, and thus simultaneously the duct 74, thereby permitting re-establishment of communication for passage of compressed air into the upper end of the storage receptacle.

When the air is being by-passed, the air filters 55^a and 89 merely serve as breathers, the air being drawn in and pushed out through these filters incident to the action of the piston 37^a.

When it is desired to pump grease, the pin 125 is first pushed inwardly to release the control member 117 to assume a position as seen in Figure 6, adapted to be operatively engaged with the pump rod 100, by engagement of the crescentshaped shoulder 120 beneath the under side of the plunger head 115. Vertical oscillation of the handle with the control 117 in such position, in addition to pumping air, also imparts vertical reciprocation to the grease pump piston 101 for forcibly feeding the heavy lubricant through the check valve and into the supply conduit til for dispensing the same.

During the action of the grease pump, the air pump continues to function, so that, when the pressure of air in. the receptacle S3 recedes to a predetermined amount, the controls automati10 cally become adjusted for re-establishing communication between the air pump and the receptacle for again building up the air pressure in the receptacle, to the predetermined value.

It is by virtue of this construction that it is 15 possible at all times to maintain a relatively uniform pressure of air in the lubricant receptacle chamber, without any thought on the part of the operator, after the apparatus has once been properly set and adjusted.

A further advantage of the interlocking pump relationships is that when the predetermined pressure exists in the receptacle 10 the full energy of the operator is free to be utilized in the operation of the grease pump for efficiently and expe2.5 ditiously discharging the. heavy grease through the supply conduit Ilf.

Some changes may be made in the arrangement and construction of the various parts of my lubricant discharging apparatus, without departing 30 from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of construction or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.