Bleeding apparatus for hydraulic brake systems

Claim 1

A BRAKE BLEEDING APPARATUS FOR USE IN APPLYING EVEN AND CONSTANT HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO A HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEM DURING A BRAKE BLEEDING OPERATION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER DEFINING A BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR THEREWITHIN AND HAVING A FLUID OUTLET AT ONE END THEREOF AND HAVING AN APERTURE AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, A PISTON POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, AN ELONGATE PISTON ROD HAVING ONE END THEREOF ROTATABLY SECURED TO SAID PISTON FOR ROTATION RELATIVE THERETO AND HAVING THE OTHER END THEREOF EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SAID OTHER END OF THE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID ROD BEING EXTENSIBLY AND RETRACTABLY MOVABLE THROUGH SAID APERTURE FOR MOVING SAID PISTON AXIALLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, RESILIENT MEANS URGING SAID PISTON TOWARDS SAID ONE END WHEREBY PISTON PRESSURE WILL BE APPLIED TO BRAKE FLUID WITHIN SAID RESERVOIR, COOPERATING RETAINING ELEMENTS ON SAID ROD AND CYLINDRICAL MEMBER RESPECTIVELY BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OTHER FOR RETAINING SAID ROD IN A SELECTED ONE OF A PLURALITY OF ADJUSTED POSITIONS AND SAID RETAINING ELEMENTS BEING READILY DISENGAGEABLE TO PERMIT SAID PISTON TO BE MOVED TOWARD SAID ONE END UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SAID RESILENT MEANS, AN ELONGATE FLEXIBLE TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING ONE END THEREOF CONNECTED TO SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER IN UNINTERRUPTED COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FLUID OUTLET AND HAVING COUPLING MEANS AT THE OTHER END THEREOF FOR READY CONNECTION TO THE INLET OF A MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER, AND A PERFORATE MEMBER DISPOSED ACROSS SAID FLUID OUTLET AND HAVING PERFORATIONS THEREIN SUFFICIENTLY SMALL IN SIZE SUCH THAT THE SURFACE TENSION OF THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE FLUID WILL COOPERATE THEREWITH AND BEING THE SOLE MEANS TO PRECLUDE THE FLOW OF FLUID THERETHROUGH IN ABSENCE OF EXTERNAL PRESSURE.