Rocker arm

Claim 1

IN A LUBRICATING SYSTEM FOR THE VALVE ACTUATING GEAR OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSION ENGINE OF THE TYPE WHEREIN A ROCKER ARM PIVOTED ON A FULCRUM IS POSITIONED IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PLANE AND A VALVE STEM IS POSITIONED ABOVE THE FULCRUM AND WHEREIN A HOLLOW PUSH ROD CONDUCTS OIL FROM A SOURCE OF LUBRICANT TO THE ROCKER ARM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A UNITARY CAST METAL ROCKER ARM INCLUDING A TROUGH-SHAPED PART FORMING A SPHERICAL FULCRUM BEARING SURFACE INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS INSIDE THE TROUGH-SHAPED PART, A CONCAVE PUSH ROD BEARING SURFACE ON THE ROCKER ARM ADJACENT ITS LOWER END AND OUTSIDE THE TROUGH-SHAPED PART, THE ROCKER ARM HAVING A HOLE THROUGH ON THE ROCKER ARM ADJACENT ITS UPPER END AND OUTSIDE ITS TROUGH-SHAPED PART, THE ROCKER ARM HAVING A HOLE THROUGH THE TROUGH-SHAPED PART ON THE UPPER SIDE OF THE FULCRUM BEARING SURFACE, AND MEANS FOR POSITIVELY CONDUCTING LUBRICANT UPWARDLY FROM THE PUSH ROD BEARING SURFACE TO THE UPPER END OF THE ROCKER ARM IN THE REGION ABOVE THE VALVE STEM BEARING SURFACE, SAID CONDUCTING MEANS COMPRISING A DRILLED PASSAGE HAVING OPEN ENDS, ONE END COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE PUSH ROD BEARING SURFACE, THE OTHER END OPENING FREE TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE ROCKER ARM AT A POINT ABOVE THE VALVE STEM BEARING SURFACE, AND THE PASSAGE FOLLOWING AN ANGLED PATH GENERALLY COINCIDENT WITH THE TROUGH-SHAPED PART TO CIRCUMVENT THE FULCRUM BEARING SURFACE WHEREBY THE PUSH ROD BEARING SURFACE IS LUBRICATED DIRECTLY BY LUBRICANT FROM THE HOLLOW PUSH ROD AND THE REMAINING BEARING SURFACES OF THE ROCKER ARM ARE LUBRICATED BY THE GRAVITATIONAL FLOW OF LUBRICANT DELIVERED FROM THE OPEN END OF THE PASSAGE ABOVE THE VALVE STEM BEARING SURFACE.