Antifriction bearing assembly

Claim 1

AN ANTIFRICTION BEARING ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH ITS AXIS OF ROTATION TRANSVERSE TO A NORMAL HORIZONTAL POSITION, A SHAFT PASSING THROUGH AN OUTER ANNULAR BEARING MEMBER AND HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING AND TERMINATING BEYOND ONE END OF SAID ANNULAR BEARING MEMBER, A PAIR OF SPACED ANNULAR RACEWAYS ON SAID SHAFT, A PAIR OF SPACED ANNULAR RACEWAYS ON THE INNER WALL OF SAID ANNUALAR BEARING MEMBER ALIGNED WITH THE RACEWAYS OF SAID SHAFT, A COMPLEMENT OF ROLLING ELEMENTS EXTENDING INTO EACH OF THE ALIGNED RACEWAYS AND INTERLOCKING THE SHAFT AND ANNULAR BEARING MEMBER TOGETHER, A CYLINDRICAL BORE AXIALLY LOCATED IN THE EXTENDING PORTION OF SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A WICK THEREIN FOR HOLDING A LUBRICANT, A CLOSURE ELEMENT AT THE TERMINAL END PORTION OF SAID EXTENDING SHAFT FITTED IN AN ANNULAR GROOVE AT THE OPENING OF SAID BORE FOR CONFINING THE WICK IN SAID BORE, SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN THROUGH WHICH LUBRICANT CAN BE ADDED TO THE CONFINED WICK, THE BORE HAVING AT ITS OPPOSITE END A LUBRICANT-PASSING ORIFICE COMMUNICATING WITH AN ANNULAR SPACE CONTAINING ONE OF COMPLEMENTS OF ROLLING ELEMENTS, AN ANNULAR GROOVE ON THE SURFACE OF SAID SHAFT INTERMEDIATE THE RACEWAYS, A LUBRICANT BARRIER COMPRISING A RESILIENT ANNULAR WASHER COAXIALLY FIXED IN SAID ANNULAR GROOVE AND EXTENDING RADIALLY TO THE WALL OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID BARRIER INHIBITING THE LUBRICANT ASSOCIATED WITH ONE COMPLEMENT OF ROLLING ELEMENTS FROM GRAVIMETRICALLY FLOWING TO THE OTHER, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH END OF THE ANNULAR BEARING MEMBER FOR SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSING THE SPACE OCCUPIED BY THE ROLLING ELEMENTS AGAINST THE INTRUSION FROM THE ENVIROMENT OF DIRT, MOISTURE, CORROSIVE FLUIDS AND THE LIKE.