Piston pump lubrication structure

Claim 1

IN AN AXIAL PISTON PUMP INCLUDING A HOUSING, A ROTATABLE DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOUSING, SAID SHAFT HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, FIRST AND SECOND ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT AT ITS FIRST AND SECOND ENDS RESPECTIVELY FOR ROTATION WITHIN SAID HOUSING, SAID SHAFT HAVING AN OUTER AREA HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPLINES EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM A FIRST POINT AT AN INTERMEDIATE LOCATION ON SAID SHAFT AND EXTENDING TO A SECOND POINT ADJACENT THE SECOND END OF SAID SHAFT, A CYLINDER BLOCK HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SPACED ENDS AND A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY EXTENDING SPLINES BEING COMPLEMENTALLY POSITIONED TO THE SPLINES ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, SAID CYLINDER BLOCK HAVING A PLURALITY OF AXIAL CYLINDER BORES, A PLURALITY OF PISTONS, EACH OF SAID BORES HOUSING ONE OF SAID PISTONS FOR RECIPROCATION THEREIN, SAID PISTONS EACH HAVING A BALL PORTION AT ONE END THEREOF, SAID BALL PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CYLINDER BORES TOWARD THE SECOND END OF SAID SHAFT AND BEING FITTED WITHIN SOCKETED BEARING SURFACES, A SWASH PLATE ASSEMBLY BEING POSITIONED ABOUT THE SHAFT AT ITS SECOND END ADJACENT THE SOCKETED BEARING SURFACES, SAID BEARING SURFACES BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID SWASH PLATE ASSEMBLY FOR CONTROLLED RECIPROCATION OF SAID PISTONS, SAID HOUSING AND SAID CYLINDER BLOCK HAVING RESPECTIVELY FIRST AND SECOND COMPLEMENTARY RELATIVELY ROTATABLE ANNULAR VALVE PLATES TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH SAID PISTON PUMP, SAID VALVE PLATES BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID FIRST ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE PLATES HAVING MATING RELATIVELY ROTATING COMPLEMENTARY FACE PORTIONS THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: MEANS PROVIDING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE PLATES WITH RADIALLY EXTENDING FLUID PASSAGEWAYS THERETHROUGH; SAID PASSAGEWAYS BEING ADJACENT SAID FACE PORTIONS, MEANS PROVIDING AN AXIAL SHAFT PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID ROTATING SHAFT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS; MEANS PROVIDING SAID SHAFT WITH FIRST RADIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGEWAYS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID FIRST ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS AND EXTENDING COMMUNICATIVELY BETWEEN SAID AXIAL SHAFT PASSAGEWAY AND SAID FIRST ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS; MEANS COMMUNICATIVELY CONNECTING SAID FIRST ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS AND SAID RADIALLY EXTENDING VALVE PLATE PASSAGEWAYS; MEANS PROVIDING SAID SHAFT WITH SECOND RADIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGEWAYS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID SPLINED AREA OF SAID SHAFT BETWEEN SAID FIRST END OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID INTERMEDIATE LOCATION ON SAID SHAFT, MEANS PROVIDING SPLINED FLUID PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING AXIALLY BETWEEN SAID SPLINED AREA OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, SAID SPLINED FLUID PASSAGEWAYS COMMUNICATIVELY CONNECTING SAID SECOND RADIALLY EXTENDING SHAFT PASSAGEWAYS WITH SAID SWASH PLATE ASSEMBLY; AND MEANS PROVIDING A SOURCE OF LUBRICATING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID AXIALLY EXTENDING SHAFT PASSAGEWAY, WHEREBY LUBRICATING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE IS DIRECTED IN A LUBRICATING AND COOLING STREAM THROUGH SAID FIRST ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS, SAID VALVE PLATES, ABOUT THE SPLINED AREA OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID SWASH PLATE ASSEMBLY.