Oiler with adjustable spray nozzle

Claim 1

An improved oiler comprising, in combination: an oil can; a removable top; a substantially uniform diameter tube leading from inside the can and terminating in a spout outside the can, said tube having a pump mechanism incorporated at the end of the tube inside the can, said tube being mounted in the top; a pump handle also mounted on the top and connected by a linkage to the pump for driving the pump in response to actuation of the handle; and a variable spray nozzle attached to the outside end of the spout, said nozzle including an annular cylindrical mounting member threaded internally for attachment to the end of the spout and threaded externally at the outer end for receipt of a compression fitting, the internal passage of said outer end being frustoconically shaped and diverging outwardly, a cylindrical channel member fabricated from an elastic material, said channel member including a central passage extending partially therethrough from an inside end toward an outside end, the inside end being complementary with the frustoconical portion of the mounting member and press fit therein, the outside end including an integrally molded passage block having an outside flat surface, first and second small diameter openings therethrough, each opening being spaced from the centerline axis of the passage, each opening being connected by a separate channel in the end flat face of the block, said channels intersecting at the centerline axis of the passage to define a depression with a center hub therein, said center hub terminating beneath the plane of the flat face surface, the outside surface including an integral circumferential lip seal projecting therefrom; a cylindrical disc having a center passage of an area substantially less than the area of the channel member openings, said center passage at the centerline axis of the channel member opposed to the depression and center hub, said disc having a flat inside surface in opposed relation to the flat face of the channel member; and a compression fitting comprising an open ended cylindrical cup with the sealing flange of the channel member engaging the inside surface of the compression fitting, said cylindrical cup threadably attached to the mounting member and including a passage through the bottom of the cup defining an annular flange for retaining the disc and relatively positioning the disc and channel member surface in spaced relation, whereby the compression fitting may be adjusted to adjust the spacing of the disc face relative to the channel member face and thereby provide an adjustable spray pattern, said pattern being a fine line when said face and surface are spaced becoming a mist pattern upon approach and contact of the face and surface in response to the effective increase of the angular momentum of fluid through the channels and depression of the channel member.