Grease lubricating assembly

Claim 1

A grease lubricating assembly for supplying a substantially constant flow of lubricant to an apparatus to be lubricated which comprises: a housing member formed by a base portion including an orifice, an upper side wall portion extending upwardly from said base portion and a lower wall portion defining a lubricant passageway extending downwardly from said base portion, said base portion being formed with a substantially flat top wall, said orifice being in lubricant communication with said lubricant passageway of said lower wall portion and of a larger cross-sectional area than said lubricant passageway, said orifice being formed for recieving a changeable fitting, said flat top wall of said base portion of said housing member being formed with an upwardly-extending inner section forming a channel with said upper side wall portion, said upper side wall portion having a threaded inner surface; a fitting having a lubricating channel disposed in said orifice of said housing member; a lubricant container comprised of an end wall and side wall positioned within and mounted to said housing member, said side wall of said lubricant container formed with a tapered inner surface of decreasing diameter from bottom to top and at an angle of from 0.1 to 2.5 degrees throughout the side wall length with respect to the axis of said housing member, said lubricant container having at least one orifice about said end wall, said side wall being provided with threaded means for mounting within said housing member; a sealing ring compressively disposed in said channel of said housing member between said base portion and a terminal portion of said side wall of said lubricant container; a piston including peripheral seal means wholly positioned in said housing member and disposed in a manner whereby said peripheral seal means contacts said tapered inner surface of said side wall of said lubricant container, said peripheral seal means of said lubricant container being formed of an elastomeric material for contacting said tapered inner surface of said side wall of said lubricant container with increasing contact area therebetween with concommital increase in frictional resistance as said pistron is inserted into said lubricant container, said piston being formed with a substantially flat bottom wall which cooperates with the said flat top wall of said base portion of said housing member thereby minimizing the amount of lubricant remaining in said grease lubricating assembly upon completion of travel of said piston within said lubricant container, said piston traveling a distance greater than 50 percent of the overall height of said grease lubricating assembly; and a coil spring disposed within said lubricant container between said end wall thereof and said piston, said coil spring having decreasing compressional force compensated by a decrease in said frictional resistance between said seal means and said tapered inner surface of said side wall of said lubricant container to permit substantially constant flow of lubricant.