US20120074177A1

US20120074177A1 - Grease gun stopper

Info

Publication number: US20120074177A1
Application number: US12/930,062
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard Wayne Gillam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-23
Filing date: 2011-02-25
Publication date: 2012-03-29
Also published as: CA2715618A1

Abstract

The Grease Gun Stopper is used to stop unwanted grease escaping from a grease gun coupler, when the grease gun is not in use.

This is a welcomed improvement over the present situation where there is nothing but a cloth to catch unwanted grease escaping from the coupler.

One snaps the plugged grease nipple or facsimile thereof within the grease gun stopper on or off the grease gun coupler.

Description

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON GREASE GUN COUPLERS

Refer to Appendix E

When a grease gun is sold, it generally comes with a grease gun coupler attached. If the grease gun stopper device was available, it would be beneficial for this device to be part of the grease gun package.
Grease gun couplers are very similar in shape, which makes it possible to create a device, such as the grease gun stopper, to stop the flow of grease from the grease gun coupler.
The shape of the grease gun coupler is difficult for manufacturers to change due to the following:

- It needs to fit grease nipples on existing equipment and grease nipples are made a standard size to conform to the manufacturing industry. Likewise, grease gun couplers must conform to the grease nipple standard size to fit properly.
- It needs to be as narrow as possible to service grease nipples in tight areas.
- It needs to pass through ports in safety shields that lead to grease nipples to be serviced.
- It is preferable for the grease gun coupler to be clear of any raised embossed areas within twenty-five millimeters of the end of the coupler due to the coupler needing to pass through ports in safety shields or fitting in tight working areas surrounding grease nipples to be serviced.
- It needs to be long enough to reach through ports in safety shields to reach grease nipples that lubricate bearings.
- The length needs to be short enough to get into areas where there is not much room to work.
- When using a flexible extension with an attached grease gun coupler, the coupler needs to be long enough to grasp and push on to a grease nipple.

All these factors make it difficult for manufacturers to make significant changes to the grease gun coupler.
If the shape of grease gun couplers do change and if shape or size adjustments of the grease guns become necessary, the size of the sleeve can be adjusted to make the necessary adaptation.
FIG. 1, Appendix E illustrates a grease gun coupler A having a raised embossed ridge #Z which results in this coupler A not being able to enter fully to engage with the plugged grease nipple.
FIG. 2 Illustrates the sleeve # 2 has been shortened which allows coupler A to fully engage with the plugged grease nipple # 1.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF UNWANTED GREASE

Refer to Appendix F

The grease gun is always producing unwanted grease from several locations on the grease gun.
FIG. 1
Figure one illustrates some of the areas where unwanted grease occurs, namely:

- at the end of #51 of the grease gun coupler #A which is attached to the extension #B
- around the threads #52 that join the head #H to the container #D that holds the cartridge within
- around the threads #53 that hold the plunger #E and end cap #F to the container #D
- around the piston #54 in the head #H of the pump
  around the vents # 55 in the head #H that act to release air lock problems when replacing full grease cartridges
- around the plunger opening #56

When the grease gun is in use, the unwanted grease from these areas is wiped up with absorbent cloths. The amount of unwanted grease from most of these areas is not significant.
Usually the most unwanted grease escapes from the grease gun coupler # 51. This is due to the fact that the end of the coupler #A is difficult to wipe off and grease usually weeps out of the coupler #A because there is nothing in the coupler #A to stop the flow of grease from the coupler #A and the extension #B.
The distinct subject matter of the grease gun stopper device is that it acts to stop the flow of grease from the end # 51 of the coupler #A.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Searches
Patent Searches were completed on Google and the CIPO data bases with no similar patent application or patents found.
Recent Searches on the United States Patent Office, CIPO and Google did not yield any similar patents found.
Presently, the Market Place does not indicate a device similar to the Grease Gun Stopper that attaches to and stops the flow of grease from the Grease Gun Coupler.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE GREASE GUN STOPPER DEVICE IS MADE Refer to Appendix C

FIG. 1

Figure one illustrates the cross section of the one half inch glue socket cap # 3 and figure one illustrates a view of the quarter inch hole drilled in the exact centre of the closed end of the cap # 3.

It is very important for this hole #10 to be precisely centered in the cap # 3 because this directly affects the performance of the device. Hereafter, this part being the one half inch cap # 3 is referred to as the body of the device # 3.

FIG. 2

Figure two illustrates a twenty-five millimeters piece of one half inch PVC pipe. Hereafter, this part is referred to as the sleeve # 2.

FIG. 3

Figure three illustrates the sleeve # 2 glued and pressed into the body # 3. The sleeve # 2 and the body # 3 shapes and forms part of the body cavity # 20 that holds excess grease. The device must be able to fit couplers from different manufacturers with slightly different shapes. The length of sleeve # 2 chosen helps to accommodate as many manufacturers as possible. Most adjustments required to fit couplers could be made by adjusting the size of sleeve # 2 and not the body.

Figure three illustrates a distinct subject matter of the invention of this device, which is the creation of a body cavity # 20 which stores escaped grease in such a way that it does not significantly interfere with the performance of the device.

FIG. 4

Figure four illustrates the grease nipple # 1 placed from the open end of the body # 3 with grease nipple # 1 threads inserted into and through the one quarter inch hole in the body # 3. The five sixteenths hex nut type base of the grease nipple # 1 is seated against the surface of the body cavity # 20 which results in the crown of the grease nipple # 1 being distant from the surface of the body cavity # 20 by the thickness of the hex nut base. This thickness provides for storage of escaped grease.

Figure four illustrates the type of ring terminal # 5 used.

Figure four illustrates a distinct subject matter of the invention of the device which is the use of a grease nipple # 1 to attach the device to a coupler and to create storage for escaped grease in the body cavity # 20 caused by the engaging and disengaging of the device.

FIG. 5

Figure five illustrates the ring terminal # 5 placed over the threads of the grease nipple # 1 and the one quarter inch fine thread nut # 4 threaded on and tightened on the grease nipple # 1. This holds the body # 3, one quarter inch grease nipple # 1, one quarter inch ring terminal # 5 and one quarter inch nut # 4 altogether.

FIG. 6

Figure six illustrates the one quarter inch grease nipple # 1 and one quarter inch nut # 4 being filled and plugged with glue stick glue #6.

SUMMARIZED DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE GREASE GUN STOPPER DEVICE WORKS

The device engages with the coupler which is attached to the grease gun. The engagement is the result of the coupler attaching to the plugged grease nipple, or facsimile thereof, the same way the coupler would be attached to a grease nipple when performing its function of transferring grease for lubrication purposes.
The grease nipple in the device is plugged and the engagement between the coupler and grease nipple is for the purpose of firm attachment when the grease gun is not in use. The plugged grease nipple also stops the flow of grease from the coupler by plugging and sealing off the opening in the end of the coupler.
The above is a distinct subject matter of the grease gun stopper device being it is the first device created to act simultaneously to:

- act to stop grease from flowing from the coupler
- to act to firmly attach to the coupler.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE GREASE GUN STOPPER DEVICE WORKS

Refer to Appendix D

FIG. 1
Figure one depicts the grease gun coupler, hereafter referred to as coupler, with a broken line.
Figure one illustrates the coupler entering the sleeve # 2 of the device with the tolerance of seven tenths of a millimeter between the coupler and the sleeve # 2. The inside diameter of the sleeve # 2 is 14.54 millimeters and the outside diameter of the coupler is 14.40 millimeters which results in a tolerance of seven tenths of a millimeter #50. Slightly less or more tolerance would not significantly affect the performance of the device and the existing sleeve # 2 fits most couplers.
FIG. 2
Figure two illustrates the grease nipple # 1 resting on the opening with the coupler, in this position the device can easily be removed, however it is not snapped on to the grease nipple # 1, which could result in grease oozing out of the coupler causing a build-up of grease in the grease cavity # 20. Even if this is the case, the device still performs reasonably well, but may require to be wiped out. If any excess grease does occur in this position, the device can always be snapped on to stop the flow of grease and the excess grease does not negatively affect the firm attachment of the device.
FIG. 3
Figure three illustrates the device firmly attached to the coupler and sealing off the flow of grease from the coupler.
Figure three also illustrates that the bottom of the coupler is held four to five millimeters away from the surface of the body cavity # 20 by the plugged grease nipple # 1. This results in enlarging the body cavity # 20 which holds the grease that accumulates from the device engaging and disengaging with the coupler. The amount of grease that escapes from this action is stored in the body cavity # 20 which may require wiping out once or twice a week.
FIG. 4
Figure four illustrates the importance of the plugged grease nipple # 1 or facsimile thereof being precisely positioned in the exact centre of the body # 3. This allows the sleeve # 2 to guide the coupler to cause the centre line of the grease nipple # 1 and the coupler to be perpendicular and centre to the base of the body # 3. This results in the best possible attachment of the device to the coupler.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SIX PARTS OF THE GREASE GUN STOPPER DEVICE

The Six Parts of the Grease Gun Stopper Device Are:
PART NO:

- 1. One, one quarter inch grease nipple, eleven sixteenth inches in length, described as GR 652 Long
- 2. One, twenty-five millimeters length of one half inch glue socket type PVC pipe, described as RehauPro Loc Tm one half inch PVC 124543 schedule 40 600 PSI (SA) NSF 61B1373 Potable CPD 090810 11Y Mike 4P made in Canada. Inside diameter 14.54 millimeters or five eighths of an inch. Outside diameter 21.42 millimeters or thirteen sixteenths of an inch. This piece of pipe is used as a sleeve.
- 3. One, one half inch glue socket type PVC cap identified as schedule 40 Spears USA ½ inch. Outside diameter 27.77 millimeters. Inside diameter 21.53 millimeters. Inside depth 25.40 millimeters. Female end to top of cap is 26 millimeters.
- 4. One, one quarter inch nut. Zinc plated with standard fine thread
- 5. One, one quarter inch Grote yellow ring terminal, wire size 10-12 gauge.
- 6. Extra strength glue stick. Glue applied by glue gun.

COMMENTS ON DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SIX PART OF THE GREASE GUN STOPPER DEVICE

The PVC Pipe is described as one half inch pipe and one might assume the inside diameter is one half inch but the inside diameter is five eighths inch or 14.54 millimeters.
Most grease nipples have pipe thread; however, the one quarter inch grease nipples have standard machine fine thread which is compatible with the one quarter inch grease nipple thread.
The Grease Gun Stopper can be used without a tie to the grease gun, or it can be tied by an elastic cord or a cable.

COMMENTS ON MATERIAL USED

The PVC pipe and PVC fitting material was chosen to develop the Grease Gun Stopper due to the following characteristics:

- PVC is light compared to a metal material.
- If bent, or dented, it will bounce back to its original shape.
- It is non-corrosive and doesn't require painting.
- The glue socket construction facilitated the construction of the body and sleeve of the device.
- The white PVC material is not a conductor, which makes it more temporal neutral to handle in extreme cold or hot temperatures.

The Plastic Injection Mould process to manufacture the device has been investigated, however, the number of sales of the Grease Gun Stopper device would have to be several thousand to justify the making of a mould. This process may be a future option depending on demand and at what cost.

Claims

1. I am making a first priority claim and claim of the subject matter namely:

Firstly it is claimed that the Grease Gun Stopper is the first device to stop grease from escaping from the discharge end of a grease gun coupler which is attached to a grease gun.

Secondly, it is claimed that the Grease Gun Stopper is the first device to stop the flow of grease by attaching to a grease gun coupler. By linking the embodied plugged grease nipple or facsimile thereof within the Grease Gun Stopper to the discharge end of the grease gun coupler.

Thirdly, it is claimed that the Grease Gun Stopper is the first device of this type that embodies a body cavity which is created to store unwanted grease that escapes from the grease gun coupler when the grease gun stopper is engaged and disengaged from the grease gun coupler.