Patent Application
20070187339
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a fluid filter assembly, such as an oil filter assembly, and more particularly to a drain receptacle that is configured to drain fluid trapped within a filtering device, such as a spin-on automotive oil filter or a module that has been removed from an adapter or base.
A conventional oil filter assembly for an internal combustion engine typically includes a threaded end, which is rotated, twisted, or spun, onto a corresponding mounting structure of the engine. Once the assembly is mounted onto the engine, oil is circulated through the engine for filtering. Unfiltered oil from the engine is passed through a filtering medium, such as a pleated paper cylinder, of the assembly. As the unfiltered oil passes through the filtering medium, impurities contained within the oil are retained by the filter medium. Filtered oil is then passed back into the engine. Eventually, an oil filter assembly, or at least the filtering medium within the assembly, needs to be replaced due to the fact that it becomes clogged with numerous impurities, thereby diminishing its filtering ability.
Typical filters may be one-, two-, or three-part filters, depending on whether the parts of the filter can be disconnected from one another. In a one-part filter assembly, the filter medium is contained within a housing, and the entire filter assembly is screwed onto and off of an engine. When the filter medium is clogged, the entire filter assembly must be replaced.
A typical two-part filter assembly includes a casing and a base that threadably engage one another to form a housing around the filter medium. The base is affixed to a mounting structure of an engine. For example, the base may be screwed onto a mounting stud of the engine. The casing, including the filter medium, may be removably secured, such as through threadable engagement, to the base, without removing the base from the engine. When the filter medium needs to be replaced, the casing is removed from the base, and a new casing is secured to the base.
A typical three-part filter assembly is similar to the two part filter assembly, except that the filter medium is separable from the rest of the assembly. As such, only the filter medium needs to be replaced, and the rest of the assembly may be reused with a new filter medium.
In order to change the filter medium in typical filters, one component is typically unscrewed from another component. The threads of, and/or other components (such as gaskets) located proximate to such threadable interfaces, are prone to sticking, which can pose difficulties in removing an oil filter from the engine (for a one-part filter assembly), or the casing from the base (for a two- or three-part filter assembly). Often, a specialized tool, such as an oil filter wrench, is required to remove the filter or casing from the engine. In many vehicles, however, the oil filter assembly is located at a position that is difficult to access. Thus, using a tool with some oil filters may be difficult.
Some filter assemblies include a filter module that is removably secured to a base or adapter. The adapter is secured to a mounting stud of a fluid source, such as an engine. When the filter is changed, the filter module is removed from the adapter, and a new filter module is secured to the adapter.
The filter module, which may be a spin-on one-piece filter or a portion of a separable filter assembly, may include at least one valve or sealing member that ensures that fluid within the filter module does not leak from the filter module after it is removed. As such, fluid may be trapped within the filter module after it is removed from the base or adapter. Further, fluid may be trapped in various types of filter devices when removed from a mounting stud.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method of removing fluid trapped within a filter module or other such device after it is removed from a mounting stud of a fluid source, such as an engine. In particular, a need exists for a system and method of draining oil from a filter module or housing after it has been disconnected from an adapter, base or mounting stud.
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a drain receptacle configured to drain fluid from a filtering device, such as a filter module, having first and second fluid passages, such as a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The drain receptacle includes a base integrally formed with upstanding walls and a draining member that extends from the base within a retention cavity that is defined between the base and the upstanding walls. The draining member may be configured to unseal or otherwise open at least one of the first and second fluid passages when the filtering device is secured to the drain receptacle in order to drain fluid within the filtering device into the retention cavity. The upstanding walls may form a spout configured to allow fluid collected within the retention cavity to be poured out of the retention cavity.
The draining member may include a post extending from a center of the base within the retention cavity. The post is configured to open the first fluid passage when the filtering device is secured to the drain receptacle. The draining member may also include at least one finger extending from the base within the retention cavity. The finger may be positioned a radial distance from the center of the base. The finger is configured to open the second fluid passage when the filtering device is secured to the drain receptacle.
A detent, such as, for example, a tab, may extend from at least one of the upstanding walls or the draining member within the retention cavity. A notch of the filtering device is configured to securely retain the detent to secure the filtering device to the drain receptacle. Optionally, the upstanding walls or the draining member include the notch or notches that are configured to securely retain the detent of the filtering device.
The base may include at least one drain passage and may be integrally connected to a bottle or various other types of oil storage receptacles. The drain passage is configured to allow fluid within the retention cavity to drain into the bottle through the drain passage.
Certain embodiments of the present invention also provide a method of draining fluid within a filtering device having fluid passages that are sealed. The method may include securing the filtering device to a drain receptacle, unsealing the fluid passages through the securing step, draining fluid within the filtering device through the unsealed fluid passages, collecting fluid from the draining step within a retention cavity of the drain receptacle, and pouring the fluid within the retention cavity into a disposal tank, or passing the fluid within the retention cavity into an integrally connected bottle.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings, certain embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the attached drawings.
If, however, the filter medium 26 is clogged, unfiltered fluid will flow around the filter medium 26 into a pressure relief cap 38. As unfiltered fluid congregates within the pressure relief cap 38, the fluid exerts a pressure into a lower cap 40 of a pressure relief plug 42. The pressure exerted by the fluid may be sufficient to unseat the lower cap 40 from the pressure relief cap 38, as discussed in U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 17207US01).
The anti-drain valve 24 is positioned above a bottom plate 44 of the filter module 16 and is secured to a lower end 46 of a filter support 48. The anti-drain valve 24 includes the flap 22 and a fixed end 50 secured to the lower end 46 of the filter support 48. The flap 22 sealingly engages a top surface of the bottom plate 44. As fluid enters the module 16, the fluid exerts a pressure into the flap 22, thereby urging the flap 22 away from the bottom plate 44, and allowing fluid to pass therethrough. When the filter module 16 is removed from the adapter 14, however, the flap 22 sealingly abuts against a top surface of the bottom plate 44. As such, the anti-drain valve 24 prevents fluid within the filter module 16 from draining through openings sealed by the anti-drain valve 24.
Additionally, when the filter module 16 is removed from the adapter 14, a drip seal plug 52 of the module 16 is moved into sealing engagement with the fluid outlet member 32. That is, the drip seal plug 52 seals against the fluid outlet member 32, thereby sealing the openings formed through the fluid outlet member 32. Thus, the drip seal plug 52 acts to prevent fluid from passing through the fluid outlet member 32.
When the filter module 16 is mated with the adapter 14, legs 54 of the drip seal plug 52 abut against a top circumferential edge 56 of a fluid outlet tube 58 that defines the fluid outlet passage 34. As the legs 54 abut the top edge 56, and the module 16 is further urged in the direction of arrow A, the drip seal plug 52 remains stationary, while the fluid outlet member 32 continues to move downward. Thus, the drip seal plug 52 unseats from the fluid outlet member and moves out of sealing engagement with the fluid outlet member 32.
A module-draining member 74 extends upwardly from a central portion of the base 62 within the retention cavity 71. The module-draining member 74 includes an upstanding central cylindrical post 76 having a cylindrical shaft 78 integrally formed with an upper ledge 80. A hemispherical protuberance 82 extends upwardly from the upper ledge 80.
Spokes 84 extend radially from the shaft 78 such that the central cylindrical post 76 forms a hub. Flap-engaging fingers 86 extend upwardly from distal ends 88 of the spokes 84. The fingers 86 may be barbs, posts, or other such protuberances that are configured to engage the flap(s) 22 (shown in
The module-draining member 74 may be various shapes and sizes. For example, the post 76 may be rectangular, triangular, or other such shapes. Additionally, the module-draining member 74 may not include the spokes 84. Instead, the fingers 86 may extend upwardly from the base 62 without being connected to the post 76 through spokes. Additionally, while the drain receptacle 60 is shown having six spokes 84 and fingers 86, the drain receptacle 60 may include more or less spokes 84 and fingers 86 than those shown in
The bottom plate 44 of the filter module 16 moves in the module clearance area 97 of the drain receptacle 60 such that ramped ends 104 of the bottom plate 44 slide over the radially-extending tabs 96 until the tabs 96 snapably engage notches 106 formed in the bottom plate 44. Once the tabs 96 snap into the notches 106, the drain receptacle 60 securely retains the filter module 16. Optionally, the bottom plate 44 may include an inwardly-extending tab, or annular ridge, while the drain receptacle 60 includes notches formed through distal ends 88 of the spokes 84.
At the same time that the bottom plate 44 of the filter module 16 is securing to the tabs 96, the flap(s) 22 is urged into the flap-engaging fingers 86 such that the flap-engaging fingers 86 unseat the flap(s) 22 from the bottom plate 44 opening a fluid passage therebetween. Fluid within the filter module 16 may then drain through this fluid passage into the retention cavity 71 where it is retained.
Additionally, during this time, the legs 54 of the drip seal plug 52 abut against the upper ledge 80 of the post 76. As the filter module 16 continues to be urged in the direction of arrow A, the drip seal plug 52 separates from the fluid outlet member 32, thereby allowing fluid to flow through the opening of the fluid outlet member 32 into the retention cavity 71 of the drain receptacle 60.
When the filter module 16 is securely retained by the drain receptacle 60, fluid within the filter module 16 drains through the passages described above, and is collected within the retention cavity 71 of the drain receptacle 60. After the fluid completely drains out of the filter module 16, the fluid collected within the retention cavity 71 may be poured out into another receptacle through the spout 72. The filter module 16 may be removed from the drain receptacle 60 by securing the drain receptacle 60 in place and then removing the filter module 16 in the direction of arrow A′. Optionally, the filter module 16 may include buttons, clasps, latches, or the like that may be engaged to cause the bottom plate 44 to disengage from the drain receptacle 60. However, the unit defined by the filter module 16 and the drain receptacle 60 may, instead, be discarded after the fluid is drained from the filter module 16 and poured from the drain receptacle 60.
While the embodiments of the drain receptacle are shown having particular shapes and sizes, it is to be understood that the drain receptacles may be various shapes and sizes. Additionally, the drain receptacle may be used with a filter module of a one-, two-, or three-piece oil filter assembly.
While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
