The present disclosure generally relates to the field of oil filtration and methods of changing oil and replacing filter elements thereof.
When using motorized machinery, and particularly in the field of vehicles using various fluids for lubrication, such as oil. In particular, it is advantageous to ensure that lubricating oil is clean and performing properly. In order to ensure oil cleanliness these fluid streams are often filtered, and the fluid itself is regularly replaced at desired service intervals. Accordingly, oil filters, as well as other filter elements, are regularly replaced or cleaned so as to increase the service life of the machine or vehicle. In the past, changing lubricating oil, along with the associated filter, has proven to be a time consuming and messy process. In particular, depending on filter orientation, the detachment of a used filter element can contain used oil which can then drip, drain, or otherwise spill out of the filter element upon separation from the mount or housing and thus result in further required cleaning of the equipment itself or the floor or ground underneath the equipment. Further, the drain and refill process of the used oil can also be messy and time consuming, as well as difficult to dispose of when finished.
Contemplated herein is a system and method for providing a filter or housing having a quantity of clean oil sealingly contained therein to an engine or piece of machinery in a manner such that the a quantity of contaminated or used oil is removed from the system when the existing filter assembly or housing is removed from a mount interface, wherein the contaminated oil is retained in a sealed manner within the existing or used filter assembly and a new filter assembly, having a quantity of clean oil contained therein, is provided to the mount interface so as to facilitate a drip free and simultaneous filter and oil change.
As such, contemplated herein is an oil filtration system, the system having a mount interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit wherein the mount interface is configured to couple to an element housing. As illustrated herein the element housing can include an inlet, which could be an annular inlet or otherwise, being provided about an end portion of the element housing as well as a clean outlet being provided about a central axis of the end portion of the housing.
As illustrated, the housing can be sealed around a perimeter edge by utilizing a perimeter seal which extends circumferentially around the housing and abuts against the mount interface. Further, a first inner seal member can be provided which is configured to seal and separate a clean fluid exiting the clean outlet into the clean conduit from a contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit when in an installed state about the mount interface. Also illustrated is a second inner seal member being configured to seal the clean outlet to a perimeter portion of the clean conduit the mount interface;
The housing can then be provided with a clean valve being positioned about the clean outlet, the clean valve being configured to bias in a closed position in an uninstalled state and being configured to remain open in an installed state.
It will then be appreciated that the valve and the seals can be configured such that, wherein, upon removal, the valve is configured to be closed prior to the release of either the first inner seal member or the second inner seal member; and wherein the first inner seal member is configured to release a respective seal after the release of a second respective seal of the second inner seal member.
In some embodiments, an actuation member can be provided which extends from the clean conduit and as such is able to extend into the clean outlet and actuate the valve.
In some additional embodiments, and as illustrated, a secondary contaminated side valve can be provided, wherein the contaminated side valve can be configured to bias in a closed position, the contaminated side valve being configured to open in response to a positive pressure provided in the contaminated conduit in the installed state. In some such embodiments, the secondary contaminated side valve can be provided with a spring to bias the secondary contaminated side valve in a closed position.
In some yet additional embodiments, and as illustrated, the mount interface can include a first annular protrusion; and a second annular protrusion. In some such embodiments, the first annular protrusion can thus form the clean conduit therein, i.e. between the first and second annular protrusions, and wherein the first inner seal member is configured to abut against an inner surface thereof along a first axial distance between the installed state and a disengaged state. Accordingly, the second inner seal member can then be configured to abut against an interior portion of the second annular protrusion forming a clean pathway along the axial portion, wherein the second inner seal is engaged along a second axial distance between the installed state and a second disengaged state. As illustrated, the first axial distance can be configured to be longer than the second axial distance such that the second inner seal is disengaged allowing for oil to drain into the clean conduit into space created by the axial translation of the filter housing, thus causing a funnel effect which then reduces or eliminates any oil drips into the surrounding area or environment.
Also, as illustrated, the element housing can be provided with a sealed internal volume between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation.
Also contemplated herein is a method of installing a filter assembly, the method including the steps of: providing a mount interface on a piece of equipment, the mount interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit; providing a filter and mount interface as described above and the additional steps of: positioning the clean outlet of the filter assembly about the clean conduit of the mount interface; rotating the filter assembly causing an axial translation of the filter assembly into the mount interface such that the first inner seal member and the second inner seal member are engaged with the mount interface.
Additional steps can include: operating the piece of equipment so as to generate a positive pressure within the contaminated conduit and thus cause the contaminated side valve to open and permit flow therethrough; removing the filter assembly by rotating the filter assembly in an opposing direction, thus causing an opposing axial translation, wherein the opposing axial translation allows the first inner seal member and the second inner seal member to release and wherein the opposing axial translation also allows the clean valve to close.
It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form described is merely explanatory, and it is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such claims.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. Further, it will be appreciated that any of the various features, structures, steps, or other aspects discussed herein are for purposes of illustration only, any of which can be applied in any combination with any such features as discussed in alternative embodiments, as appropriate.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention, wherein:
Appendix A includes the documents contained in U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/492,273, which was filed on Apr. 30, 2017.
As discussed above, contemplated herein is a system 10 having filter assembly 30 or 50 being shown in
As such,
As contemplated herein, and as particularly illustrated in
It will be appreciated that a contaminated fluid, such as dirty oil, can flow into the element housing 304 from the annular inlet 310, where it passes through contaminated side valve 450 continuing up through the interior of the element housing 304 whereupon it passes through the filter media 350 and into a central clean channel 360 formed in conduit 362 and finally through the clean valve 400 and into the clean conduit 220. It will be understood that the contaminated side valve 450 deflects upwards as pressure from the system drives contaminated oil through the housing when operational, this motion is illustrated by arrow 456, but is biased in a closed state by spring 454.
As illustrated, the housing 30 can be sealed around a perimeter edge by utilizing a perimeter seal 330 which extends circumferentially around the housing and abuts against the mount interface 20. The perimeter of the housing can also be provided with a lock interface 334 such as angled flanges, configured to interface with one or more lock protrusions or ramps 336 provided on the mount interface 20.
Further, a first inner seal member 390 can be provided which is configured to seal an exterior annular portion of the inlet 212 from the perimeter seal.
Also illustrated in these embodiments is a second inner seal member 394 being configured to seal the clean outlet to a perimeter portion of the clean conduit the mount interface and which is configured to seal and separate a clean or filtered fluid exiting the clean outlet 320 into the clean conduit 220 from a contaminated fluid entering the annular inlet 310 from the contaminated conduit 210 when in an installed state about the mount interface 20;
It will then be appreciated that the valve 400 and the first and second inner seals 390 and 394 respectively can be configured such that, wherein, upon removal, the valve 400 is configured to be closed prior to the release of either the first inner seal member or the second inner seal member, and wherein the first inner seal member 390 is configured to release a respective seal after the release of a second respective seal of the second inner seal member 394.
In some embodiments, an actuation member 226 can be provided which extends from the clean conduit 220 and is configured to extend into the clean outlet and actuate the valve 400 into an open position upon installation. As shown herein the actuation member 226 is a protrusion that can be configured to extend into the valve body and displace an inner moveable valve body 418. It will be appreciated that various alternative means for automatically opening the valve upon installation and subsequent sealing upon removal may also be contemplated herein. Examples of such might include alignment of channels, using a lip or ridge portion of the inlet to press against a corresponding ledge or circumference of the valve, etc.
In some additional embodiments, and as illustrated, a secondary contaminated side valve 450 can be provided, wherein the contaminated side valve 450 can be configured to bias in a closed position, the contaminated side valve 450 being configured to open in response to a positive pressure provided in the contaminated conduit in the installed state. In some such embodiments, the secondary contaminated side valve 450 can be provided with a spring 454 being configured to bias the secondary contaminated side valve 450 in a closed position such that contaminated oil does not leak back into the system or out of the filter housing when not in operation or upon removal. It will be appreciated that this valve movement can be achieved through elastic deformation, or translation of the valve components.
In some yet additional embodiments, and as illustrated, the mount interface 20 can include a first annular protrusion 212; and a second annular protrusion 222. In some such embodiments, the first annular protrusion 212 can thus define an outer annular sidewall such that the clean conduit 220 is formed therein, i.e. between the first and second annular protrusions respectively.
Additionally, the first inner seal member 390 can be configured to abut against an inner surface of the first annular protrusion 212 along a first axial distance 214 being defined as a distance between the position of the first inner seal member 390 in the installed position and the upper edge of the first annular protrusion 212 or in other words, the distance that must be traveled between an installed state and a disengaged state. Accordingly, the second inner seal member 394 can then be configured to abut against an interior portion of the second annular protrusion 222 forming a clean pathway along the central axis, wherein the second inner seal 222 is engaged along a second axial distance 224 between the installed state and a second disengaged state. As illustrated, the first axial distance 214 can be configured to be longer than the second axial distance 224 such that the second inner seal 394 is disengaged prior to the first inner seal allowing for oil contained between the contaminated side valve 450 and the inlet 210 in an intermediate state to drain into the clean conduit 220 and into space created by the axial translation of the filter housing 304 away from the clean conduit 220, thus causing a funnel effect which then reduces or eliminates any oil drips into the surrounding area or environment as all oil will drain back into the system. It will also be understood that the relative heights of the second annular protrusion and the first annular protrusion can also be switched so as to cause the contaminated side to open before the clean side such that filtered oil drains into the contaminated side and is contained therein upon removal.
Also, as illustrated, the element housing can be provided with a sealed internal volume between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation and also is capable of transporting a portion of contaminated oil away upon removal.
The clean valve 400 can be positioned about the clean outlet 320, the clean valve 400 can then be configured to bias in a closed position in an uninstalled state, and conversely be configured to remain open in an installed state. This biasing can be achieved by providing a spring 404 to the valve 400 so as to push the valve in a downward or closed position, the valve 400 being configured to translate as evidenced by arrows 406 in
As shown herein the clean valve 400 can include an outer valve housing 414 and an inner moveable valve body 418 wherein the inner moveable valve body 418 can move axially upwardly in response to the actuation member 226. In a removed state the inner moveable valve body 418 is pressed by the spring 404 down into a sealing grommet 410, but as it is installed, the actuation member 226 pushes the inner moveable valve body 418 within the outer valve housing 414 compressing the spring 404 and allowing fluid communication therethrough. The grommet 410 can be provided as an elastic or malleable material which is configured to deform and form an oil-tight seal in response to the compression force provided by the spring 404.
As discussed above the mount interface 20 can include a first annular protrusion 212; and a second annular protrusion 222. In some such embodiments, the first annular protrusion 212 can thus define an outer annular sidewall such that the clean conduit 220 is formed therein, i.e. between the first and second annular protrusions respectively.
In some embodiments the clean conduit 362 can include a splined or fluted lower portion 368 which extends downward into the valve body 414, so as to provide a surface against which the spring 404 can press. In some embodiments the splined or fluted lower portion 368 can include a notch or seat 372 which can receive the opposing end of the spring 404 in a defined position. This splined or fluted lower portion 368 can also be configured to ensure or aide in proper alignment of the conduit 372 with the valve 400 upon assembly.
Also, as illustrated, the element housing can be provided with a sealed internal volume between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation and also is capable of transporting a portion of contaminated oil away upon removal.
Also contemplated herein is a method of installing a filter assembly, the method including the steps of: providing a mount interface on a piece of equipment, the mount interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit; providing a filter and mount interface as described above and the additional steps of: positioning the clean outlet of the filter assembly about the clean conduit of the mount interface; rotating the filter assembly causing an axial translation of the filter assembly into the mount interface such that the first inner seal member and the second inner seal member are engaged with the mount interface.
It will also be understood that the clean channel can be formed using a plurality of components so as to provide various advantages with regard to assembly and fabrication. Such an embodiment is illustrated in
Additional steps can include: operating the piece of equipment so as to generate a positive pressure within the contaminated conduit and thus cause the contaminated side valve to open and permit flow therethrough; removing the filter assembly by rotating the filter assembly in an opposing direction, thus causing an opposing axial translation, wherein the opposing axial translation allows the first inner seal member and the second inner seal member to release and wherein the opposing axial translation also allows the clean valve to close.
The filter assembly can further include various filter media 350 which can be configured to remove particulates or contaminates from the fluid stream. However, in some instances the filter media can be omitted altogether, wherein the housing functions as a partial oil change volume, wherein filtration can be performed at a different point in the system.
It will also be understood that while the inlet and outlet channels have been discussed in a particular relative placement herein, that the flow direction can also be reversed through the filter housing wherein the axial channel would then function as an inlet while the circumferential channel would then function as an outlet.
It will also be understood that the height of the filter housing can be varied as well as the relative diameter so as to accommodate various filtration applications as well as increase or decrease the relative volume.
Further, in some instances the filter housing and filter therein can be provided with no oil initially wherein a clean volume of oil can be added from an alternative fill port, wherein the removal of the filter at a service interval only functions to remove a portion of contaminated or used oil.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. Further, it will be appreciated that any of the various features, media, steps, or other aspects discussed herein are for purposes of illustration only, any of which can be applied in any combination with any such features as discussed in alternative embodiments, as appropriate.
While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Additionally, any features, structures, components, method steps which are discussed in reference to any one of the aforementioned embodiments are readily adaptable for use into and with any features of the other alternative embodiments discussed therein, with the understanding that one of ordinary skill in the art will be capable of assessing the ability of the various embodiments disclosed and be capable of making such adaptations.
This application is a continuation application of international application No. PCT/EP2018/060974 having an international filing date of 27 Apr. 2018 and designating the United States, the international application claiming a priority date of 30 Apr. 2017 based on U.S. provisional application No. 62/492,273, the entire contents of the aforesaid international application and the aforesaid US provisional application being incorporated herein by reference to the fullest extent permitted by the law.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62492273 | Apr 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP2018/060974 | Apr 2018 | US |
Child | 16667456 | US |