Patent Application
20070012036
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combined functional and decorative exhaust system for motor vehicles. The term “motor vehicle” as used herein means a motorized vehicle having at least two wheels thereon. Hence, it includes motorcycles, scooters, motorized bikes, three wheel minicars, three wheel trucks, three wheel open air vehicles, such as ATVs and motorized trikes, as well as more common motor vehicles, such as autos, trucks, buses, tractors, semis, SUVs, and the like. It is particularly applicable to motor vehicles with exhaust pipes, especially internal combustion driven motor vehicles, but could also be used with motor vehicles having simulated or nonfunctional pipes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotating accessory that is rotatably attached to a motor vehicle exhaust pipe that may add dynamic and artistic appearance (and may or may not act as a hot exhaust gas dissipater). It may also serve as an eye-catching safety feature that will, in some instances, make other drivers more readily aware of the presence of vehicle having the present invention. Thus, the present invention includes a fixed exhaust pipe and at least one rotating accessory rotatably connected to the pipe, and at least one drive mechanism to rotate the accessory or accessories. The term “exhaust pipe” and the term “tail pipe” may be considered different by some technicians, but are used herein interchangeably because, for purposes of this invention, any technical differences between the two are irrelevant.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents are representative of prior art of interest to the present invention technology:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,638 describes an adjustable exhaust system for use with two cycle motors. An insert section of pipe is interposed between a header pipe and a conventional tail pipe so that, when it is rotated, the overall length of the exhaust system is adjusted. The insert section is held in place between the tail pipe and a header extension pipe by a compressive force exerted by one or more springs attached between the header and the tail pipe. The insert features, on an end that slips over the header extension section, a series of graduated notches which mate with a protrusion, or “stop”, formed on the mating end of a header extension section. This notch and stop combination determines the distance by which the insert section will be permitted to slip over the header extension section, and correspondingly, the overall length of the exhaust system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,704 describes an improved muffler including a body with an exhaust inlet in the form of a porous pipe enclosed in a second porous pipe for diffusing exhaust gases into the interior of body. A pair of pipes introduces ambient air into the discharge region of the muffler. A constricted discharge opening of the body encircles the pipes and confines the helical vanes which impart a helical path to the exhaust gases just before mixing with ambient air from the pipes. A venture section with a bell shape outlet completes the tail pipe section. An auxiliary air inlet to the venture adds additional ambient air to the final outlet via ports. In addition embodiment, the venture section is within the muffler body. A constricted tube provides a direct path for a portion of the exhaust gases while the major quantity of exhaust gases traverse the helical paths defined by the vanes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,703 describes an exhaust to reduce noise, an automotive exhaust tailpipe that has a convoluted surface at or near its outlet to generate pairs of counterrotating axial vortices within the exhaust gases just before or just after the gases exit the tailpipe. The convoluted surface of the tailpipe, or a thin-walled convoluted member, may be disposed within the tailpipe near its outlet end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,538 describes several embodiments of motorcycle exhaust systems having forward and rearward exhaust pipes at least one of which extends transversely in a transversely extending expansion chamber for improving high speed performance. In addition, a variety of control valves are incorporated for varying the reflective area of the exhaust pipe ends so as to improve low speed and midrange performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,219 describes a lightweight muffler and method for muffling a noise component of a stream of gases. The muffler includes a chamber in which gases are directed side-by-side streams flowing in opposite directions. The streams are in contact with each other for the generation of sound dampening eddy currents in the chamber, but such contact does not break down the continuous, low resistance flow of gases through the muffler. The chamber is advantageously formed as a expansion chamber in which gases: enter one end of the chamber as an annular stream concentric with the inlet pipe to the muffler, travel along the inlet pipe to the other end of the chamber, are reversed, and travel as a concentric annular stream of greater diameter in the opposite direction down the length of the chamber for discharge into a passageway leading to the outlet tube to the muffler. A second similarly formed chamber for counterflow of opposed streams and the generation of eddy current there between is preferably formed proximate the outlet tube of the muffler.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.
The present invention relates to a combined functional and decorative exhaust system for internal combustion driven motor vehicles that includes a fixed exhaust pipe and a rotating exhaust pipe accessory rotatably connected to the pipe. The present invention is an improvement to motor vehicles that provides dynamic and artistic aspects, in some cases acts as a hot exhaust gas heat dissipater, noxious gas dilution mechanism and/or an eye-catching safety feature. Thus, the present invention is an improvement in a motor vehicle having an internal combustion motor and a wheel drive mechanism, wherein the motor has an exhaust system connected thereto.
It includes a) an exhaust system having an exhaust pipe and at least one exhaust pipe accessory, with the exhaust pipe being in a fixed position relative to the internal combustion motor, and the at least one accessory being rotatably connected to the exhaust pipe, and b) an accessory drive mechanism connected to the accessory to rotate it. The accessory or accessories may be located at the actual end of the pipe, at the beginning of the pipe or at any intermediate section of pipe. For example, in the case of the semi or other truck or vehicle having vertical or diagonal pipes, or vehicles having externally exposed horizontal pipes, a midsection thereof could include one or more rotating accessories. Alternatively, one or more could be attached at the top (end) or they could be evenly or unevenly arranged along the length of the pipe or a portion thereof Likewise, the same possibilities would exist for a motorcycle or other vehicle application of the present invention.
In some embodiments of the present invention device, the improvement further includes an annular connector located between the exhaust pipe and the accessory, the annular connector having disparate portions rotatable with respect to one another and having a plurality of bearings. By “annular” is meant donut shaped, with a hole in the center (located about the first, fixed pipe), or one or more segmented arcs thereof. The bearings may be any rotating bearing arrangement, e.g., arms with individual rollers, but are preferably selected from the group consisting of ball bearings and roller bearings. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention device, there are at least two of these annular connectors, especially when the accessory is more than one half foot or so in length.
The exhaust pipe accessory drive mechanism may be any that will rotate the accessory. These include drives that derive power from anywhere on the motor vehicle, i.e., taking power or driving force from the motor, the main wheel drive, the wheels themselves, the main battery, etc., or it may have its own power source and thus be independent of the power of the motor vehicle itself. These independent power sources may be onboard or derived from ambient air, i.e., wind blowing turbines, especially the ram air wind created when the motor vehicle is moving forward. Thus, the accessory drive mechanism may be a plurality of wind vanes connected to the accessory. These wind vanes may be positioned to be exposed to and driven by exhaust gases, relying on internal combustion exhaust gases for power. Or, these wind vanes may be positioned to be exposed to and driven by ambient (outside) air flow against the plurality of wind vanes. Or, both, that is, these wind vanes may be at least partially positioned to be exposed to and driven by ambient air flow against the plurality of wind vanes, and at least partially positioned to be exposed to and driven by ambient air flow against the plurality of wind vanes.
Alternatively, the present invention accessory drive mechanism may be a mechanically connected take-off from the device wheel drive mechanism, or, it could be a mechanically connected take-off from the motor. For example, the accessory drive mechanism may be a wheel-driven friction drive mechanism, that is, a small friction wheel against a tire or rim that would mechanically power the accessory drive mechanism or would drive a generator to run an electric motor accessory drive. In some embodiments of the present invention device, the accessory drive mechanism is an independent electric motor with its own battery and accessory connecting components.
In some embodiments of the present invention device, the motor vehicle (as with most conventional vehicles) includes a conventional main battery for starting and operating electric components, and the accessory drive mechanism is an electric motor with accessory-to-pipe connecting components, the electric motor being connected to the main battery.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention device, the improvement further includes at least one visual enhancement to the accessory. The visual enhancement may be any decoration, paint, decal, emblem, symbol, or other feature, such as fins, rhinestones, studs, flutes, grills, etc. In some embodiments of the present invention, the enhancement may be selected from the group consisting of cut-outs, embossments, outshoots, add-ons and topographical variations. Cut-outs are basically holes; embossments are stamped or pressed indentations; outshoots are reverse embossments; add-ons are additional parts, like fins, that may be welded, riveted, bolted or otherwise attached; topographical variations are surface changes, such as polished and brushed metal sections, grooves, cross-hatchings, etches, etc.
In some embodiments of the present invention device, the visual enhancement is lighting on the second exhaust pipe that rotates with the accessory. In other embodiments, the visual enhancement is a combination of at least one cut-out and at least one fixed backlight aligned with the cut-out(s) to create a strobe effect when the backlight is on and the accessory is rotating.
In many embodiments of the present invention device, there are at least two separate accessories that rotate. These two separate accessories may be drive-connected and rotate synchronically with one another or they may be independent of one another.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the accessory may further include an outer housing that may be fixed. For example, an outer fixed ring with rotating blades may simulate a jet turbo prop or engine.
The present invention should be more fully understood when the specification herein is taken in conjunction with the drawings appended hereto wherein:
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the present invention devices may involve any type of exhaust pipe arrangement, including a single pipe, a set of two or more single pipes from separate exhaust lines, a plurality of single or multiple pipes manifolded from one or more than one main pipe, or any other possible pipe arrangement. The devices may be for all, some or only one of a plurality of pipes on the vehicle. Further, although the devices of the present invention are shown as based on linear or straight line flow of exhaust gases and/or ambient air flow, diverters and/or manifolds could be used to change or even reverse flow direction to move the rotating second pipes, without exceeding the scope of the present invention. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
