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US 4,304,663 AGranted
Oil filter apparatus
OwnerLogan J. Mandersinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic oil filter apparatus comprising an oil filter (20) and a bypass valve (22). Pressure build up within the filter (20) caused by clogging of the filter results in opening the bypass valve (22) allowing dirty oil to flow around the filter. When the valve is actuated in response to excess pressure build up, a low voltage switching device allows current to flow to a signal means (74) thereby indicating a need to change the filter.
Claims6
An oil filter system comprising:
- a housing,
- an oil filter mounted within said housing having an oil inlet permitting oil to enter said oil filter on one side thereof and an oil outlet permitting oil to flow out of a second side of said filter wherein oil from a lubricating system can be pumped through said oil filter for filtering solid impurities entrained within the oil system;
- heating means for heating oil within said housing to a temperature sufficient to evaporate volatile impurities entrained within the oil system;
- venting means for exhausting the volatile impurities so evaporated,
- a normally closed check valve having an upstream side in communication with said oil inlet and a downstream side in communication with said oil outlet,
- first means communicating said oil inlet to said oil outlet by opening said check valve means upon sensing a clogged filter producing a predetermined pressure buildup within the bypass valve;
- second means detecting when said oil bypass has occurred,
- warning signal means;
- and
- third means activating said warning signal means when said oil filter bypass occurs.
7 more elements
An oil filter system comprising:
- an adapter member operable to be mounted upon an engine for receiving an oil filter canister;
- said adapter having a head plate with a peripheral wall dividing said head plate into an outer peripheral oil inlet chamber and an inner oil outlet chamber;
- oil inlet conduit means for delivering oil to be filtered to said inlet chamber;
- oil outlet conduit means for receiving return oil from said outlet chamber;
- a normally closed means having an upstream side in communication with said oil inlet conduit and a downstream side in communication with said oil outlet conduit,
- said normally closed bypass means including,
- a hollow cylindrical valve guide,
- a valve seat positioned at one end of said valve guide,
- a valve body dimensioned to intimately slide within said valve guide,
- a spring for biasing said valve body against said valve seat, and
- porting means extending through said valve guide downstream of said valve seat for permitting oil to flow through said bypass means when said valve body moves away from said valve seat in response to a predetermined buildup of oil pressure within said check valve;
- means communicating said oil inlet conduit to said oil outlet by opening said bypass means upon sensing a clogged filter producing a predetermined pressure buildup within the bypass valve;
- warning signal means;
- and
- an electrical circuit connected to said oil bypass means for signaling the existence of a clogged oil filter and the flow of oil through said oil bypass means, said electrical circuit comprising, a transistor switch operably connected to a source of electrical potential, and
- contact means connected to said valve body for actuating said transistor switch and said signal means in response to opening of said valve means.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.