US 7,255,331 B2 · Carburetor with adjustable air bypass

Abstract

A carburetor assembly includes a base plate (12) having an air bypass passage (30) extending there through, with air channels (71-74) formed in the surface of the base plate intersecting the air bypass passage and each of the butterfly bores (25-28) of the base plate. An adjustable air bypass valve (31) is mounted on the base plate and controls the movement of air through the bypass passage. A valve needle (50) is adjustably mounted to the valve body (48) for adjustably constricting the flow of fluid through the radially extending air inlet ports (60) and through the base plate air bypass passage, to allow for the adjustment of the volume of the air delivered to the engine at idle speed, independently of the movements of the butterfly valves.

Drawings

Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO

Drawings

Claims10

Dependent claims

A carburetor assembly for use with an internal combustion engine comprising:

a base plate defining at least one butterfly opening extending there through for alignment with a venturi passage of a carburetor body, a base plate air bypass passage extending there through, and an air channel extending from the butterfly opening to the air bypass passage,
a valve body mounted to the base plate and defining an air passage therethrough in air communication with the base plate air bypass passage,
a valve needle adjustably mounted to the valve body for adjustably constricting the flow of air through the base plate air bypass passage to allow for the adjustment of the volume of air delivered to the engine at idle independently of other components of the assembly.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description2,957 words

Summary1,161 words

#This invention concerns carburetors for high performance internal combustion engines for vehicles. More particularly, the invention concerns an adjustable air bypass for a carburetor assembly that allows some of the air to move through the carburetor body and its base plate and to reach the engine substantially without adding fuel to the air, and for adjusting the flow of the air independently of the function of the butterfly valves.

#It is well known that an internal combustion cylinder/piston engine requires the proper mixture of air (oxygen) and fuel (gasoline) for optimum performance. Also, the optimum mixture of fuel and air tends to vary as the speed of the engine changes. This is evident when the engine is operating a idle speed and then is rapidly accelerated.

#With a high performance engine having a carburetor that controls the mixture of air and fuel to the engine, it is difficult to set the proper amount of air and fuel flow to the engine during idling of the engine. When an engine does not idle fast enough the minimum openings of the butterfly valves of the base plate can be adjusted slightly to remain open and increase the flow of air and fuel to the engine, but this only adjusts the flow of both fuel and air substantially at the same ratio, not adjustment of the air without adjusting the fuel, or vice versa.

Brief description of the drawings5 figures

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carburetor body mounted on a base plate, showing a side, end and upper surface thereof.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base plate, showing the upper surface, a side and end surfaces thereof, with the adjustable air by pass valve installed in the base plate.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the base plate, similar to FIG. 2, but a closer view and the adjustment valve expanded for illustrating how the adjustment valve fits into the air bypass passage of the base plate.

Detailed description1,670 words

#Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a carburetor assembly 10 having a carburetor body 11 mounted on a base plate 12. The carburetor body includes the typical structural features, such as a center section 14 having four venturis arranged in a square array such as venturis 19, 20 and 21, and opposed fuel bowls 16 and 18 mounted on the sides of the center section.

#FIG. 2 illustrates the base plate 12 in more detail. The base plate is generally of square configuration and includes an upper surface 23 and an opposing lower surface (not shown), with butterfly bores 25, 26, 27 and 28 extending therethrough. The butterfly bores are arranged in a square array in the base plate, and an air bypass passage 30 is positioned centrally among the butterfly bores. An adjustable air bypass valve 31 is mounted in the air bypass passage 30.

#Butterfly valves 35, 36, 37 and 38 are tiltably positioned in the butterfly bores 25, 26, 27 and 28, respectively, of the base plate 12. The butterfly valves tilt about axes 39 and 40 which extend through the horizontal bores 41 and 42 that accommodate the butterfly valve control rods (not shown). A vertically oriented fuel transfer slot 44 is formed in the cylindrical side wall of each butterfly bore 25-28 as shown in the side wall of butterfly bore 26, and the transfer slots intersect the lower surface (not shown) of the base plate. The locations of the transfer slots are in the upward sweep of the edge of the butterfly valves 35-38 so as to progressively adjust the degree of exposure of the transfer slots during the movement of the butterfly valves. This is conventional in the art.

Facts

Application

10/966,770Filed 15 Oct 2004 · us provisional application

Priority

17 Oct 2003

Published

US 2005/0082694 A121 Apr 2005

Granted

14 Aug 2007

Term ended

7 Jun 2025

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 235 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification7 codes

F02D 9/1055
Details of the valve housing: having a fluid by-pass
F02M 3/14
Other details of idling devices: location of idling system outlet relative to throttle valve
F02M 23/06
With automatic control: dependent on engine speed
Y02T 10/12
Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles: improving ICE efficiencies

Timeline

17 Oct 2003Priority claimedParent application 60/512,075
15 Oct 2004Application filedUS 10/966,770
21 Apr 2005PublishedUS 2005/0082694 A1
1 Jun 2007Assigned to Barry Grant, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
14 Aug 2007GrantedUS 7,255,331 B2
28 Jan 2009Assigned to Branch Banking and Trust Companysecurity agreement
21 Jun 2011Assigned to High Performance Industries, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
8 Jul 2011Assigned to High Performance Industries, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
13 Dec 2011Assigned to Demon Fuel Systems, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
4 Jan 2012Assigned to Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Inc.security agreement
6 Jan 2012Assigned to Wilmington Trust, National Associationsecurity agreement
8 Jun 2012Assigned to Lbc Credit Partners II, L.P., AS Agentsecurity agreement
16 Jun 2012Assigned to Holley Performance Products, Inc., Demon Fuel Systems, Inc., Sniper Motorsports, Inc.termination and release of security interest in intellectual property rights recorded at reel 027490/frame 0852
29 Jun 2012Assigned to Hawthorn Finco, LLCsecurity agreement
25 Oct 2013Assigned to General Electric Capital Corporation, AS Agentsecurity agreement
30 Oct 2013Assigned to Demon Fuel Systems, Inc.release of security interest
30 Oct 2013Assigned to Demon Fuel Systems, Inc.release of security interest
30 Oct 2013Assigned to Demon Fuel Systems, Inc.release of security interest
6 May 2014Assigned to Holley Performance Products Inc.merger
22 Sep 2015Assigned to Cerberus Business Finance, LLC, AS Collateral Agentpatent security agreement
24 Sep 2015Assigned to Holley Performance Products Inc., Demon Fuel Systems, Inc., Qft Holdings, Inc., Holley Performance Systems, Inc.release of security interest in patent collateral
5 Nov 2018Assigned to Holley Performance Products Inc., Qft Holdings, Inc., Holley Performance Systems, Inc., Msd LLC, Accel Performance Group LLC, Powerteq LLCrelease of security interest
6 Nov 2018Assigned to Ubs AG, Stamford Branch, AS Collateral Agentsecurity interest
18 Nov 2018Assigned to Aea Debt Management LP, Second Lien Collateral Agentsecurity interest
18 Nov 2018Assigned to Ubs AG, Stamford Branch, AS Collateral Agentcorrective assignment to correct the delete patent numbers previously recorded at reel: 047429 frame: 0343. assignor(s) hereby confirms the security interest.
19 Nov 2021Assigned to Wells Fargo Bank, National Associationsecurity interest
24 Nov 2021Assigned to Flowmaster, Inc., Apr, LLC, Accel Performance Group LLC, Msd LLC, Powerteq LLC, Racepak LLC, Holley Performance Products Inc., Holley Performance Systems, Inc., High Performance Industries, Inc.release of security interest
24 Nov 2021Assigned to Flowmaster, Inc., Apr, LLC, Accel Performance Group LLC, Msd LLC, Powerteq LLC, Racepak LLC, Holley Performance Products Inc., Holley Performance Systems, Inc.release of security interest
2 Jan 2025Assigned to Holley Performance Products, Inc.receiving party data change of address
7 Jun 2025Term endedEstimated, includes 235 days of adjustment

Carburetor with adjustable air bypass

Life of this patent

Carburetor with adjustable air bypass

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims10

Description2,957 words

Drawings

Classification7 codes

Life of this patent

Description2,957 words