Fluid handling – With repair – tapping – assembly – or disassembly means – Tapping a pipe – keg – or apertured tank under pressure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-18
2001-03-13
Walton, George L. (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With repair, tapping, assembly, or disassembly means
Tapping a pipe, keg, or apertured tank under pressure
C123S1960CP, C123S1960AB, C137S322000, C137S614040, C141S065000, C141S098000, C141S330000, C141S346000, C184S001500, C210S248000, C210S416500, C222S091000, C222S559000, C251S149500, C408S067000, C408S224000, C408S226000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199578
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of removing fluid from containers, and more particularly to a tool for insertion into the wall of a container with fluid, i.e. an oil filter, to permit the fluid to be evacuated therefrom, before the filter is removed from the motor or machinery, to avoid leakage of the fluid from the filter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lubrication systems in machinery, aircraft and vehicles require that their lubricants, viz., oil, and oil filters be replaced periodically in order to maintain the good working order of the engine and machinery. For passe nger automobiles, many mechanics recommend a oil and filter change every 3,000 miles of travel to maintain maximum engine life. Professional truckers put thousands of miles on their trucks every week and wait many, many hours for oil changes over the course of a year.
Replacing the oil in a motor vehicle typically involves placing a large oil drain basin under the oil pan, removing the drain plug, thereby allowing the oil to drain therein, and unscrewing the oil filter from the engine block. Due to the engine designs of most engines, it has been difficult to remove oil filters without spilling oil onto the frame of the vehicle, on the mechanics and/or the ground. This is not only messy, but is environmentally unsound. Since many oil changes are conducted when the oil is very hot, this also poses a safety hazard to mechanics.
Attempts have been made to overcome these problems in changing oil filters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,529 to Sikula, Jr. discloses an oil filter draining wrench which has a cylindrical housing with a center punch for punching and draining oil from an oil filter. The filter wrench is hammered onto the filter. A rubber gasket at the open end of the cylindrical housing sealingly engages the outside of the oil filter, and prevents oil from leaking out around the punch. An oil drain outlet is used to drain the oil from the housing which collects it. In the tight engine compartments of modern motor vehicles, there is rarely enough space to place such a housing over the oil filter much less to swing a hammer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,431 and 4,865,156 to Poling disclose oil change devices and methods which utilize punches and vacuum chambers. The vacuum chambers are attached by suction to the oil filter, and the punches are driven into the filter's sidewalls, penetrating the filter. The oil will thus be evacuated out of the filter, through the vacuum chamber, and out the evacuation tube. The Poling devices unduly rely on the vacuum seal thus established, and these devices would not be expected to operate reliably.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,714 to Kilgore discloses what is said to be a self-sealing oil filter punch, which is driven into the metal housing of an oil filter, so the oil can be drained through the hollow center of the punch and out the oil filter. The sharp tip of the punch is pushed through the bottom of the oil filter, and the punch has a resilient washer for sealing the punch against the oil filter's housing. A spigot valve is located on the end of the Kilgore device to control the oil flow through the punch. The Kilgore oil filter punch lacks means to positively engage the oil filter punch in fluid tight contact with the oil filter's housing, and jarring of the punch would be expected to unseat the seal. Moreover, if the spigot valve handle is advertently turned at an inopportune time, oil will spill out of the filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,248,251 to Breaux discloses a hollow faucet which is bored into a barrel to gain access to its contents. The faucet has an auger at its tip for drilling into the barrel, which transitions into a smooth, widening tapered shaft which is driven into the barrel to provide frictional sealing engagement with walls of the barrel. The faucet has a central bore for passage of the fluid to be drained. While the Breaux device may be acceptable for wood barrels, it would not be expected to function in the case of metal container, such as thin, metal-walled oil filters.
The oil drain tools of the instant inventor's prior filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/300,402 entitled “Device For Draining Of Fluid From A Container,” filed Sep. 2, 1994, and inventor's and co-inventor Poul Van Santen's U.S. continuation-in-part patent application Ser. No. 08/384,946, entitled “Improved Device For Draining Fluid From A Container,” filed on Feb. 7, 1995, solve most of the problems inherent with the prior art. The inventor herein has found that the tips of his prior drain tools are expensive to manufacture and maintain, and are subject to occasional clogging.
There accordingly remains a need for a filter draining fitting which is not only easy to use, simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture and which provides for leak proof operation, but which is designed to last a long term at a low cost.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a fluid container draining device which allows fluid to be removed from a fluid container in a controlled manner, said fluid container having walls defining a fluid filled interior region therebetween, said fluid container draining device comprising:
a twist drill bit means having a sharpened tip and a shank with exterior channels formed thereon, and extending to said tip;
a drill bit holding means comprising a front region and a rear region, said front region being male threaded, with an axial bore formed therethrough which communicates with said rear region of said drill bit holder means, said axial bore being sized to receive said twist drill bit means;
a means to selectively immobilize said twist drill bit means in said axial bore such that the sharpened tip of the drill bit means extends forwardly of said front region of the drill bit holding means; and
a fluid valve means positioned at said rear region of said drill bit holding means and in fluid thereof, said fluid valve means providing fluid flow control between the interior of the fluid container and the outside of the fluid container, wherein in use of said fluid container draining device said twist drill bit means is adapted to cut into and penetrate the walls of the fluid container and the male threaded front region of the drill bit holding means is adapted to screw into the walls of the fluid container.
The invention further provides a fluid container draining device which allows fluid to be removed from a fluid container with walls in a controlled manner, said fluid container having walls defining a fluid filled interior region therebetween, said fluid container draining device comprising:
an elongate twist drill bit having a sharpened tip and a shank with spiral channels formed thereon which extend from said tip to a rear region;
a drill bit holding means comprising a front region and a rear region, said front region being conical and male threaded, with an axial bore formed therethrough, said axial bore being sized to receive said twist drill bit, said rear region being externally threaded;
a means to securely yet replaceably receive said twist drill bit in said holding means; and
a fluid valve means positioned at said rear region of said drill bit holding means in fluid connection thereof, said fluid valve means providing fluid flow control between the interior of the fluid container and the outside of the fluid container, said fluid valve means having an internally threaded front region which screws into the externally threaded rear region of the screw means, an externally threaded rear region, onto which a fluid evacuation line is attached, and a turning region, used to drill the device into wall of the fluid container, wherein in the use of the device, the twist drill bit is adapted to cut into and penetrate the walls of the fluid container and the male threaded conical front region of the drill bit holding means is adapted to screw into and fluid-tightly seal with the wall of the fluid container.
REFERENCES:
patent: 552408 (1895-12-01), Barnes
patent: 1248251 (1917-11-01), Breaux
pate
C.H. & I. Technologies, Inc.
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Walton George L.
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