Liquid purification or separation – With heater or heat exchanger – For filter
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-09
2003-11-18
Reifsnyder, David A. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
With heater or heat exchanger
For filter
C210S222000, C210S223000, C210SDIG009, C184S006250
Reexamination Certificate
active
06649049
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to oil filter devices and, more particularly, to oil filter devices mounted on motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of oil filtering devices for motor vehicles is known in the prior art. In my prior patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024 there is disclosed a magnet assembly or attachment for magnetically collecting metallic particles within an oil filter cartridge. That inventive device includes a pair of magnets supported in a spaced relationship by a carrier which latter is positionable along an exterior of a filter cartridge. The carrier serves an additional function of a heat sink. A shunt couples opposite poles of the magnets together to increase the magnetic flux directed into the filter cartridge to separate and retain metallic particles from the filtered fluid.
An oil lubrication circuit of a motor vehicle includes a variety of components, and such components generally include a cartridge mounting stem for an oil filter cartridge, an oil output channel in the cartridge mounting stem for allowing filtered oil to exit from the oil filter cartridge and circulate in the oil lubrication circuit, and one or more oil input channels, present in the engine for channelling oil from the engine into the oil filter cartridge.
The interior of a conventional oil filter cartridge generally includes a centrally located filtered oil flow space and an array of filter material arrayed circumferentially around the centrally located filtered oil flow space. Inside the conventional oil filter cartridge, oil flows in a diffuse pattern radially from circumferential positions outside the filter material, through the filter material, and into the centrally located filtered oil flow space. It is noted that when the magnet attachment is used for a conventional oil filter cartridge, as disclosed in the abovementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024, only a relatively small portion of the oil flowing through the conventional oil filter cartridge is exposed to strong magnetic fields as the oil flows through the conventional oil filter cartridge. To increase the efficiency of a magnet attachment for an oil filter cartridge for trapping ferromagnetic particles and thereby separating the ferro-magnetic particles from the flowing oil, it would be desirable if an oil filter cartridge were provided which directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter cartridge in the vicinity of a magnet attachment.
Other related patents of the present inventor include U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,549 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,000. In this respect, all of U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024, U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,549, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,000 are incorporated herein by this reference.
Still other features would be desirable in a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus. For example, with an oil filter cartridge which has a magnet unit attached to an outside portion of the cartridge housing, if the magnet unit is firmly fixed to the oil filter cartridge when the oil filter cartridge is screwed onto an externally threaded cartridge mounting stem on an engine, in tight spaces, the magnet unit may prevent. proper installation of the oil filter cartridge onto the externally threaded cartridge mounting stem. Loosening of the magnet unit on the oil filter cartridge may solve this problem, but, if an oil flow director on the inside of the oil filter cartridge should be in registration with the external magnet unit, then loosening of the magnet unit may cause the internal flow director to be out of registration with the magnet unit. In this respect, it would be desirable if a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus were provided which enables an easy registration adjustment of an internal flow director with an external magnet unit.
With a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus, an important characteristic is the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil. In this respect, it would be desirable for a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus to include elements that increase the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil.
A smooth flow of oil in the vicinity of the magnetic flux field of a magnet unit causes the flowing oil to pass through the magnetic flux field at a relatively rapid rate. To increase the exposure of flowing oil to the magnetic flux field of a magnet unit, it would be desirable if the flow of the oil through the magnetic flux field were a turbulent flow.
Thus, while the foregoing indicates it to be well known to use a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus, the foregoing does not teach or suggest a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter cartridge in the vicinity of a magnet attachment; (2) enables an easy registration adjustment of an internal flow director with an external magnet unit; (3) include elements that increase the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil; and (4) causes a turbulent flow of the oil through the magnetic flux field exerted by a magnet unit. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus for attachment to a cartridge mounting stem on an engine and includes a cartridge housing which includes an inside housing wall and an outside housing wall. A magnet unit is supported on a portion of the outside housing wall, and the magnet unit provides a magnetic flux field, a portion of which is present inside the cartridge housing which defines an internal magnetic flux field. A turbulence box support plate is supported inside the cartridge housing. The turbulence box support plate includes a box-reception notch. A filter unit is supported on the turbulence box support plate. A turbulence box is supported by the turbulence box support plate adjacent to a portion of the inside housing wall. The turbulence box is placed in registration with the box-reception notch and in registration with the internal magnetic flux field.
The magnet unit can include a heat sink portion, and cylindrical magnets are received in the heat sink portion. A magnet concentrator plate contacts the heat sink portion and is placed in registration with the cylindrical magnets. Unit-to-cartridge-housing connector means are connected to the heat sink portion, for connecting the magnet unit to the cartridge housing.
With one embodiment of the invention, the unit-to-cartridge-housing connector means can include first magnet unit mounting brackets attached to the outside housing wall. Second magnet unit mounting brackets includes bottom mounting tabs and top pin-reception portions. The mounting tabs are received in the first magnet unit mounting brackets, and a mounting pin threaded through the pin-reception portions. With another embodiment, the unit-to-cartridge-housing connector means can include a mounting strap for mounting the magnet unit on the cartridge housing.
Preferably, the turbulence box support plate is received in a support-plate-reception gasket which forms a partial seal between the turbulence box support plate and the inside housing wall. The support-plate-reception gasket includes a gasket gap which is in registration with the turbulence box. The turbulence box support plate is received in a plate-reception groove in the support-plate-reception gasket. The turbulence box support plate includes an internally threaded support-plate-stem-receptio
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