AU649490B2 - Filter - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: (2 Ow-n W3E RRL$\IK QTl OD LESLIE E-VE-RINGHAM CHRISTEL DORIS ANNA MARTIN9 CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qid. 4000, Australia.

*0 0 Invention Title: FILTER **to go* *0.

Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos. PK 3199 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 THIS INVENTION relates to filters and is particularly concerned with filters for use in machinery employing liquid coolant systems such as motor vehicle coolant systems.

The coolant circulating through motor vehicle engines picks up a large number of particulate and heavy liquid contaminants due to scaling of the engine walls, oil seepage, coolant additive agglomeration, and general accidental dirt and debris introduction. These contaminants can block the cooling fins of the radiator thereby impairing the cooling efficiency and, in extreme cases, allow overheating to occur to such a degree that the engine stalls.

a The main method of avoiding such engine damage is to regularly drain the coolant system and replace the contaminated coolant with a new coolant. This is a time 0. consuming and laborious process, and does not overcome the problem of sudden or irregular contamination which is the norm rather than the exception. With this problem in mind, various forms of filters have been proposed in the past which would prevent contaminants entering the radiator. Such filters are usually inserted in the radiator hose leading to the radiator by cutting the hose in two and then rejoining the hose to each side of the filter. One typical such filter comprises a "bulbous disc-shaped housing containing a circular gauge 2b filter. This attachment, however, is of such a size that there is usually not enough available space in today's compact motor vehicle engine bays, to be inserted. Furthermore, such a device build up failure.

a useful primarily invention minimises 3 tends to easily clog with resultant pressure in the coolant hose, and concomitant engine In fact, all known attempts to date to produce filter have not been particularly successful due to the problem of clogging.

It is therefore an object of the present to provide a filter which obviates or at least the aforementioned problems of known filters.

p p p p p o p p p. According to the present invention, there is provided a filter adapted for insertion within the coolant flow path of an engine coolant system, said filter comprising a stretchable mesh cloth of tubular configuration formed from knitted cotton and having an opening configured to extend across the coolant flow path 15 so that the coolant flows into and through the filter with substantially unimpeded flow.

Such a filter can be readily located within the vehicle radiator by disconnecting the radiator hose at its point of connection with the radiator, inserting the filter into the radiator until only a small portion at the open end of the filter is left protruding, folding the protruding portion of the filter over the radiator nipple connection, and refitting the radiator hose to the radiator so as to clamp the end of the filter between the radiator hose and the nipple.

The motor vehicle radiator is by far the most preferred point of location of the filter but it can, as noted above, be inserted directly into the coolant hose X at any point between the engine and the radiator. In 4 such a situation it may be necessary to cut the radiator hose and use an appropriate jointer for reconnecting it together, with the filter being folded over the cut end of the hose and clamped between the jointer and a circlip or like retaining means and being arranged to extend into and be substantially housed within the hose.

The filter cloth is produced in such a manner that it can stretch so that the open end can be tightly C C

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fitted over the radiator inlet nipple and form a seal therewith when clamped. Such a seal is, of course, important in view of the relatively high pressures existing in the coolant line when the engine is running.

The filter may adopt any shape from a triangular, through elongate rectangular, to circular cross-sectional shape. Furthermore, it may be of non-uniform cross-section from one end to the other and it may taper lengthwise so as to form a substantially conical configuration. It can also be in the form of a T-piece or angular section. Its length will generally vary according to the size of the radiator and/or radiator hose. For average size motor vehicle engines and g o machinery in most common use, the radiator hose will generally *0 be between 5.0 and 30.0 cm in length. The diameter of the filter will be fractionally smaller than the absolute diameter 9 S. of the radiator hose and will be approximately 2.5 to 15.0 cm in diameter.

Because of the variation in radiator hose diameters between sedans of different makes and larger vehicles, the filter may suitably be produced in colours to match the o9 9 particular dimension requirements. Thus a red filter could be 9 oe useful for Toyota sedans whereas a blue filter could be suitable for Mercedes Coaches.

By virtue of the fact that the filter is manufactured from cloth rather than being a rigid circular non-deformable metal gauze as was previously the case, very long filters can be produced since they can conform in shape 6 with whatever the internal space of the radiator hose or radiator is. This, in effect, means that a very large filtering surface can be provided and the likelihood of blockage occurring is reduced to a minimum.

In use, as coolant is circulated through the filter, the filter balloons out in the direction of flow thereby providing a maximum filtering surface.

Particulate matter and other contaminants entrained within the coolant tends to pass to the closed end of the filter where it begins accumulating. Since the coolant can pass through the side walls of the filter, there is a a no impedance to its flow. It can therefore be a a appreciated that it would take a considerable amount of contaminant accumulation before any adverse effects due 0 to filter blockage occurred. Thus, if the filter cloth "itself can withstand the passage of coolant through it, it could theoretically last as long as the radiator. In practice, however, the cotton filter will not last this length of time and should be replaced at periodic 20 intervals. For safetys sake, such replacement may be at, for instance in vehicles, approximately every 10,000 kms.

Such replacement is very easy to achieve and because of the simple inexpensive construction of the filter, is a very economical way of ensuring engine longevity.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side-on cross-sectional view of a motor vehicle radiator showing a filter according to the present invention, in situ; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a filter according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified filter according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a further modified filter according to the present invention; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a still further modified filter according to the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a filter 10 fabricated from a plain knit cotton cloth which has a substantially cylindrical cross-sectional configuration. The filter is open at one end 11 and closed at its opposite end 12.

*a The filter 10 of Figure 2 is shown arranged in situ 0 n in Figure 1. The filter is connected at its open end to the inlet nipple 13 of a vehicle radiator 14. The connection is formed by stretching the open end of the filter over the Snipple 13 and clamping the open end between the radiator hose 15 and the nipple with the use of the same clip 16 which was previously used to fasten the radiator hose to the radiator.

In operation, as coolant flows into and out of the radiator from the top to the bottom in the direction of the solid arrows, the filter 10 balloons outwardly and upwardly.

Large particulate matter contained within the coolant tends to mainly accumulate in the closed end 12 of the filter but does not impede the flow of coolant through the filter which passes 8 through the entire surface thereof as shown by the small arrows.

Figure 3 illustrates an alterative shaped cotton knitted filter which is essentially conical. Such a shape may assist in the compaction of entrained particulate matter at the closed end 17 of the filter. This closed end may, furthermore, be reinforced by weaving a wire thread therein to obviate the possibility of tears occurring as a result of jagged particulates and fast flowing coolant.

Figures 4 and 5 show alternative self-explanatory embodiments. In Figure 4, a tubular cotton knitted filter has one end 18 open for attachment and the other end 19 closed.

In Figure 5, a tubular cotton knitted filter has two sealed ends 20, 21 and one open end 22 for connection to the nipple of a radiator inlet.

It can be seen from above that the present invention obviates the problem of clogging in previous filter arrangements and is an inexpensive and easily located item which does not take up any space in the engine cavity of a motor vehicle.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth in the following claims.

invention as herein set forth in the following claims.

Claims (5)

1. A filter adapted for insertion within the coolant flow path of an engine coolant system, said filter comprising a stretchable mesh cloth of tubular configuration formed from knitted cotton and having an opening configured to extend across the coolant flow path so that the coolant flows into and through the filter with substantially unimpeded flow.

2. A filter as claimed in claim 1 for use in a motor vehicle radiator, wherein the opening in the filter is adapted to stretch over the inlet nipple of a radiator to form a snug fit therewith and to fold back through S. 3d0°0 so as to extend into and be substantially housed within the said radiator. 0

3. A filter as claimed in claim 1 which is adapted to be substantially housed within the cylindrical walls of a motor vehicle radiator hose, wherein the opening in a the filter is adapted to stretch over a cross-section of *e «o the radiator tube to form a snug fit therewith and to S:*a 20 fold back through 180* so as to extend into and be substantially housed within the said hose.

4. A filter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is in the form of a hollow cylinder, one end of which is sealed.

5. A filter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 14th day of March 1994 RADIATOR FILTER (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys /7'Z 0 CULLEN CO. ABSTRACT A filter adapted for insertion within the coolant flow path of an engine coolant system, said filter comprising o a mesh cloth of tubular configuration having an opening configured to extend across the coolant flow path so that the *coolant flows into and through the filter with substantially unimpeded flow. C *•O 0@*SS* 0