Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPROVED OIL COLLECTING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF TH~ INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for
collecting used oil or other fluids, storing, and then
dispensing that oil or other flui~ at a later date. In
more detail, the present invention relates to a container
having an integral pivoting arm with a funnel mounted on
the end thereo f for collecting oil or other fluid drained
from a vehicle which is used for storing the oil or flUid
until it can be taken to a recycling point.
The: :reasons:: for making thi~s invention have }:~een
recognized previously, and re~erence is made to U.S Patent
No. 4,533,042 ~wherein the following, somewhat colorful,
discussion characterizes the problems associated with the
20 ~ changing :~of~ the motor oil from, for instance, an
~automobile~
~: "As costs~associated with~operating and maintaining an
~,
automobile`~have risen,~:and as many former neighborhood gas
~ : stations have:~closed~or converted to 'gas and go' stations
: 25 which~do:~not~ offer automobile: servicing, more motorists
have exper:imented with, or have switched over to, changing
their :own automot~ive motor oil.
,
;~ ~ "One undeslrabl~e~consequence~of this trend is the loss
of~a considera~ble~amount of reusable oil from the petroleum
~reflnlng and~distr1bution~system. Genera]ly, when a car's
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oil is changed at a service station, the waste oil is saved
at the station, from which it is periodically collected by
the service station's supplier of new oil, or by an inde-
pendent reprocessor. The collected waste oil is then
rerefined into a use~ble product. Whereas many service
stations have, as a convenience, or under direction by
suppliers or governmental authority, established facilities
to receive waste oil that is brought to the station by 'do-
; it-yourselfers' (hereinafter "DIY7s"), these facilities
have largely proved to be inconvenient both to the DIY's
and to the dealers and much waste oil never makes it back
from the DIY's to these facilities. Rather, it is sewered
or run out on the ground, or disposed-of in municipal
waste, i.e., put out in an unsegregated manner with the
trash for collection and disposition at a landfill. In
many urbanized areas, casually discarded, used motor oil
has become a pollution menace, and the subject of uncharac-
teristic criminal behavior by otherwise moral and
upstanding citizenry.
"One problem DIY's have with doing their part in
recycling waste oil is that many automobiles hold five to
.
seven quarts of oil, whereas most of the empty containers
` DIY's are likely to have readily available are-four-quart
containers. It only takes one time of seeing the last
~uart of draining dirty oil brim over the container and
~spil~l on the garage floor, street or ground to convince a
novice DIY that he or she is incompetent to change thé oil
again, and is one reason why the oil is dumped illegally.
"Another problem DIY's have with such a project is
` 30 that most conveniently available closeable containers that
~have a large enough capacity to hold all five to seven
- quarts of oil are too tall to fit under the car at the
location from which oil is to be drained from the crank-
case.~ Some~DIY's decide upon discovering this problem to
abandon the project and take the car to a service station,
othe~r~s move the car to a place (such as over a storm drain)
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where they can let the waste oil drain out without being
collected. A particularly enterprising segment o~ DIY's
devise a multi-step operation in which they first drain the
waste oil from the crankcase into a low-sided, broad
container such as a dishpan, and then pour it from the
dishpan or the like into a jug that is too tall to have fit
under the car in the first place, but which has the virtue
of being closable. Some DIY's make the same mistake at
this stage as was mentioned earlier: trying to pour five
to seven quarts of oil into a four-quart container. Ofhers
cause spillage when they attempt this transfer without the
aid of a funnel, or with an inadequate funnel. Besides the
mess, this method can prove to be expensive, as when the
DIY discards an expensive polyethylene dishpan after a
single use because it has gotten too messy and did not work
well for this purpose, and is another reason why the oil is
dumped illegally.
"A further problem is that some collecting stations
will only permit the deposit of used oil in approved
~0 containers, or will only permit the DIY's to d~posit used
oil by pouring from the brought-in containers, with the
understanding that the emptied containers themselves may
not be left at the station but must immediately be taken
bac~ by the DIY's who~brought them."
In spite of this explicit explanation of the pxoblems
involved in changing the oil,~the device described in that
patent has ~ot proved~to be the answer such that ther`e is
still a need for a device which can solve the problems
which are characterized in that patent. One particularly
vexing problem, as noted in that patent, has been the
problem ~of the size of the opening into the collector
container and the ~distance between the opening into the
container~and the crankcase or other location on the
vehicle from which oil is to be collected. So far as is
~5 known, this~problem has only been addressed in U.S. Patent
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No. 4,557,395 (and Reissue P~tent No. RE 32,45~), which
provides an elongate extension member having a flexible
medial portion between the funnel and the container for
positioning the funnel in close approximation with the
poiht from which oil is to be collected. However, the
extension member does no~ allow adjustment of the height of
: the funnel, nor is there provision made on that device for
storage of that elongate extension member in a manner which
is conducive to its ready availability and easy use. The
object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide
an apparatus which not only addresses the problems charac-
terized so explicitly in U.S. Patent No. 4,533,042, but
which also remedies the deficiencies of the device dis-
closed in U.S. Patent No. 4,557,3g5.
A further ob~ect of the pxesent invention is to
provide an apparatus for collecting, storing, and
dispensing used motor oil and other fluids which not only
solves the problems and/or overcomes the disadvantages and
limitations of these known prior devices, but which also is
capable of being manufactured and assembled at reasonable
cost. This object, is of course, always desirable for
commercial purposes, but the high cost of the design and
manufacture of the molds for making large molded plastic
~: parts (sometimes as high as hundreds of thousands of
dollars for hardened molds suitable for mass production~
must: be balanced against, for instance, the labor costs
nvolved for assembly such that a premium is placed upon
molding parts which are easily assembled - so long as they
will all fit in one or two multiple cavity molds. The
present invention addresses that balance by, for instance,
using a single molded part as both the main support member
for the funnel which collects the fluid from the vehicle
and as the conduit for routing the collected fluid directly
into the container in which the fluid is stored.
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Yet another object of the present invention is to
provide an apparatus capable of holding a substanti~l
amount of oil as well as means for filliny the apparatus
while at the same time achieving the previously m~ntioned
ob~ectives.
Other objects, and the advantages, of the present
invention will be made clear to those skilled in the art by
the following disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
10This object is achieved by providing an apparatus for
use in collecting, storing, and dispensing used oil or
other fluids comprising a container having a generally
rectangular shape with first and second sides, a top, and
a bottom having a recess formed in the first side thereof.
15One end of a pivoting arm having a passageway therethrough
which opens into the container is mounted in the recess and
a funnel is mounted on the other end of the arm with the
outlet from the funnel in fluid communication with the
passageway in the arm. The funnel is selectively
20positionable in a first, stored position in which the arm
is positioned down in the recess, within the external
confines of the container, and a substantial portion of the
vertical dlmension of the funnel is positioned within the
recess when the container rests on the second side thereof
25for positioning the con*ainer under the vehicle from which
oil or other fluid is to be collected and a second position
in which the arm is extended to support the funnel in close
approximation with the location from which oil or other
1uid is to be collected from the vehicle, the oil or other
30fluid caught by the funnel being directed by the funnel
~down through the pas~sageway in the arm into the container.
A drain~ spout is mounted in a recess from which the spout
~does not~ protrude in the wall vf the container near the
bottom thereof and the interior of the spout is continuous
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witll the interior o~ the con~ainer for ~ispensing the oil
or other collected fluid out of the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWII~S
Figure 1 is a side eleva~ion.ll view of a preferred
em~odimen~ of an apparatus constlucted in ar~o~da~ with
the present invention showing the apparatus in an upright
poC;i~ion for storin~ or di.spensing ~re~rio-lsi~ collected
used oil or other fluid.
Fi~ure 2 is a side elevational ~iew of the apparatus
iO of Fig. 1 in an upriqht position with funnel, pivoting arm,
and drain spout removed therefrom to show the details of
the structure thereof.
Fi~ure 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus of Fig.
2 taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 2.
Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus
of Fig. 1 showing the raising and lowering of the unnel
and pivotin~ arm:thereof.
Fisur.e 5 i~ a s:ide ele~at:iona.~ vi.ew og the ar~ for
supporting the funnel and directing oil ox other ~lui~ into
~0 the a~paratus of F.i.g~ 1.
Figure 6 is an end elevational vie-~ of the arm o~ Fig.
5.
preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the p~esent
~5 inventi.on is in~cated~generally at re~erence nume~al 10
and is com~L-ised of a:cont~lner 12 having other structure
either formed integralIy therewith or mounted thereto.
Container I2 is general.ly rectangularly shaped with first~
and second sides 14 and 16, respectively, a front ,8, back
20, top 22 anA: ~ottom 24. A recess 26 is formed in the
first side L4 of container I2, and a pivoting arm 32 is
mounted at the proximal: end thereof in recess 26 on the
axi~s formed by~the dimple 44 form~d integrall~ in one side
of the;proximal~encl :G~ a~-m 32 (see ~iy. 6j an~ t~ llar
35 : 30 formed in~:the other side of the proximal end of arm 32.
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The dimple 44 rests in the well 3~ ~ormed in the wall~ of
. recess 26 (see Figs. 2 ~nd 3) and the collar 30 is xeceived
within the correspondi.ng sized hole 2~ ormed i.n th~ walls
of recess 26 opposite the well 34. Arm 32 i.s held in place
i~-well 34 by the hole 28, by a plate 40 ~ unted to t~e
first side 14 of conta.iner 12, ~nd hy screws 17 An o-ring
5~ is pro~~ e~ " the coll--lr 30 ~o~ ~providing a fluid--tigh~
f.it in the hole 28 in the wall of recess 26.
A funnel 42 is mounted to the distal end of arm 32 by
an elbow 62 whic~l ~its onto the s~rew threads 63 on the
distal end of arm 32 and is provided with a screw coll~r 64
~or fixing funnel 42 in a horizontal position when arm 32
is extended. Funnel 42 is provided with a grate, or
strainer, 48 (shown in shadow lines in Fig. 4) to allow
passage of oil or other fluid but prevent.the loss of an
oil drain plug or other hardware down into container 12.
The portion of funnel 42 immediately above s~rainer 4~ is
~refel-abl.y ~ro~ided -~Ji';.2l an irdenta~.ion, or .shou ~er, 43
formed in the walls of the funnel 42 to provide, with
strainer ~8, a flat surface on which an oil filt.er tnot
shown) can be turned upside down and left to drain down
into container 12. A cap 50 (see Fig. 1) is provi.ded for
closing the funnel 42 to prevent any residual oil or other
~luid which may coat the inside sur~ace of elbow 62~or arm
32:from;running out of ~unrlel 42 ~hen cc,nta.iner 12.is stood
n the upright posi.tion, e.g., when resting on bot~om 24 as
shown in Figures 1 and 2. Cap 50 is shown sized to fit~
down into funnel 42 and is provi~ed with threa~s (not
~shown) to~secure it in place to prevent cap 50 from bein~
~ inadverte~tly stripped or knoc]ced off the funr.el 4~. Those
~ki..~led :in:tne art who have the benefit of thi.s disclosure
will-recognize that cap 50 m~y also be sized to fit oveL
~ the top of the ~unnel (for instance, snap on the top o~ the
: ~funnelj::or~just in~ide tlle top of- funnel 42~with the same
35 ~ result. : : ~
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Funnel ~2 i5 pivoted from a first, stored position
down in recess 26 (Figure 4) to a second position in which
arm 32 is extended, or raised, to position funnel 42 in
close approximation with the location from which used oil
or other fluid is to be collected for draining the oil or
other fluid from the vehicle, the fluid being caught by
funnel 42 and directed down through arm 32 into container
12 through the collar 30 and hole 28. In the preferred
embodiment, funnel 42 can be raised as much as twenty ~20)
or more inches from the surface upon which the apparatus
rests.
Recess 26 serves as a means for storing arm 32 and
funnel 42 substantially within the external confines of
container 12, e.g., so that the funnel 42 does not protrude
significantly from the surface of the irst side 14 of
container 12, and because container 12 is sized to fit
under most vehicles when resting on the second side 16
thereof, storing funnel 42 and arm 32 in that manner
facilitates the positioning of the apparatus 10 under the
vehicle. It is the ability of the funneI 42 to be raised
and lowered in this fashion which is so important to the
~unction of the apparatus 10 of the present invention. In
other words, to facilitate the positioning of the apparatus
10 under a vehicle, the vertical dimension of the apparatus
10 when the apparatus rests on the second side 16 thereof
must be minimized while at the same time providing for the
raising of funnel 42 so as to be able to position funnel 42
i~ close approximation to a drain plug (not shown) which
may be two feet or more above the surface on which the
apparatus~ 10 rests. To accomplish this function, a
significant;~portlon~ of the vertlcal dimension (vertical
with reference to when~the apparatus 10 rests on the second
side 16 ~thereof) of;;~funnel 42 is positioned within the
recess 26 when in the first, stored position.
Coincidentally,~ the storing of the arm 32 and funnel 42 in
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that first position provides the ~irst side 14 of container
12 with a relatively obstruction-free surface providing
ease of storage of the apparatus 10 between uses. Once
positioned under the vehicle from which oil or other fluid
is~-to be collected, arm 32 and funnel 42 are pivoted until
funnel 42 is positioned close to the crankcase drain plug,
oil filter neck, radiator stopcock, transmission or brake
fluid drain plug, or other loca~ion from which oil or fluid
is to be collected so that the distance between the opening
lo into container 12 is effectively reduced to insure that the
fluid is collected by funnel 42 and directed into container
12.
Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, it can be seen that
the bottom of recess 26 is provided with a plurality of
notches 68 for receiving the free end o~ the rod 66 which
is pivotally mounted to pivoting arm 32 by press fitting
into a hole in an ear 67 formed integrally with pivoting
arm 32. As shown in shadow lines in Fig. 3, as funnel 42
is raised upwardly by pivoting the arm 32 from the first,
stored position to the second, extended position, the free
: end of rod 66 catches in one of the notches 68 to lock
pivoting arm 32 in that second position.
Once the used oil or other fluid has been drained into
container 12 through funnel 42 and arm 32, funnel 42 and
arm 32 are returned to their first position and funnel 42
is closed with cap 50. The oil or other fluid can then be
~takèn to a recycling and/or collecting station, the handle
54 formed in the top 22 of container 12 providing a conve-
nient means for carrying the apparatus 10 when stood
uprlght, e.g., when resting on the bottom 24 thereof. It
is-noted, however, the container 12 can be formed in sizes
with capacities of over twelve quarts, plenty of capacity
for the oil changes in most passenger vehicles, while still
;~ being~ small enough in external dimensions to allow the
~ ~apparatus 1~0 to be positioned under all but the lowest
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sprung vehicles while restiny on second side 16. container
12 therefore also serves as a convenient storage container
for used motor oil.
To dispense the used oil or other fluid collected in
container ~2, a drain spout 56 is mounted in a recess 58 in
the wall of container 12 near the bottom ~4 thereof. Drain
spout 56 preferably does not protrude from the surface of
the front lB of container 12 and is continuous with the
interior of container 12 for draining the fluid therefrom.
For control of the flow of fluid therethrough, drain spout
56 is provided with a stopcock or spigot comprised of a
vertical hollow cylinder 76 having a spool (not shown)
pivotally mounted therein which controls the flow of fluid
through drain spout 56. The spool is provided with a
central bore (not shown) having a hole through the wall
thereof which, when aligned with the opening from container
12 formed by the threaded outlet 78 by rotating an integral
knurled knob 72, allows the oil or other fluid to flow
through drain spout 56. Drain spout 56 is retained on
threaded outlet 78 by a screw collar 74, preferably of the
sàme size as screw 64.
` ~ ~ As shown in Fig. 1, container 12 is "stood up" by
;~ resting~ container 12 on the bottom 24 thereof for
dispensing the oil or other fluid collected therein. The
; 25 back side of 20 of container 12 is provided with means for
~tipping` container 12 when stood upright in the form of a
recess, or finger hold, 63 for use by the "do-it-
yourselfer" in tipping the erect container 12 toward drain
spout 56 to cause oil or other fluid collected therein to
flow downhill~toward spout 56 to facilitate the dispensing
of the fluid therefrom when container lZ rests on a surface
61. ~A vent plug 65 is disposed in a bore 67 located near
the top 22 of container 12, e~g., within the recess around
handle 54 so às not~ to protrude from the surfaces of
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container 12, to further facilitate the dispensing o~ ail
from container 12.
Construction of the apparatus 10 of the present
invention in this manner confers upon that apparatus the
number of advantages which have been alluded to in the
preceding paragraphs but which may be summarized as
follows. First, the construction of apparatus lo in this
manner makes the external dimensions of container 12 such
that container 12 will slide beneath all but the lowest-
sprung automobiles but still have sufficient capacity for
multiple oil chanyes or for use of the apparatus 10 in
changing the oil of light trucks or other utility vehicles.
Second, because none of the funnel 42, arm 32, or drain
spout 56 protrude siynificantly from the surfaces of
container 12 when in their respective stored positions and
because neither handle 54 or vent plug 65 protrude from
those surfaces, apparatus 10 is easily stored by the user
and packaged and shipped by the manufacturer. Likewise,
the construction of the apparatus 10 in this manner reduces
the possibility of interferences of one of tho~e structures
with the underside of a vehicle when placed on second side
16 for sliding the apparatus 10 underneath the vehicle.
~hird, once positioned under the vehicle, funnel 42 is
raised on arm 32 into close approximation with an oil drain
plug or other point~from which fluid is to be collected to
insure that the oil or other fluid will drain into funnel
42 and not all over the user's hands, the floor or ground,
or the outside surface of container 12. A fourth advantage
of the apparatus 10 is the construction which prevents the
messy leaking of the oil or other fluid coating the
surfaces~of the funnel 42 and pivoting arm 32 by use of the
cap 50 which closes funnel 42. A fifth advantage of the
apparatus lO;is the solution of the problem with the device
described in ~the above-referenced U.S. Patent No.
3~ 4,533,042, namely, storage of the member on which the
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funnel is mounted and which enables the funnel to be
closely approximated with the location from which oil or
other fluid is to be collected, by retracting funnel 42
into recess 26. A siY.th advantage to the construction of
the pivoting arm 32 having a collar 30 connected directly
to recess 26 at hole 28 located near the top of the
container 12 when container 12 rests on the second side 16
for allowing fluid draining into container 12 to
substantially fill the container 12. Other advantages will
be apparent to those skilled in the art who have the
benefit of this disclosure.
Althaugh the apparatus 10 has been described in terms
of a presently preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled
in the art who have benefit of the instruction set out
h~rein will recognize that certain changes can be made to
that preferred embodiment without altering the function or
result of the various elements thereof. By way of example,
reference has been made throughout the present
specification and claims to the collecting and storing of
used motor oil. However, the apparatus 10 is also used for
collecting and storage of other fluids from sources other
than internal combustion engines, and by the use of the
word 7'oil" ~ or the phrase "used motor oil", it is not the
intention to be so restricted. A good example is the use
of the apparatus 10 for collecting hydraulic fluid from
`- heavy macbinery or brake or transmission fluid. Reference
` ~ is made to used motor oil because that is the presently
preferred use of the invention and because the Patent
Statute requires that an invention be described in terms of
a "best mode contemplated by the inventor."
Those skilled in the art who have the benefit of the
instruction set out herein will also recognize that changes
~ can be made to the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1-6
; that would function in an equivalent manner to accomplish
"~ 35 an~equivalent result, and that such modifications are
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intended to fall within the spiri.t and scope o~ the
following claims.
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