Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illuminated device and more particularly
to a device
that illuminates the location of a dipstick in a motor vehicle engine.
Background to the Invention
Low fluid levels in vehicle engines can cause serious damage to an engine. For
this
reason, manufacturers of vehicles recommend that fluid levels in a vehicle's
engine be checked
on a regular basis. To accommodate this, vehicle manufacturers install various
dipsticks to check
fluid levels. These include dipsticks for checking the vehicle's oil level and
the vehicle's
transmission fluid level.
No standards exist regarding the location of dipsticks within vehicle engines.
The
location of dipsticks varies significantly between different makes and models
of vehicles.
Because of this, a person unfamiliar with a particular vehicle's engine may
have difficulty in
locating the dipstick. Also, in low light situations even those familiar with
the engine may have
difficulty locating the dipstick.
Several inventions have attempted, at least partially, to make locating a
dipstick easier.
U.S. Patent 2,743,352 to Gilbert teaches a light located adjacent to the
dipstick support tube
which turns on when the dipstick is removed. The limitation of Gilbert,
however, is that it only
makes returning the dipstick to the support tube easier, and does not aid a
person in finding the
dipstick in the first place.
Another invention which attempts to solve the above problem is U.S. Patent
3,098,254 to
Rose. Rose teaches a device which fits over the dipstick support tube and has
a wiping device
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made from a phosphorescent material. The problems with Rose, however, are that
the dipstick
has to be modified to accommodate the extra length added to the support tube
by the device, that
the phosphorescent material will occasionally need to be changed, creating
potentially hazardous
waste, and that the phosphorescent material does not always show up very well.
A third approach which attempts to solve the problem is shown in U.S. Patent
No.
5,101,327 to Jewett. This device involves connecting a light source within a
notched ring to the
outer edge of a support tube. Jewett teaches connecting the ring to the tube
by having a flange
extending downwardly from the ring and using a clamp to affix this flange to
the support tube.
As with the above inventions, Jewett also has a number of limitations. First,
in order to
accommodate the numerous diameters of dipstick support tubes which presently
exist in vehicle
engines, Jewett is forced to provide a number of rings with different inner
diameters. This is
uneconomical and wasteful since the user can use only one of the rings, and
the rest will likely be
discarded. Jewett also is challenging to install and the flange extending
downwards from the ring
can provide a flimsy support. Finally, the light source in Jewett is
continuously illuminated,
which can drain the battery if the vehicle is used infrequently.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing
a device to
facilitate the location of an engine dipstick with the added features that it
is also easy to mount,
sturdy, adaptable to various support tube diameters, and will not excessively
drain the engine's
battery. The device consists of a toroid that is cut in half along the lateral
axis. The device can
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mounted along a dipstick support tube by affixing the two halves of the toroid
together around
the tube. This configuration provides a sturdy yet easy to mount construction.
Further, the device is illuminated, making the dipstick easy to find. However,
the light
source on the device is only turned on when the hood of the car is lifted by
either using the hood
light as the power source or by adding a switch to the hood to sense the hood
opening. This will
save the car battery by making sure the device is off when the hood is closed.
Further, the device is adaptable to various dipstick support tube diameters.
By providing
a number of shims that can be added to the inner surface of the device, the
device will be able to
be configured to the dipstick support tube with minimal excess material or
waste.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a location
indication apparatus
for a dipstick support tube, said apparatus comprising a light source; a power
source; and a
mounting support means wherein said mounting support means is comprised of two
segments
fixedly attachable to each other around said dipstick support tube and said
light source is
supported by said mounting support means.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a location
indication apparatus
for a dipstick support tube, said apparatus comprising a light source; a power
source; a mounting
support means wherein said mounting support means is comprised of two segments
fixedly
attachable to each other around said dipstick support tube and said light
source is supported by
said mounting support means; a tilt indication means, whereby said power
source is connected
through said tilt indication means and only provides power when said tilt
indication means is
tilted through a certain angle; a lens means wherein said lens means is
affixed to said mounting
CA 02293143 1999-12-24
support means and over said light source; a shim, wherein said shim is
disposed between said
mounting support means and said dipstick to provide a tight fit between the
two.
Brief Description of The Drawin_,gs
Figure 1 shows a top view of one of the lens halves of the dipstick locating
device;
Figure 2 shows a side view of the device of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a top view of one side of the body of the dipstick locating
device;
Figure 4 shows a side view of the device of Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the body of the dipstick locating device;
Figure 6 shows a top view of the opposite side of the body of the dipstick
locating device
that is shown in Figures 3 and 4;
Figure 7 shows a side view of the device of Figure 6;
Figure 8 shows a top view of the dipstick locating device;
Figure 9 shows a side view of the assembled dipstick locating device,
including its
electrical components;
Figure 10 shows a bottom view of the dipstick locating device;
Figure 11 shows a perspective view of one half of the body of the dipstick
locating
device;
Figure 12 shows a side view of the shim strip;
Figure 13 shows a top view of the shim strip of Figure 11.
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Detailed Descriution of the Invention
Referring to the drawings, the present invention is best illustrated by
Figures 5 and 9. A
dipstick locator 10 is created for mounting around a dipstick support tube 90,
and is comprised of
a pair of semicircular lens 20 respectively affixed on top of a split body
portion 30 and a light
source 61 in each half of the body portions.
Lens 20 is better seen from Figures 1 and 2. Lens 20 comprises a half ring
shape with
wider base 21 and a narrower top 22. The inner radius of lens 20 is
sufficiently large to
accommodate most dipstick support tubes currently installed in vehicles. The
outer radius of
base 21 corresponds with that of body portion 30 and is sufficiently greater
than the inner radius
to allow a light source to be installed under lens 20, yet sufficiently small
to allow the dipstick
locator 10 to be positioned in the tight spaces found around most dipstick
support tubes. Lens 20
is preferably moulded from one piece of polymeric resin material and is either
transparent or
translucent.
Body portion 30 is comprised of body half 40 and body half 50, as can most
clearly be
seen in Figures S and 8.
Body half 40 is best seen in Figures 3 and 4. Body half 40 is shaped like a
half toroid,
with the inner radius of body half 40 being the same or almost the same as the
inner radius of
lens 20. The outer radius of body half 40 is close to or the same as the outer
radius of lens 20.
Body half 40 includes a light mount 44 which, in the preferred embodiment, is
simply an annular
recess formed into the top of body half 40 sufficiently deep and large enough
to accommodate
light source 61. Body half 40 also contains a hole 41 which extends from light
mount 44 to the
bottom of body half 40. The top of hole 41 can be enlarged if necessary to
provide a "socket "
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for light source 61 and the remainder of the hole provides a conduit for wires
62 (Figure 9) that
connect the light source to a power supply. Body half 40 additionally includes
screw hole ends
42 and 43 extending partially therethrough to receive screws (not shown) used
to connect body
halves 40 and 50 together around tube 90.
Body half 50 is best seen in Figures 6 and 7. Body half 50 is the mirror image
of body
half 40 and is essentially identical thereto with the exception of screw holes
52 and 53 which
extend all the way through the half and which are aligned with screw hole ends
42 and 43 in
body half 40.
In the alternative to two separate body halves, the body portion can be
fabricated so that
the two halves are connected together along one edge thereof such as by means
of a web or
bridge of the same material used to mold the halves themselves. The body
portion can then be
clamshelled around the dipstick tube and clamped into place by means of a
screw in the manner
described above, or by a catch molded or connected to the body halves or by
any other suitable
means as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Each lens 20 is connected, typically permanently, to the respective body half
such as by
means of adhesive, effectively sealing light source 61 within light mount 44.
A small amount of
adhesive injected into hole 41 around wires 62 or between the light source and
the top of hole 41
can be used to hold the light source in place. In an alternative embodiment,
wires 62 and light
source 61 can be moulded in place during the creation of body half 40. In a
preferred
embodiment, light source 61 is a long lasting switchable light. A light
emitting diode capable of
10,000 hours of service is well suited for this purpose.
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As is best seen in Figures 8 and 10, body portion 30 is easily assembled by
placing body
half 40 in contact with body half 50 around support tube 90 and affixing the
body halves together
by passing a screw through screw hole 52 into screw hole end 42, and passing a
screw through
screw hole 53 into screw hole end 43. A shim may be added to the inner radius
of body half 40
and body half SO to ensure tight contact with support tube 90.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, body halves 40 and 50 can be
made from
a wide variety of materials. However, several constraints exist. The material
chosen must be heat
resistant, oil resistant, and durable. In the preferred embodiment, the body
halves are composed
of hard rubber or plastic.
In order to ensure a tight fit of body portion 30 to support tube 90, the
dipstick locating
device 10 can be provided with shim strips 70, such as shown in Figures 12 and
13. Each strip
70 includes a number of shims, as illustrated by shim 71, shim 72, shim 73,
and shim 74. Shims
71, 72, 73 and 74 all have an outer diameter the same as body 30's inner
diameter. The inner
diameter of each shim 71 to 74 varies in order to accommodate various
diameters of support tube
90. In a preferred embodiment, shims 71, 72, 73 and 74 are made from the same
material as the
lens 20, allowing the light source to illuminate the area adjacent to the
dipstick support tube. In
an alternative embodiment, the shims can be made from any oil and heat
resistant rubber or
plastic.
The shims are provided in halves like the body halves to facilitate
installation around the
support tube. A user simply selects the proper shim based on the diameter of
support tube 90
within the vehicle, breaks or cuts the shims from shim strips, and applies the
shims to the inner
surfaces of body sides 40 and 50 prior to installation. A small tube of
adhesive material can be
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provided with the shims to allow the user to glue the shims to a body half
prior to installation
around support tube 90, making the installation easier.
Light source 61 is powered through wires 62. Wires 62 comprise an insulated
harness
attached between light source 61 and a power source. The power source can
either be the car
battery, in which case switch 63 can be added between the battery and light
source 61, or to the
hood light if the vehicle is equipped with one. Switch 63, if present, can be
a tilt sensing switch
mounted to the hood of the car to activate the present device only when the
hood is opened. In
the preferred alternative, switch 63 can be plunger-actuated and mounted at
any convenient
location where the hood meets the vehicle's body. One skilled in the art will
appreciate that
there are a number of other alternative switches for sensing when the hood is
opened.
Lens 20 can be coloured to identify different dipsticks. For example, amber
lenses can be
used for the oil, whereas red lenses can be used for the transmission fluid.
It will be seen that the present invention provides a substantial improvement
over other
apparatus used for locating vehicle dipsticks by providing a device which is
easier to install,
sturdier, less wasteful, and better for the vehicle battery.
Various modifications and changes may be made with respect to the foregoing
description without departing from the spirit of such invention.
