Abstract:
An improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug that provides for airtight thread fastening in oil drain holes, its top side having an embedded annular magnet that attracts and collects friction-generated metal particles suspended in engine crankcase oil and its internal section having a steel ball valve capable of a predetermined range of upward and downward travel, thereby enabling the downward release and drawing out of engine oil in the crankcase, with its lowermost extremity featuring a threaded sealing ring that ensures that engine crankcase oil does not leak.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1) Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention herein relates to automotive maintenance accessories, specifically an improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug.  
         [0003]     2) Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     An important task in current automotive vehicle maintenance concerns the automobile lubrication system, wherein the engine crankcase is emptied and the used oil drawn out is replaced with new oil. For a long time, the task of emptying all brands of automobile engine crankcases was only facilitated by a hexagonal bolt rotationally tightened in the oil drain hole in the bottom section of an engine crankcase or a screwed-in oil drain hole tap plug  1  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) equipped with a valve cock  2  disposed perpendicularly through the diameter from one side that was rotated so many degrees to indirectly open or close a lengthwise passage  3 ; since lifting equipment capable of raising the automobile is required during maintenance, followed by the placement of an oil pan (not shown in the drawings) on the floor under the engine crankcase to contain the used oil discharged from the said engine crankcase, when the said hexagonal bolt was removed from the oil drain hole or the cock valve  2  of the oil drain hole tap plug was rotated open, the discharged used oil surged forth, often contaminating the floor and splattering everywhere; additionally, since the engine crankcase oil is utilized to lubricate moving parts but metal particles produced by frictional wear are unavoidable in the process, these metal particles mixed in with the oil resulted in varying degrees of damage to all systems, and from an environmental standpoint, the conventional structure lacks effective countermeasures, especially at the rotatable cock valve  2  horizontally disposed in the said oil drain hole tap plug  1  because metal particles carried in the discharged used oil easily accumulate in the lateral clearances  2   a  of the cock valve  2  whenever it is rotated to open the oil passage, resulting in wear and consequent engine crankcase oil leakage that cannot be stopped.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The primary objective of the invention herein is to provide an improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug that not only automatically collects metal particles in engine crankcase oil, but at the same time also ensures the non-occurrence of engine crankcase oil leakage.  
         [0006]     Another objective of the invention herein is to provide an improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug that adopts a graduated directive means to effectively prevent oil contamination and splattering situations, thereby ensuring work floor cleanliness.  
         [0007]     Therefore, the improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug of the invention herein is comprised of a tap plug member, a guide sleeve, and a sealing ring, wherein:  
         [0008]     The said tap plug member outer diameter includes a drive section that provides for turning by a manual wrench (or socket), the top and bottom ends of said drive section are radially reduced to respectively form an upper threaded tubular section that fastens into an automobile crankcase drain hole and a lower threaded tubular section suspended below, a guide passage is formed lengthwise through the said upper threaded tubular section and lower threaded tubular section and, furthermore, a one-way non-return approach valve member is movably disposed on the said guide passage that shuts the lower extent of the said passage; an annular magnet is positioned inside the top end of the said upper threaded tubular section and a plurality of through-holes are bored into the underlying edge of its bottom end and, as such, the metal particles suspended in the crankcase oil are automatically collected and full oil convergence is provided for in the upper threaded tubular section.  
         [0009]     The said guide sleeve is a threaded tube of a predetermined length fastened onto the outer diameter of the said tap plug member lower threaded tubular section such that it travels a predetermined distance lengthwise during an oil drainage operation; a holding rod is trussed through the internal section and, furthermore, along the center of the said guide passage, enabling the gradual opening of the guide passage as the guide sleeve shifts lengthwise and synchronously upward against the underside of the said steel ball valve member, its bottom end movably disposed on an oil conduit of a certain length to draw off the oil discharged through the said guide passage.  
         [0010]     The said sealing ring is a cap having a one-way opening, with internal threads tapped from the ends along the inner diameter and an anti-leak washer such it can be fastened to the bottom extent of the suspended said tap plug member lower threaded tubular section.  
         [0011]     The said assemblage results in an automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug possessing the most outstanding operating capability.  
         [0012]     To enable the examination a further understanding of the objectives, functions, and advantages of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of preferred embodiment. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional and orthographic drawing of a conventional oil drain hole tap plug structure  FIG. 2  is an exploded drawing of the most preferred embodiment of the invention herein.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional drawing of the most preferred embodiment of the invention herein.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional drawing of most preferred embodiment of the invention herein that illustrates operation.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is an orthographic drawing of the invention herein as utilized for draining oil from an automotive vehicle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     First, referring  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug of the invention herein is comprised of a tap plug member  10 , a guide sleeve  20 , and a sealing ring  30 , wherein:  
         [0018]     The said tap plug member  10  outer diameter includes a drive section  11  that provides for turning by a manual wrench (or socket), the top and bottom ends of said drive section  11  are radially reduced to respectively form an upper threaded tubular section  12  that fastens into an automobile crankcase drain hole and a lower threaded tubular section  13  suspended below, a guide passage  14  is formed lengthwise through the said upper threaded tubular section  12  and lower threaded tubular section  13  and, furthermore, a one-way non-return approach valve member  15  is movably disposed on the said guide passage  14  that shuts the lower extent of the said passage, the optimal choice for the valve member  15  in the embodiment herein is a steel ball, with a spring  151  over it which thereby ensures that the steel ball valve member  15  is brought upward to seal the said guide passage  14 .  
         [0019]     An annular magnet  16  is positioned inside the top end of the said upper threaded tubular section  12  and a plurality of through-holes  121  are bored into the underlying edge of its bottom end and, as such, the metal particles suspended in the crankcase oil are. automatically collected and full oil convergence is provided for in the upper threaded tubular section  12 ; an O-ring  17  is tightly ensleeved over the lower threaded tubular section  13  adjacent to the shoulder outer diameter of the said drive section  11 , thereby preventing leakage and unscrewing as well as limiting the operational range of the movably positioned guide sleeve  20  (further elaborated below).  
         [0020]     The said guide sleeve  20  is a threaded tube of a predetermined length fastened onto the outer diameter of the said tap plug member  10  lower threaded tubular section  13  such that it travels a predetermined distance lengthwise during an oil drainage operation; a holding rod  21  is trussed through the internal section and, furthermore, along the center of the said guide passage  14 , in the embodiment herein a spring steel wire formed by bending spirally and concluding in a bearing section  211  at the top extremity, enabling the gradual opening of the guide passage  14  as the guide sleeve  20  shifts lengthwise and synchronously upward against the underside of the said steel ball valve member  15 , its bottom end movably disposed on an oil conduit  22  of a certain length to draw off the oil discharged through the said guide passage  14 .  
         [0021]     The said sealing ring  30  is a cap having a one-way opening, with internal threads  31  tapped from the ends along the inner diameter and an anti-leak washer  32  such it can be fastened to the bottom extent of the suspended said tap plug member  10  lower threaded tubular section  13 , the automobile engine crankcase thereby not requiring double leakage protection during oil drainage.  
         [0022]     The said assemblage constitutes the improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug of the invention herein, the tap plug member  10  upper threaded tubular section  12  is ordinarily fastened to the automobile engine crankcase oil drain hole, wherein the steel ball valve member  15  on the guide passage  14  is axially impelled by the spring  151  above it such that the steel ball valve member  15  is brought downward to close the said guide passage  14 , preventing the seepage of oil out of the engine crankcase, with the sealing ring  30  internal threads  31  and anti-leak washer  32  fastened to the said plug member  10  lower threaded tubular section  13 ; as such, with the internal imperviousness of the sealing ring  30 , the automobile engine crankcase does not require double leakage protection during oil drainage.  
         [0023]     During maintenance oil changes of the said automobile, the said sealing ring  30  fastened to the said plug member  10  lower threaded tubular section  13  is turned and loosened, following which the guide sleeve  20  fastened to the said plug member  10  lower threaded tubular section  13  is rotatively driven forward lengthwise along the plug member  10  lower threaded tubular section  13 , synchronously shifting the holding rod  21  trussed in the center of the internal section towards the said guide passage  14 , wherein the bearing section  211  at the top extremity of the holding rod  21  supporting the underside of the steel ball valve member  15  moves upward, incrementally raising the steel ball valve member  15  to open the said guide passage  14  and since the guide passage  14  is gradually opened, the used oil in the engine crankcase flows via the plurality of through-holes  121  bored in the upper threaded tubular section  12 , rapidly converging into the upper threaded tubular section  12 , with the oil-suspended metal particles automatically collected and separated by the magnetic lines of force from the annular magnet  16  positioned in the top end of the upper threaded tubular section  12 , and when the guide sleeve  20  is rotatively advanced a lengthwise distance along the lower threaded tubular section  13  outer diameter to the position of the ensleeved O-ring  17 , the steel ball valve member  15  is completely released by the said bearing section  211  from the closure position at the lower extent of the guide passage  14 , allowing the rapid and guided discharge of the oil converging in the upper threaded tubular section  12  through the connected oil conduit  22 ; as a result, conventional oil contamination and splattering situations cannot occur, thereby ensuring work floor cleanliness.  
         [0024]     In summation of the foregoing section, the technological concept and original spatial arrangement of the improved structure automobile engine crankcase oil drain tap plug of the invention herein not only automatically collects metal particles suspended in the engine crankcase oil, but at the same time also ensures the non-occurrence of engine crankcase oil leakage, adopting a graduated directive means to effectively prevent oil contamination and splattering situations and thereby ensure work floor cleanliness.