Abstract:
An oil filter tool used to remove filters and mitigate spillage of oil during and after removal. Sidewalls with grooves between form a substantial cylinder. Curved walls form the grooves, extend outwardly from the sidewalls, and provide some flexibility in the tool&#39;s diameter, thereby permitting use with filters other than those for which the tool was designed. A floor is joined by the sidewalls and curved walls to define a chamber in which the filter is mounted. A finger limits insertion of the filter to define a gap into which oil can flow. A funneling guide is angled at the end of the sidewalls opposite the floor to guide oil into the chamber. At least one of the grooves is closed at the guide end and there is an aperture to permit air flow out of the chamber.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates generally to devices for oil filter removal, and more specifically to a cylindrically-shaped structure that is used to aid in removing the filter and to catch oil that leaks from an oil filter during replacement. 
         [0002]    Automobile and other internal combustion engines have oil filters that must be replaced periodically. When the filter is replaced, it must be removed from the engine with an appreciable amount of oil remaining within it. Numerous factors, such as whether the filter&#39;s axis is tilted and whether surrounding structures permit easy hand or tool placement around the filter, determine whether the filter may be removed readily and/or will spill some or all of the oil during removal. 
         [0003]    Most automobile oil filters have a cylindrical outer housing and a threaded cylindrical barrel extending into it. The threaded barrel receives an externally threaded tube that extends from the engine with a passageway through the tube. By rotating the filter around the threaded tube, the filter is screwed onto or off of the engine in the manner of a nut that is screwed onto or off of a bolt. A gasket, such as a rubber ring, typically encircles the opening on the filter to seat against the engine and seal the juncture of the filter and the engine. 
         [0004]    When a new oil filter is ready to be installed, it is empty and poses no spill risk. However, when the filter has reached the end of its useful life, the filter&#39;s cylindrical housing is full of oil. Removal typically takes place by rotating the filter relative to the engine, which thereby un-screws the filter from the threaded tube to permit removal. However, any oil in the filter may spill out of the filter&#39;s opening during removal and before the filter can be tilted to a vertical orientation in which the filter opening is pointed upwardly so that spillage cannot occur. Furthermore, if the filter has remained in position for an extended period or there is corrosion present, the filter may be difficult to rotate, particularly if the mechanic attempting removal cannot grasp the filter with his or her entire hand. Grasping may be difficult if the components around the filter prevent rotating of the filter with the require force. This difficulty in rotating may be exacerbated by any oil or other residue that has found its way to the outer surface of the filter housing, because such oil provides a lubricant to prevent a tight hand-grip on the filter. 
         [0005]    There are many tools that permit a user to more tightly grip the oil filter to ease rotation of the same. However, such tools require substantial space around the filter to install and use. Furthermore, such tools do little to nothing to prevent oil spillage. Other devices, which are referenced in the Invention Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed herewith, fit around oil filters to ease in gripping the same and attempt to catch some or all oil that spills during removal. Nevertheless, such prior art devices fail to provide the necessary features that are required to remove most or all filters with little to no oil spillage. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Disclosed herein is a tool used with substantially cylindrical oil filters. The tool permits ready removal of the filter from an engine, and concurrently retains any oil that may drip or pour from the engine or oil filter. This is effected by a generally cup-shaped vessel made of preferably flexible and generally soft material, which may be an elastomer that has a durometer between about 20 and about 80 on the Shore 00 scale. The vessel has an angled guide that forms its rim that directs oil into the chamber of the vessel. Furthermore, the sidewalls have channels formed therein that form passages along the sidewalls of the filter. These permit any oil that flows out of the filter or the engine to be guided into a chamber within the tool rather than spilling onto the ground, the automobile or the mechanic. 
         [0007]    The material of which the tool is made is flexible and high-friction, and the channels permit flexure of the tool. Therefore, the tool aids in removal of many different sizes of filters, even ones that are slightly larger than the tool. This results from, as the tool is placed over the filter, the tool stretching to fit over the filter, thereby providing a superior surface for grasping and rotating. Furthermore, some materials contemplated provide a thermal barrier for the user so a user&#39;s fingers are not burned on a hot oil filter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a side view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a section view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 8  through the line  3 - 3 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side view in section illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 8  through the line  4 - 4 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a section view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 1  through the line  5 - 5 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a section view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 1  through the line  6 - 6 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a side view in section illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 8  through the line  7 - 7 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
       [0016]    In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific term so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection, but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The tool  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-8  in various embodiments and perspectives. The tool  10  has sidewalls  12  and a floor  14 , and is preferably made of a flexible, high-friction material, such as silicon, neoprene, rubber, fluoro rubber, or a fluoroelastomer, and can withstand exposure to petroleum products and temperatures of 200° F. or more. The sidewalls  12  and floor  14  are transverse to each other at their juncture, and are preferably perpendicular or substantially perpendicular (within a few degrees of perpendicular, plus or minus a few degrees from 90 degrees) to each other at their juncture. 
         [0018]    The sidewalls  12  extend around and join to the floor  14  at or near the periphery of the substantially circular floor  14 , and thus define a substantially circular cylindrical wall. The substantially cylindrical wall desirably cooperates with a substantially cylindrical wall of a conventional oil filter  100 , shown schematically in an operable position in  FIG. 7 . During use, the tool  10  receives the oil filter  100  into a chamber  16  defined by the void within the joined sidewalls  12  and floor  14 . The radially inwardly facing surfaces of the sidewalls  12  contact, or are in very close proximity to, the radially outwardly facing surface of the filter  100  sidewall. 
         [0019]    When the filter  100  is in the operable position shown in  FIG. 7 , a sub-chamber  20  is formed at the lower end of the tool  10  adjacent the floor  14 . A finger  18  is mounted to the floor  14  and extends toward the opening of the tool  10  a predefined distance, which may be about one-tenth the height of the sidewalls  12 , and this may be about one centimeter for a typical size tool  10 . The finger  18  is preferably a solid piece of the same material that the entirety of the tool  10  is made of, which allows the tool  10  to be cast, injection molded or otherwise formed of a single piece of material. The finger  18  is preferably a cylinder that is integral with the floor  14  and protrudes therefrom, preferably along an axis parallel to the sidewall  12 . The finger  18  resists insertion of the oil filter  100  into the chamber  16  more than a permitted amount, thereby defining the sub-chamber  20  within the gap formed between the floor  14  and the end of the filter  100  that is farthest in the chamber  16 . This sub-chamber  20  is where oil can be retained as described in more detail below. 
         [0020]    There are preferably multiple groovewalls  30  formed between each of the sidewalls  12 , preferably integral with the sidewalls  12  at their lateral edges. The groovewalls  30  are preferably semi-cylindrical, elongated bodies that have the same height as the sidewalls  12 , but protrude radially outwardly from the sidewalls  12 . The inner surfaces of the sidewalls  12  form a substantially cylindrical surface that corresponds to, and preferably is the same shape as, the oil filter&#39;s  100  substantially cylindrical outer wall, and passages are formed between the filter&#39;s wall and the groovewalls  30  through which oil may flow. Thus, each groovewall  30  allows the passage of any oil or other liquid through the voids defined between the groovewalls  30  and the oil filter&#39;s outer wall. The voids defined between the groovewalls  30  and the oil filter&#39;s outer wall are in fluid communication with the sub-chamber  20 , and therefore any oil that flows into these voids may be carried, by the force of gravity or any other force, into the sub-chamber  20 . 
         [0021]    The groovewalls  30  also permit flexure of the tool  10  to permit radial expansion. This permits the tool  10  to receive filters of a larger diameter than would be suggested by the diameter of the substantially cylindrical surface that corresponds to the inner surfaces of the sidewalls  12 . Thus, if the diameter measured at the interior of the sidewalls  12  is exactly 7.0 centimeters, the tool  10  could accommodate a filter of at least 8.0 centimeters, and possibly larger. Upon insertion of the filter into the tool  10 , the groovewalls  30  expand to a larger radius to permit the sidewalls  12  to expand outwardly. 
         [0022]    An angled guide  40  extends outwardly from the sidewalls  12  and groovewalls  30  to guide any oil that flows down the side of the oil filter&#39;s wall inwardly toward the sidewalls  12  and groovewalls  30  of the tool  10 . Once the oil reaches a groovewall  30 , it has a direct flow path to the sub-chamber  20 , where oil preferably flows to be retained for subsequent disposal. The angled guide  40  is preferably oriented at an angle of between about 30 and about 60, and preferably about 45, degrees relative to the cylindrical exterior wall of the filter  100 . The angled guide  40  protrudes radially about 10-20 percent of the diameter of the tool  10 , which may be about 1-2 centimeters for a typical tool  10 . This permits a sufficiently wide guide  40  to catch oil and direct it into the voids defined by the groovewalls  30 , but not extend so far radially that it interferes substantially with the positioning and use of the tool  10 . 
         [0023]    When considering the oil filter  100 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 7  in a vertical orientation, any oil that flows over the right (in the  FIG. 7  illustration) side of the filter  100  may not flow past the guide  40 , but instead is directed into the passage defined by the groovewall  30  and the exterior wall of the oil filter  100 . This oil then flows by gravitational force down the exterior wall of the filter  100  and into the sub-chamber  20 . Therefore, when the tool  10  is in use, the user grasps around the sidewalls  12  and groovewalls  30  using his or her hand, and, after squeezing the tool&#39;s outer surface, rotates the combination of the tool  10  and the filter  100 , thereby loosening the filter from the attaching structures. When oil that is within the oil passages of the engine, the filter and any other region, flows out toward the edge of the filter  100 , the oil preferably flows under the force of gravity toward the guide  40 . The guide  40  then directs the oil into the voids defined by the guidewalls  30  and the filter&#39;s sidewall, thereby preventing spills and encouraging storages of the oil. 
         [0024]    The tool&#39;s sidewalls  12 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , preferably have small protrusions  50  extending radially inwardly therefrom. The protrusions  50  are preferably semi-spherical, and have their bases attached to the sidewalls  12 , preferably by being formed integrally with the sidewalls  12 . The protrusions  50  are aligned in rows and columns as shown in the illustrations, and preferably are formed anywhere the filter&#39;s  100  radially outwardly-facing wall contacts the tool  10 . The protrusions  50  are shown to extend into the region that defines the sub-chamber  20 , but this is not necessary because no filter ordinarily contacts the tool  10  at this region of the sidewalls  12 . Preferably no protrusions  50  are formed in the groovewalls  30 , but protrusions  50  may be formed in the groovewalls  30 . 
         [0025]    The protrusions  50  perform at least two functions. First, because the material of which the entire tool  10  is preferably made is a high-friction elastomer, the protrusions  50  form seating surfaces that contact the oil filter&#39;s cylindrical exterior wall whenever the oil filter  100  is in, or is being inserted in or removed from, the chamber  16 . This means that during insertion and removal of the oil filter, preferably only the protrusions  50 , and possibly only the tips of some of the protrusions  50 , contact the oil filter  100 . This represents a smaller surface area in contact with the filter  100  than without the protrusions  50 , thereby reducing the resistance to sliding the oil filter  100  into, and out of, the tool  10  under the same amount of pressure. Without the protrusions  50 , insertion and removal of the filter would be more difficult due to a larger surface area of contact that the oil filter would have against the sidewalls  12 . 
         [0026]    The second function of the protrusions  50  results when the tool  10  is squeezed on the oil filter  100 . The protrusions  50  are so small that, under the amount of force that can be applied by a human hand, they compress into the sidewalls  12  and allow essentially the entire surface area of the sidewalls  12  to contact the oil filter  100 . When this occurs, this promotes enhanced friction between the tool  10  and the filter  100 , which enhances grip when it is most desired—when the filter is to be rotated for removal. Therefore, the protrusions  50  reduce friction when friction is desirably low during insertion of the filter into, or removal from, the chamber  16 . The protrusions  50  also increase friction when friction is desirably high during gripping of the filter for rotation and removal. 
         [0027]    At least one of the groovewalls  30  has a feature that will now be described. Because oil is a thick liquid and is incompressible, the presence of oil in all groovewall  30  passages simultaneously could prevent oil from flowing into the sub-chamber  20 . As the oil flows toward the sub-chamber  20 , it must displace air. If there is no passage to allow the displaced air to escape, oil flow may stop. Therefore, there must be a passage for air to escape from the sub-chamber  20  so that the sub-chamber  20  can accommodate oil. To prevent all passages from being blocked, a guide extension  42  is formed. The guide extension  42  is essentially a continuation of the guide  40  across the end of one groovewall  30 . The extension  42  at least reduces, and preferably prevents, oil from flowing into the passage formed by the groovewall  30  that is blocked by the extension  42 . An aperture  44  is also formed in the groovewall  30  adjacent the extension  42  to permit the air displaced by the oil entering the sub-chamber  20  to escape outside of the tool  10 . This combination of features allows air to flow through the covered passage as the air is displaced by oil in the other passages defined by the remaining groovewalls  30 . 
         [0028]    The sub-chamber  20  is in fluid communication with all passageways defined by the groovewalls  30 . When air or another gas that is displaced by oil flowing through the passageways defined by open-ended groovewalls  30 , the groovewall  30  that is blocked by the extension  42  remains substantially free of flowing oil. Therefore, air in the sub-chamber  20  may flow through the passage defined by this particular groovewall  30  and exit the tool  10  through the aperture  44 . 
         [0029]    The tool  10  operates in a preferred manner as will now be described. First the chamber  16  of the tool  10  is aligned with the oil filter, and the oil filter is preferably slightly larger in diameter than the tool&#39;s  10  sidewalls  12 . The tool  10  is then manually extended over the filter  100  to the position shown in  FIG. 7 , in which the filter  100  is inserted into the chamber  16  until its bottom (in the orientation shown in  FIG. 7 ) surface seats against the finger  18 . During insertion, the protrusions  50  slide against the cylindrical wall of the filter  100 , thereby allowing ease of insertion of the filter  100  into the chamber  16 , and the groovewalls  30  permit radial expansion of the tool  10  in the manner of a bellows. Once this position is achieved, the user may grasp the tool  10  with his or her hand (thumb in an arc circumferentially around one side and fingers in an arc around the opposite side) and squeeze. By squeezing, the protrusions  50  are smashed into the remainder of the sidewall  12  material and become effectively part of the sidewall&#39;s  12  smooth surface. This provides substantial friction between the sidewall  12  and the filter&#39;s cylindrical sidewall as the grasping hand effects a torsional force on the tool  10 . This torsional force rotates the filter and tool  10  combination about the axis of rotation of the threaded shaft known to the person of ordinary skill, thereby beginning the process of removal of the filter  100 . 
         [0030]    Once the seal between the filter  100  and the engine is broken, any oil in the system can begin to flow over the top end (in the  FIG. 7  orientation) of the filter  100  and flow down the side of the filter. Such oil encounters the angled guide  40 , which acts like a funnel&#39;s angled walls and directs the oil radially inwardly into any space between the filter&#39;s cylindrical sidewall and the tool  10 , preferably into the voids between the filter&#39;s sidewall and the groovewalls  30 . The oil then flows downwardly into the sub-chamber  20  where it is retained until proper disposal. After the filter  100  is removed from the engine, the filter is then manually removed longitudinally from the tool  10  after any oil in the filter and the tool  10  is poured into a proper receptacle. When the user removes the filter from the tool  10 , the user is not grasping the tool  10  in the manner used for rotating the filter and tool. Therefore, the protrusions  50  have expanded radially inwardly and thereby permit the filter to slide easily relative to the tool  10 . The tool  10  may then be placed in an empty oil pan or disposal container so that all oil can drip therefrom so the tool  10  is ready for its next use. 
         [0031]    This detailed description in connection with the drawings is intended principally as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the designs, functions, means, and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention and that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the invention or scope of the following claims.