Abstract:
A method of magnetizing a filter is disclosed. Magnetizing a filter improves the ability of the filter to remove ferromagnetic contaminants from a fluid by allowing the filter to attract and catch contaminants that have metallic properties. The method involves magnetizing the metal components of the filter, which include the filter canister, the filter end cap, the filter element frame, and any other components made from ferromagnetic materials.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/034,194 filed on Mar. 6, 2008. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable. 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0004]    Not Applicable. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention relates to a method for magnetizing a fluid filter to allow it to more effectively and efficiently remove small ferromagnetic particles from the fluid stream. In particular this method applies to filters for oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluid, and other fluids commonly used in automotive, agricultural, commercial and industrial applications. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The use of filters to remove contaminants from fluid is well known. There are numerous types of filters that are used for removing suspended contaminants, often called particulate, from fluid. In the simplest form, a fluid runs through a porous filter and the filter removes the particulate that is larger than the pores in the filter material. 
         [0007]    There are filters for a variety of different fluids. Fluids can be either gaseous or liquid. Most consumers are familiar with home water filters and air filters for air conditioning, as well as oil, fuel, and hydraulic fluid filters in cars. But there are numerous other filters used for commercial and industrial use. All of these filters operate on essentially the same basic principles. The filter has an external casing or canister that holds a filter made of a porous material, and the fluid enters one portion of the canister, flows through the filter which removes many contaminants and then returns to the fluid channel. 
         [0008]    Filters are made from a wide variety of materials, and the material varies depending on the fluid used and the types of contaminants that might be in the fluid. Common air filters, for example, are made from paper materials and from blown fiberglass. Fluid filters are most commonly made from paper or paper based materials. 
         [0009]    The most common and familiar type of filter is the engine oil filter, which shall be discussed as representative of all filters. Oil is a vital lubricant for engines. As an engine operates the oil lubricated the moving parts, but small bits of metal can be chipped off of the metal components of the engine and will become suspended in the oil. If these particulates are not removed they can damage the engine, so the oil is filtered to remove the particulates. As the oil circulates through the engine it is run through an oil filter. The filter removes most of these metal particles. Standard oil filters can remove particles larger than 40 microns. However studies have shown that there are often smaller particles suspended in the oil, and particles in the 5 to 20 micron range often can do considerable damage to an engine. These small particles are generally not removed by standard filters. There is a need, therefore, for a way to remove these smaller metal particles. 
         [0010]    It is often difficult to remove particles that are smaller than the size of the pores in the filter. While it is possible to use less porous filter material, or filters with smaller pores, this can slow or restrict the flow of the fluid, which is generally undesirable. As a result, the most common way to remove smaller particles is by providing filtration material that will attract or adhere to the smaller contaminants. The most familiar type of this form of filtration is the blown fiberglass air filter used in air conditioning systems. The blown fiberglass material has many rough edges and surfaces that will essentially catch small particles that might otherwise flow through the openings in the filter material. Another familiar example is activated carbon which is commonly used for water filters because the activated carbon bonds with many common water contaminants. 
         [0011]    A representative oil filter can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,015 to Lee, as well as the numerous prior art oil filter patents cited therein. It is well known that typical oil filters do not completely remove small particles, and it is also well known that the majority of those small particles are metallic because they are generated by engine wear, and the major components of automotive engines are made from steel and other iron alloys. Over the years many inventors have designed magnets to attach to oil filters to remove these small ferromagnetic particles from the oil, and these magnets depend on the well known principles of magnetism. 
         [0012]    There are three basic approaches to add on magnets for filters. One approach is to add a magnet to the outside of the filter. Representative patents disclosing this configuration include U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,647 to Wascher et al, which discloses a magnetic sleeve that is attached to the outside of the casing of the filter, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,128 to Jackson, which discloses a magnet attached to the end of the filter casing. The chief drawback to these types of add on magnets is that modern engines are increasingly tight, with little room between components, and often these add-on magnets will not fit in the limited space provided for the standard oil filter. Another common drawback is that many auto mechanics do not recognize these add-on magnets and are likely to discard them during an oil change. A second similar approach is to place a magnet between the engine block and the fluid filter, as is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,846,411 to Elsegood. These magnets are designed to be discarded after each fluid change. Discarding magnets after each fluid change needlessly ads to the waste being deposited in land fills, and replacing the magnets after each fluid change ads unnecessary costs to the consumer. The third approach is to incorporate a magnet within the filter, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,050 to Holifield. The &#39;050 patent discloses a magnetic core that sits inside the paper filter element of the fluid filter. This approach eliminates the size problems of the first two approaches, but does not overcome the problem with unnecessary disposal and added consumer cost. 
         [0013]    The properties of magnets and ferromagnetic materials are basic science and very well known. The process of magnetizing a metal is well known, and involves moving a piece of metal material within a magnetic field. The magnetic filed can be created by a series of fixed permanent magnets, or by an electromagnet which is a magnet that creates a magnetic field through the flow of electricity through wire coils. U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,303 to Arllof discloses a simple device for magnetizing tools by sliding the tool between two magnets. A similar concept can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,518 to Krulwich, which uses three magnets to magnetize ferromagnetic objects. Only certain materials can be magnetized. These are primarily ferromagnetic metals such as iron, cobalt, and nickel, as well as alloys of those metals. There are a handful of rare-earth materials that also exhibit magnetic properties. But for most commercial use, magnets are derived from iron alloys, as well as some cobalt and nickel. Since the major components of engines are steel alloys, and particles created during use are also ferromagnetic metal, they are attracted to magnets. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    The invention is drawn to a method for magnetizing a filter. In particular this method will work with filters made from metallic materials, or from non-metallic materials permeated with metal, or with metal parts embedded therein. Standard automotive and industrial fluid filters are most commonly made with a steel canister. This is because steel is widely available, inexpensive, highly durable, and relatively easy to shape. While it is possible to make filter canisters from other materials, the vast majority are made from steel because of this combination of cost and durability. Many oil filters also have a steel or metal frame to hold the filter element in shape. 
         [0015]    The method of this invention involves moving the filter within a magnetic field in a magnetizer. The magnetic field can be created either with a permanent magnet such as a series of horse-shoe magnets, or through a magnetic field created by electromagnets. Once magnetized, the filter improves the ability to remove small ferromagnetic contaminants from a fluid by drawing any those particulates out of the fluid stream. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a standard oil filter. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view partially broken away showing one form of a standard oil filter. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the magnetizer. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention and that the invention may be embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specified structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limitations, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
         [0020]    A representative depiction of a standard fluid filter is depicted in  FIG. 1 . A standard filter  10  has a filter canister  20 , which is the housing that protects the filter element  30 , and contains the flow of the fluid through the filter element  30 . The canister  20  is connected to an end cap  22 , which in turn connects to a piece of machinery (not shown), typically an engine. As an example, an automotive oil filter attaches to the oil line or the oil reservoir of the car. The end cap  22  has inlet openings  24  and a discharge opening  26 . The filter element  30  is typically made of paper or other fibrous or porous material. It is common for a filter element  30  to also have a frame  32  which holds the filter element  30  in place and in shape within the canister  20 . In many cases the filter  10  also has an end seal  34  at the top of the filter element  30 . 
         [0021]    The canister  20  of most common fluid filters, such as oil, hydraulic, coolant, and fuel filters, are made from steel alloy. This is because steel alloys are durable, shapeable, resists corrosion and is relatively inexpensive. Additionally, in those filters  10  having a filter element frame  32 , the flame  32  is also commonly made from steel alloy. It is well known that steel alloy has ferromagnetic properties and can be easily magnetized. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  depicts the operation of a standard filter  10 . As indicated by the dark arrows, the fluid enters the filter  10  through a series of circumferentially spaced inlet openings  24  in the end cap  22 . The fluid then flows through the filter element  30  where particulates and contaminants are removed from the fluid. The fluid then exits the filter  10  through a central discharge opening  26 . The filter element  30  can only removed particulates from the fluid that are larger than the pores within the filter element material. This process is well known, and forms no part of the disclosed invention. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  depicts a typical magnetizer  40 . Such magnetizers  40  are well known in the art, as are the principles of magnetization that they apply. A common magnetizer consists of two magnets, a first magnet  42  and a second magnet  44 . Each magnet has an essentially half circle cut away which forms a central bore  50  when the two magnets are in place. It is well known that magnets in this configuration create a strong magnetic field in the central bore  50 , and that this magnetic field can be used to magnetize ferromagnetic articles. Magnets can be made from iron alloys or a variety of magnetic rare earth materials. It is also possible, and within the conception of this invention to use electromagnets to create the magnetic field of the magnetizer. 
         [0024]    In use, a filter  10  is passed through the central bore  50  of the magnetizer  40 , thus magnetizing all of the ferromagnetic components of the filter  10 . The primary ferromagnetic components include the canister  20 , the end cap  22  and the frame  32 . If the magnetizer  40  is of sufficient strength, passing the filter  10  through the central bore  50  a single time should impart sufficient magnetism to allow the filter  10  to adequately attract ferromagnetic particular from the fluid flow, however the magnetism can be strengthened by passing the filter  10  through the central bore  50  of the magnetizer  40  additional times. 
         [0025]    The present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain both the ends and the advantages mentioned, as well as other benefits inherent therein. While the present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitation to the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the present invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.