Abstract:
An engine mount for a motor vehicle that is capable of being mounted in two orientations such that it allows two different series of engine designs to be installed in the vehicle while maintaining prescribed mounting elevations for either series of engine design. The engine mount is accompanied by a second engine mount of identical design serving the same purpose of determining the engine&#39;s mount height, but also providing a second attachment to support the engine and bear engine loads. Both of these engine mounts are attached to the vehicle&#39;s body or frame and also incorporate other known hardware such as brackets, bushings, and other common mechanical fasteners.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/112,169, filed Feb. 5, 2015 by the present inventors. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention is in the technical field of vehicles. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of mounting an engine or propulsion unit. 
         [0005]    The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Patents 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Patent Number 
                 Kind Code 
                 Issue Date 
                 Patentee 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,336 
                 248/605, 248/613 
                 Sep. 20, 1960 
                 Eugene B. Etchells 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,138 
                 180/57, 180/380, 180/292 
                 Nov. 23, 1965 
                 Floyd R. Kishline 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,426 
                 180/53.1, 180/291, 248/659 
                 Oct. 15, 1974 
                 Mark S. Nemschoff 
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,992 
                 248/659, 180/300 
                 Aug. 28, 1984 
                 Hiroaki Morimura et al. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0006]    There are many reasons a customer may want to replace the engine in his vehicle with a different engine. This, however, presents a problem as different makes and model of engine are mounted in various positions within the vehicle&#39;s engine compartment and with different types of fastening hardware. Additionally, the location and design of the replacement engine may cause further problems in terms of fully integrating the engine with other vehicle systems. While each engine “swap” is unique and presents its own integration problems, common areas of concern are the mechanical linkage from the engine&#39;s driveshaft to the drive-wheels of the vehicle, connection to the exhaust and air intake systems, and integration of hydraulic and electrical systems. 
         [0007]    As each swap scenario is unique, these problems had previously been solved with unique solutions. Many hours of measurement, design, fabrication, and other work may be spent on a single swap. Often, the product of all this labor is only useful in the one scenario for which the swap was performed. This means any particular engine swap project may even be customized to the point of being a lone example in the field. Given the amount of skill, time, and creativity necessary to produce these customized solutions, it is not surprising that an engine swap is usually an expensive proposition. 
         [0008]    Still, the popularity of engine swaps has led some manufacturers to produce kits that contain the necessary hardware to complete an engine swap. A typical kit contains many types of hardware including metal brackets, bushings, wiring harnesses, nuts, bolts, washers, as well as a “mount” that acts as the mechanical fastening point between the engine and the body or frame of the vehicle. The design of these kits is dictated by the choice of engine to be swapped and the choice vehicle to receive that engine. 
         [0009]    Again, given the unique nature of each engine swap, a kit is usually only useful for a particular engine to be swapped into a particular model of vehicle (though often spanning some model years). 
         [0010]    Known motor mount designs in patent publications are similar to these manufactured kits in that they do not recognize the need to accommodate more than one series of engine design. In fact, U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,336 to E. B. Etchells refers to a singular series stating, “Although engine and transmission assemblies of different designs will have different characteristics, a series of identical assemblies will have substantially identical characteristics, so that identical mountings may be used for all assemblies in the series.” Etchells recognizes a benefit of using identical mountings, but does not recognize the need to accommodate more than one series of engine design. Similarly, the designs in U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,138 to Floyd R. Kishline, U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,992 to Hiroaki Morimura et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,426 to Mark S. Nemschoff primarily address common problems such as carrying engine loads and isolating vibrations, but none address the need to accommodate more than one series of engine design. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention is an engine mount that accommodates one series of engines its first orientation and accommodates a second, different series of engines in a second orientation. This is accomplished by a flange on the engine mount which is located offset from the center of the body of the engine mount. When the mount is in one orientation, the center of the flange is lower than the center of the body of the mount. When the mount is flipped, the center of the flange is above the center of the body. The difference in the heights of the flange allows one series of engine design to be mounted higher than the other relative to the vehicle&#39;s body or frame. This difference in height is prescribed by integration points between the engine of the vehicle and other vehicle systems. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an engine mount of the present invention, an engine, a bracket, bushings, and associated fastening hardware; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of an engine mount of the present invention, two bushings, and a pin; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of an engine mount of the present invention in its two orientations; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  is a front view of an engine mount of the present invention in its first orientation, a bracket, and an engine; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  is a front view of an engine mount of the present invention in its second orientation, a bracket, and an engine; 
           [0000]    
         
           
                 
               
                 
                 
                 
               
             
                 
                     
                 
                 
                   REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS 
                 
                 
                     
                 
               
               
                 
                     
                 
               
            
             
                 
                     
                   100 - engine mount 
                   101 - vehicle body 
                 
                 
                     
                   102 - bracket 
                   103 - engine 
                 
                 
                     
                   104 - bushing 
                   105 - body 
                 
                 
                     
                   106 - flange 
                   107 - bolt 
                 
                 
                     
                   108 - hole 
                   109 - bolts 
                 
                 
                     
                   110 - bolts 
                   300 - pin 
                 
                 
                     
                   301 - cavity 
                 
                 
                     
                     
                 
               
            
           
         
       
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    Referring now to the invention in more detail, in  FIG. 1  there is shown a novel engine mount  100  attached to a vehicle&#39;s body  101  and also attached to a bracket  102 . The bracket  102  extends downward from the engine mount  100  and is also attached to an engine  103 . A bushing  104  is shown in either end of a substantially cylindrical body  105  of the engine mount  100 . The bracket  102  is attached to a flange  106  on the engine mount  100 . 
         [0018]    In more detail, still referring to the invention of  FIG. 1 , the body  105  of the engine mount  100  is attached to the vehicle&#39;s body  101  with a bolt  107 . This bolt  107  runs roughly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and through the center of the body  105  of the engine mount  100 , securing the engine mount  100  to the vehicle body  101 . The flange  106  of the engine mount  100  extends outward from the body  105 . Bolts  109  with nuts (obscured from view) secure the top horizontal surface of the bracket  102  to the bottom horizontal surface of the flange  106  through holes  108 . In turn, bolts  110  secure the bracket  102  to the engine  103  by threading into the engine  103  itself. 
         [0019]    In further detail, still referring to the invention of  FIG. 1 , the horizontal surfaces of the flange  106  are located relative to the centerline of the body  105  such that in one orientation of the engine mount  100 , the surface of the flange  106  that is in contact with the bracket  102  is at some prescribed height relative to the vehicle body  101  and in a second orientation of the engine mount  100  the surface of the flange  106  that is in contact with the bracket  102  is at a different prescribed height relative to the vehicle body  101  which is above that of the first orientation. The second orientation being achieved by installing the engine mount  100  in roughly the same location as that in the first orientation, but “flipped” (or rotated) approximately 180° about a horizontal axis running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Thus, when the engine mount  100  is in its first orientation, its flange  106  is in a “low” position and when the engine mount  100  is in its second orientation, its flange  106  is in a “high” position. The distinction between these orientations is shown clearly in  FIG. 2 . This figure shows a front view of the engine mount  100  in its first orientation in continuous lines as well as the engine mount  100  in its second orientation, shown in dashed lines. It also clearly shows the different locations of the flange  106  depending on the orientation of the engine mount  100 , while the centerline of the body  105  remains in the same location regardless of the orientation of the engine mount  100 . 
         [0020]    When the engine mount  100  is in its first orientation, the low position of the flange  106  of engine mount  100  accommodates one type of engine design with longer combustion cylinders. Referring to  FIG. 4A , a front view of this configuration is shown with the engine mount  100  in its first orientation (with the flange  106  in low position), the bracket  102 , and engine  103 . In this figure, the engine  103  is mounted low to accommodate the prescribed height of its longer cylinders. When the engine mount  100  is flipped as previously described, the high position of its flange  106  accommodates another type of engine design with shorter combustion cylinders. Referring to  FIG. 4B , a front view of this configuration is shown with the engine mount  100  in its second orientation (with the flange  106  in high position), the bracket  102 , and engine  103 . In this figure, the engine  103  is mounted higher to accommodate the prescribed height of its shorter cylinders. In other words, the engine mount  100  may be flipped into either orientation to accommodate engine integration with the vehicle exhaust system for either series of engine design. While this embodiment accommodates two different series of engines according to engine cylinder height, other embodiments may employ the same flipping design to accommodate engine integration with other motor vehicle systems such as the mechanical linkage from the driveshaft of the engine  103  to the drive-wheels of the vehicle, connection to the exhaust and air intake systems, hydraulic and electrical systems, ventilation/air conditioning, engine cooling, or other known systems or points of engine integration with the vehicle. 
         [0021]    The construction details of the invention as shown in  FIG. 1  are that the engine mount  100  may be made of metal or of any other sufficiently rigid and strong material as to withstand any loads caused either directly or indirectly by the engine  103 . The engine mount  100  may be manufactured by removing material from a single body of material, casting from molten material, assembling from smaller bodies attached to each other by welding or with mechanical fasteners, etc. or any combination thereof so long as those features that define the spatial relationships between the engine mount  100 , the vehicle body  101 , and the engine  103  remain. These features include, but are not limited to the shape and thickness of the flange  106 , the location of the flange  106  relative to the centerline of the body  105  of the engine mount  100 , and the location of the holes  108  relative to the centerline of the body  105 . While the body  105  of the engine mount  100  in this embodiment is substantially cylindrical, the body  105  may take any shape so long as the aforementioned features remain. The bracket  102  is known in the art and may be replaced by any other bracket or multiple brackets or similar hardware known in the art that physically secures the engine mount  100  to the engine  103  in its prescribed location. The engine mount  100  may attach to the vehicle body  101  and the bracket  102  by using any type of known mechanical fastener such as nuts, bolts, screws, rivets, etc. or by otherwise joining such as with welding or adhesives Similarly, the bracket  102  may be attached to the engine  103  with mechanical fasteners, etc. or by otherwise joining such as with welding or adhesives or by any combination thereof. The engine mount  100  is typically accompanied by an identical engine mount supporting the engine  103  at another location on the vehicle body  101  or the vehicle&#39;s frame, preferably on the opposite side of the vehicle&#39;s engine compartment from the described engine mount  100 . This second engine mount is of identical design to that of the described engine mount  100  and may attach to the vehicle body or frame and a bracket (or similar) by any of the same methods as the described engine mount  100 . This second engine mount may be mounted at any height as long as it is also attached to a bracket (or similar) of sufficient height to maintain the prescribed height of the engine  103 . These two engine mounts may also be accompanied by one or more additional mounts or other fastening hardware that connects the engine  103  to the vehicle body  101 . The height at which the engine  103  is mounted, however, is prescribed by the engine mount  100  and its identical counterpart. 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown the engine mount  100  of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  with substantially cylindrical body  105 , and flange  106 . There are also two bushings  104  shown as well as a pin  300 . These components are shown in an exploded view. 
         [0023]    In more detail, still referring to  FIG. 3 , a cavity  301  is shown into which the bushings  104  are pressed. The pin  300  is simply a hollow cylinder or tube that is pressed through the center holes of both bushings  104 . Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the bolt  107  that attaches the engine mount  100  to the vehicle body  101  runs through the center of this pin  300 , which is obscured by other elements in  FIG. 1 . In operation, the cylindrical bodies of the bolt  107 , the pin  300 , the bushings  104 , and the body  105  of the engine mount  100  are all roughly concentric with one another. The center of these concentric bodies is an axis that runs roughly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. 
         [0024]    The construction details of the invention as shown in  FIG. 3  are that the bushings  104  are of known design and that they may be made of rubber, metal or any material that is strong and stiff enough to withstand compressive loads due to engine weight and resistance to engine torque while in operation. Optionally, as a known practice, the bushings  104  may be made of rubber or similar materials of varying hardness in an effort to isolate engine vibration from the vehicle body  101 . In another embodiment, the engine mount  100  may attach directly to the vehicle body  101  without incorporating the pin  300  or the bushings  104 . The pin  300  may be made of metal, plastics, or of any other material rigid and strong enough to prevent contact between the bushings  104  and (referring back to  FIG. 1 ) the bolt  107  attached to the vehicle&#39;s body  101  when subjected to any load caused directly or indirectly by the engine  103 . 
         [0025]    The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, the reduction in manufacturing costs by limiting time spent setting up machine tools and by using material more efficiently. In other words, this one product fills multiple roles in a manufacturer&#39;s product lineup. Also, this design allows customers can maintain a supply of one mount design to serve multiple roles and that the end-user benefits by having more choices of engine designs to swap into their vehicle. These and other advantages of one or more aspects are apparent from consideration of the previous description and accompanying drawings. 
         [0026]    In broad embodiment the present invention is an engine mount that allows two different series of engines to be mounted at two different heights, depending on how the mount is oriented. 
         [0027]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.