Abstract:
A drain pan including a reservoir, a tray extendable from the oil pan, retractable legs of the bottom of the reservoir and a drain near the bottom of the reservoir. When oil is being drained into the reservoir, the tray catches spills and channels spilled liquid into the reservoir. When the reservoir is to be emptied, the legs are extended, allowing simplified flow from the drain to a storage container for used drained fluid.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from provisional application Ser. No. 61/028,037 filed Apr. 22, 2008. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to a device allowing the draining and capture of viscous liquids (e.g., motor oil) from an engine. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for use in changing viscous liquids from an engine that allows capture of the viscous liquid and prevents spills onto ground surfaces below the engine. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    To keep motor vehicles in proper operating condition requires periodically changing various viscous liquids, such as motor oil. This is generally accomplished by removing a drain plug from the crankcase and allowing the oil to drain. At the same time the oil filter is also replaced. During this process a low profile drain pan is placed below the crank case to catch the oil. In its simplest form, this may simply be a metal or plastic pan. Once the oil is drained, a new oil filter is secured into place and the crankcase plug is replaced. Clean oil is then added to replace the drained oil. After the oil has been changed, there remains a need to dispose of used oil. This is generally accomplished by draining the oil from the pan into one or more containers, and then taking the used oil to a recycling center or placing the oil curbside for municipal pickup. 
         [0004]    The process can be quite messy. During oil changing the oil tend to drip from the crankcase and from the area where the filter is attached. When the oil is being changed the oil drain pan, positioned to catch the oil flow from the crank case, may allow dripping from the location of the oil filter. This causes spills onto the surface below the vehicle. 
         [0005]    Once the dirty oil has been collected in the oil drain pan, the oil must be discarded. This requires transferring the oil into a container for transport to a recycling center. Generally a funnel is placed at the opening of the container and the oil is drained from the pan. However, it commonly requires both hands to hold the oil drain pan as several quarts of oil are poured into containers. This makes the use of a funnel and a container much less stable and liable to spill. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The present device includes an oil drain pan having a drain pan reservoir. A drain on the reservoir allows oil to be removed from the reservoir after oil has been changed. This drain may be a tube on the bottom of one side of the drain pan, or a spout on the underside of the drain pan. A valve controls flow from the drain. The oil drain pan includes a retractable tray mounted on the drain pan. This retractable tray is retractable into the pan reservoir, and extendable from one pan side wall. The retractable tray is configured such that when said drain pan is on a level surface liquid spilling onto the extended drain pan will drain towards the pan reservoir. This tray may include side lips to contain oil and may be shaped with sloping sides such that liquid falling onto the drain pan flows to the centerline of the tray. The tray is mounted on angled slots such that there is a front to back slope of the tray to the reservoir. The oil drain pan also includes retractable legs mounted on the drain pan bottom. These retractable legs are extendable to allow said reservoir to be raised from an underlying surface or retracted such that the reservoir is not raised from an underlying surface. The front legs may be shorter than the rear legs, such that when the legs are extended, the reservoir will tilt toward the drain. This makes draining the reservoir easier and quicker. The legs may be retracted for easy storage. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an oil drain pan. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an oil drain pan with the legs extended. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    With respect to  FIG. 1 , an oil drain pan is shown having a pan reservoir  12  into which oil could drain during an oil change. This reservoir is defined by a drain pan bottom  14 , a back wall  16 , a front wall  22  and side walls  18 ,  20 . Extending from the top of walls  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22  is a lip  24 , which extends towards the center of the reservoir. In some embodiments lip  24  may be angled downwards slightly. This lip prevents spilling as the drain pan is moved. During such movement, the oil in the pan may tend to slosh in the reservoir and could slop over the side of the oil drain pan. The edge lip inhibits this from occurring. 
         [0010]    On the side of the drain pan is a handle  30 . A second handle is on the opposite side of the drain pan (shown in dotted). These handles allow the drain pan to be carried. Within reservoir  12  may be stored a pull out tray  50 . This tray is mounted on sides  18 ,  20  of the oil drain pan, mounted on angled slots  64 ,  66 . The tray includes angled slots on two sidewalls extending from the edge of lip  24  at the front of the oil drain pan into the drain pan. The angle of the slots should be sufficiently shallow to allow for the tray to be retracted without contact with the oil in the drain reservoir  12 . The edges of pull out tray  50  may contain side lips  56  to contain oil. In addition, the tray may also contain a center line  54  towards which the sides of the tray are angled. Both the side lips  56  and the center groove act to channel spilled oil back into reservoir  12 . A pull handle  52  allows the tray  50  to be more easily pulled out and retracted. 
         [0011]    The tray includes feet  46   a ,  46   b ,  46   c  (fourth foot not shown) that may be the hinged ends of each leg. When the oil is being drained, the oil drain pan rests on these feet on a surface below the vehicle. 
         [0012]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , during an oil change, the oil drain pan is placed below a vehicle, with feet  46   a - 46   c  collapsed horizontally with the bottom of oil pan resting on ground surface. The tray  50  may then be extended out by pulling from handle  52 . When the tray is extended, valve  60  is not seen. The shape of tray  50  prevents the tray from pulling out of slots  64 ,  66 . For example the end of the tray may be thicker or be bent to prevent the tray from leaving slots  64 ,  66 . Once the tray is extended, the plug from the crank case can be removed and the oil filter removed and replaced. Oil dripping from the oil filter or the filter mount will be collected by the tray and will drain into reservoir  12 . Oil from the crank case will drain directly into reservoir  12 . Once the new filter is on and the crankcase plug replaced, the tray  50  can be retracted on slots  64  and  66  and the oil drain pan removed. The lip  24  will prevent spillage. Handles  30  and  30   a  can be used to carry the oil drain pan. Following oil collection, the oil drain pan must be emptied. Extendable legs  44   a ,  44   b  are attached to hinge  42   a  and  42   b  or  46   a  and  46   b  in case leg hinges and feet are combined. Two latches  40  and  40   a  allows release of legs  44   a ,  44   b ,  44   c  and  44   d  so that the legs can drop into place and support the oil drain pan. Legs  44   c ,  44   d  are similarly mounted on a hinges and have a release latch under the lifting handle  30   a . In one simple embodiment, the handle could extend below the hinge, and flexible protrusions on a side of the oil pan and the bottom of the oil pan could hold the handle in place. 
         [0013]    In one embodiment, the front legs  44   b ,  44   d , are slightly shorter than the rear legs  44   a ,  44   c . In the front of the tray is a drain control valve  60 . This valve may be lifted to allow oil to drain from drain spout  62 . Alternatively (or in addition) a side drain spout  70  having a ball valve, pressure clip or other release may be included. Either drain would be near the bottom of the reservoir, either on a side or on the bottom. Once the oil drain pan legs are extended, the pan would be placed on floor surface/ground. The longer rear legs and shorter front legs angle the oil drain pan such that oil will drain from the reservoir towards the drains. A container then could be place with the drain inserted into the opening of a container or just over the opening of a container. The drain would then be opened and the dirty oil would fill into the container. 
         [0014]    The present device could be made of metal, plastic (e.g., extruded plastics) or some combination of these or other materials. 
         [0015]    After use, the tray may be retracted and the legs folded, allowing compact storage. No funnel is required. This provides a convenient way to transfer used oil to a container by opening the collapsed legs in the bottom of pan. The collapsed legs are opened by lifting pan high enough by holding handles on both sides of the pan ( 30  and  30   a ). Oil pan is lifted upwards high enough to accommodate the height of the legs that are opened by pressing release latch on both sides below the carrying handle ( 40  and  40   a ) and then allowed to sit on the support of open legs now. Collapsed legs can also be opened by using spring wire mechanism attached to legs. At this stage the oil pan sits on ground at a slope based on slightly short front legs towards drain valve and high enough to place a container under the drain spout  62  or using side drain valve  70  from the side of the oil pan. This allows a convenient handling of containers to be filled for disposal/recycling and eliminates a messy job of holding pan and pouring oil at the same time.