Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/5984281
Timestamp: 2019-11-18 03:49:09
Document Index: 632796674

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 422', 'art 424', 'arts 422', 'art 422', 'art 422', 'art 424', 'art 422', 'art 420', 'art 422', 'arts 422', 'arts 422', 'arts 422', 'arts 422']

US Patent for Carburetor needle valve and limiter cap installation and adjustment apparatus Patent (Patent # 5,984,281 issued November 16, 1999) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents ManualUS Patent for Carburetor needle valve and limiter cap installation and adjustment apparatus Patent (Patent # 5,984,281)
Dec 8, 1997 - Walbro Corporation
FIG. 33 is a fragmentary elevational view of the needle valve assembly as shown in FIG. 32 and thus oriented to be rotated positionally 90.degree. from the showing of FIG. 31;
FIG. 40 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the tip/shank part rotated 90.degree. from its position in FIG. 39 while the head part is held stationary in its position in FIG. 39;
FIGS. 21-41 illustrate a third embodiment of a variable length needle valve that is presently preferred over the first and second embodiments of FIGS. 14-20, and that is also provided in accordance with the present invention. The third embodiment needle valve 420 preferably is a three-piece assembly of a tip/shank part 422, a head part 424 and a compression coil spring 426 (shown only in FIG. 32). As before, those portions of parts 422 and 424 corresponding to like configured portions of the one piece needle valve 320 of the aforesaid parent application, and/or referenced previously herein in conjunction with the two-piece needle valve embodiment 320' of FIGS. 14-19, are given like reference numerals and their description not repeated. Thus the tip/shank part 422 of needle assembly 420 has a main barrel portion 428 with the external threads 106 to engage complementary threads within the carburetor body to enable threaded securement of valve 420 therein and axial adjustment of the needle tip flow control surfaces 104 within a fuel flow passage of the carburetor body. Shank part 422 differs as to the configuration of its structure at its outer end closest to a head part 424 as best shown in FIGS. 22, 23, 31, 32 and 35-42. Thus the head-end portion of tip/shank part 422 is formed with a conical shoulder 430, tapering down from the cylindrical barrel portion 428 at acuted angle A (preferably 70.degree.), to a junction with a cylindrical neck portion 432. Neck 432 extends a short distance axially to a radially extending cross arm portion 434, and a small diameter cylindrical spring keeper stem 436 protrudes axially therefrom (as best seen in FIGS. 22 and 23). Part 420 is preferably manufactured in a Swiss-type precision automatic screw machine as a body of revolution wherein cross arm portion 434 is first lathe-tuned to a cylindrical configuration and then flats 438 and 438' precision ground on opposite sides of portion 434 parallel with one another to form the cross arm configuration as seen in end elevation in FIG. 23; see also FIGS. 35 and 36.
Referring next to FIG. 40 the next step in the assembly procedure is to rotate, as indicated by arrow R in FIG. 40, the tip/shank part 422 one quarter turn (90.degree.) counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 39 to its position shown in FIG. 40. This swings cross arm 434 so that its major axis aligns parallel with the axis of cross passageway 460. Note that the cross arm flats 438 and 440 now are aligned to clear the side surfaces of the abutments 468 and 470. It is to be understood that the parts 422 and 424 are being gripped and pushed tightly together to maintain spring 426 fully compressed during this relative rotation. Once cross arm 434 is so aligned as shown in FIG. 40 and then the push-together grip force released, cross arm 434 is moved to its fully locked position of FIG. 41. The push-apart force exerted on parts 422 and 424 by the bias of spring 426 is sufficient to force parts 422 and 424 axially apart and to hold cross arm 434 seated on the bottom wall of the radial cross passages 462 and 464 as shown in FIG. 41. The two needle parts 422 and 424 are now locked up against both further axial separation as well as relative rotation, and are securely but releasably maintained in this condition by the force of spring 426 so that needle valve 420 will not come apart when handled, transported, stored and fixtured as a unitary assembly. The fully locked up assembly of shank 422 and head 424 to comprise the operative three-piece needle valve assembly 420 is shown in FIG. 42 (as well as in FIGS. 21 and 31-33).
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Patent number: 5984281
Inventors: David D. Hacker (Cass City, MI), Eric L. King (Deford, MI), George M. Pattullo (Caro, MI)
Application Number: 8/986,735
Current U.S. Class: Manual (261/71); Valve Guards (137/382); Needle Valves (261/DIG38); Tamperproof (261/DIG84)
International Classification: F02M 308;