Patent ID: 7341136

Claim:
A hydraulic fluid plenum plate assembly in a torque-coupling assembly, said plenum plate assembly rotatably mounted to a rotatable coupling case of said torque-coupling assembly so as to form a plenum chamber between said plenum plate assembly and said coupling case, said coupling case having at least one inlet port fluidly connecting said plenum chamber with a hydraulic pump disposed within said coupling case, said hydraulic fluid plenum plate assembly comprising: a hydraulic fluid pickup tube for supplying a hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic fluid reservoir to said plenum chamber; said hydraulic fluid pickup tube having an inlet end and an outlet end; said inlet end of said pickup tube having an inlet opening submerged in the hydraulic fluid in said hydraulic fluid reservoir; said outlet end of said pickup tube having an outlet opening fluidly connecting said pickup tube with said plenum chamber, said outlet opening of said pickup tube disposed above said at least one inlet port in said coupling case at any angular position of said coupling case relative to said plenum plate assembly.