Patent ID: 6953019

Claim:
An oil filter assembly, comprising: a filter housing with an oil inflow passageway through which oil is supplied into the filter housing from an oil pan, an oil exhaust passageway communicating with a main oil gallery, and an oil drain passageway through which oil is drained to the oil pan; an oil filter unit disposed within the filter housing to filter the oil flowing into the filter housing; and a drain valve unit being configured to selectively close the oil exhaust passageway and the oil drain passageway in response to whether the oil filter unit is disposed within the filter housing or whether the oil filter is removed from the filter housing, wherein the drain valve unit comprises: a valve housing disposed in the oil exhaust passageway and in the oil drain passageway, the valve housing being provided with a first through hole communicating with the oil exhaust passageway and a second through hole communicating with the oil drain passageway; a plunger slidably disposed within the valve housing, the plunger being able to move between a first position where the plunger closes the first through hole and a second position where the plunger closes the second through hole; and an elastic member elastically supporting the plunger against the valve housing, wherein the oil filter unit comprises: a filter stand disposed within the filter housing; and an oil filter fixedly coupled to the filter stand, wherein the filter stand presses the plunger such that the plunger is positioned to a first position where the plunger closes the second through hole when the filter unit is disposed within the filter housing, and wherein the elastic member urges the plunger such that the plunger is positioned to a second position where the plunger closes the first through hole when the filter unit is removed from the filter housing.