Fluid drain system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12044154-B2
Application number	US-202318241614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2023
Priority date	Dec 12, 2018
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A fluid drain system is provided, comprising: a fluid reservoir having at least two sumps including a first sump having a first hole for draining fluid from the fluid reservoir and a second sump having a second hole for draining fluid from the fluid reservoir; a first drain plug having a first end with a first drive feature configured to be operated with a tool for insertion and removal of the first drain plug into and out of the first hole of the fluid reservoir and a second end with a second drive feature; and a second drain plug having a first end with a third drive feature configured to be engaged by the second drive feature of the first drain plug for insertion and removal of the second drain plug into and out of the second hole of the fluid reservoir.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for removing a drain plug from a fluid reservoir comprising a first sump including a first drain plug and a second sump including a second drain plug arranged in a second fluid hole, the method comprising:
engaging a first drain plug drive feature of the first drain plug with a second drain plug drive feature of the second drain plug such that the first drain plug moves together with the second drain plug; and
moving the first drain plug together with the second drain plug in a first direction while the first drain plug drive feature is engaged with the second drain plug drive feature.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the first drain plug in the first direction while the first drain plug drive feature is engaged with the second drain plug drive feature thereby removes the second drain plug from the second fluid hole.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein engaging the first drain plug drive feature with the second drain plug drive feature includes engaging a first drain plug drive feature with a second drain plug drive feature shaped as one of a triangle, oval, pentagon, heptagon, octagon, logo, alphanumeric character, numeral, and mathematic symbol.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising draining a fluid from at least one of a first fluid hole in the first sump and the second fluid hole in the second sump.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising inserting the second drain plug into the second fluid hole while the first drain plug drive feature is engaged with the second drain plug drive feature.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the first drain plug a second direction toward the second sump while the first drain plug drive feature is engaged with the second drain plug drive feature to engage a plurality of threads on the second drain plug with a plurality of threads on the second fluid hole thereby plugging the second fluid hole with the second drain plug,
wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

7. A method for changing a fluid held within a fluid reservoir having a first hole and a second hole, the method comprising:
draining a first portion of the fluid from the fluid reservoir out of at least one of the first hole and the second hole,
draining a second portion of the fluid from the other of the first hole and the second hole when the first portion of the fluid from the fluid reservoir is less than a total amount of the fluid held within the fluid reservoir,
wherein the draining the second portion of the fluid from the other of the first hole and the second hole includes removing a first drain plug from the other of the first hole and the second hole using a second drain plug that is designed to both to plug the at least one of the first hole and the second hole and to refrain from plugging the other of the at least one of the first hole and the second hole.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
engaging the first drain plug having a first drain plug first end and a first drain plug second end with the second drain plug at a second drain plug first end;
rotating the first drain plug while the first drain plug second end is engaged with the second drain plug first end,
wherein rotating the first drain plug while the first drain plug second end is engaged with the second drain plug first end disengages a plurality of threads formed on a second drain plug second end with a plurality of threads on the second hole of the fluid reservoir; and

removing the second drain plug from the second hole of the fluid reservoir.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
identifying a first marking and a second marking on the fluid reservoir and carrying out the removing, inserting and rotating according to information provided by the first marking and the second marking.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising removing the first drain plug from the first hole of the fluid reservoir, wherein removing the first drain plug includes inserting a standard hand tool into a first drive feature formed on the first drain plug first end.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein engaging the first drain plug with a first end of the second drain plug includes inserting a first drive feature formed at the first drain plug second end into a second drive feature formed at the second drain plug first end.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein inserting the first drive feature formed at the first drain plug second end into the second drive feature formed at the second drain plug first end further comprises mating a shape of the first drive feature with a shape of the second drive feature; and
wherein the shape of the first drive feature and the shape of the second drive feature is one of a triangle, oval, pentagon, heptagon, octagon, logo, alphanumeric character, numeral, and mathematic symbol.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
rotating the first drain plug while the first drain plug second end is engaged with the second drain plug first end to insert the second drain plug into the second hole;
engaging the plurality of threads formed on the second drain plug with the plurality of threads on the second hole; and
disengaging the first drain plug from the second drain plug.

14. A fluid drain system, comprising:
a drain plug configured for insertion and removal into and out of a first hole in a fluid reservoir, the drain plug having at least one drive feature configured to engage with at least one drive feature in a complementary drain plug for insertion and removal of the complementary drain plug into and out of a second hole in the fluid reservoir,
wherein the complementary drain plug is removable by engaging the at least one drive feature of the drain plug with the at least one drive feature of the complementary drain plug thereby causing the drain plug and complementary drain plug to move together.

15. The fluid drain system of claim 14 , wherein the drain plug has a different size than the complementary drain plug so as to inhibit at least one of insertion of the drain plug into the second hole and insertion of the complementary drain plug into the first hole.

16. The fluid drain system of claim 14 , further comprising the complementary drain plug, and wherein the at least one drive feature of the complementary drain plug disallows mating with a standard tool.

17. The fluid drain system of claim 14 , wherein the complementary drain plug further comprises a plurality of threads configured to engage with a plurality of threads on the second hole in the fluid reservoir.

18. The fluid drain system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one drive feature of the drain plug and the complementary drain plug is one of a triangle, oval, pentagon, heptagon, octagon, logo, alphanumeric character, numeral, and mathematic symbol.

19. The fluid drain system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one drive feature of the drain plug is formed as a protrusion for insertion into the at least one drive feature of the complementary drain plug.

20. The fluid drain system of claim 14 , further comprising the fluid reservoir, and wherein the fluid reservoir includes markings to provide instructions to drain fluid from the first hole before draining fluid from the second hole.

Assignees

• Cummins Inc

Inventors

• Griffin Jason R
• Pawar Ajit R
• Nunes Norberto
• Alden Glen R
• Kemnitzer Mathias

Classifications

• F01M2011/0416

  Plugs · CPC title

• F01M11/0458

  Lubricant filling and draining · CPC title

• F01M11/0408 Primary

  Sump drainage devices, e.g. valves, plugs · CPC title