Replaceable Fluid Container

• US 20150291318A1
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Castrol Limited (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: Castrol Limited (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Barnes, Andrew Philip, Brett, Peter Stuart, Goodier, Steven Paul, Harding, Piers Sebastian, Jepps, Gary Keith, O'Malley, Mark, McPherson, Thomas James
• Granted Patent: US 9,878,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/20 External fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/38 Devices for discharging contents containers formed by folding or erecting paper blanks B65D5/72 ; incorporated in removable or non-permanently secured closure members B65D47/00; for discharging thin flat articles B65D83/08
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 1/04 using pressure in working cylinder or crankcase to operate lubricant feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 11/0458 Lubricant filling and draining
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/0483 with a lubricant cartridge for facilitating the change
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/193 with provision for replenishing the cooling medium; with means for preventing leakage of the cooling medium

Abstract

A replaceable fluid container for a vehicle, the container comprising: a housing comprising a fluid reservoir; an outlet port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with a fluid system of the vehicle for supplying fluid from the reservoir to the vehicle; an inlet port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the fluid system of the vehicle for receiving fluid from the engine to the reservoir; and a vent port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the vehicle for allowing gas to be passed into and out from the reservoir, wherein the inlet, outlet and vent ports are arranged on a common end of the housing and are arranged such that the distance between the vent port and the nearest of the inlet port and outlet port is greater than the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port.

Claims

1. A replaceable fluid container for a vehicle, the container comprising:

a housing comprising a fluid reservoir;

an outlet port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with a fluid system of the vehicle for supplying fluid from the reservoir to the vehicle;

an inlet port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the fluid system of the vehicle for receiving fluid from the vehicle to the reservoir; and

a vent port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the vehicle for allowing gas to be passed into and out from the reservoir,

wherein the inlet, outlet and vent ports are arranged on a common end of the housing and are arranged such that the distance between the vent port and the nearest of the inlet port and outlet port is greater than the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which the inlet port, the outlet port and the vent port are arranged in a linear radial alignment on the end of the housing.

5. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one sealing or separating member is provided around at least one of the ports and/or between at least two of the ports.

6. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which the inlet port, outlet port and vent port are arranged on a coupling mechanism.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6 in which the coupling mechanism is arranged such that the container is connectable to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the fluid system of the vehicle by relative movement between the container and the vehicle that is in a linear direction.

8. A container as claimed in claim 6 in which the coupling mechanism is arranged such that the container is connectable to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the fluid system of the vehicle by relative movement between the container and the vehicle that is in a rotational direction.

9. A container as claimed in claim 8 in which the coupling mechanism is arranged such that the container is connected to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the fluid system by relative movement between the container and the vehicle that is in a rotational direction through an angle of less than 360 degrees.

10. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which the reservoir contains a fluid.

11. A container as claimed in claim 10 in which the fluid is an engine lubricating oil composition or a heat exchange fluid for an electric engine.

12. An apparatus comprising a container as claimed in claim 1 in fluidic communication with a fluid system of a vehicle through the inlet port and outlet port and in fluidic communication with the vehicle through the vent port.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which the container is in fluidic communication with a fluid system of a vehicle engine through the inlet port and outlet port and in fluidic communication with the vehicle engine through the vent port.

3. A container as claimed in 1 in which the inlet port, outlet port and vent port are arranged on the end of the housing in non-linear radial alignment such that the radial distance between the vent port and the nearest of the inlet port and outlet port is greater than the radial distance between the inlet port and the outlet port.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3 in which the vent port is arranged radially outermost of the inlet port, outlet port and vent port.

14. (canceled)

15. A replaceable fluid container for an apparatus, the container comprising:

a housing comprising a fluid reservoir;

an outlet port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with a fluid system of the apparatus for supplying fluid from the reservoir to the apparatus;

an inlet port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the fluid system of the apparatus for receiving fluid from the apparatus to the reservoir; and

a vent port arranged on the housing to couple the reservoir in fluidic communication with the apparatus for allowing gas to be passed into and out from the reservoir,

wherein the inlet, outlet and vent ports are arranged on a common end of the housing and are arranged such that the distance between the vent port and the nearest of the inlet port and outlet port is greater than the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port.