Apparatus for protecting the transmission of a vehicle
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling the temperature of the transmission of a motorized vehicle, comprising:
- a pump for circulating fluid through said transmission; and
means for activating said pump, said activating means being operable to begin activation of said pump when the motor that drives the vehicle is not operating.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for maintaining the temperature of the transmission of a motorized vehicle within safe limits when the vehicle'"'"'s engine is not running. The apparatus includes a pump for circulating fluid through the transmission, the pump being operable independently of the operation of the motor that drives the vehicle. Therefore, a vehicle can be safely towed any distance without the need to elevate the vehicle to prevent the vehicle'"'"'s wheels from turning. In the preferred embodiment, a power source provides power to the pump. A switch selectively connects the power source to the pump to enable the pump to be turned on and off. Fluid is pumped to a radiator through a first fluid flow line connected between the pump and the radiator, and returns to the transmission through a second fluid flow line connected between the transmission and the radiator. A fan is positioned in close proximity to the radiator such that the fan can push air through the radiator. A temperature control circuit controls the operation of the fan by stopping and starting the fan in response to a temperature reading of the fluid that leaves the radiator through the second fluid flow line. The temperature control circuit starts the operation of the fan if the temperature reading is above a predetermined temperature.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling the temperature of the transmission of a motorized vehicle, comprising:
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a pump for circulating fluid through said transmission; and means for activating said pump, said activating means being operable to begin activation of said pump when the motor that drives the vehicle is not operating. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for controlling the temperature of the transmission of a motorized vehicle, comprising:
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a pump for circulating fluid through said transmission; and means for activating said pump, said activating means causing said pump to circulate said fluid through said transmission for one of a plurality of different periods of time selected by a user, wherein the motor that drives the vehicle is not operating during said selected period of time. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An apparatus for controlling the temperature of the transmission of a motorized vehicle, comprising:
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a pump for circulating fluid through said transmission; and means for activating said pump, said activating means causing said pump to circulate said fluid through said transmission; wherein said means for activating said pump can activate or deactivate said pump directly under the control of a user without turning said motor on or off.
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12. A method for controlling the temperature of a transmission of a motorized vehicle, said vehicle comprising a pump for circulating fluid through said transmission, said method comprising the steps of:
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circulating fluid through said transmission, passing said fluid that has been circulated through said transmission through a heat exchanger to thereby reduce the temperature of said fluid, and iteratively repeating said steps of circulating and passing to thereby draw heat away from said transmission, wherein said step of iteratively repeating said steps of circulating and passing is carried out for one of a plurality of different periods of time selected by a user, and wherein said motor that drives the motorized vehicle is not operating during said selected period of time. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for controlling the temperature of a transmission of a motorized vehicle, said vehicle comprising a pump from circulating fluid through said transmission, said method comprising the steps of:
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circulating fluid through said transmission, passing said circulated fluid through a heat exchanger to thereby reduce the temperature of said fluid, and iteratively repeating said steps of circulating and passing to thereby draw heat away from said transmission, wherein said steps of circulating, passing and iteratively repeating are initiated or terminated directly by a user without turning the motor that drives the vehicle on or off.
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Specification