Oil filter crushing apparatus
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for crushing used oil filters to reclaim residual oil therefrom before disposing of the filters, said apparatus comprising:
- a rigid frame having a base and an oil filter platform cooperating with said base for supporting an oil filter on end;
a ram having a ram rod slidably supported by said frame for longitudinal movement toward and away from said base and a crushing head secured to the end of said rod spaced from said base, the crushing head being configured to engage and crush the oil filter;
an air spring having a rigid first end retaining portion secured to said frame, a rigid second end retaining portion secured to said ram, and an intermediate elastic flex member extending between and interconnecting said retaining portions and defining an enclosed expandable chamber for selectively receiving a pressurized gas therein, wherein the receipt of pressurized gas causes said spring to expand between said frame and said ram to displace said crushing head from an unactuated position to an actuated position, crushing the filter interposed between said crushing head and said base;
a gas supply valve disposed in fluid communication with said enclosed expandable chamber;
a door disposed to limit access to the oil filter platform when said door is in a closed position; and
a safety valve disposed for cooperation with said door, said safety valve being configured to prevent gas flow into said enclosed expandable chamber when said door is in an open position.
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Abstract
An oil filter crushing apparatus includes a frame on which is mounted a filter platform configured to receive a used oil filter for crushing. An air spring actuating device is secured within the frame, and a ram is secured to a lower end of the air spring. A control valve regulates the flow of a pressurized gas into the air spring which then forces the ram toward the filter platform to crush the filter. A safety pneumatic circuit prevents inadvertent actuation of the ram.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for crushing used oil filters to reclaim residual oil therefrom before disposing of the filters, said apparatus comprising:
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a rigid frame having a base and an oil filter platform cooperating with said base for supporting an oil filter on end; a ram having a ram rod slidably supported by said frame for longitudinal movement toward and away from said base and a crushing head secured to the end of said rod spaced from said base, the crushing head being configured to engage and crush the oil filter; an air spring having a rigid first end retaining portion secured to said frame, a rigid second end retaining portion secured to said ram, and an intermediate elastic flex member extending between and interconnecting said retaining portions and defining an enclosed expandable chamber for selectively receiving a pressurized gas therein, wherein the receipt of pressurized gas causes said spring to expand between said frame and said ram to displace said crushing head from an unactuated position to an actuated position, crushing the filter interposed between said crushing head and said base; a gas supply valve disposed in fluid communication with said enclosed expandable chamber; a door disposed to limit access to the oil filter platform when said door is in a closed position; and a safety valve disposed for cooperation with said door, said safety valve being configured to prevent gas flow into said enclosed expandable chamber when said door is in an open position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for crushing objects, the apparatus comprising:
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a frame having a base for supporting an oil filter or the like on end; a ram movably mounted within the frame, the ram being configured to move between an unactuated position and an actuated position towards said base; an air spring mounted within said frame, the air spring including an elastic flex member configured to receive said pressurized gas, wherein upon receipt of said pressurized gas said air spring expands and exerts a force against said ram to move said ram toward said actuated position; a pressurized gas inlet member connected to the air spring to allow pressurized gas flow into the air spring; a housing surrounding at least a portion of said frame, said housing having an opening through which the oil filter is moved to place it on said base; a door pivotably mounted to said housing opening, said door being configured for movement between an open position and a closed position; and a pneumatic safety circuit connected between said gas inlet and said air spring, said pneumatic safety circuit including a supply valve which controls gas flow into said air spring and a door valve that cooperates with said door to prevent the flow of pressurized gas to said air spring when said door is in said open position. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for crushing objects, the apparatus comprising;
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a frame having a base for supporting an oil filter or the like on end; a ram movably mounted within the frame, the ram being configured to move between an unactuated position and an actuated position towards said base; an air spring mounted within said frame, the air spring including an elastic flex member configured to receive said pressurized gas, wherein upon receipt of said pressurized gas said air spring expands and exerts a force against said ram to move said ram toward said actuated position; a pressurized gas inlet member connected to the air spring to allow pressurized gas flow into the air spring; a housing surrounding at least a portion of said frame, said housing having an opening through which the oil filter is moved to place it on said base; a door pivotably mounted to said housing opening, said door being configured for movement between an open position and a closed position; and a pneumatic safety circuit connected between said gas inlet and said air spring said pneumatic safety circuit including a supply valve which controls gas flow into said air spring and a door valve that cooperates with said door to prevent the flow of pressurized gas to said air spring when said door is in said open position, wherein said pneumatic safety circuit includes a pneumatically actuated supply valve having a pressure sensitive actuator port, said supply valve being actuated by sufficient pneumatic pressure at said actuator port to allow said pressurized gas to flow into said air spring. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for crushing oil filters, the apparatus comprising:
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a frame having a base for supporting an oil filter or the like on end; a ram movably mounted within the frame, the ram being configured to move between an unactuated position and an actuated position towards said base; an air spring mounted within said frame, the air spring including an elastic flex member configured to receive said pressurized gas, wherein upon receipt of said pressurized gas said air spring expands and exerts a force against said ram to move said ram toward said actuated position; a pressurized gas inlet member connected to the air spring to allow pressurized gas flow into the air spring; and a pneumatic timer including an air line and a bleed orifice connected between said pressurized gas inlet and said air spring to control the length of time pressurized gas is supplied to said air spring, wherein the timing is controlled by the volume of said air line and the size of said bleed orifice.
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Specification