Oil management system
First Claim
1. An oil management system, comprising:
- an oil filter utilized in association with an internal combustion engine, wherein said oil filter comprises filtration media for filtering an engine oil associated with said internal combustion engine and is maintained by an oil filter housing;
at least one type of additive contained in said filter housing, wherein said at least one type of additive is automatically released into said engine oil filter from said filter housing in order to replenish at least one type of additive spent in said engine oil to thereby maintain a stable concentration level of said at least one type of additive;
a sensor module that monitors said oil filter and detects at least one attribute of said engine oil filtered through said filtration media of oil filter; and
a management software module residing in a computer memory that collects up-linked sensor data comprising said at least one attribute from said sensor module, wherein said management software module generates a historical analysis of the quality of said engine oil for further analysis and evaluation by a user in order to efficiently conserve and manage said oil and reduce the interval of oil changes thereof by extending the life of said engine oil through the replenishment of said additives present in said engine oil.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An oil management system and oil filter utilized in association with an internal combustion engine. The oil filter comprises high-efficiency filtration media for filtering engine oil associated with the internal combustion engine. At least one type of time release additive can be impregnated into the filtration media, wherein the time release additives are automatically released into the engine oil filter from filtration media in order to replenish additives already present in the engine oil. Additionally, a sensor module can be provided that monitors oil quality and oil filter efficiency through detecting one or more attributes of the engine oil filtered through the filtration media of oil filter in order to efficiently conserve and manage the oil and reduce the interval of oil changes thereof by extending the life of the engine oil through the replenishment of the additives present in the engine oil and higher filtration effectiveness of the filter.
35 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An oil management system, comprising:
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an oil filter utilized in association with an internal combustion engine, wherein said oil filter comprises filtration media for filtering an engine oil associated with said internal combustion engine and is maintained by an oil filter housing; at least one type of additive contained in said filter housing, wherein said at least one type of additive is automatically released into said engine oil filter from said filter housing in order to replenish at least one type of additive spent in said engine oil to thereby maintain a stable concentration level of said at least one type of additive; a sensor module that monitors said oil filter and detects at least one attribute of said engine oil filtered through said filtration media of oil filter; and a management software module residing in a computer memory that collects up-linked sensor data comprising said at least one attribute from said sensor module, wherein said management software module generates a historical analysis of the quality of said engine oil for further analysis and evaluation by a user in order to efficiently conserve and manage said oil and reduce the interval of oil changes thereof by extending the life of said engine oil through the replenishment of said additives present in said engine oil. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14)
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12. An oil management system, comprising:
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an oil filter utilized in association with an internal combustion engine, wherein said oil filter comprises filtration media for filtering an engine oil associated with said internal combustion engine and is maintained by an oil filter housing; at least one type of additive contained in said filter housing, wherein said at least one type of additive is automatically released into said engine oil filter from said filter housing in order to replenish at least one type of additive spent in said engine oil to thereby maintain a stable concentration level of said at least one type of additive; a sensor module that monitors said oil filter and detects at least one attribute of said engine oil filtered through said filtration media of oil filter, wherein said sensor module is located within said oil filter housing and includes a memory unit for storing said sensor data; a management software module residing in a computer memory that collects up-linked sensor data comprising said at least one attribute from said sensor module, wherein said management software module generates a historical analysis of the quality of said engine oil for further analysis and evaluation by a user in order to efficiently conserve and manage said oil and reduce the interval of oil changes thereof by extending the life of said engine oil through the replenishment of said additives present in said engine oil; a wireless module associated with and in communication with said sensor module that permits said sensor data compiled by said sensor module and stored in said memory unit to be transmitted wirelessly to a receiver; and a monitoring device that monitors data transmitted wirelessly from said wireless module and up links said sensor data to said management software module, wherein said monitoring device is associated with said receiver and comprises a second memory unit for maintaining said sensor data transmitted wirelessly from said sensor module. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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15. An oil management system, comprising:
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an oil filter utilized in association with an internal combustion engine, wherein said oil filter comprises high-efficiency filtration media that is at least 95% efficient at a value greater than or equal to at least 5 microns for filtering an engine oil associated with said internal combustion engine and is maintained by an oil filter housing; at least one type of additive impregnated in said filter housing, wherein said at least one type of additive is automatically released into said engine oil filter from said filter housing in order to replenish at least one type of additive spent in said engine oil to thereby maintain a stable concentration level of said at least one type of additive; a sensor module that monitors said oil filter and detects at least one attribute of said engine oil filtered through said high-efficiency filtration media of oil filter in order to efficiently conserve and manage said oil and reduce the interval of oil changes thereof by extending the life of said engine oil through the replenishment of said additives present in said engine oil; a wireless module associated with and in communication with said sensor module that permits sensor data compiled by said sensor module to be transmitted wirelessly to a receiver; a monitoring device that monitors data transmitted wirelessly from said sensor module, wherein said monitoring device is associated with said receiver and comprises a memory for maintaining said data transmitted wirelessly from said sensor module; and a management software module residing in a computer memory that collects sensor data up-linked from said monitoring device, wherein said sensor data is indicative of a quality of said engine oil and wherein said management module generates a historical analysis of the quality of said engine oil for further analysis and evaluation by a user, thereby allowing for accurate maintenance scheduling and productivity analysis for engine fleet owners thereof.
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16. An oil management method, comprising configuring an oil filter utilized in association with an internal combustion engine to comprise filtration media for filtering an engine oil associated with said internal combustion engine;
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maintaining said oil filter by an oil filter housing; containing at least one type of additive in said filter housing, wherein said at least one type of additive is automatically released into said engine oil filter from said filter housing in order to replenish at least one type of additive spent in said engine oil to thereby maintain a stable concentration level of said at least one type of additive; monitoring said oil filter in order to detect at least one attribute of said engine oil filtered through said filtration media of oil filter; and managing said at least one attribute detected therein by a management software module residing in a computer memory in order to generate an historical analysis for further analysis and evaluation by a user to thereby efficiently conserve and manage said oil and reduce the interval of oil changes thereof by extending the life of said engine oil through the replenishment of said additives present in said engine oil. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification