AU770973B2 - Absorbent drip pad assembly - Google Patents

Description

F T F 10471

ORIGINAL

Complete Specification oooooo a a oo e Applicant: Inventor: Title: Address for Service: Thomas Lamont Thomas Lamont Absorbent drip pad assembly LESICAR PERRIN, 168 South Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to melus: Absorbent Drip Pad Assembly The present invention relates to an absorbent drip pad assembly which is attached and suspended from the underside of a vehicle or machinery so as to collect leaking oils, grease, brake fluid and other fluid spillage. The pad may be used in cars, trucks, buses and stationary engines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Oil, grease and other fluids are known to drop from the underside of an engine and vehicles including the engine, crankcase, transmission and differential. Not only o• •may this be due to wear, but also deterioration of seals and gaskets. Such fluids 10 generally not only drip on the road but also on garage floors and driveways just to mention two. Not only is this unsightly, it presents a danger due to tyre slippage and further contaminates natural waterways by being washed into stormwater drains. In addition, the oil itself is wasted for it may be recycled and used in other circumstances.

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15 Further such fluids are inflammable and may be slippery and can transfer from one vehicle to another and to people's shoes. Over the years various efforts have been made to protect such areas against the accumulation of oil, grease and hydraulic fluids by the use of drip pans or other receptacles into which the oil, grease or other fluid may descend and accumulate.

Oil drip catchers are known but generally they include a pan designed to collect any spilled fluid and which then has to be cleaned. Further, the fluid is free to move across the pan leading to potential escape due to wind and vehicle motion. Further, a number of existing oil drip pans are difficult to install and remove and there is always the danger that being a rigid structure can suffer damage from coming into contact with the ground. Further still there are no known drip pad assemblies that 3 may be quickly serviced and where the collected oil may then be further used and/or recycled.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for an absorbent drip pad assembly that overcomes at least some of the abovementioned problems or provides the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore in one aspect of the invention though this need not be the only or indeed the broadest form there is proposed a disposable drip pad assembly adapted for 1 suspension under a vehicle and/or machinery so as to collect leaking fluids 10 including; e#oo•a bottom mesh layer; a layer of waterproof material mounted on said mesh layer; a layer of oil-absorbent material mounted on said waterproof material; and a retaining means so as to lock the mesh, waterproof layer and absorbent layer in place.

Preferably said assembly further includes an attachment means so as to mount said assembly on the underside of a vehicle and/or machinery.

Preferentially said retaining means is a mesh layer. This assist in maintaining some airflow around the underside of the engine.

Preferably the bottom mesh layer and the retaining means are formed from one mesh folded in half.

Preferably the attachment means are hooks adapted to engage apertures on the chassis of said vehicle or machinery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an absorbent drip assembly attached to the underside of a vehicle; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the assembly; S.i i Figure 3 is a perspective view of an assembly with hook type 10 attachment for attaching to the underside of a vehicle; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an assembly with a sliding type arrangement for attaching to a vehicle; Figure 5 is a perspective view of an assembly incorporating a heat shield; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a typical locking means for the assembly; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of an assembly with additional longitudinal supports; DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.

Shown in Figure 1 is a disposable oil absorbent drip pad assembly 10 shown suspended from the underside of vehicle 12. While the drip pad assembly 10 may be suspended in any position under the vehicle along its length, in Figure 1 it is shown suspended from the vehicle engine 14 by the use of appropriate hooks 16. It is however to be understood that the disposable drip pad assembly 10 may be suspended from the vehicle transmission or from the vehicle differential or from any 10 other part upon the under surface of the vehicle or machinery where there may be need to collect dripping oils and other fluids.

Illustrated in Figure 2 is a typical construction of the oil drip pad assembly including a wire mesh 18 constructed of a suitable material such as metal, fibreglass or other suitable material and having both a bottom portion 20 and a top portion 22 15 connected by a side 24 to thereby define a cage. A waterproof layer such as an aluminium foil layer 26 is mounted on and supported by the bottom portion 20 and acts so as to trap any fluid from passing through an absorbent layer 28. The absorbent layer is selected so as to be absorbent of fluids such as oil, generally impervious to heat and posing sufficient internal strength so as to not be able to be torn when under the subject of high winds. There are may known materials that are highly oil absorbent and are resistive to tearing and to heat, whilst being pliable enough to be easily removed form the cage for replacement. Further they may be combustible to thereby be able to be recycled in furnaces and the like.

The oil absorbent layer is further chosen to be hydrophobic and thereby resist the accumulation of any water within the drip pad assembly. The wire mesh, as shown in Figure 3, thus provides a suitable cage within which is fixedly held both the bottom waterproof layer and the absorbent pad. The use of a wire mesh as opposed to a solid plate assist in both reducing the total weight of the assembly, in providing the ability of visual inspection of the pad and for assisting in the cooling of the oil absorbed within the pad. The mesh is easily pliable and amenable to shaping. For example, if the assembly needed to be slightly curved the mesh would accommodate such a curvature. In addition, the mesh clearly allows air to circulate more so that a solid assembly to thereby assist in cooling not only the pad but also the engine components.

Means are then provided to attach the assembly to the underside of a machine or vehicle, in this embodiment being flexible hooks 34 engaging apertures located on the vehicle chassis. The cage is held in the fixed position by the use of clips 36 that keep the top portion of the mesh from folding open.

10 An alternative method of attaching the assembly to a vehicle may include the use of L-shaped channels 38 mounted on the vehicle, which support the assembly. Such a system is illustrated in Figure 4. To mount and dismount the assembly it is simply slid along said sliding channels and may be locked in place by a locking means (not shown).

Also shown in Figure 4 is a strip of tape 39 that extends around the edges of the cage so as to provide protection against the sharp ends of the wire mesh. The tape may be chosen from different materials that provide good adhesion to the mesh whilst being resistant to oils and heat. Besides tape, one may very well use a plastic sleeve or the like.

Located on the top surface of the cage may be one or more heat shields 30 held in place by screws 32 and providing a heat shield form hot elements such as the exhaust system, this shown in Figure 5. Of course it is to be understood that the shield may be provided separately and mounted around, for example, the exhaust pipe, so as to provide thermal protection to the assembly.

In an alternate embodiment the mesh need not be used to construct a cage, but rather as illustrate in Figure 6, the pad is retained on top of the mesh by the use of Ushaped bars 40 that retain the pad in position.

Further, channels 42 may be used along the top of the assembly so as to provide support when the assembly is of a longer construction. This is shown in Figure 7.

Thus one may see that the present invention provides for an assembly constructed of a wire mesh of an appropriate size so that when folded in half it forms a cage within which is mounted first a waterproof layer and then an absorbent pad. Typically the wire mesh is formed from galvanised cyclone wire mesh. The wire may be rolled out, measured and cut to double the length of an engine block it is to fit. At half point the wire is partially cut to enable it to be easily folded in to a pizza-box shape.

When the oil has been collected for some time, the cage, which is kept in shape by 10 the use or appropriate retainers such as tie hooks, is opened and the absorbent pad removed. It may then be used to recover the oil or alternatively may even be used as o a fuel source in suitable furnaces.

The assembly prevents oils and even oil removing detergents and corrosive chemicals form being washed into stormwater drains and prevents unsightly stains.

It further improves the safety of roads and driveways.

Of course, the pad assembly can extend underneath the whole engine bay and does not have to be simply positioned underneath the engine itself, but may also extend :r °under the radiator and other car components that may leak fluid.

In replacing the pad, the user may very well have a compressed pad sitting as a spare in the boot of a car. When the current pad has absorbed as much oil as it is likely to, the pad can be simply rolled out and replaced. Alternatively it may be simply replaced during maintenance servicing of the vehicle and./or machinery.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the 8 scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

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Claims (4)

1. A disposable drip pad assembly adapted for suspension under a vehicle and/or machinery so as to collect leaking fluids including: a bottom mesh layer; a layer of waterproof material mounted on said mesh layer; a layer of oil-absorbent material mounted on said waterproof material; a retaining means which secures said mesh, said waterproof layer and said oil- absorbent layer in place; and at least one heat shield adapted to protect said mesh, said waterproof layer and said oil-absorbent layer from heat radiating elements of said vehicle and/or machinery.

2. An assembly as in claim 1 further including an attachment means so as to mount said assembly on the underside of a vehicle and/or machinery.

3. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said retaining means is a mesh layer.

4. An assembly as in claim 2 wherein the bottom mesh layer and the retaining means are formed from one mesh folded in half. An assembly as in any one of the above claims wherein the attachment means are 0 0 hooks adapted to engage apertures on the chassis of said vehicle or machinery. 0oo 0 6 oo o 0 oo o 6. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein the assembly is attached to the underside of o o said vehicle and/or machinery by channels that engage the bottom of said oo 25 assembly. o 7. An assembly as in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the retaining means are U- o00 oo oo o shaped bars extending over the top of said oil-absorbent material. o .0000 8. An assembly as in any one of the above claims where said oil-absorbent material o Goo S.oo is hydrophobic. 0 0000o