阅读说明：本技术 用于提供预充油体积更换的油壳体、过滤器元件和阀调组件 (Oil housing, filter element and valving assembly for providing a pre-filled oil volume change ) 是由 M.A.马丁 P.爱德华兹 K.B.巴布 R.阿胡贾 于 2018-04-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于提供预充油过滤器的壳体和阀调组件,其中,壳体能够与安装接口进行接口连接,其中,壳体被配置成在移除时保留一定体积的被污染的油,并且其中,阀调组件被配置成在从安装接口插入和移除壳体时使油泄漏最小化。(A housing and valving assembly for providing a pre-filled oil filter, wherein the housing is capable of interfacing with a mounting interface, wherein the housing is configured to retain a volume of contaminated oil upon removal, and wherein the valving assembly is configured to minimize oil leakage upon insertion and removal of the housing from the mounting interface.)

1. An oil filtration system, the system comprising:

a mounting interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit;

a housing, the housing further comprising:

an inlet disposed about an end portion of the housing;

An outlet disposed about a central axis of the end portion of the housing;

A first inner sealing member configured to seal to an outer portion of the contaminated conduit;

A second internal sealing member configured to seal the filtered fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from the contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit and to separate the filtered fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from the contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit when in an installed state;

a valve disposed about the outlet, the valve configured to be biased in a closed position in an uninstalled state and configured to remain open in an installed state;

Wherein, upon removal, the valve is configured to close before either the first internal sealing member or the second internal sealing member is released; and is

wherein the first inner sealing member is configured to release a respective seal of the second inner sealing member after release of the respective seal.

2. The oil filtration system of claim 1, the system further comprising:

An actuation member extending from the clean conduit and configured to extend into the outlet and actuate the valve.

3. The oil filtration system of claim 1, the system further comprising:

a secondary contaminated-side valve configured to be biased in a closed position, the contaminated-side valve configured to open in the installed state in response to a positive pressure disposed in the contaminated conduit.

4. The oil filtration system of claim 3, wherein the secondary contaminated-side valve is provided with a spring to bias the secondary contaminated-side valve in a closed position.

5. the oil filtration system of claim 1, wherein the mounting interface further comprises:

a first annular protrusion; and

A second annular protrusion;

wherein the first annular protrusion forms the clean conduit therein, and wherein the first inner sealing member is configured to abut against an inner surface of the first annular protrusion along a first axial distance between the installed and disengaged states.

6. The oil filtration system of claim 5, wherein the second inner seal of the second inner seal member is configured to abut against the second annular protrusion along a second axial distance between the installed condition and a second disengaged condition.

7. the oil filtration system of claim 3, wherein the housing comprises a sealed interior volume between the valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation.

8. A method of installing a filter assembly, the method comprising:

Providing a mounting interface on a piece of equipment, the mounting interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit;

Providing a filter assembly comprising:

a housing, the housing further comprising:

an inlet disposed about an end portion of the housing;

An outlet disposed about a central axis of the end portion of the housing;

A first internal sealing member configured to seal clean fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit and to separate the clean fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from the contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit when in an installed state about the installation interface;

a second internal sealing member configured to seal a peripheral portion of the housing to the mounting interface;

A valve disposed about the outlet, the valve configured to be biased in a closed position in an uninstalled state and configured to remain open in an installed state;

Positioning the clean outlet of the filter assembly around the clean conduit of the mounting interface;

rotating the filter assembly, thereby causing the filter assembly to axially translate into the mounting interface such that the first and second internal sealing members engage with the mounting interface.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

Providing an actuation member extending from the clean conduit, the actuation member configured to extend into the outlet and actuate the valve.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

Providing a secondary contaminated side valve configured to be biased in a closed position;

Operating the piece of equipment so as to create a positive pressure within the contaminated conduit and thereby cause the contaminated side valve to open and permit flow therethrough.

11. the method of claim 10, further comprising:

Providing a spring to the secondary contaminated side valve, wherein the spring is configured to bias the secondary contaminated side valve in a closed position.

12. the method of claim 8, wherein the mounting interface further comprises:

a first annular protrusion; and

A second annular protrusion;

Wherein the first annular protrusion forms the clean conduit therein, and wherein the first inner sealing member is configured to abut against an inner surface of the first annular protrusion along a first axial distance between the installed and disengaged states.

13. the method of claim 12, wherein the second inner seal of the second inner seal member is configured to abut against the second annular protrusion along a second axial distance between the installed condition and a second disengaged condition.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a sealed interior volume between the valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein the filter assembly is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation.

15. the method of claim 10, further comprising:

removing the filter assembly by rotating the filter assembly in opposite directions, thereby causing opposite axial translations, wherein the opposite axial translations allow the first and second internal sealing members to release, and wherein the opposite axial translations also allow the valve to close.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein upon removal, the first internal sealing member is configured to release its respective seal prior to any release of the seal of the second internal sealing member.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the housing comprises a sealed interior volume between the valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein, upon removal, the filter assembly retains a volume of contaminated oil from the piece of equipment.

18. An oil filtration system, the system comprising:

a mounting interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit, the mounting interface further comprising:

A first annular protrusion forming the purge conduit therein; and

a second annular protrusion;

A housing, the housing further comprising:

An inlet disposed about an end portion of the housing;

An outlet disposed about a central axis of the end portion of the housing;

A first internal sealing member configured to seal filtered fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit and to separate filtered fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from the contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit when in an installed state about the installation interface;

a second internal sealing member configured to seal a peripheral portion of the housing to the mounting interface;

A valve disposed about the outlet, the valve configured to be biased in a closed position in an uninstalled state and configured to remain open in an installed state;

an actuation member extending from the clean conduit and configured to extend into the outlet and open the valve;

wherein the first inner seal member is configured to abut against an inner surface of the first annular protrusion along a first axial distance between the installed and disengaged states; and

Wherein, upon removal, the first inner sealing member is configured to release its respective seal prior to any release of the seal of the second inner sealing member.

19. the oil filtration system of claim 18, further comprising:

A secondary contaminated-side valve configured to be biased in a closed position, the contaminated-side valve configured to open in the installed state in response to a positive pressure disposed in the contaminated conduit; and is

Wherein the housing comprises a sealed interior volume between the valve and the contaminated side valve in the uninstalled state, and wherein the housing contains a volume of oil therein.

20. The oil filtration system of claim 19, wherein the secondary contaminated-side valve is provided with a spring to bias the secondary contaminated-side valve in a closed position.

21. A partial oil change facilitation system, the system comprising:

a mounting interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit;

A housing, the housing further comprising:

an inlet disposed about an end portion of the housing;

An outlet also disposed about the end portion of the housing;

a first inner sealing member configured to seal to an outer portion of the contaminated conduit;

A second internal sealing member configured to seal the filtered fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from the contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit and to separate the filtered fluid exiting the outlet into the clean conduit from the contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit when in an installed state;

a valve disposed about the outlet, the valve configured to be biased in a closed position in an uninstalled state and configured to remain open in an installed state;

wherein, upon removal, the valve is configured to close before either the first internal sealing member or the second internal sealing member is released; and is

Wherein the first inner sealing member is configured to release a respective seal of the second inner sealing member after release of the respective seal.

22. An oil filtration system, the system comprising:

A housing, the housing further comprising:

An inlet disposed about an end portion of the housing;

an outlet disposed about a central axis of the end portion of the housing;

A contaminated side valve interfacing with the inlet;

A clean valve interfaced with the outlet; and

A filter media disposed in a fluid path between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve.

23. the oil filtration system of claim 22, wherein the contaminated-side valve is a one-way valve configured to open when exposed to positive fluid pressure from the direction of the inlet and close when the fluid pressure is below a specified pressure.

24. The oil filtration system of claim 22, wherein a volume of oil can be stored in the fluid path in a non-use state.

25. the oil filtration system of claim 22, wherein the purge valve is configured to open when engaged with a mount, but otherwise maintain a closed position for retaining oil in the fluid path.

Technical Field

the present disclosure relates generally to the field of oil filtration and methods of replacing oil and replacing filter elements thereof.

Background

When using motorized machines, and in particular in the field of vehicles, various fluids for lubrication are used, such as oils. In particular, it is advantageous to ensure that the lubricating oil is clean and functions properly. To ensure oil cleanliness, these fluid streams are often filtered and the fluid itself is periodically replaced at desired maintenance intervals. Accordingly, the oil filter and other filter elements are replaced or cleaned periodically in order to increase the useful life of the machine or vehicle. In the past, replacing the lube oil along with the associated filter has proven to be a time consuming and cumbersome process. In particular, depending on the filter orientation, the removal of the used filter element can contain used oil which, when detached from the mount or housing, can then drip, drain or otherwise escape from the filter element and thus result in further requirements for cleaning the apparatus itself or the floor or ground below the apparatus. Furthermore, the discharge and refill process of the used oil can also be cumbersome and time consuming, as well as difficult to dispose of when completed.

Disclosure of Invention

Contemplated herein is a system and a method for providing an engine or a piece of machinery with a filter or housing having a quantity of clean oil sealingly contained therein such that when an existing filter assembly or housing is removed from a mounting interface, a quantity of contaminated or used oil is removed from the system, wherein the contaminated oil is retained within the existing or used filter assembly in a sealed manner, and a new filter assembly having a quantity of clean oil contained therein is provided to the mounting interface so as to facilitate dripless and simultaneous filter and oil replacement.

Accordingly, contemplated herein is an oil filtration system having a mounting interface with a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit, wherein the mounting interface is configured to be coupled to an element housing. As illustrated herein, an element housing can comprise: an inlet, which can be an annular inlet or other inlet, disposed about an end portion of the element housing; and a clean outlet disposed about a central axis of the end portion of the housing.

as illustrated, the housing can be sealed around the peripheral edge by utilizing a peripheral seal that extends circumferentially around the housing and abuts the mounting interface. Further, a first internal sealing member can be provided that is configured to seal clean fluid exiting the clean outlet into the clean conduit from contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit and to separate clean fluid exiting the clean outlet into the clean conduit from contaminated fluid entering the inlet from the contaminated conduit when in an installed condition about the installation interface. Also illustrated is a second internal sealing member configured to seal the clean outlet to a peripheral portion of the clean conduit of the mounting interface.

the housing can then be provided with a clean valve positioned around the clean outlet, the clean valve being configured to be biased in a closed position in an uninstalled state and configured to remain open in an installed state.

it will then be appreciated that the valve and seal can be configured such that, upon removal, the valve is configured to close prior to release of either the first or second internal sealing member; and wherein the first inner sealing member is configured to release the respective seal after releasing the second respective seal of the second inner sealing member.

In some embodiments, an actuation member can be provided that extends from the clean conduit and thus can extend into the clean outlet and actuate the valve.

In some additional embodiments, and as illustrated, a secondary contaminated-side valve can be provided, wherein the contaminated-side valve can be configured to be biased in a closed position, the contaminated-side valve being configured to open in an installed state in response to a positive pressure provided in the contaminated conduit. In some such embodiments, the secondary contaminated-side valve can be provided with a spring to bias the secondary contaminated-side valve in the closed position.

in still further additional embodiments, and as illustrated, the mounting interface can include: a first annular protrusion; and a second annular protrusion. In some such embodiments, the first annular protrusion can thus form a clean conduit therein (i.e., between the first annular protrusion and the second annular protrusion), and wherein the first internal sealing member is configured to abut against an internal surface of the first annular protrusion along a first axial distance between the installed state and the disengaged state. Accordingly, the second inner seal member can then be configured to abut against an inner portion of the second annular protrusion, thereby forming a clean path along the axial portion, wherein the second inner seal is engaged along a second axial distance between the installed condition and the second disengaged condition. As illustrated, the first axial distance can be configured to be longer than the second axial distance such that the second inner seal disengages, allowing oil to drain into the clean conduit into the space created by the axial translation of the filter housing, thus causing a funneling effect that then reduces or eliminates any oil droplets entering the surrounding area or environment.

also, as illustrated, the element housing can be provided with a sealed interior volume between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve in an uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation.

Also contemplated herein is a method of installing a filter assembly, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mounting interface on a piece of equipment, the mounting interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit; providing a filter and mounting interface as described above and the following additional steps: positioning a clean outlet of the filter assembly about a clean conduit of the mounting interface; the filter assembly is rotated causing the filter assembly to translate axially into the mounting interface such that the first and second internal sealing members engage the mounting interface.

additional steps can include: operating the piece of equipment so as to create a positive pressure within the contaminated conduit and thereby cause the contaminated side valve to open and permit flow therethrough; removing the filter assembly by rotating the filter assembly in an opposite direction, thus causing opposite axial translations, wherein the opposite axial translations allow the first and second internal sealing members to release, and wherein the opposite axial translations also allow the purge valve to close.

It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the disclosed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form described is merely illustrative and it is the intention of the appended claims to cover and include such claims.

These aspects of the invention are not intended to be exclusive and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings. Further, it will be understood that any of the various features, structures, steps, or other aspects discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only, and any can be applied in any combination with any such features as discussed in the alternative embodiments, as appropriate.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention, wherein:

1A-1B illustrate external side and top views of an oil housing, filter element and valving assembly for providing a pre-filled oil volume change, illustrating various aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the oil housing, filter element and valving assembly of FIG. 1 for providing a pre-filled oil volume change, illustrating various aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the oil housing, filter element and valving assembly of FIG. 2 for providing a pre-filled oil volume change illustrating various aspects of the invention;

4A-4B illustrate perspective partial cross-sectional views of the oil housing, filter element and valving assembly of FIG. 1 for providing a pre-charge oil volume change illustrating various aspects of the invention;

5A-5B illustrate perspective and side cross-sectional views of an exemplary mounting interface for use with the oil housing, filter element, and valving assembly of FIG. 1 for providing a pre-filled oil volume change, illustrating various aspects of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of an oil housing, filter element and valving assembly for providing a pre-charge oil volume change utilizing an alternative internal clean out conduit; and

fig. 7 illustrates an enlarged partial perspective cross-sectional view of the oil housing, filter element and valving assembly of fig. 6 for providing a pre-charge oil volume change.

appendix a includes the literature contained in U.S. provisional application No. 62/492,273 filed on 30/4/2017.

Detailed Description

As discussed above, the system 10 with the filter assembly 30 or 50 shown in fig. 1-4 and 6-7, along with associated methods of use, are contemplated herein. The systems and methods contemplated herein allow for providing a filter assembly 30 having a quantity of clean oil contained therein that allows for removing a quantity of contaminated or used oil from the system when an existing filter assembly is removed from the mounting interface 20, wherein the contaminated oil is retained within the filter assembly 30 in a sealed manner, and providing a new filter assembly 30 having a quantity of clean oil contained therein to the mounting interface 20 so as to facilitate dripless and simultaneous partial replacement of the filter and total system oil volume.

Thus, fig. 1-4 illustrate external views of the system 10, wherein the filter assembly 30 is attached to the mounting interface 20. The mounting interface can be provided in a plurality of orientations and can take numerous forms. The mounting interfaces shown herein are for illustrative purposes only. In some embodiments, and as discussed in more detail below, the mounting interface 20 can be oriented with a horizontal contact plane such that the filter assembly 30 is attached to the top surface. The filter assembly 30 can be attached to the mounting interface 20 using various methods, such as a threaded interface, clamp, or lock, but the attachment method is shown as a twist lock that engages and locks during approximately 90 degrees of rotation as illustrated. It will be appreciated that the filter assembly 30 can also be threaded onto specific parts of the mounting interface 20, similar to currently available standard pre-existing oil filters, wherein the clean outlet can include a female threaded interior surface that mates to a corresponding male threaded conduit that then receives the filtered oil into a mechanical or lubrication system.

as contemplated herein, and as particularly illustrated in fig. 5A-5B, the mounting interface 20 can include a contaminated conduit 210 and a clean conduit 220, wherein the mounting interface 20 is configured to be coupled to an element housing 304 of the filter assembly 30. As illustrated herein, the filter assembly 30 can include: an annular inlet 310 disposed about an end portion of the element housing; and a clean outlet 320 disposed about a central axis of the end portion of the housing 304. It should be noted that the annular inlet 310 can be arranged in other configurations in a non-annular manner and is within the scope of the present invention.

it will be appreciated that contaminated fluid (such as dirty oil) can flow from the annular inlet 310 into the cell housing 304 where it passes through the contaminated side valve 450, continues up through the interior of the cell housing 304 whereupon it passes through the filter media 350 and into the central clean channel 360 formed in the conduit 362, and finally through the clean valve 400 and into the clean conduit 220. It will be appreciated that the contaminated side valve 450 is deflected upwardly as pressure from the system drives contaminated oil through the housing in operation (this movement is illustrated by arrow 456), but the contaminated side valve 450 is biased in a closed condition by spring 454.

as illustrated, the housing 30 can be sealed around the peripheral edge by utilizing a peripheral seal 330 that extends circumferentially around the housing and abuts the mounting interface 20. The perimeter of the housing can also be provided with a locking interface 334 (such as an angled flange) configured to interface with one or more locking protrusions or ramps 336 provided on the mounting interface 20.

Further, a first inner sealing member 390 can be provided that is configured to seal an outer annular portion of the inlet 212 from the peripheral seal.

Also illustrated in these embodiments is a second internal sealing member 394 that is configured to seal the clean outlet to a peripheral portion of the clean conduit of the mounting interface, and that is configured to seal clean fluid or filtered fluid exiting the clean outlet 320 into the clean conduit 220 from contaminated fluid entering the annular inlet 310 from the contaminated conduit 210 and to separate clean fluid or filtered fluid exiting the clean outlet 320 into the clean conduit 220 from contaminated fluid entering the annular inlet 310 from the contaminated conduit 210 when in a mounted state about the mounting interface 20.

It will be understood that the valve 400 and the first and second internal seals 390 and 394, respectively, can be configured such that, upon removal, the valve 400 is configured to close before either the first internal sealing member or the second internal sealing member is released, and wherein the first internal sealing member 390 is configured to release the respective seal after the second respective seal of the second internal sealing member 394 is released.

in some embodiments, an actuating member 226 can be provided that extends from the clean conduit 220 and is configured to extend into the clean outlet and actuate the valve 400 into an open position upon installation. As shown herein, the actuation member 226 is a protrusion that can be configured to extend into the valve body and displace the inner movable valve body 418. It will be understood that various alternative means for automatically opening the valve upon installation and subsequently sealing upon removal are also contemplated herein. Examples of such means may include alignment of the channels, use of a lip or ridge portion of the inlet to press against a corresponding protrusion (ridge) or circumference of the valve, etc.

in some additional embodiments, and as illustrated, a secondary contaminated side valve 450 can be provided, wherein the contaminated side valve 450 can be configured to be biased in a closed position, the contaminated side valve 450 being configured to open in an installed state in response to a positive pressure provided in the contaminated conduit. In some such embodiments, the secondary contaminated-side valve 450 can be provided with a spring 454 configured to bias the secondary contaminated-side valve 450 in a closed position so that contaminated oil does not leak back into the system or out of the filter housing when not in operation or when removed. It will be appreciated that this valve movement can be achieved by elastic deformation or translation of the valve parts.

in still further additional embodiments, and as illustrated, the mounting interface 20 can include: a first annular protrusion 212; and a second annular protrusion 222. In some such embodiments, the first annular protrusion 212 can thus define an outer annular sidewall such that a clean conduit 220 is formed therein (i.e., between the first and second annular protrusions, respectively).

Additionally, the first inner seal member 390 can be configured to abut against the inner surface of the first annular protrusion 212 along a first axial distance 214, the first axial distance 214 being defined as the distance between the position of the first inner seal member 390 in the installed position and the upper edge of the first annular protrusion 212 (or in other words, the distance that must travel between the installed state and the disengaged state). Accordingly, the second inner seal member 394 can then be configured to abut against an inner portion of the second annular protrusion 222, thereby forming a clean path along the central axis, wherein the second inner seal 222 is engaged along the second axial distance 224 between the installed state and the second disengaged state. As illustrated, the first axial distance 214 can be configured to be longer than the second axial distance 224 such that the second internal seal 394 disengages before the first internal seal, allowing oil contained between the contaminated side valve 450 and the inlet 210 in the intermediate state to drain into the clean conduit 220 and into the space created by the axial translation of the filter housing 304 away from the clean conduit 220, thus creating a funneling effect that then reduces or eliminates any oil droplets into the surrounding area or environment as all of the oil will drain back into the system. It will also be appreciated that the relative heights of the second annular protrusion and the first annular protrusion can also be switched so as to cause the contaminated side to open before the clean side so that the filtered oil drains into the contaminated side and is contained therein when removed.

also, as illustrated, the element housing can be provided with a sealed interior volume between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve in an uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation and can also carry away a portion of the contaminated oil when removed.

The clean valve 400 can be positioned around the clean outlet 320, and the clean valve 400 can then be configured to be biased in a closed position in an uninstalled state and conversely configured to remain open in an installed state. This biasing can be achieved by providing a spring 404 to the valve 400 to urge the valve in a downward or closed position, the valve 400 being configured to translate (as shown by arrow 406 in fig. 4B), the downward most position being closed and the upward position being open.

as shown herein, the purge valve 400 can include an outer valve housing 414 and an inner movable valve body 418, wherein the inner movable valve body 418 can be moved axially upward in response to the actuating member 226. In the removed state, the inner movable valve body 418 is pressed down into the gasket ring 410 by the spring 404, but as it is installed, the actuating member 226 pushes the inner movable valve body 418 into the outer valve housing 414, thereby compressing the spring 404 and allowing fluid communication therethrough. The grommet 410 can be provided as an elastic or malleable material configured to deform and form an oil-tight seal in response to the compressive force provided by the spring 404.

As discussed above, the mounting interface 20 can include: a first annular protrusion 212; and a second annular protrusion 222. In some such embodiments, the first annular protrusion 212 can thus define an outer annular sidewall such that a clean conduit 220 is formed therein (i.e., between the first and second annular protrusions, respectively).

in some embodiments, the clean conduit 362 can include a splined or grooved lower portion 368 that extends down into the valve body 414 to provide a surface against which the spring 404 can press. In some embodiments, the splined or grooved lower portion 368 can include a notch or seat 372, the notch or seat 372 can receive the opposite end of the spring 404 in a defined position. The splined or grooved lower portion 368 can also be configured to ensure or assist in proper alignment of the conduit 372 with the valve 400 upon assembly.

Also, as illustrated, the element housing can be provided with a sealed interior volume between the clean valve and the contaminated side valve in an uninstalled state, and wherein the system is provided with an initial volume of clean oil prior to installation and can also carry away a portion of the contaminated oil upon removal.

also contemplated herein is a method of installing a filter assembly, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mounting interface on a piece of equipment, the mounting interface having a contaminated conduit and a clean conduit; providing a filter and mounting interface as described above and the following additional steps: positioning a clean outlet of the filter assembly about a clean conduit of the mounting interface; the filter assembly is rotated causing the filter assembly to translate axially into the mounting interface such that the first and second internal sealing members engage the mounting interface.

It will also be appreciated that multiple pieces can be used to form the clear passage to provide various advantages in assembly and manufacture. Such embodiments are illustrated in fig. 6-7. In this embodiment, the filter assembly 50 can include: a similar valve 400A; the clean channel 560, which can be formed using various separate rather than integral components, the clean channel 560 can include a middle channel conduit 564 that can be secured or bonded to the central clean conduit 562 and an upper seal 566 can be provided that will then sealingly engage the clean valve 400A and the middle channel conduit 564. One such advantage of a catheter with an intermediate channel is: most of the parts can remain the same while changing the length of the intermediate channel conduit and/or the central clean conduit length, the increase or decrease in the total volume of oil disposed within the filter assembly can be modified.

Additional steps can include: operating the piece of equipment so as to create a positive pressure within the contaminated conduit and thereby cause the contaminated side valve to open and permit flow therethrough; removing the filter assembly by rotating the filter assembly in an opposite direction, thus causing opposite axial translations, wherein the opposite axial translations allow the first and second internal sealing members to release, and wherein the opposite axial translations also allow the purge valve to close.

the filter assembly can also include various filter media 350, which filter media 350 can be configured to remove particulates or contaminants from the fluid stream. However, in some cases, the filter media can be omitted entirely, with the housing serving as part of the oil change volume, with filtering being able to be performed at different points in the system.

it will also be understood that although the inlet and outlet channels have been discussed herein in a particular relative placement, the flow direction could also be reversed by the filter housing, wherein the axial channels would then serve as inlets, while the circumferential channels would then serve as outlets.

It will also be appreciated that the height and relative diameter of the filter housing can be varied to accommodate various filtration applications and to increase or decrease the relative volume.

Further, in some cases, the filter housing and the filter therein can be initially provided without oil, wherein a clean volume of oil can be added from an alternative fill port, wherein removal of the filter at a maintenance interval is used only to remove contaminated oil or a portion of used oil.

these aspects of the invention are not intended to be exclusive and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. Further, it will be understood that any of the various features, media, steps or other aspects discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only, and any can be applied in any combination with any such features as discussed in the alternative embodiments, as appropriate.

while the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein, other embodiments are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Additionally, any features, structures, parts, method steps discussed with respect to any of the foregoing embodiments are readily adapted for use with or in connection with any of the other alternative embodiments discussed herein, with the understanding that one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to assess the capabilities of the various embodiments disclosed and to make such adaptations.