Oil control baffle

Claim 1

IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A FRAME, A CRANKSHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FRAME, SAID CRANKSHAFT PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF CRANKTHROWS AND COUNTERWEIGHTS, A SHALLOW OIL PAN HAVING A RELATIVELY SHALLOW SUMP REGION IN THE REAR PORTION THEREOF AND BEING SEALINGLY MOUNTED AT THE PERIPHERY TO CLOSE THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING BENEATH SAID CRANKSHAFT, A METERED QUANTITY OF OIL IN SAID PAN SUFFICIENT TO SATISFY THE MAXIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF SAID ENGINE AND BEING OF A VOLUME GREATER THAN SAID SUMP, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A BAFFLE MEANS MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID CRANKSHAFT AND PAN, SAID BAFFLE MEANS INCLUDING A LEVEL LONGITUDINAL CENTRAL PORTION HAVING UPWARDLY CURVED EDGES, SAID CENTRAL PORTION BEING CONFIGURED SO AS TO ALLOW MINIMUM CLEARANCE FOR SAID CRANKTHROWS AND COUNTERWEIGHTS, TROUGH MEANS JOINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND ABUTTING THE SIDES OF SAID PAN, SAID TROUGH MEANS BEING INCLINED TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID BAFFLE FROM THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, DRAIN HOLES LOCATED IN SAID TROUGH MEANS AT THE LOWERMOST POINT THEREOF, AND DAMMING MEANS EXTENDING ACROSS SAID LONGITUDINAL CENTRAL PORTION BETWEEN THE UPWARDLY CURVED EDGES AND FORWARD OF SAID DRAIN HOLES, SAID DAMMING MEANS BEING OF A HEIGHT SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT THE FORWARD FLOW OF OIL IN SAID CENTRAL PORTION WHEREBY THE STATIC OIL LEVEL IN SAID PAN IS PERMITTED TO RISE ABOVE THE LOWER EXTREMITIES OF SAID CRANKSHAFT IN A REGION REARWARD OF SAID DAMMING MEANS.