Oil removing tool and method

Claim 2

In a portable tool for removing oil from a crankcase of a compressor, comprising, an elongated tube having an ingress end and an egress end, coupling means movable lengthwise of the tube adapted for mounting said tool in a threaded axis opening in the crankcase disposed above the bottom wall of the crankcase, said coupling means including means for sealing the coupling means with respect to the tube, the latter extending completely through said coupling means, said sealing means including a sealing collar disposed in an externally accessible sleeve, said collar being adapted to be compressed into gripping, sealed coaction with said tube upon predetermined tightening actuation of said sleeve onto said coupling means to prevent leakage of oil between said tube and said coupling means, said tube being selectively movable generally lengthwise and with respect to said coupling means prior to sealing actuation of said sealing means, to position the ingress end of said tube close to the bottom of the crankcase when said tool is mounted on the crankcase, for insuring the removal of substantially all of the oil from the crankcase, valve means coacting with said tube in mounted relation thereon for controlling the flow of liquid through said tube and said valve means downstream from said ingress end of said tube for conveying oil from the crankcase through said valve means to a distal location with respect to said tube, said coupling means comprising a ferrule member having an externally threaded base section adapted to be received in threaded coaction in the threaded access opening in the crankcase, an intermediate exteriorly accessible ferrule actuation section providing for selective rotation of said ferrule member, and an externally threaded head section coaxially disposed with respect to said base section and said intermediate section, said sleeve being internally threaded and disposable in threaded coaction with said threaded head section, the latter coacting with said collar for causing squeezing of the collar into sealing relationship with respect to the tube and with respect to said head section upon predetermined threading of said sleeve onto said head section, said threaded base section, said intermediate ferrule actuation section and said sealing means providing rapidly actuatable means for mounting the tool on the crankcase and whereby said tube can be rapidly adjusted lengthwise thereof to locate said ingress end adjacent the bottom of the crankcase and said tube can be placed in sealed relation with respect to said ferrule member, and also providing for rapid removal of the tool including said coupling means from mounted relation on the crankcase, upon completion of the oil removing operation and without total disassembly of said coupling means.

Claim 3

In combination, a portable tool for removing oil from a crankcase of a compressor for a refrigeration unit, and the crankcase, said crankcase having a threaded access opening disposed above the bottom wall of said crankcase, said tool comprising an elongated tube having an ingress end and an egress end, coupling means movable lengthwise of said tube mounting said tool in said threaded access opening in said crankcase, said coupling means including means for sealing the coupling means with respect to the tube, said sealing means including a sealing collar disposed in an externally accessible sleeve, said collar being adapted to be compressed into gripping sealed coaction with said tube upon predetermined tightening actuation of said sleeve onto said coupling means to prevent leakage of oil between said tube and said coupling means, said tube being movable generally lengthwise with respect to said coupling means prior to sealing actuation of said sealing means to position the ingress end of said tube close to the bottom of the crankcase when the tool is mounted on the crankcase for insuring the removal of substantially all of the oil from the crankcase, valve means coacting with said tube in mounted relation thereon for controlling the flow of liquid through said tube and said valve means, flexible conduit means coacting with said valve means downstream from said ingress end of said tube for conveying oil from the crankcase through said valve means to a distal location with respect to said tube, said coupling Means comprising a ferrule member having an externally threaded base section received in threaded coaction in said threaded access opening in the crankcase, and an externally threaded head section coaxially disposed with respect to said base section, said sleeve being internally threaded and disposable in threaded coaction with said threaded head section, the latter coacting with said collar for causing squeezing of the collar into sealing relationship with respect to the tube and with respect to said head section upon predetermined threading of said sleeve onto said head section, said threaded base section and said sealing means providing rapidly actuatable means for mounting the tool on the crankcase whereby said tube can be rapidly adjusted lengthwise thereof to locate said ingress end adjacent the bottom of the crankcase and said tube can be placed in sealed relation with respect to said ferrule member, and also providing for rapid removal of the tool from mounted relation on the crankcase, and with said tube extending completely through said ferrule member, said collar and said sleeve into the interior of said crankcase and being maintained in predetermined gripped position by the coaction between said collar and said tube and between said collar and said sleeve.

Claim 4

In combination, a portable tool for removing oil from a crankcase of a compressor for a refrigeration unit, and the crankcase, said crankcase having a threaded access opening disposed above the bottom wall of said crankcase, said tool comprising an elongated tube having an ingress end and an egress end, coupling means movable lengthwise of said tube mounting said tool in said threaded access opening in said crankcase, said coupling means including means for sealing the coupling means with respect to the tube, said sealing means including a sealing collar disposed in an externally accessible sleeve, said collar being adapted to be compressed into gripping sealed coaction with said tube upon predetermined tightening actuation of said sleeve onto said coupling means to prevent leakage of oil between said tube and said coupling means, said tube being movable generally lengthwise with respect to said coupling means prior to sealing actuation of said sealing means to position the ingress end of said tube close to the bottom of the crankcase when the tool is mounted on the crankcase for insuring the removal of substantially all of the oil from the crankcase, valve means coacting with said tube in mounted relation thereon for controlling the flow of liquid through said tube and said valve means, flexible conduit means coacting with said valve means downstream from said ingress end of said tube for conveying oil from the crankcase through said valve means to a distal location with respect to said tube, said coupling Means comprising a ferrule member having an externally threaded base section received in threaded coaction in said threaded access opening in the crankcase, and an externally threaded head section coaxially disposed with respect to said base section, said sleeve being internally threaded and disposable in threaded coaction with said threaded head section, the latter coacting with said collar for causing squeezing of the collar into sealing relationship with respect to the tube and with respect to said head section upon predetermined threading of said sleeve onto said head section, said threaded base section and said sealing means providing rapidly actuatable means for mounting the tool on the crankcase whereby said tube can be rapidly adjusted lengthwise thereof to locate said ingress end adjacent the bottom of the crankcase and said tube can be placed in sealed relation with respect to said ferrule member, and also providing for rapid removal of the tool from mounted relation on the crankcase, and with said tube extending completely through said ferrule member, said collar and said sleeve into the interior of said crankcase and being maintained in predetermined gripped position by the coaction between said collar and said tube and between said collar and said sleeve.

Claim 5

The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said tube is flexible.

Claim 6

The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said tube is substantially linear and said valve means is mounted on one end of said tube, said valve means including an actuating stem portion disposed substantially coaxial with said tube.

Claim 7

The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said tube has a gooseneck portion at one end with said valve means being downstream of said gooseneck portion in a direction toward the distal end of the latter.

Claim 8

The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said valve means includes a manually operable handle portion comprising a stem disposed in alignment with the lengthwise axis of said tube, said valve means also including a discharge port the axis of which is disposed generally perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of said tube.

Claim 9

The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said sealing collar is formed of plastic material, such as for instance nylon.

Claim 10

In the method of removing oil from a crankcase of a compressor of a refrigeration unit through a threaded access opening therein disposed above the bottom wall of the crankcase, comprising, providing a portable tool which includes an elongated tube having an ingress end and an egress end, a valve means on the tube for controlling the flow of liquid through the tube, and a coupler mounted on the tube and movable lengthwise thereof, said coupler including actuatable means for selectively sealing the coupler with respect to the tube and means for threadedly mounting the coupler and tube in said opening comprising, inserting the ingress end of the tube into said opening and threading the coupler into the access opening in the crankcase to movably mount said tube of the tool in the access opening, moving the tube generally lengthwise with respect to and through the coupler so as to position the ingress end of the tube closely adjacent the bottom of the crankcase, actuating the sealing means to hold and seal the selectively positioned tube with respect to the coupler for preventing escape of oil thereabout, closing the valve means and pressurizing the crankcase so that the oil in the crankcase of the compressor is urged outwardly of the tube toward said valve means by the pressure in said crankcase, opening the valve means to permit the flow of oil from the crankcase through the tube and the valve means, and utilizing a flexible conduit means coacting in communicating relation with the valve means to convey the oil passing from the crankcase through said valve means to a location distant from the crankcase, and then depressurizing the crankcase, deactuating the sealing means so as to release the hold of the latter on said tuBe, unthreading the coupler from the access opening in the crankcase, and removing the tool including the tube and coupler from the access opening.

Claim 11

In the method of removing oil from a crankcase of a compressor of a refrigeration unit through a threaded access opening therein disposed above the bottom wall of the crankcase, comprising, providing a portable tool which includes an elongated tube having an ingress end and an egress end, a valve means on the tube for controlling the flow of liquid through the tube, and a coupler mounted on the tube and movable lengthwise thereof, said coupler including actuatable means for selectively sealing the coupler with respect to the tube and means for threadedly mounting the coupler and tube in said opening comprising, inserting the ingress end of the tube into said opening and threading the coupler into the access opening in the crankcase to movably mount said tube of the tool in the access opening, moving the tube generally lengthwise with respect to and through the coupler so as to position the ingress end of the tube closely adjacent the bottom of the crankcase, actuating the sealing means to hold and seal the selectively positioned tube with respect to the coupler for preventing escape of oil thereabout, closing the valve means and pressurizing the crankcase so that the oil in the crankcase of the compressor is urged outwardly of the tube toward said valve means by the pressure in said crankcase, opening the valve means to permit the flow of oil from the crankcase through the tube and the valve means, and utilizing a flexible conduit means coacting in communicating relation with the valve means to convey the oil passing from the crankcase through said valve means to a location distant from the crankcase, and then depressurizing the crankcase, deactuating the sealing means so as to release the hold of the latter on said tuBe, unthreading the coupler from the access opening in the crankcase, and removing the tool including the tube and coupler from the access opening.

Claim 12

A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein said actuation of the sealing means includes the step of threading a rotatable sleeve of the coupler onto a threaded head portion of the coupler to deform a collar disposed in the sleeve into gripping sealed coaction with the tube for holding and sealing the tube with respect to the coupler, after the tube has been positioned with respect to the bottom of the crankcase.

Claim 13

A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the tool includes a gooseneck portion with the valve means disposed downstream of the gooseneck portion, and swinging the gooseneck portion with respect to the lengthwise axis of the tube, so as to provide clearance to adjust the valve means with respect to adjacent obstructions prior to actuation of the sealing means into holding and sealing relationship with the tube, thus permitting control of the valve means for egress of oil from the crankcase and without interference from adjacent obstructions.