The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 03, 1996
Filed:
May. 01, 1995
Jerry A Tack, Troy, MI (US);
Automotive Fluid Systems, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US);
Abstract
An automotive-type air conditioning refrigerant fluid dryer assembly composed of a receiver tank and desiccant cup assembly that are configured to enhance the operation and durability of the refrigerant fluid dryer assembly, as well as facilitate its assembly. The receiver tank is formed to have a unitary construction. The desiccant cup is provided with a number of axially-spaced nib segments disposed adjacent its open end that form detents and a cap that is received in the open end of the cup such that a peripheral edge of the cap engages at least some of the nib segments so as to secure the cap to the cup. During assembly, the cap is pressed downward into the cup until contact is made with the desiccant within and is thereafter secured within the cup by the nib segments. As such, assembly of the cap with the cup involves a simple push-type operation, yet enables the cap to positively confine the desiccant within the cup, such that relative movement of the desiccant within the chamber is restricted. The cup assembly also includes a sealing lip for preventing blowby and assembly problems. As such, the dryer assembly of this invention utilizes a minimal number of components so as to reduce the number of joining operations required, while the desiccant cup assembly has an uncomplicated configuration that readily accommodates variations in fill level of the desiccant.