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:
Jul. 01, 1997
Filed:
Jan. 30, 1996
Bruce A Schroeder, Stillwater, OK (US);
Brunswick Corporation, Lake Forest, IL (US);
Abstract
A thermostat assembly for a marine engine having a closed loop cooling system provides an additional bypass for engine coolant flow. The assembly includes a housing having an inlet that receives engine coolant, a thermostat outlet that is connected to a heat exchanger, and a bypass outlet that is connected directly to a circulating pump that circulates engine coolant to the engine and bypasses the heat exchanger. A thermostat having a restricting plate is mounted in the thermostat outlet in the housing. The housing includes an internal structural standoff around the bypass outlet. When engine coolant enters the thermostat housing and the thermostat is closed, engine coolant passes between the thermostat restricting plate and the bypass standoff and flows through the bypass outlet directly to the circulating pump. This increases the flow of engine coolant to the engine when the engine is cold. When the engine begins to heat up the thermostat opens, coolant flows through the thermostat opening to a heat exchanger, and the restricting plate moves towards the standoff around the bypass outlet to divert the flow of engine coolant from the bypass outlet to the thermostat outlet. The thermostat restricting plate thereby acts as a shuttle valve directing engine coolant between the bypass outlet and the thermostat outlet.