Patents by Inventor Alan W. Wells

Alan W. Wells has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9440169
    Abstract: A fuel filtration system includes an electric pump, a filter assembly, and conduits for fluidly connecting the pump and filter assembly in series with a fuel tank to define a kidney filtration loop. The filter assembly includes a filter assembly head, including attachment openings therethrough, and a filter exchange module, including a mounting plate having externally threaded mounting connectors extending outwardly from one face thereof and internally threaded bores opening through another face thereof. In a mounted configuration, a fuel filter is threaded onto each mounting connector such that the filter is fluidly aligned with a fuel flow opening through the mounting plate, fasteners are positioned through the attachment openings and threadably received within the bores, and fuel flow passages of the filter assembly head define a flow distribution in which one pair of filters is fluidly in parallel and another pair of filters is fluidly in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Scott F. Shafer, Eric J. Herron, Alan W. Wells, Byron R. Wear, Krishna K. Chinta, Ye Tian
  • Publication number: 20160131563
    Abstract: A method to test for fatigue in a test sample is disclosed. The method includes providing a specimen as the test sample. The specimen has a shoulder portion, a tubular sidewall that defines a bore, and an undercut wall segment. The sidewall includes a first thickness, which is greater than a second thickness of undercut wall segment. The method further includes providing a fixture that includes an insert and a clamp to retain the specimen, positioning the bore of the specimen substantially about the insert, and retaining the shoulder portion of the specimen by use of the clamp. Next, the method includes generating a cyclic loading within the bore by hydraulic pulsation between a first predetermined pressure and a second predetermined pressure, at a predetermined frequency. The test is carried through by maintaining and recording the cyclic loading until the specimen fails by fracture of the undercut wall segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: SCOTT F. SHAFER, ALAN W. WELLS, MARK S. ELLISON, LIFENG WANG
  • Publication number: 20140021118
    Abstract: A fuel filtration system includes an electric pump, a filter assembly, and conduits for fluidly connecting the pump and filter assembly in series with a fuel tank to define a kidney filtration loop. The filter assembly includes a filter assembly head, including attachment openings therethrough, and a filter exchange module, including a mounting plate having externally threaded mounting connectors extending outwardly from one face thereof and internally threaded bores opening through another face thereof. In a mounted configuration, a fuel filter is threaded onto each mounting connector such that the filter is fluidly aligned with a fuel flow opening through the mounting plate, fasteners are positioned through the attachment openings and threadably received within the bores, and fuel flow passages of the filter assembly head define a flow distribution in which one pair of filters is fluidly in parallel and another pair of filters is fluidly in series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: CATERPILLAR INC.
    Inventors: Scott F. Shafer, Eric J. Herron, Alan W. Wells, Byron R. Wear, Krishna K. Chinta, Ye Tian
  • Publication number: 20130001176
    Abstract: A fluid filtration system for use with an internal combustion engine includes a fluid inlet, a fluid manifold fluidly connected to the fluid inlet, and a plurality of filter elements rotatably coupled to the fluid manifold such that an order of fluid flow through the plurality of filter elements is varied according to a position of an individual fuel filter element of the plurality of fuel filter elements with respect to the fluid manifold. The fluid filtration system may be configured such that fluid flows in series through the plurality of filter elements and the plurality of filter elements is configured to be rotated such that the order of fluid flow through the plurality of filter elements is varied such that a filter element of the plurality of filter elements which was previously a final filter element in the series becomes a first filter element in the series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Alan W. Wells, Eric J. Herron, Steven Tian
  • Patent number: 5404716
    Abstract: A manifold of an engine has a liner, a housing and an insulating element covering and extending about the liner between the liner and the housing. The external surface of the housing is free of insulating elements. The insulating element is quilted and has ceramic fiber encased within fiberglass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Alan W. Wells, Michael H. Haselkorn, Robert L. Miller, Leslie C. Morris, Michael C. Long
  • Patent number: 4318675
    Abstract: Rotary expansible chamber devices include slant-axis rotary apparatus such as engines, compressors, pumps, and the like. Eccentric rotating members of such apparatus generate thrust and bending loads of high magnitude during operation thereof. The rotor shaft of the apparatus is subjected to severe bending and thrust loads which tend to fatigue various connections in the apparatus. The present invention provides a connection for counteracting the bending loads, including a bolt (21) extending through a rotor shaft (15), a nut (28) threadably mounted (27) on an end of the rotor shaft, and portions (30,31) of the rotor shaft (15) and bolt (21) which are disposed closely adjacent to the nut (28) and are further disposed in press-fit relationship relative to each other. Thus, bending loads imposed on the rotor shaft are transmitted directly to the bolt but not to the screw threads during operation of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1979
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1982
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventors: John M. Clarke, Alan W. Wells
  • Patent number: 4288128
    Abstract: PCT No. PCT/US79/00804 Sec. 371 Date Oct. 1, 1979 Sec. 102(e) Date Oct. 1, 1979 PCT Filed Oct. 1, 1979 PCT Pub. No. WO81/00898 PCT Pub. Date Apr. 2, 1981Self-aligning thrust bearing means (23a, 24a and 26a; 23b, 24b and 26b; or 123a, 124a and 126a; 123b, 124b and 126b) for first (10 and 11; 111) and second (12; 112) relatively rotatable members each includes parts equivalent to the following:a thin bearing member (26a) between adjacent surfaces (28a and 29a) of the relatively rotatable members; a substantially uniformly axially compressible and extensible peripheral sealing member (24a) sealed to a face of the bearing member (26a) and to the surface (29a) to define a sealed chamber (30a); and liquid filling the chamber so that axial and cocking loads of either of the relatively rotatable members (10 and 11 or 12) may rock the bearing member (26a) without effective axial displacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1981
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventor: Alan W. Wells
  • Patent number: 4149835
    Abstract: A rotary mechanism including a housing defining an operating chamber having a wall, a shaft journalled in the housing and having an eccentric within the chamber, a rotor within the chamber and journalled on the eccentric, and at least one seal carried by the rotor and slidably engaging the wall. A seal lubricating system is provided and includes an aperture in the wall along with a conduit for directing lubricant to the aperture. A plug partially closes the aperture and has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the housing, with the result that an oil-emitting gap is provided and its area changes proportional to temperature, and, thus, oil viscosity, to meter the proper amount of oil for seal lubrication irrespective of temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1979
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventor: Alan W. Wells
  • Patent number: 4047664
    Abstract: An accumulator type injection valve of simple construction and relatively large accumulator capacity has opposed inlet and outlet valves for alternately and intermittently communicating a single chamber with an inlet passage for receiving fuel from a pump and an outlet passage in further communication with an injection nozzle, the outlet valve being an inwardly opening needle valve responsive to fluid pressure within the chamber. In order to even further improve operating response of the injection valve, a dump valve relieves fluid pressure from the chamber below a preselected pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1976
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1977
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventors: Stanley J. Kranc, Alan W. Wells, David E. Hackett