Patents by Inventor Rick C. Wirth

Rick C. Wirth 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: 5307769
    Abstract: An assembly of a low mass roller valve lifter having a body diameter smaller than the diametral extent of the associated roller and a sleeve sized to receive protruding portions of the roller. The sleeve has a transverse slot that guides flatted ends of the roller shaft to restrain rotation of the lifter body and of the roller shaft. Various sleeve retainers are disclosed and oil supply means are provided suitable for new or reworked engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1994
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Richard P. Meagher, Rick C. Wirth, Thomas Braun
  • Patent number: 5263386
    Abstract: A roller cam follower, especially an engine hydraulic roller lifter, is restrained from rotation away from a position in which the roller rotates squarely on its associated cam by a retainer clip fixed on the lifter body and having a tang with flat sides engaging an axial groove in an associated bore of the engine lifter gallery. The retainer clip is a closed ring with opposite flexible hat sections connected by arches having inner edges that snap into a groove on the lifter body. The inner edges are preferably angled upward to aid installation and the hat sections preferably have squared inner ends that engage flats on the lifter body to prevent relative rotation of the body and clip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1993
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Darryl J. Campbell, Creighton A. Mantey, Jr., Richard C. Pickelhaupt, Guy E. Giannone, Rick C. Wirth
  • Patent number: 4724804
    Abstract: A valve train module with rocker positioner and non-rotation guide has the rocker positioner and non-rotation guide in the form of a longitudinally extending U-shaped member with lateral outward extending rocker shaft supports adapted to retain a pair of rocker shafts in parallel spaced apart relationship to each other, with each of the rocker shafts pivotably supporting a plurality of rocker arms thereon actuated by hydraulic roller valve lifters operated by an engine driven camshaft for the valves in the cylinder head for a bank of cylinders, the U-shaped member having a base and parallel upright side walls with the base having bolt receiving apertures for its attachment to a cylinder head and each of the walls having at least a plurality of spaced apart pierced openings defined in part by sets of spaced apart inward extending rocker guide flanges to effect the pivotal positioning of an associate rocker arm, the base further having spaced apertures arranged to operatively receive an associate flat sided hyd
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Rick C. Wirth
  • Patent number: 4724805
    Abstract: A valve train module which can be assembled, tested, shipped and then mounted to the cylinder head of an engine and actuated by a camshaft to effect operation of the intake and exhaust valves for the respective associate cylinders formed in part by the cylinder head includes a rocker positioner used with flanged hex head bolts to support and retain a pair of rocker shafts in a predetermined spaced apart parallel relationship to each other, with each such rocker shaft pivotably supporting associate rocker arm assemblies that are maintained in axial spaced apart relationship to each other by rocker arm positioners on the rocker positioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Rick C. Wirth, Charles M. Philo
  • Patent number: 4721074
    Abstract: A valve train module used to effect operation of both the intake valve and the exhaust valve for a cylinder of an internal combustion engine includes a housing adapted to be secured to the cylinder head of the engine, the housing supporting a single engine driven camshaft having both intake and exhaust cam lobes thereon. In a preferred embodiment a direct acting hydraulic lash adjuster journaled in the housing is used to effect operation of the intake valve by the intake cam lobe while operation of the exhaust valve is by a rocker arm pivotally supported on a rocker shaft fixed to the housing and by a roller follower reciprocably journaled in the housing so as to operatively interconnect the exhaust cam lobe to one end of the rocker arm, the opposite end of the rocker arm having a hydraulic lash adjuster operatively positioned therein and operatively connected to the exhaust valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Rick C. Wirth, Edward L. DeKiep
  • Patent number: 4481913
    Abstract: A hydraulic lash adjuster has a cylindrical body and a hollow plunger slidably received within the body, with the upper portion of the plunger extending beyond the body and it is provided with a semi-spherical thrust end for sliding engagement with a complementary shaped thrust receiving member. The plunger has an internal oil reservoir supplied with oil at a predetermined pressure and the thrust end is provided with a through bore for the flow of oil therethrough to effect lubrication of the thrust surfaces. A metering valve assembly is positioned in the bore and includes a ball valve operatively received in a cup-shaped valve retainer having a clover-shaped aperture in the base, the ball valve cooperating with this aperture to control oil from the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 13, 1984
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Rick C. Wirth