Patents by Inventor Robert P. ERICKSON

Robert P. ERICKSON 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).

  • Vented pressure relief valve for an internal combustion engine fuel system
    Patent number: 8925523
    Abstract: A fuel pressure relief valve is positioned along a fuel circuit of an internal combustion engine. The pressure relief valve includes a valve body, a first plunger positioned within the valve body, a second plunger positioned within the first plunger, and a valve plug securing the first and second plungers in the valve body. A spring is positioned between the valve plug and the second plunger. Fuel leakage into the pressure relief valve causes the pressure relief valve to lift undesirably in the absence of excessive fuel pressure. The undesirable lifting undesirably affects the operation of the fuel rail and causes wear and shortened life of the pressure relief valve. The first plunger has at least one relief passage or groove located on an exterior surface, relieving the undesirable pressure buildup from a chamber formed between the valve body and the first plunger, eliminating undesirable liftoff events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Cummins Intellectual Property, Inc.
    Inventors: Deepak Sahini, W. Joseph Satterfield, Robert P. Erickson, Jeffrey J. Sullivan, Donald J. Benson
  • VENTED PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FUEL SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20140014074
    Abstract: A fuel pressure relief valve is positioned along a fuel circuit of an internal combustion engine. The pressure relief valve includes a valve body, a first plunger positioned within the valve body, a second plunger positioned within the first plunger, and a valve plug securing the first and second plungers in the valve body. A spring is positioned between the valve plug and the second plunger. Fuel leakage into the pressure relief valve causes the pressure relief valve to lift undesirably in the absence of excessive fuel pressure. The undesirable lifting undesirably affects the operation of the fuel rail and causes wear and shortened life of the pressure relief valve. The first plunger has at least one relief passage or groove located on an exterior surface, relieving the undesirable pressure buildup from a chamber formed between the valve body and the first plunger, eliminating undesirable liftoff events.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: CUMMINS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
    Inventors: Deepak SAHINI, W. Joseph SATTERFIELD, Robert P. ERICKSON, Jeffrey J. SULLIVAN, Donald J. BENSON