Disposable Oil Change Kit with Absorbent Tray
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and environmental impact of DIY oil changes, as vehicle owners often use household containers for spent oil, leading to spills and improper disposal, which contaminates roadways and waterways.
Innovation Solution
A disposable oil change kit (DOCK) with a container insert tray made from emulsified scrap newsprint or sugar cane pulp, featuring conical protrusions and slits for efficient absorption, and a diffuser sheet to spread oil evenly, along with a non-biodegradable absorbent like peat moss to encapsulate hydrocarbons for safe landfill disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If household receptacles are used to receive spent engine oil, then the cost of oil change is reduced, but the risk of spilling and improper disposal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable oil change kit with a single-use container and absorbent materials that are discarded after one use. This eliminates the need for reusable household receptacles while ensuring proper containment and disposal, resolving the contradiction between low cost and reliability by providing an affordable yet dependable single-use solution.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If spent oil is disposed of in licensed receptacles, then environmental safety is improved, but cost and inconvenience increase
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable oil change kit enables the vehicle owner to independently contain and dispose of spent oil without requiring transport to licensed receptacles. The self-contained design with integrated absorbent materials allows the user to complete the entire disposal process at home, simultaneously achieving environmental safety and operational convenience.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If oil is absorbed and encapsulated in non-biodegradable substance, then safe landfill disposal is enabled, but the complexity of the disposal system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the container, absorbent materials, and encapsulating substances into a single integrated disposable unit. This merging of components simplifies the overall system while ensuring safe encapsulation of spent oil for landfill disposal, resolving the contradiction between disposal safety and system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The DOCK effectively contains and absorbs spent oil, preventing spills and allowing for safe disposal in non-hazardous landfills, reducing environmental contamination and the economic burden of improper disposal.
Implementation Method 1
An absorbent including but not limited to a non-degradable substance, such as peat moss that has been specially processed and is capable of absorbing hydrocarbons with total encapsulation is present underneath the tray insert
Implementation Method 2
the top of the oil change kit container is covered with a diffuser sheet formed of an open weave fabric material that acts as a liquid diffuser whereby the hydrocarbon materials are spread more equally throughout the confines of the container and on to the surface of the tray insert
Implementation Method 3
Embodiments of a container insert tray for dispersing spent hydrocarbons may be formed from scrap news print that has been emulsified into liquefied slurry that is injected into a mold
Data Source
AI summary
A disposable liquid disposal tool is provided for collecting liquids and for changing engine oil or other hydrocarbon containing products whereby the liquid, spent oil, or hydrocarbon is encapsulated in a non-biodegradable substance rendering the kit safe for disposal in a non-hazard or controlled substance landfill. A disposable container insert tray may be composed of rows separating conical shaped depressions that are used to channel the liquid to all levels of the container so that liquids can be exposed to the maximum volume of the non-biodegradable substance for total encapsulation. In embodiments, the top of the liquid disposal container may be covered with an open weave fabric material that acts as a diffuser whereby the liquid materials are spread more equally throughout the confines of the container and on to the surface of the tray insert.