DESC:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

“A PROTECTIVE COVER FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER IN A VEHICLE”

APPLICANT:

Name : Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Nationality : Indian
Address : Mahindra Research Valley, Mahindra World City, Plot
No. 41/1, Anjur P.O., Chengalpattu – 603204,
Kancheepuram Dist, Tamilnadu, India

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to heat exchangers in vehicles, and more particularly but not exclusively to covers/guards protecting the heat exchangers in vehicles from dusts, chaff and other foreign elements/pollutants.

BACKGROUND
[002] Generally, the heat exchangers in tractors are provided with mesh structures called guard or cover or screen for filtering the air required for cooling the heat exchanger and thereby protecting the heat exchangers from dusts, chaff and other foreign elements/pollutants. When tractors are used in operations such as haying/grass cutting, the chaff or the grass particles gets accumulated on these heat exchanger guard/cover and leads to choking of any heat exchanger such as radiator, oil cooler, inter cooler or condenser. Hence the air flow rate to heat exchanger is reduced and the engine of the tractor gets overheated due to inefficient cooling.
[003] Therefore the tractor operator needs to frequently clean the guard/cover for avoiding the engine from getting overheated. In the conventional system the guard/cover are mounted to the heat exchanger using a plurality of screws/bolts fastened to the heat exchanger. Hence these screws or bolts must be removed each and every time for cleaning the guard/cover. This results in operator fatigue and loss of time and leads to lower production efficiency.
[004] Therefore, there exists a need for a protective cover for a heat exchanger in a vehicle that enables quick and easy mounting and unmounting of the protective cover.

OBJECTS
[005] The principle object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide a protective cover for a heat exchanger in a vehicle that enables quick and easy mounting and unmounting of the protective cover.
[006] The objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[007] This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[008] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a protective cover according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[009] FIG. 2 depicts a front view of the protective cover according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0010] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view showing the protective cover mounted with the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0011] FIG. 4 depicts a front view showing the protective cover mounted with the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein; and
[0012] FIG. 5a and 5b depicts a perspective view and a front view of a spacer according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0014] The embodiments herein achieve a protective cover for a heat exchanger in a vehicle that enables quick and easy mounting and unmounting of the cover. Further, embodiments herein achieve a method for mounting the protective cover with the heat exchanger. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5b, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a protective cover according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. FIG. 2 depicts a front view of the protective cover according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. The protective cover 100 includes a plurality of mounting extensions 102 and a wire mesh section 104. The protective cover 100 is used for filtering the incoming air from chaffs, foreign particles and other pollutants flowing towards a heat exchanger 200.
[0016] In an embodiment the wire mesh section 104 is used for filtering the dust, grass, chaff and other foreign elements reaching a heat exchanger 200. In an embodiment the wire mesh section 104 is made from metals. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the wire mesh section 104 made out of plastic without otherwise deterring the intended function of the wire mesh section 104 as can be deduced from the description.
[0017] In an embodiment the plurality of mounting extensions 102 is used for mounting the protective cover 100 with the heat exchanger 200. In an embodiment the mounting extensions 102 is made from plastic. However it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the mounting extensions 102 made from metals without otherwise deterring the intended function of the mounting extensions 102 as can be deduced from the description. In an embodiment four mounting extensions are provided for mounting the protective cover 100 with the heat exchanger 200. However it is also within the scope of the invention to provide any number of mounting extensions 102 without otherwise deterring the intended function of the mounting extensions 102 as can be deduced from the description. In an embodiment each of the mounting extension 102 are provided with openings 102a. In an embodiment the openings 102a in the mounting extensions 102 is of inverted U shape. However it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the openings 102a in the mounting extension 102 of any other shape without otherwise deterring the intended function of the mounting extension 102 as can be deduced from the description. Each of the openings 102a in the mounting extension 102 is used for receiving a fastener 300 thereby facilitating quick and easy mounting and unmounting of the protective cover 100.
[0018] In an embodiment, in order to mount the protective cover 100 to the heat exchanger 200 a plurality of fastener 300 and a plurality of spacer 400 are provided. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to mount the protective cover 100 without using spacers 400. In an embodiment the fastener 300 are used for supporting and/or securing the protective cover 100. In an embodiment the fastener 300 is a bolt. However, it is also within the scope of the invention that the fastener 300 may be a screw or any other means without otherwise deterring the intended function of the fastener 300 as can be deduced from the description. In an embodiment four fasteners are provided for mounting the protective cover 100 with the heat exchanger 200. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide any number of fastener 300 without otherwise deterring the intended function of the fastener 300 as can be deduced from the description.
[0019] FIG. 5a and 5b depicts a perspective view and a front view of a spacer according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. The spacer 400 is used to create space between the heat exchanger 200 and the fastener 300. In an embodiment three spacers are provided for mounting the protective cover 100 with the heat exchanger 200. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide any number of spacers 400 without otherwise deterring the intended function of the spacer 400 as can be deduced from the description.
[0020] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view showing the protective cover mounted with the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. FIG. 4 depicts a front view showing the protective cover mounted with the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. In an embodiment to mount the protective cover 100 to the heat exchanger 200, at least one of the fastener 300 is assembled with a spacer 400 and the fastener 300 assembled with the spacer 400 is mounted to the heat exchanger 200 through openings (not shown) provided at predetermined position in the heat exchanger 200. Thereafter, corresponding opening 102a of the mounting extension 102 of the protective cover 100 is placed over the spacer 400 assembled with the fastener 300 which is mounted to the heat exchanger 200 for supporting the protective cover 100. However it is also within the scope of the invention to mount the fastener 300 without a spacer 400, without otherwise deterring the intended function of the fastener 300 as can be deduced from the description i.e the opening 102a of the mounting extension 102 of the protective cover 100 can be directly placed over the fastener 300, without the need for a spacer 400. Thereafter, another fastener 300 is mounted to the heat exchanger 200 with at least one of the opening 102a of the mounting extension 102 of the protective cover 100 placed in between fastener 300 and heat exchanger 200 for securing the protective cover 100 with the heat exchanger 200.
[0021] To unmount/remove the protective cover 100, the fastener 300 securing the protective cover 100 is first removed and thereafter the protective cover 100 can be removed quickly by lifting it upwards/pulling forward without the need for removing the fastener 300 assembled with the spacer 400.
[0022] In an embodiment to mount the fasteners 300 to the heat exchanger 200, openings (not shown) are provided on the heat exchanger 200. In an embodiment the openings (not shown) are provided with internal threads (not shown) for receiving the fasteners 300. The mounting extensions 102 and the openings 102a of the protective cover 100 are provided based on the position of the openings (not shown) in the heat exchanger 200.
[0023] In an embodiment the heat exchanger 200 is an intercooler. However it is also within the scope of the invention that the heat exchanger 200 may be a radiator, oil cooler, condenser or any other type of heat exchanger.
[0024] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

CLAIMS
1. A protective cover for a heat exchanger, said protective cover comprising:
a wire mesh region adapted for filtering the air flowing towards the heat exchanger; and
a plurality of mounting extension, each provided with an opening adapted for receiving a fastener,
wherein
said openings of said mounting extensions facilitate the mounting of said protective cover, through at least one fastener for securing said protective cover with the heat exchanger and at least one fastener for supporting said protective cover.
2. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastener is a bolt.
3. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastener is a screw.
4. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening of said mounting extension is of inverted U-shape.
5. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger is at least one of intercooler, radiator, oil cooler and condenser.
6. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastener supporting said protective cover is assembled with a spacer.
7. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger is provided with a plurality of openings adapted for receiving said fastener.

Date: 13 March 2015 Signature:
Kalyan Chakravarthy

ABSTRACT
A protective cover for a heat exchanger in a vehicle includes a wire mesh region for filtering the air flowing towards the heat exchanger and plurality of mounting extensions. The mounting extensions are provided with an opening adapted for receiving a fastener. The openings of the mounting extensions facilitate the mounting of the protective cover through at least one fastener for securing the protective cover with the heat exchanger and at least one fastener for supporting the protective cover.

,CLAIMS:A protective cover for a heat exchanger, said protective cover comprising:
a wire mesh region adapted for filtering the air flowing towards the heat exchanger; and
a plurality of mounting extension, each provided with an opening adapted for receiving a fastener,
wherein
said openings of said mounting extensions facilitate the mounting of said protective cover, through at least one fastener for securing said protective cover with the heat exchanger and at least one fastener for supporting said protective cover.
2. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastener is a bolt.
3. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastener is a screw.
4. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening of said mounting extension is of inverted U-shape.
5. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger is at least one of intercooler, radiator, oil cooler and condenser.
6. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastener supporting said protective cover is assembled with a spacer.
7. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger is provided with a plurality of openings adapted for receiving said fastener.

Date: 13 March 2015 Signature:
Kalyan Chakravarthy