Fuel-dispensing nozzle inhibitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701194-B2
Application number	US-201414275668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2014
Priority date	May 10, 2013
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A nozzle inhibitor is adapted to be arranged in a filler neck included in a fuel-tank fill tube and is configured to allow only a diesel fuel nozzle having an outer diameter that is greater than a specified minimum diameter to be inserted into the fill tube to a depth sufficient so that a user may dispense diesel fuel from that nozzle into the fill tube. The nozzle inhibitor inhibits insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube, yet allows insertion of a relatively larger diameter diesel fuel nozzle into the fill tube so that only diesel fuel is dispensed into a diesel fuel tank coupled to the fill tube.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filler neck closure assembly associated with a vehicle fuel tank filler neck, the assembly comprising
a nozzle inhibitor configured to provide means for preventing insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing pump nozzle into a fuel-conducting passageway formed in a filler neck included in the fuel tank fill tube and coupled to a vehicle fuel tank while allowing insertion of a medium-diameter or large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing pump nozzle into the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the filler neck, the nozzle inhibitor including a door-support ring, a first door coupled to the door-support ring to pivot relative to the door-support ring about a door-pivot axis, and a second door coupled to the door-support ring to pivot relative to the door-support ring about a door-pivot axis, the first door and the second door movable relative to the door-support ring from a closed position blocking access through the fuel-conducting passageway to an opened position allowing access through the fuel-conducting passageway,
a door opener including a flexible band and a plurality of band movers, the flexible band movable from a normally contracted position to a partly-expanded position and to a fully-expanded position, the plurality of band movers being arranged to lie in locations around the fuel-conducting passageway to push the flexible band to the partly-expanded position in response to being engaged by a medium-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle inserted into the fuel-conducting passageway and to push the flexible band to the fully-expanded position in response to being engaged by a large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle inserted into the fuel-conducting passageway, and
overtravel means for establishing a lost-motion driving connection between the flexible band and the first door to convert movement of the flexible band from the contracted position to the partly-expanded position into movement of the first door relative to the door-support ring and without converting further movement of the flexible band from the partly-expanded position to the fully-expanded position into movement of the first door relative to the door-support ring and for establishing a lost-motion driving connection between the flexible band and the second door to convert movement of the flexible band from the contracted position to the partly-expanded position into movement of the second door relative to the door-support ring and without converting further movement of the flexible band from the partly-expanded position to the fully-expanded position into movement of the second door relative to the door-support ring so that the first door and the second door do not overtravel past the opened position when a large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle is inserted into the fuel-conducting passageway to actuate the door opener to pivot the first and second doors about the door-pivot axis.

2. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 1 , wherein the overtravel means includes a first multi-directional slot formed in the first door that receives a first portion of the flexible band and a second multi-directional slot formed in the second door that receives a second portion of the flexible band.

3. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first door and the second door pivot relative to the door-support ring about a single door-pivot axis.

4. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 2 , wherein the door-support ring is formed to include an opening, each of the first door and the second door include a panel and an outer tab, the panels of the first and the second doors are arranged to block access through the opening in the door-support ring when the first door and the second door are in the closed position, the panels of the first and the second doors are arranged to allow access through the opening in the door-support ring when the first door and the second door are in the opened position, and the outer tabs are formed to include the first and the second multi-directional slots.

5. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 4 , wherein the outer tabs are spaced apart from the opening when the first door and the second door are in the closed position and when the first door and the second door are in the opened position.

6. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first multi-directional slot is L-shaped and the second multi-directional slot is L-shaped.

7. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of band movers are ball bearings mounted to the housing to slide relative to the housing inwardly and outwardly from a central axis about which the housing and the door-support ring extend.

8. A filler neck closure assembly associated with a vehicle fuel tank filler neck, the assembly comprising
a nozzle inhibitor including a door-support ring that extends around an opening and a first door coupled to the door-support ring to pivot about a door-pivot axis relative to the door-support ring, the first door being mounted for movement relative to the door-support ring from a closed position arranged to block movement of a small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing nozzle through the opening to an opened position arranged to allow movement of a medium-diameter or large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle through the opening, and
a door opener including a flexible band and a plurality of band movers, the flexible band being movable from a normally contracted position to a partly-expanded position and further to a fully-expanded position, the plurality of band movers being arranged to lie in locations to push the flexible band to the partly-expanded position in response to being engaged by a medium-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle inserted into a fuel-conducting passageway and to push the flexible band to the fully-expanded position in response to being engaged by a large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle inserted into the fuel-conducting passageway, and
wherein the first door is formed to include a first multi-directional slot that receives a first portion of the flexible band, the first multi-directional slot is sized and located to cause the first portion of the flexible band received in the multi-directional slot to move along a first leg of the multi-directional slot to cause the first door to pivot about the door-pivot axis to the opened position in response to a medium-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle engaging the plurality of band movers and to cause the first portion of the flexible band received in the first multi-directional slot to move along the first leg of the multi-directional slot to cause the first door to pivot about the door-pivot axis to the opened position and to move along a second leg of the multi-directional slot without causing the first door to pivot further in response to a large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle engaging the plurality of band movers.

9. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first door includes a panel and an outer tab, the panel blocks access through the opening in the door-support ring when the first door is in the closed position or allows access through the opening in the door-support ring when the first door is in the closed position, and the outer tab is formed to include the multi-directional slot.

10. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 9 , wherein the multidirectional slot is L-shaped and the first leg and the second leg are arranged to lie in perpendicular relation to one another.

11. The filler neck closure assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first door includes a closure panel and an outer tab coupled to the closure panel, the closure panel is arranged partly t

Assignees

• Stant Usa Corp

Inventors

• Groom J Bradley

Classifications

• B60K15/04 Primary

  Tank inlets (B60K15/077 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2015/0483

  Means to inhibit the introduction of too small or too big filler nozzles · CPC title

• B60K2015/0461

  comprising a filler pipe shutter, e.g. trap, door or flap for fuel inlet · CPC title