IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0236342
(2005-09-27)
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등록번호 |
US-7302977
(2007-12-04)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- King,Timothy J.
- Groom,J Bradley
- Hedevang,Poul
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
29 인용 특허 :
12 |
초록
▼
A nozzle inhibitor is positioned in a filler neck closure assembly to prevent a user from pumping unleaded fuel into a diesel fuel tank. The nozzle inhibitor blocks full insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the filler neck closure assembly yet allows full insertion of a large-dia
A nozzle inhibitor is positioned in a filler neck closure assembly to prevent a user from pumping unleaded fuel into a diesel fuel tank. The nozzle inhibitor blocks full insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the filler neck closure assembly yet allows full insertion of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle into the filler neck closure assembly.
대표청구항
▼
The invention claimed is: 1. A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine and inhibitor means for preventing insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube while allowing insertion of a larg
The invention claimed is: 1. A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine and inhibitor means for preventing insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube while allowing insertion of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle into the fill tube, the inhibitor means includes a foundation mounted in a passageway formed in the fill tube and formed to include a central aperture and fingers mounted on the foundation for movement between a closed position wherein the fingers cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the fill tube relative to the foundation and a spread position wherein the fingers are spread apart from one another to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening between the fingers to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the fingers and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube, wherein the foundation has a round top wall having a center point and the foundation includes a border edge with each of the fingers including a root end appended to the foundation at the border edge and an opposite free end and the border edge has a central aperture offset from the center point of the round top wall. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foundation further includes an annular side wall arranged to depend from the top wall and surround the free ends of the fingers. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the free end of each finger includes a J-shaped hook formed to include channel means for receiving a tip of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle to limit further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the free ends of the fingers cooperate to provide means for catching a portion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first out diameter moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube and the central aperture in the top wall of the foundation to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle upon movement of the fingers to the closed position. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each finger includes an inclined cam ramp interposed between the free end thereof and the border edge of the top wall of the foundation and wherein the inclined cam ramps of the fingers cooperate to provide means for moving the free ends of the fingers away from one another to define the widened nozzle-receiving opening and to establish the spread position of the fingers in response to engagement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube and the aperture in the top wall of the foundation with the inclined cam ramps. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the foundation further includes an annular side wall arranged to depend from the top wall and surround the inclined cam ramps and the free ends of the fingers. 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each inclined cam ramp is a conic section and has a wider portion appended to the top wall of the foundation at the border edge and a relatively narrower portion appended to the catching means. 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each finger includes a J-shaped hook at the free end and the J-shaped hooks of the fingers cooperate to define the catching means. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each finger includes a hook arranged to engage a portion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube and in the central aperture defined by the border edge of the top wall upon movement of said finger to assume the closed position and an inclined cam ramp having one end appended to the top wall at the border edge and another end appended to the hook and wherein the inclined cam ramp is arranged to engage a portion of a larger-diameter diesel fuel nozzle moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube and in the central aperture defined by the border edge of the top wall and further inward movement of the large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle relative to the inclined cam ramp causes movement of the hook in a radially outward direction relative to a central axis extending through the central aperture formed in the top wall of the foundation to establish the spread position of the fingers. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fingers are arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another along the border edge and deflect in radially inward and outward directions relative to a central axis passing through the central aperture defined by the border edge. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each finger includes an inclined cam ramp coupled to the foundation and arranged to engage a tip of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle during inward movement of the large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle in the fill tube and a hook coupled to the inclined cam ramp and arranged to catch a portion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle during inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the fill tube. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each inclined cam ramp has a wider portion appended to the foundation and a relatively narrower portion coupled to the hook. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each inclined cam ramp is a conic section. 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each hook includes a short upright tang, a longer upright arm appended to the relatively narrower portion of a companion inclined cam ramp, and a lateral connector interconnecting the short upright tang and the longer upright arm. 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each hook includes a short upright tang, a longer upright arm appended to a companion inclined cam ramp, and a lateral connector interconnecting the short upright tang and the longer upright arm. 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each finger includes a hook configured to catch a portion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle moving inwardly in the fill tube and cam ramp means interconnecting the foundation and the hook for spreading the fingers apart in response to engagement with a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle moving inwardly in the fill tube so that the hooks are moved in radially outward directions away from a central axis extending through the central aperture to define the widened nozzle-receiving opening. 17. A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine and inhibitor means for preventing insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube while allowing insertion of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle into the fill tube, the inhibitor means includes a foundation mounted in a passageway formed in the fill tube and formed to include a central aperture and fingers mounted on the foundation for movement between a closed position wherein the fingers cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the fill tube relative to the foundation and a spread position wherein the fingers are spread apart from one another to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening between the fingers to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the fingers and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube wherein the fill tube includes an outer nozzle-receiving aperture and an inner nozzle-receiving aperture, the foundation is positioned to lie in the fill tube between the outer and inner nozzle-receiving apertures, and further comprising an inner door mounted for movement relative to the fill tube between an opened position opening the inner nozzle-receiving aperture and a closed position closing the inner nozzle-receiving opening and a retainer coupled to an upwardly facing portion of the inner door to extend toward the foundation, and wherein the fingers include means for gripping the retainer upon movement of the inner door to the closed position and movement of the fingers to the closed position so that the inner door is retained in the closed position until the fingers are moved to assume the spread position to release the retainer. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the retainer is formed to include a radially outwardly opening annular channel and each finger includes a hook that is arranged to extend into the radially outwardly opening annular channel upon movement of said each finger to the closed position to limit movement of the inner door relative to the fill tube from the closed position to the opened position. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each finger further includes an inclined cam ramp interposed between the foundation and a companion hook and the inclined cam ramps cooperate to provide means for moving the hooks of the fingers away from one another to establish the spread position of the fingers and release the retainer in response to engagement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle moving inwardly in the fill tube through the outer nozzle-receiving aperture toward the closed inner door with the inclined cam ramps. 20. A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine and inhibitor means for preventing insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube while allowing insertion of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle into the fill tube, the inhibitor means includes a foundation mounted in a passageway formed in the fill tube and formed to include a central aperture and fingers mounted on the foundation for movement between a closed position wherein the fingers cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the fill tube relative to the foundation and a spread position wherein the fingers are spread apart from one another to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening between the fingers to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the fingers and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube wherein the fill tube includes a filler neck adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank and a housing coupled to a free end of the filler neck, the housing is formed to include an outer nozzle-receiving aperture normally closed by an outer door mounted for movement relative to the housing between aperture-closing and aperture-opening positions, the housing is also formed to include an inner nozzle-receiving opening arranged to communicate with a passageway formed in the filler neck and normally closed by an inner door mounted for movement relative to the housing between aperture-closing and aperture-opening positions, and the inhibitor means is located in an interior region of the housing between the outer and inner nozzle-receiving apertures. 21. A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine and a nozzle inhibitor located in a passageway formed in the fill tube and configured to include fingers arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another to contact a tip of any fuel-dispensing nozzle inserted into the fill tube and moved inwardly in the passageway to contact the nozzle inhibitor, each finger including a hook arranged to catch a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing nozzle having a first diameter to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing nozzle in the passageway of the fill tube, each finger also including an inclined cam ramp arranged to engage a tip of only a large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle having a relatively larger second diameter that is moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube to spread the fingers apart to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening between the fingers to allow movement of the large-diameter diesel fuel-dispensing nozzle past the fingers and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube wherein each inclined cam ramp is a conic section and has a wider portion appended to the nozzle inhibitor and a relatively narrower portion appended to the hook. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the nozzle inhibitor further includes a foundation mounted in the passageway of the fill tube and the fingers are mounted to the foundation for movement relative to the foundation. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the foundation includes an interior border edge and the fingers are coupled to the foundation at the border edge. 24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the inclined cam ramp is coupled to the foundation. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein each inclined cam ramp has a wider portion appended to the foundation and a relatively narrower portion coupled to the hook. 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein each inclined cam ramp is a conic section. 27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein each hook is J-shaped. 28. A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine, an array of hooks arranged in a circle having a first central axis and located in a passageway having a second central axis formed in the fill tube, the first central axis being offset from the second central axis, the hooks cooperating to define means for limiting inward movement of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first diameter into the passageway of the fill tube, and cam ramps located in the passageway formed in the fill tube, and cam ramps cooperating to define means for spreading the hooks apart upon engagement with a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a relatively larger second diameter and moving inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube to create a widened nozzle-receiving opening between the hooks to allow further inward movement of the large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle past the hooks and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening into the passageway of the fill tube. 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein each hook and a companion of one of the cam ramps cooperate to define a finger. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a foundation mounted in the passageway of the fill tube and each of the fingers is coupled to an interior border edge of the foundation sized to define a central aperture and the fingers are arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another about the interior border edge.
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