Servicable draw and return tube assembly
OwnerKen Watson, Evan Waymire +1inventors
InventorsKen Watson, Evan Waymire, John Loffink
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Abstract
A serviceable draw and return tube assembly for use in fuel tanks is disclosed. The assembly may include a draw tube and a return tube secured to a plate, wherein the plate may be removably secured to a flange, which is fixedly secured to a fuel tank. The process of removably securing the plate to the flange allows for use of different sizes and materials to be utilized in manufacture of the assembly, thereby saving installation time and manufacturing costs.
Claims20
A fuel tank, comprising:
- a fuel tank including a side wall having an aperture extending there through;
- a flange releasably secured on said fuel tank at said aperture and forming an airtight seal between said flange and said side wall around said aperture;
- and
- a plurality of fuel flow components releasably secured to said flange and extending into said aperture of said fuel tank.
A method of installing a draw and return tube assembly, comprising:
- providing a fuel tank including a side wall having an aperture extending there through;
- releasably securing a flange on said fuel tank at said aperture such that said flange forms an airtight seal between said flange and said side wall around said aperture;
- and
- releasably securing a plurality of fuel flow components to said flange such that each of said plurality of said fuel flow components extends into said aperture of said fuel tank.
The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of said plurality of said fuel flow components is manufactured of plastic by the process of extrusion.
A serviceable draw and return tube assembly, comprising:
- a flange including a planar central region, and an outer perimeter region defining a curved under surface, said planar central region including first and second fuel flow component apertures, wherein said first fuel flow component aperture includes a first set of a plurality of fastener apertures positioned there around, said outer perimeter region including a second set of a plurality of fastener apertures positioned there around;
- a first fuel flow component releasably secured on said flange within said first fuel flow component aperture by fasteners secured within said first set of said plurality of fastener apertures;
- and
- a second fuel flow component snap fit into releasable securement on said second fuel flow component aperture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.