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US 5,845,800 AGranted
Filler cap assembly
AssigneeShaw Aero Development, Inc.
InventorsJames Shaw, Thomas George Morgan, Charles Gordon Grandy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A filler cap assembly includes a sleeve welded to a tank wall, and a non-indexing filler cap. The cap is formed with top and bottom members, each member having an outwardly bevelled surface opposing a corresponding surface on the other member. An elastic O-ring is positioned between the two surfaces. The top member and base member are held together by an axially extending shaft, with a spring biasing apart the two members. The shaft is connected in a hinged manner to a cam lever. Activation of the cam lever brings the two opposing surfaces together, forcing the O-ring outward to form a seal with the sleeve. The filler cap and the sleeve's inner wall are provided with additional features which maintain the filler cap in the sleeve.
Claims27
A filler cap comprising:
- a) a top member comprising a top wall having an outwardly beveled first surface disposed along a periphery thereof;
- b) a base member comprising a base wall having an outwardly beveled second surface disposed along a periphery thereof, said second surface opposing said first surface;
- c) means for moving said first and second surfaces towards and away from each other;
- and
- d) a ring-shaped compressible sealing element positioned between said first and second surfaces and movable upon being compressed by movement of said first and second surfaces toward each other, from a first, unsealed position to a second, sealed position disposed radially outward of said surfaces, wherein
- said means for moving comprises:
- a shaft extending between said top and base members, a first end of said shaft slideably engaging an opening in said top member;
- a manually operable cam lever attached to said first end of the shaft, said cam lever movable between a sealed and an unsealed position;
- and
- a spring coaxially mounted with said shaft, a first end of the sprint abutting said top member and a second end of the spring abutting said base member, said filler cap further comprising:
- a thermally sensitive material placed along a portion of said shaft and maintaining said top and base members at a predetermined distance when said sealing element is in a sealed position, said thermally sensitive material liquefying when heated, thereby allowing said top and said base members to move apart.
8 more elements
A filler cap comprising:
- a) a top member having a first surface formed thereon;
- b) a base member having a second surface formed thereon, said second surface opposing said first surface;
- c) means for moving said first and second surfaces towards and away from each other;
- d) a compressible sealing element positioned between said first and second surfaces and movable, upon being compressed by movement of said first and second surfaces toward each other, from an unsealed position, to a sealed position disposed radially outwardly of said surfaces;
- e) a locking element having a portion thereof movable between a disengaged position and an engaged position which is radially outward of said disengaged position;
- and
- f) a third surface formed on one of said top and base members, said third surface arranged to abut and force said locking element to move from said disengaged position to said engaged position, when said means for moving are activated to move said first and second surfaces towards each other.
4 more elements
A filler cap assembly comprising:
- a) a sleeve having a longitudinal axis and an inner wall, said inner wall comprising first and second sections, said first section having a smaller inner diameter than said second section;
- and
- b) a filler cap shaped and sized to be inserted into said sleeve, said filler cap comprising:
- c) a top member having a first surface formed thereon;
- d) a base member having a second surface formed thereon, said second surface opposing said first surface;
- e) means for moving said first and second surfaces towards and away from each other;
- f) a compressible sealing element positioned between said first and second surfaces and movable, upon being compressed by movement of said first and second surfaces toward each other, from an unsealed position, to a sealed position disposed radially outward of said surfaces;
- g) a locking element having a portion thereof movable between a disengaged position, and an engaged position radially outward of said disengaged position;
- and
- h) a third surface formed on one of said top and base members, said third surface arranged to abut and force said locking element to move from said disengaged position to said engaged position, when said means for moving are activated to move said first and surfaces towards each other;
- wherein
- an outer periphery of said locking element extends beyond an inner diameter of said first section, when in the engaged position, and
- said compressible sealing element abuts said first section, when in the sealed position.
10 more elements
A filler cap assembly comprising:
- a) a sleeve having a longitudinal axis and an inner wall, said inner wall being formed with a circumferential channel;
- and
- b) a filler cap shaped and sized to be inserted into said sleeve, said filler cap comprising:
- c) a top member having a first surface formed thereon;
- a) a base member having a second surface formed thereon, said second surface opposing said first surface;
- c) a bottom plate spaced apart from said base member, said bottom plate being positioned such that said base member is between said top member and said bottom plate;
- d) a shaft arranged to move said first and second surfaces towards and away from each other, and said base member and said bottom plate towards and away from each other;
- and
- e) a compressible sealing element positioned between said first and second surfaces and movable, upon being compressed by movement of said first and second surfaces toward each other, from an unsealed position to a sealed position disposed radially outward of said surfaces;
- said sealing element forming a sealing engagement with said sleeve inner wall at a position away from said circumferential channel, when compressed, and
- a spring at least partially entering said circumferential channel, when said sealing element is compressed.
8 more elements
A filler cap comprising:
- a) a top member having a first surface formed thereon;
- b) a base member having a second surface formed thereon, said second surface opposing said first surface;
- c) a shaft arranged to move said first and second surfaces towards and away from each other;
- d) a compressible sealing element positioned between said first and second surfaces and movable, upon being compressed by movement of said first and second surfaces toward each other, from an unsealed position, to a sealed position disposed radially outwardly of said surfaces;
- e) a locking element having a portion thereof movable between a disengaged position and an engaged position which is radially outward of said disengaged position;
- and
- f) a third surface formed on one of said top and base members, said third surface arranged to abut and force said locking element to move from said disengaged position to said engaged position, when said shaft is activated to move said first and second surfaces towards each other.
4 more elements
A filler cap assembly comprising:
- a) a sleeve having a longitudinal axis and an inner wall, said inner wall comprising first and second sections, said first section having a smaller inner diameter than said second section;
- and
- b) a filler cap shaped and sized to be inserted into said sleeve, said filler cap comprising:
- c) a top member having a first surface formed thereon;
- d) a base member having a second surface formed thereon, said second surface opposing said first surface;
- e) a shaft arranged to move said first and second surfaces towards and away from each other;
- f) a compressible sealing element positioned between said first and second surfaces and movable, upon being compressed by movement of said first and second surfaces toward each other, from an unsealed position, to a sealed position disposed radially outward of said surfaces;
- g) a locking element having a portion thereof movable between a disengaged position, and an engaged position radially outward of said disengaged position;
- and
- h) a third surface formed on one of said top and base members, said third surface arranged to abut and force said locking element to move from said disengaged position to said engaged position, when said shaft is activated to move said first and surfaces towards each other;
- wherein
- an outer periphery of said locking element extends beyond an inner diameter of said first section, when in the engaged position, and
- said compressible sealing element abuts said first section, when in the sealed position.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.