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US 7,293,586 B2Granted
Fuel-dispensing nozzle inhibitor
AssigneeStant Manufacturing Inc.
InventorsJ Bradley Groom, Chad A. McClung, Michael S. Brock, Jeffrey E. Devall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nozzle inhibitor is positioned in a filler neck closure assembly between a pivotable outer door and a pivotable inner door 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.
Claims20
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, wherein the inhibitor means includes
- a nozzle inhibitor housing formed to include an interior region communicating with a passageway formed in the fill tube,
- a first small-nozzle trap including a first blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a first pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a first return spring coupled to the first blocker unit, and
- a second small-nozzle trap including a second blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a second pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a second return spring coupled to the second blocker unit,
- wherein the first and second return springs cooperate normally to yieldably urge the first and second blocker units to the small-nozzle blocking extended positions where the first and second blocker units cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing toward the passageway formed in the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle,
- wherein the first and second blocker units cooperate, upon movement of the first and second blocker units to assume the large-nozzle admitting retracted positions, to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening therebetween to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the first and second blocker units and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube, and
- wherein the first blocker unit includes a first pivot rod arranged to extend along the first pivot axis and a first blocker arm coupled to the first pivot rod, the first small-nozzle trap further includes a first actuator arm coupled to the first pivot rod for movement relative to the first blocker arm about the first pivot axis, the second blocker unit includes a second pivot rod arranged to extend along the second pivot axis and a second blocker arm coupled to the second pivot rod, the second small-nozzle trap further includes a second actuator arm coupled to the second pivot rod for movement relative to the second blocker arm about the second pivot axis, the first and second actuator arms cooperate to define means for establishing a small-nozzle channel therebetween adapted to receive the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle therein upon movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing to contact the first and second blocker units while the first and second blocker units are urged to assume their small-nozzle blocking extended positions, the first return spring is coupled to the first actuator arm and configured to provide means for pivoting the first blocker unit about the first pivot axis relative to the first actuator arm normally to increase an included angle defined between the first blocker arm and the first actuator arm to cause the first blocker arm to move away from the large-nozzle admitting retracted position to assume the small-nozzle blocking extended position, and the second return spring is coupled to the second actuator arm and configured to provide means for pivoting the second blocker unit about the second pivot axis relative to the second actuator arm normally to increase an included angle defined between the second blocker arm and the second actuator arm to cause the second blocker arm to move away from the large-nozzle admitting retracted position to assume the small-nozzle blocking extended position.
5 more elements
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, wherein the inhibitor means includes
- a nozzle inhibitor housing formed to include an interior region communicating with a passageway formed in the fill tube,
- a first small-nozzle trap including a first blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a first pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a first return spring coupled to the first blocker unit, and
- a second small-nozzle trap including a second blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a second pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a second return spring coupled to the second blocker unit,
- wherein the first and second return springs cooperate normally to yieldably urge the first and second blocker units to the small-nozzle blocking extended positions where the first and second blocker units cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing toward the passageway formed in the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle,
- wherein the first and second blocker units cooperate, upon movement of the first and second blocker units to assume the large-nozzle admitting retracted positions, to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening therebetween to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the first and second blocker units and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube, and
- wherein the inhibitor means further includes a first lift spring associated with the first small-nozzle trap, the nozzle inhibitor housing includes a first trap guide configured to provide means for guiding up-and-down movement of the first small-nozzle trap relative to the nozzle inhibitor housing during movement of the first small-nozzle trap from a raised position in the nozzle inhibitor housing in a downward direction toward the fill tube and a lowered position in the nozzle inhibitor housing to compress the first lift spring and also during movement of the first small-nozzle trap from the lowered position in an opposite upward direction toward the raised position in response to a lifting force applied by decompression of the first lift spring.
5 more elements
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, wherein the inhibitor means includes
- a nozzle inhibitor housing formed to include an interior region communicating with a passageway formed in the fill tube,
- a first small-nozzle trap including a first blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a first pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a first return spring coupled to the first blocker unit, and
- a second small-nozzle trap including a second blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a second pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a second return spring coupled to the second blocker unit,
- wherein the first and second return springs cooperate normally to yieldably urge the first and second blocker units to the small-nozzle blocking extended positions where the first and second blocker units cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing toward the passageway formed in the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle,
- wherein the first and second blocker units cooperate, upon movement of the first and second blocker units to assume the large-nozzle admitting retracted positions, to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening therebetween to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the first and second blocker units and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube, and
- wherein the first blocker unit includes a first pivot rod arranged to extend along the first pivot axis and a first blocker arm coupled to the first pivot rod, the first small-nozzle trap further includes a first actuator arm coupled to the first pivot rod for movement relative to the first blocker arm about the first pivot axis, the second blocker unit includes a second pivot rod arranged to extend along the second pivot axis and a second blocker arm coupled to the second pivot rod, the second small-nozzle trap further includes a second actuator arm coupled to the second pivot rod for movement relative to the second blocker arm about the second pivot axis, the first and second actuator arms cooperate to define means for establishing a small-nozzle channel therebetween adapted to receive the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle therein upon movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing to contact the first and second blocker units while the first and second blocker units are urged to assume their small-nozzle blocking extended positions, the first return spring is coupled to the first pivot rod and arranged to engage the nozzle inhibitor housing to provide means for pivoting the first blocker unit about the first pivot axis relative to the first actuator arm normally to decrease an included angle defined between the first blocker arm and the first actuator arm to cause the first blocker unit to move away from the large-nozzle admitting retracted position to assume the small-nozzle blocking extended position, and the second return spring is coupled to the second pivot rod and arranged to engage the nozzle admitting housing to provide means for pivoting the second blocker unit about the second pivot axis relative to the second actuator arm normally to decrease an included angle defined between the second blocker arm and the second actuator arm to cause the second blocker unit to move away from the large-nozzle admitting retracted position to assume the small-nozzle blocking extended position.
5 more elements
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, wherein the inhibitor means includes
- a nozzle inhibitor housing formed to include an interior region communicating with a passageway formed in the fill tube,
- a first small-nozzle trap including a first blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a first pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a first return spring coupled to the first blocker unit, and
- a second small-nozzle trap including a second blocker unit mounted in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing for pivotable movement about a second pivot axis between a small-nozzle blocking extended position and a large-nozzle admitting retracted position and a second return spring coupled to the second blocker unit,
- wherein the first and second return springs cooperate normally to yieldably urge the first and second blocker units to the small-nozzle blocking extended positions where the first and second blocker units cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the interior region of the nozzle inhibitor housing toward the passageway formed in the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle,
- wherein the first and second blocker units cooperate, upon movement of the first and second blocker units to assume the large-nozzle admitting retracted positions, to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening therebetween to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the first and second blocker units and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube,
- wherein the first blocker unit includes a first pivot rod arranged to extend along the first pivot axis and a first blocker arm coupled to the first pivot rod, and the first pivot rod is coupled to the nozzle inhibitor housing to establish a stationary location of the first pivot axis in the nozzle inhibitor housing and rotate about the first pivot axis during movement of the first blocker unit between the large-nozzle admitting retracted position and the small-nozzle blocking extended position, and
- wherein the nozzle housing is formed to include a first lower trap mount including a pair of spaced-apart walls arranged to define a space therebetween receiving the first blocker arm and each of the walls is formed to include a rod receiver channel configured to receive a portion of the first pivot rod therein to establish the stationary location of the first pivot axis and support the first pivot rod for rotation about the first pivot axis.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.