Fuel door locking system
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorJames K. Schoenow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel door locking system for a fuel door and hinge arm combination in which the fuel door is slidably interfaced on the hinge arm. The fuel door has a pin aperture. An abutment of the hinge arm is disposed adjacent said pin aperture. A locking pin is adapted for being inserted into the pin aperture with an interfering relationship with respect thereto which impedes the locking pin from being removed from the pin aperture. When the fuel door is slidably interfaced on the hinge arm and the locking pin is inserted into the pin aperture, then the abutment interferingly abuts the locking pin to prevent the fuel door from being slid off from the hinge arm.
Claims10
In a fuel door and hinge arm combination, wherein the fuel door of said combination is slidably interfaced with respect to the hinge arm, and wherein said fuel door is releasably held in position relative to said hinge arm by a resilient locking tab;
- an improvement thereto comprises a fuel door locking system comprising:
- said fuel door having a pin aperture;
- an abutment of said hinge arm disposed adjacent said pin aperture;
- and
- a locking pin adapted for being inserted into said pin aperture with an interfering relationship with respect thereto which impedes said locking pin from being removed from said pin aperture;
- wherein when said fuel door is slidably interfaced on said hinge arm such that said fuel door is releasably held in position relative to said hinge arm by said resilient locking tab, and further when said locking pin is inserted into said pin aperture, then said abutment interferingly abuts said locking pin to prevent said fuel door from being slid off from said hinge arm irrespective of said resilient locking tab.
A fuel door, hinge arm and locking system, comprising:
- a fuel door;
- a hinge arm;
- a sliding interface of said fuel door and said hinge arm, wherein said fuel door is slidably interfaced with respect to the hinge arm;
- a resilient locking tab releasable holding said fuel door in said sliding interfaced position with respect to said hinge arm;
- and a fuel door locking system comprising:
- said fuel door having a pin aperture;
- an abutment of said hinge arm disposed adjacent said pin aperture;
- and
- a locking pin adapted for being inserted into said pin aperture with an interfering relationship with respect thereto which impedes said locking pin from being removed from said pin aperture;
- wherein when said fuel door is slidably interfaced on said hinge arm such that said fuel door is releasably held in position relative to said hinge arm by said resilient locking tab, and further when said locking pin is inserted into said pin aperture, then said abutment interferingly abuts said locking pin to prevent said fuel door from being slid off from said hinge arm irrespective of said resilient locking tab.
A method for locking a fuel door to a hinge arm, comprising the steps of:
- sliding a fuel door onto a hinge arm;
- holding the fuel door in sliding relation on the hinge arm by selectively releasable operation of a resilient locking tab;
- inserting a locking pin into a pin aperture of the fuel door;
- establishing an interference relationship between the locking pin and the pin aperture which impedes the locking pin from being removed from the pin aperture;
- and
- abuttingly interfering the hinge arm with respect to the inserted locking pin such that the fuel door is prevented from being slid off the hinge arm by the abutting interference irrespective of the selectively releasable operation of the resilient locking tab.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.