Fuel fill apparatus for use with fuel tanks
AssigneeBrunswick Corporation
InventorsSean Whelan, Anthony Slabaugh, Christopher Bostwick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Fuel fill apparatus for use with fuel tanks are described. An example fuel fill apparatus includes a body to removably couple to a neck of a fuel tank. The body has an opening to receive a fuel nozzle and guide liquid fuel from the fuel nozzle to a cavity of the fuel tank. A nozzle retainer retains the fuel nozzle in the opening. A positioner in the opening offsets the fuel nozzle relative to a central axis of the opening such that an aspirator of the fuel nozzle is positioned adjacent an inner wall of the opening when the fuel nozzle is inserted in the opening. The positioner maintains a fuel nozzle outlet opening substantially parallel relative to a central axis of the opening during a fueling event.
Claims18
A fuel fill apparatus comprising:
- a body defining a fuel fill passageway having a first opening to define a throat area, a second opening to receive an end of a fuel nozzle, and a third opening to guide liquid fuel from the fuel nozzle to a cavity of a fuel tank, the first opening having a first axis, the second opening defining a second axis and the third opening defining a third axis, the first axis of the first opening and third axis of the third opening being coaxially aligned to define a central axis of the fuel fill passageway and the second axis of the second opening being parallel and offset relative to the first and third axes;
- a first plurality of longitudinal ribs;
- a second plurality of longitudinal ribs positioned adjacent the first longitudinal ribs, the first and second longitudinal ribs positioned in the fuel fill passageway to position the end of the fuel nozzle in the second opening of the fuel fill passageway such that a central axis of the end of the fuel nozzle is offset and parallel relative to the central axis of the fuel fill passageway and an aspirator of the fuel nozzle is positioned adjacent an inner wall of the fuel fill passageway when the fuel nozzle is inserted in the fuel fill passageway;
- and
- a deflector positioned in the fuel fill passageway adjacent an end of the first and second plurality of ribs to direct fuel vapors away from an aspirator of the fuel nozzle when the fuel nozzle is inserted in second opening of the fuel fill passageway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.