Patent Application
20130092290
The present invention is particularly intended for use on fuel tanks on commercial vehicles, although it may be used on any fuel tank connected to any type of engine. Fuel tanks typically include a filler tube inlet or opening through which fuel is filled into the fuel tank. On commercial vehicles the fuel tanks may be quite large. Due to high cost of fuel, these large fuel tanks may be susceptible to illegal siphoning of the fuel from the fuel tank. Moreover, due to the large openings of the fuel tanks, and due to vandalism, debris may enter the fuel tank through the filler tubes.
Siphoning of fuel from a fuel tank generally involves placing a hose through the filler tube inlet or opening and down into the fuel held within the fuel tank. A suction pressure is then applied to the opposite end of the hose such that fuel within the tank flows upwardly and out of the tank through the hose. Siphoning generally cannot be accomplished if the hose cannot be placed downwardly into the tank and into the fuel held within the tank.
In order to prevent siphoning of fuel from fuel tanks, anti-siphon devices have been developed. One such anti-siphon device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,360, entitled Anti-Siphon Fuel Filler Assembly and Method of Manufacturing the Same, which includes an anti-siphon insert placed within an end of a fuel filler assembly. However, such anti-siphon inserts do not inhibit small debris from flowing though the filler tube and into the fuel tank.
There is a need, therefore, for a structure for inhibiting the flow of debris into a fuel tank.
One embodiment of an anti-siphon and strainer fuel filler assembly includes a filler tube having a first end region adapted to be positioned in a fuel tank, the first end region including an aperture sized to allow fuel to flow through the aperture and out of the filler tube, the filler tube including a first crimp and a second crimp therein; a support structure positioned within the first end region of the filler tube, the support structure including a plurality of support structure apertures for allowing fuel to flow there through; and a strainer structure positioned in the filler tube and including strainer apertures extending there though that are sized for allowing fuel to flow there through while inhibiting debris from passing there through, the strainer and the support structure both retained within the filler tube by the first and the second crimps.
Body 12, in a central region 28 thereof, may include a plurality of filler tube openings or apertures 30 which may allow fluid and/or air to pass therethrough. Central region 28 may further include one or more retaining or deflection members, such as a tang 32, extending outwardly from body 12. Tangs 32 may be cut from body 12 so as to define additional openings 30 within a side wall of filler tube body 12 that allow air/or and fluid to flow there through. Tang 32 generally extends outwardly from body 12 in an upper region of assembly 10, toward second region 16 of body 12, such that tang 32 acts to retain body 12 within a fuel tank once assembly 10 is inserted therein. In particular, tang 32 extends outwardly from body 12 to define a diameter 34 (see
Body 12 of assembly 10, in the embodiment shown, is manufactured by the process of extrusion, such that body 12 may be seamless along its length 36. Lip 18, apertures 30 and tang 32 may be formed in body 12 after the extrusion process. Body 12 may be manufactured of aluminum but any durable material such as steel or heavy duty plastic may be utilized.
Still referring to
In the embodiment shown, length 36 of body 12 may be in a range of approximately seven to twelve inches, and first crimps 40a and 40b may be positioned approximately % of an inch from a lower end 50 of body 12. Crimps 40a and 40b may extend into interior 46 of body 12 approximately 1/16 of an inch. First crimp 40, including 40a and 40b, may be added to body 12 after extrusion of body 12. Projection of first crimp 40 into interior 46 of body 12 only through a potion of interior 46, such as only 1/16 of an inch, generally requires less compression force than completely compressing body 12 across its diameter. Accordingly, the crimping process of the present invention requires reduced sized crimping machinery than the heavy duty compressing machinery of prior art devices. Accordingly, the present invention has reduced manufacturing costs when compared to prior art anti-siphon assemblies.
Second crimp 42 may comprise a crimped region that extends completely around perimeter 48 at lower end 50 of body 12. Second crimp 42 may be manufactured on body 12 after extrusion thereof. Second crimped region 42 may be an indentation or an inwardly protruding region of body 12 that defines an inner diameter (see
Still referring to
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4-5, strainer tube 92 and end plate 94 may both include strainer apertures 104 that extend there through, and which allow fuel to flow through the strainer apertures 104 and there after through either of filler tube apertures 30 or support openings 76 of support structure 44 (which may be referred to as filler tube apertures 76 of support structure 44). Strainer apertures 104 generally comprise apertures that are smaller in size than filler tube apertures 30 or support openings 76. In the embodiment shown, strainer apertures 104 may be circular apertures that are stamped into strainer tube 92 and end plate 94 and may define an offset pattern of round holes 104 that define a largest width dimension 108, such as ⅛th inch, that may be at least five times smaller than a largest width dimension 110 of filler tube apertures 30, and in the embodiment shown are approximately ten times smaller than a largest width dimension 110 of filler tube apertures 30. Strainer apertures 104 generally are sized so as to hinder the flow of debris 86 into a fuel tank 52 in which assembly 10 may be mounted. In particular, strainer apertures 104 may be sized to inhibit debris or vandalism materials 86, such as gravel, rocks, sticks, leaves, keys, marbles, or the like, from flowing into a fuel tank on which the assembly 10 is mounted.
Referring again to
Still referring to
Strainer end plate 94 (shown without apertures 104 in this view for ease of illustration) may be positioned upstream of first crimp 40 from support structure 44, i.e., on the other side of crimp 40 from support structure 44. In another embodiment, crimp 40 may be eliminated and end plate 94 may be positioned directly against support structure 44 without a crimp 40 positioned there between. In such an embodiment, second crimp 42 retains support structure 44 in place within body 12, wherein support structure 44 in turn retains end plate 94 in place within body 12.
Strainer tube 92 (shown without apertures 104 in this view for ease of illustration)may be positioned upstream of strainer end plate 94 and downstream of third crimp 102, i.e., strainer tube 92 may be positioned between end plate 94 and third crimp 102. In the embodiment shown, strainer tube 92 abuts end plate 94 and retains end plate 94 in place within body 12 because strainer tube 92 and end plate 94 each define an outer diameter 98 and 100, respectfully, that each define approximately the same dimension.
Moreover, support structure 44 provides support to strainer end plate 94, thereby allowing for end plate 94 to be manufactured of a relatively thin material. Accordingly, small sized strainer apertures 104 may be manufactured by the cost effective method of stamping a thin sheet of material, because support structure 44 will provide structural support of the end plate 94 and will hinder vandals from dislodging end plate 94 from body 12. Of course, other shapes and designs of support structure 44 may be utilized in other embodiments of the present invention. In still other embodiments, support structure 44 may not be utilized and end plate 94 by itself may be positioned in first end region 14 of body 12. Support structure 44 may be manufactured of aluminum but any durable material such as steel or heavy duty plastic may be utilized.
Support structure 44 typically may have a structure that is symmetrical about a central point of the insert, such as the snowflake or hub-and-spoke shape as shown, such that the insert may be easily manufactured by the process of extrusion. In particular, insert 44 may be extruded as a single, long piece of material and then cut across its cross-section and along its length to define individual inserts 44. Insert 44 generally will have an outer diameter 78 that that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter 80 of body 12 such that insert 44 is snugly received therein. Moreover, the outer diameter 78 of insert 44 generally will be larger than the inner diameter 82 of body 12 at first crimp 40 and the inner diameter 84 of body 12 at second crimp 42 such that support structure 44 may be retained within body 12 between crimps 40 and 42.
Accordingly, the method of the present invention may include: providing an elongate fuel filler tube having a first end region adapted for placement in a fuel tank, the fuel filler tube including filler tube apertures in a side wall thereof; crimping the fuel filler tube in the first end region to define a first crimped region; placing a circular end plate strainer structure in the first end region and adjacent the first crimped region, the circular end plate strainer structure including plate strainer apertures smaller than the filler tube apertures; placing a cylindrical tube strainer structure in the filler tube and adjacent the circular end plate strainer structure, the cylindrical tube strainer structure including cylindrical tube strainer apertures smaller than the filler tube apertures; and crimping the fuel filler tube to define a second crimped region, wherein the circular end plate strainer structure and the cylindrical tube strainer structure are both secured in the fuel filler tube between the first and the second crimps. This process of placing a strainer structure within a fuel filler tube that also includes anti-siphon capabilities, and securing both the anti-siphon insert and the strainer structure within the fuel filler tube with the use of crimps, may result in an anti-siphon and strainer device 10 that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble yet which provides high strength and reliability.
In the above description numerous details have been set forth in order to provide a more through understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced using other equivalent designs.
