Claims
- 1. A fuel filling and venting assembly for a liquid fuel tank comprising:
- a fill tube adapted for connection to the fuel tank by a fluid conduit and having an opening and a mount for mounting said fill tube on a support;
- a vent tube adapted for connection to the fuel tank by a separate fluid conduit, said vent tube joined to said fill tube and having a vent opening in fluid communication with said fill tube adjacent said fill tube opening to allow venting of fuel vapor from the fuel tank and admission of atmospheric air to the fuel tank through said fill tube opening while returning liquid fuel overflow to the fuel tank through said fill tube;
- a closure cap mounted on said fill tube for closing said fill tube opening, said closure cap having an interior and being removable to open said fill tube opening;
- an air passageway in said closure cap operable to pass air and fuel vapor to and from said fill tube opening while restricting ingestion of water and other contaminants;
- said closure cap including an opening to said air passageway on said interior of said closure cap, a first rigid member forming a shield over said opening to said air passageway in said closure cap to restrict escape of liquid fuel outside said assembly during fuel surge due to splashing or the like, said shield having a periphery around which air and fuel vapor pass to and from said fill tube, said vent opening and said opening to said air passageway, and a spacer for spacing said shield from said air passageway opening to prevent closure thereof; and
- a baffle member in said fill tube, said baffle member extending between said vent opening and said fill tube opening and said shield to prevent expulsion of fuel from said vent tube opening out of said fill tube opening, and to restrict expulsion of fuel from said vent tube toward said shield.
- 2. The assembly of claim 1 including a hinge for pivoting said closure cap between said open and closed positions; said hinge including a hinge mount for mounting said hinge and closure cap on said fill tube; said baffle member including a fuel deflection flange adjacent said vent opening.
- 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said fill tube includes a shoulder therein supporting said baffle member, said shoulder and baffle member including cooperating fasteners to retain said baffle member on said shoulder.
- 4. The assembly of claim 1 including a tortuous fluid passage between the exterior of said closure cap and said air passageway for venting fuel vapor from the fuel tank, admitting atmospheric air to the fuel tank, and reducing the ingestion of water or other contaminants through said assembly to the fuel tank.
- 5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said closure cap has an exposed side and an interior side; said shield in said closure cap including a second rigid member mounted in spaced relationship to said interior side of said closure cap and defining said air passageway, said second rigid member having at least one opening therethrough for fluid communication between said fill tube opening, said vent opening and said air passageway; said first rigid member spaced from said second rigid member and being positioned intermediate said opening in said second rigid member and said fill tube opening, said first rigid member adapted to obstruct and deflect liquid fuel from said opening in said second rigid member upon contact by liquid fuel during a fuel surge.
- 6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said closure cap includes a peripheral rim defining a recess on said interior side, said tortuous fluid passage including at least one air channel extending away from said interior side, said air channel communicating with said air passageway and having an opening at a position spaced from said air passageway and between said closure cap peripheral rim and said air passageway.
- 7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said closure cap includes a mounting post on said interior side; said second rigid member being a washer having a mounting aperture receiving said post; said first rigid member being a thin rigid disc having a mounting aperture receiving said post, and a fastener on said post retaining said thin rigid disc and washer on said post.
- 8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein said interior side of said closure cap includes an annular wall around the periphery of said washer; said closure cap including a seal for sealing said fill tube adjacent said fill tube opening; said seal including an annular resilient ring engaging said washer adjacent said washer periphery inside said annular wall; said air channel opening through said annular wall; said washer including an annular ridge opposite said seal and spacing said washer from said interior side; said annular ridge having an opening therethrough to said air passageway, said annular ridge opening spaced from said air channel to further define said tortuous fluid path.
- 9. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said closure cap includes a mounting post on said interior side; said first rigid member including a rigid disc and an annular wall extending to and engaging said second rigid member adjacent said mounting post, said annular wall spacing said rigid disc from said opening to said air passageway in said second rigid member; a fastener securing said rigid disc to said mounting post.
- 10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said first rigid member is a thin rigid disc.
- 11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said first rigid member is a rigid disc having an outer periphery, said spacer including an annular wall extending from one side of said rigid disc toward said interior of said closure cap and spacing said rigid disc therefrom, said rigid disc also including an annular flange on said one side adjacent said outer periphery.
- 12. The assembly of claim 1 including a hinge mounted between said fill tube and said closure for pivoting said closure cap between open and closed positions; said hinge including a base plate mounted on said fill tube mount, a first hinge member on one of said base plate and closure cap, and a hinge pin on the other of said base plate and closure cap.
- 13. The assembly of claim 12 including positioning means for locating said closure cap, hinge and base plate in one of a plurality of positions on said fill tube whereby said cap is positioned to open and close in a predetermined direction on said hinge.
- 14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein said fill tube opening has a central axis; at least a portion of said fill tube extending a predetermined angle to said central axis of said opening.
- 15. The assembly of claim 13 including latch means on said closure cap and base plate for releasably securing said closure cap in said closed position over said fill tube opening.
- 16. A fuel filling and venting assembly for a liquid fuel tank comprising:
- a fill tube adapted for connection to the fuel tank by a fluid conduit and having an opening and a mount for mounting said fill tube on a support;
- a vent tube adapted for connection to the fuel tank by a separate fluid conduit, said vent tube joined to said fill tube and having a vent opening in fluid communication with said fill tube adjacent said fill tube opening to allow venting of fuel vapor from the fuel tank and admission of atmospheric air to the fuel tank through said fill tube opening while returning liquid fuel overflow to the fuel tank through said fill tube;
- a closure cap mounted on said fill tube for closing said fill tube opening, said closure cap being removable to open said fill tube opening;
- an air passageway in said closure cap operable to pass air and fuel vapor to and from said fill tube opening while restricting ingestion of water and other contaminants; said closure cap including a first rigid member forming a shield over said air passageway in said closure cap to restrict escape of liquid fuel outside said assembly during fuel surge due to splashing or the like; said closure cap having an exposed side and an interior side; said shield in said closure cap including a second rigid member mounted in spaced relationship to said interior side of said closure cap and defining said air passageway, said second rigid member having at least one opening therethrough for fluid communication between said fill tube opening, said vent opening and said air passageway; said first rigid member spaced from said second rigid member and being positioned intermediate said opening in said second rigid member and said fill tube opening, said first rigid member adapted to obstruct and deflect liquid fuel from said opening in said second rigid member upon contact by liquid fuel during a fuel surge; said closure cap also including a mounting post on said interior side; said first rigid member including a rigid disc and an annular wall extending to and engaging said second rigid member adjacent said mounting post, said annular wall spacing said rigid disc from said opening to said air passageway in said second rigid member; a fastener securing said rigid disc to said mounting post; said rigid disc including a periphery; said first rigid member also including an annular flange adjacent said disc periphery helping to rigidify said disc.
- 17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein said closure cap includes an annular resilient sealing ring for sealing said fill tube adjacent said fill tube opening, said sealing ring extending between said rigid disc and said second rigid member and engaging said annular flange on said disc, said annular flange including at least one opening therethrough providing fluid communication between said opening to said air passageway and said fill tube and vent tube.
- 18. A fuel filling and venting assembly for a liquid fuel tank comprising:
- a fill tube adapted for connection to the fuel tank by a fluid conduit and having an opening and a mount for mounting said fill tube on a support;
- a vent tube adapted for connection to the fuel tank by a separate fluid conduit, said vent tube joined to said fill tube and having a vent opening in fluid communication with said fill tube adjacent said fill tube opening to allow venting of fuel vapor from the fuel tank and admission of atmospheric air to the fuel tank through said fill tube opening while returning liquid fuel overflow to the fuel tank through said fill tube;
- a closure cap mounted on said fill tube for closing said fill tube opening, said closure cap having an interior and being removable to open said fill tube opening;
- an air passageway in said closure cap operable to pass air and fuel vapor to and from said fill tube opening while restricting ingestion of water and other contaminants; said closure cap including an opening to said air passageway on the interior of said closure cap, a first rigid member forming a shield over said opening to said air passageway in said closure cap to restrict escape of liquid fuel outside said assembly during fuel surge due to splashing or the like;
- a spacer for spacing said shield from said air passageway opening to prevent closure thereof; and
- a resilient seal positioned radially outwardly of said opening to said air passageway on said closure cap to close said fill tube opening when said closure cap is mounted on said fill tube, said shield having a periphery smaller than said fill tube, the air and fuel vapor passing around said shield periphery adjacent said resilient seal to and from said opening to said air passageway and said fill tube opening.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/215,264, filed Mar. 21, 1994.
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Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
Attwood 1992-93 Product Catalog, pp. 75, 78-83 & cover. |
Advertisement entitled "NEW from . . . PERKO, INC., Combination Gas Fill & Tank Vent--Fig. 1319" by Perko, Inc. of Miami, FL, Feb. 1993. |
Photograph Exhibits A-F of hand-made prototype of Attwood vented fuel fill. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
215264 |
Mar 1994 |
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