LOCKABLE BARRICADE FOR CAPLESS FUEL TANK FILLER NECK

Abstract

A fuel tank filler neck is formed to include an opening. A filler neck closure system includes a closure and a lock for the closure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a lockable filler neck barricade according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an access blocker included in the lockable filler neck barricade of FIG. 1 after the access blocker has been moved to assume a lockout position blocking access to a pump nozzle-receiving passage formed in an underlying fill pipe closure unit adapted to be mounted in an outer end of a fill pipe; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing exposure of a movable appearance door provided in the fill pipe closure unit upon movement of the access blocker away from the fill pipe closure unit to assume a refueling position to allow a user to insert a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle into a nozzle-receiving passageway formed in the fill pipe closure unit by moving the pump nozzle against the appearance door and into a passageway opening normally closed by the appearance door.

Claims

1. A filler neck barricade comprising a fuel tank filler neck,a lock mount including a base coupled to a fuel tank filler neck and a lock support unit anchored to the base and arranged to lie alongside the fuel tank filler neck, andan access blocker mounted for movement on the lock support unit between a lockout position arranged to overlie an opening into a pump nozzle-receiving passageway formed in the fuel tank filler neck to prevent access to the pump nozzle-receiving passageway through the opening and a refueling position arranged to lie away from the pump nozzle-receiving opening to allow insertion of a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle into the passageway through the opening during fuel tank refueling activity.

2. The barricade of claim 1, wherein the fuel tank filler neck includes a fill pipe adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank and a fill pipe closure unit coupled to an outer end of the fill pipe and formed to include the opening into the nozzle-receiving passageway.

3. The barricade of claim 2, wherein the fill pipe closure unit is formed to include an outer portion of the nozzle-receiving passageway communicating with the opening and the fill pipe is formed to include an inner portion of the nozzle-receiving passageway communicating with the outer portion of the nozzle-receiving passageway and being adapted to communicate with the fuel tank.

4. The barricade of claim 3, wherein the base of the lock mount is coupled to the fill pipe to retain the lock support unit in a stationary position alongside the fill pipe closure unit and an outer end of the filler neck and to locate the access blocker for movement above an relative to a top surface included in the fill pipe closure unit and formed to include the opening into the pump nozzle-receiving passageway.

5. The barricade of claim 3, wherein the fill pipe closure unit includes a housing formed to include an opening into the outer portion of the pump nozzle-receiving passageway and an appearance door mounted for movement relative to the housing between a closed position closing the opening and an opened position exposing the opening and wherein the access blocker is arranged to overlie and cover at least a portion of the appearance door upon movement of the appearance door to assume the closed position and movement of the access blocker to assume the lockout position.

6. The barricade of claim 3, wherein the fill pipe is formed to include a wide-diameter outer portion formed to include a chamber receiving at least a portion of the fill pipe closure unit therein and an interior wall arranged to mate with an exterior seal member included in the fill pipe closure unit, the fill pipe also is formed to include a relatively narrower narrow-diameter inner portion arranged to lie below the wide-diameter outer portion of the fill pipe, and wherein the base is coupled to the relatively narrower narrow-diameter inner portion of the fill pipe.

7. The barricade of claim 2, wherein the base of the lock mount is coupled to the fill tube.

8. The barricade of claim 7, wherein the access blocker is arranged to lie in spaced-apart parallel relation to a portion of the base upon movement of the access blocker to the lockout position.

9. The barricade of claim 8, wherein the access blocker is an elongated flat strip having one end coupled to the lock support unit and another end configured to lie above the opening into the nozzle-receiving passageway upon movement of the access blocker to the lockout position and a portion of the base is a flat plate.

10. The barricade of claim 1, wherein the base of the lock mount includes a pipe flange anchored in a fixed position on the fuel tank filler neck and a fastener coupled to the pipe flange and to the lock support unit to anchor the lock support unit to the base.

11. The barricade of claim 10, wherein the access blocker is an elongated strip having a first end associated with the lock support unit and an opposite second end configured to lie above the opening into the nozzle-receiving passageway upon movement of the access blocker to the lockout position.

12. The barricade of claim 11, wherein the access blocker and at least a portion of the pipe flange are arranged to lie in spaced-apart parallel relation to one another upon movement of the access blocker to the lockout position.

13. The barricade of claim 11, further comprising a lock mounted in lock support unit and arranged to extend into a lock-receiver aperture formed in the first end of the access blocker to expose a keyway formed in the lock and wherein the lock is configured to provide means for releasably retaining the access blocker securely in the lockout position to block a trespasser from gaining access to the fuel tank filler neck through the opening.

14. The barricade of claim 1, further comprising a lock coupled to the lock support unit and configured to retain the access blocker in the lockout position.

15. The barricade of claim 14, wherein the lock support unit includes a chamber containing the lock, the access blocker is formed to include a lock-exposure aperture, and the lock includes a front face formed to include a keyway and exposed in the lock-exposure aperture to allow a user to insert a key into the keyway when the access blocker is located in the lockout position and the refueling position.

16. The barricade of claim 14, wherein the lock is a key-actuated cylinder lock coupled to the lock support unit in rotative bearing engagement and the access blocker is mounted on the cylinder lock for rotation therewith during movement of the access blocker from the lockout position to the refueling position.

17. The barricade of claim 1, further comprising lock means coupled to the lock mount for retaining the access blocker securely in the lockout position so that the access blocker does not move relative to the lock mount.

18. The barricade of claim 17, wherein the lock means is mounted in rotative bearing engagement with the lock support unit to rotate about an axis of rotation and the access blocker is coupled to the lock means to rotate therewith relative to the lock support unit.

19. A filler neck barricade comprising a fuel tank filler neck,a lock mount,an access blocker mounted for movement on the lock mount between a lockout position arranged to overlie an opening into a pump nozzle-receiving passageway formed in the fuel tank filler neck to prevent access to the pump nozzle-receiving passageway through the opening and a refueling position arranged to lie away from the pump nozzle-receiving opening to allow insertion of a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle into the passageway through the opening during fuel tank refueling activity, anda lock coupled to the lock mount and configured to retain the access blocker in the lockout position to block unauthorized access by a trespasser to pump nozzle-receiving passageway formed in the fuel tank filler neck.

20. The barricade of claim 19, wherein the lock is located in a chamber formed in the lock mount and mounted in rotative bearing engagement with an interior wall included in the lock mount to define a boundary of the chamber and the lock is constrained by the interior wall to rotate in the chamber about an axis of rotation in response to movement of the access blocker between the lockout and refueling positions.