Patent Application
20190257512
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The disclosure and prior art relates to refilling devices and more particularly pertains to a new refilling device for pre-filling a selected amount of liquid fuel for a.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a funnel for receiving a liquid fuel. A spout is fluidly coupled to the funnel and the spout is configured to be positioned in an opening of a fuel canister of a torch to direct the liquid fuel into the fuel canister of the torch. A rest is coupled to and extends laterally away from the funnel for engage a lid of the fuel canister for storage when the fuel canister is filled with the liquid fuel. A valve is movably coupled between the funnel and the spout. The valve is selectively positioned in a closed position to inhibit the liquid fuel from flowing out of the funnel. The valve is selectively positioned in an open position to pass the liquid fuel therethrough thereby facilitating the fuel canister to be filled with the liquid fuel.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The outer wall 20 has an outer surface 22 and indicia 24 are printed on the outer surface 22. The indicia 24 comprise lines 26 that are spaced apart from each other and are distributed between the top end 16 and the bottom end 18. Each of the lines 26 has a corresponding number printed next to it to display a fluid volume of the liquid fuel 14 in the funnel 12. The funnel 12 has a well 28 extending laterally therein and the well 28 extends along a line that is oriented perpendicular to a line extending through the top end 16 and the bottom end 18. The well 28 is in fluid communication with an interior of the funnel 12, the well 28 is spaced from the bottom end 18 and the well 28 has a bounding surface 30.
A spout 32 is fluidly coupled to the funnel 12 and the spout 32 is selectively positioned in an opening 34 of a fuel canister 36 of a torch 38. In this way the spout 32 directs the liquid fuel 14 into the fuel canister 36 of the torch 38. The torch 38 may be a tiki torch or the like and the fuel canister 36 may be a fuel canister common to tiki torches. The liquid fuel 14 may be tiki torch fuel, kerosene and any other liquid torch fuel. The spout 32 is positioned on the bottom end 18 of the funnel 12 and the spout 32 is hollow. The spout 32 has a distal end 40 with respect to the bottom end 18. The distal end 40 is open wherein to direct the liquid fuel 14 into the fuel canister 36 of the torch 38.
A rest 42 is coupled to and extends laterally away from the funnel 12. The rest 42 engages a lid 44 of the fuel canister 36 for storage when the fuel canister 36 is filled with the liquid fuel 14. The lid 44 has a wick 46 and the wick 46 is inhibited from getting soiled when the lid 44 is stored on the rest 42. The rest 42 is positioned on the outer surface 22 of the outer wall 20 of the funnel 12.
The rest 42 has a top surface 48, a bottom surface 50 and a distal end 51 with respect to the outer wall 20. Each of the top surface 48 and the bottom surface 50 angle away from each other between the distal end 40 of the rest 42 and the outer wall 20. The rest 42 has an aperture 52 extending through the top surface 48 and the bottom surface 50 to insertably receive the wick 46. The aperture 52 is positioned closer to the distal end 40 of the rest 42 than the outer wall 20 of the funnel 12.
A valve 54 is movably coupled between the funnel 12 and the spout 32. The valve 54 is selectively positioned in a closed position to inhibit the liquid fuel 14 from flowing out of the funnel 12. The valve 54 is selectively positioned in an open position to pass the liquid fuel 14 therethrough thereby facilitating the fuel canister 36 to be filled with the liquid fuel 14. The valve 54 comprises a cylinder 56 that has a first end 58 and a second end 60. The cylinder 56 is slidably positioned in the well 28 and the first end 58 is exposed.
The cylinder 56 has an aperture 62 extending therethrough and the aperture 62 in the cylinder is centrally positioned between the first end 58 and the second end 60. The cylinder 56 is selectively urged into a first position aligning the aperture 62 in the cylinder 56 with the bottom end 18 of the funnel 12. Thus, the aperture 62 in the cylinder 56 passes the liquid fuel 14 into the spout 32 for filling the fuel canister 36. The cylinder 56 is selectively positioned in a second position offsetting the aperture 62 in the cylinder 56 with the bottom end 18. Thus, the cylinder 56 closes the bottom end 18 to inhibit the liquid fuel 14 from passing into the spout 32. A biasing member 64 is positioned between the bounding surface 30 of the well 28 and the second end 60 of the cylinder 56. The biasing member 64 biases the cylinder 56 into the second position and the biasing member 64 may be a spring or the like.
In use, the lid 44 is removed from the fuel canister 36 and the spout 32 is inserted into the opening 34 in the fuel canister 36. The wick 46 is extended through the aperture 52 in the rest 42 and the lid 44 is rested on the rest 42. A selected volume is poured into the funnel 12 that corresponds to a fluid capacity of the fuel canister 36. The lines 26 and numbers on the funnel 12 facilitate a precise amount of the liquid fuel 14 to be poured into the funnel 12 thereby reducing the likelihood of overfilling the fuel canister 36. The first end 58 of the cylinder 56 is depressed to urge the cylinder 56 into the first position to allow the liquid fuel 14 to pour into the fuel canister 36. The lid 44 is replaced on the fuel canister 36 and the wick 46 is lit to employ the torch 38.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
