Motor vehicle fuel cap inlet and outlet vent apparatus

[0002] Proper venting of gasoline fuel tanks in cars or vehicles is important to reduce emissions of hydrocarbon fuels into the atmosphere and thus to reduce pollution of the atmosphere. Disclosure is made of a fuel tank cap, with controlled venting both into and out of the fuel tank, and a gasket sealing the cap to the fill pipe of the fuel tank, and the vents maintain minimum ventage of the hydrocarbon fuel vapors.

[0003] Disclosure is made of a car or vehicle fuel cap having an inlet vent valve and an outlet vent valve and each vent valve held in closed position until activated to open position by a pressure differential of pressure build up in the fuel tank for the outlet vent valve to open or the inlet vent valve actuated by negative pressure in the fuel tank, and the vent valves can be described as umbrella shape check valves, or reed valves as alternates to the umbrella valves. This invention then obviates the use of coil compression springs as now used in fuel caps for vent controls.

[0004] An object of this invention is to disclose and claim a vehicle fuel cap having an inlet vent and an outlet vent and the outlet vent extending upwards, held in closed position by an umbrella shaped cover extending over the vent aperture, and the edges of the umbrella shaped cover riding on the periphery around the outlet vent aperture and the umbrella shaped cover held in position over the outlet vent by fastening of the umbrella shaped cover onto a pillar extending from the vent aperture surface to the center of the concave surface of the umbrella shaped cap, and an inlet aperture extending downward in the fuel cap, and a pillar extending downward next to the inlet aperture and an inverted umbrella shaped cover extending over the inlet aperture, and the inverted umbrella shape cover attached to the pillar and the edge of the concave shape of the inverted umbrella shape extending over the inlet vent aperture.

[0005] Another object is to disclose and claim, as an alternate to umbrella shaped valves, reed valves in a fuel cap, and one reed valve in an outlet vent aperture and one reed valve in the inlet aperture, and the reed valves actuated by differential pressures inside and outside of the fuel tank.

[0006] U.S.Patents:

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,873 for FUEL CAP WITH POPPET VALVES. Spring loaded valves are disclosed.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,219 for SEALING CAP FOR GAS TANK. Pressure and vacuum relief valves are shown

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,505 for DELAYED ACTUATION FUEL CAP. The lost motion of the hub to break the seal on the fill pipe.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,001 for PRESSURE RELEASE VENT CAP. Spring loaded vents are disclosed.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. #5,996,829 for FUEL TANK CAP. Disclosure is made of a fuel tank cap to control the pressure in a fuel tank by opening and closing a rubber valve.

[0012] U.S. Pat. No. #6,003,709 for FUEL CAP. Electrically conductive fuel cap.

[0013] None of the above cited patents anticipate or make obvious the disclosure and claims of this present invention.

[0014] !

[0015] This invention is to disclose and claim vehicle fuel cap venting apparatus for controlling positive or negative pressure in a vehicle fuel tank and is described as follows.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross section elevational view of complete assembly of fuel cap of this invention, and FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the complete assembly of the of vehicle fuel cap venting apparatus of this invention.

[0017] The vehicle fuel cap apparatus of this invention includes a vehicle fuel cap apparatus (see FIG. 1) showing the top of fuel cap 1, and ridge 2 on top of the fuel cap and components of which are shown in FIGS. 3,4,5,6,7, and 8 and an inlet vent aperture 25, FIGS. 19,21 and an outlet vent aperture 20, and the outlet vent 20 extending through the flat top 27 of the fuel cap body 5, and the vent 20 held in “closed” position (see FIGS. 5, 6,15,19) by an by an umbrella or parabola shaped cover 4 (see FIGS. 13, 14, 15, 19) extending over the vent aperture 20, and the edge 28 of the umbrella parabolic shaped cover 4 resting on the periphery 27 around the outlet vent aperture 20 and the umbrella parabola shaped cover 4 held in position (see FIGS. 5,15,19) over the outlet vent aperture 20 by fastening of the umbrella parabola shaped cover 4 onto a pillar post 19 extending from flat top 27 of the fuel cap body 5 through a center mounting aperture 11 of the concave side 23 of the outlet vent umbrella parabola shaped cover 4, and the umbrella cover edge 28 (FIGS. 14,19) extending over the outlet vent aperture 20, and to insure balance of the pressure in the fuel tank there is an inlet vent aperture 25 through the top 27 of the fuel cap body 5, and a pillar post 18 for inlet vent inverted umbrella parabola shaped cover 6 (FIG. 7) extending downward on the vehicle fuel side of the flat top 27 of the fuel cap 5 and covering the inlet vent aperture 25 and the inverted umbrella parabola shape cover 6 attached to the pillar post 18 (FIG. 19) extending through mounting hole 12 in umbrella cover 6, and the edge 29 (FIGS. 17,22) of the concave side of the inverted umbrella parabola shape cover 6 extending over the inlet vent aperture 25.

[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 1,8, and 9, sealing gasket 7 is shown, which seals the cap to the filler pipe of the vehicle fuel tank. FIG. 18 is a plan view of the gasket 7.

[0019] As an alternate apparatus to control the pressure in a vehicle fuel tank cap, reed valves are shown in FIGS. 20, 21 in a fuel cap body 5. Outlet reed valve 13 is mounted on the top surface of top section 27 of the fuel cap body 5, and one reed valve 13 mounted on the bottom surface of top 27, of fuel cap body 5 on inlet vent aperture 15 and each reed valve 13,13′ is attached on one end to the top surface 27 of the fuel cap body. The reed valves can be identified as the name implies, a reed 13 or 13′ one end of which is attached at 16, 16′ to the fuel cap body FIG. 21 as stated above and the ends 26,26′ of the reeds opposite the attached ends shut-off of valve faces 17,17′ fitting over the inlet and outlet apertures 14 and 15 respectively, with reed 13 mounted on the top surface of top 27 of fuel cap body 5.

[0020] The reeds 1313′ being flexible are actuated by inlet or outlet pressure on the shut-off valve face contacts 17, 17′ to release either excess pressure in the fuel tank, or low pressure or partial vacuum in the fuel tank.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown elevation view of top component 1, of assembly of FIG. 3, rotated 90° of fuel cap 1, showing ridge 2, on top of fuel cap 1. FIG. 11 is plan view of bottom, of top of fuel tank cap 1, showing cogs 9 on inner wall of fuel cap 1. FIG. 12 is plan view of torque plate 3, showing mount apertures 14 to fit over pins 30, on top of fuel cap body 5 and pivot arms 8, on torque plate 3, and the pivot arms 8 flexibly mounted on pin mounts 10, to positively hit cams 9 on counter clock-wise rotation to remove the fuel cap assembly from the fill pipe, and pivot arms 8 riding over the cogs 9 on clock-wise rotation of the fuel cap assembly of FIG. 9.

[0022] FIG. 16 is the top plan view of inlet vent aperture umbrella cover 6. FIG. 20 is plan view of reed valves 13, 13′ mounted on top surface of fuel cap body 5, and outlet vent 20 and inlet vent 25 shown covered by shut off valve faces 17,17′.

[0023] FIG. 23 is a cross section view of outlet vent umbrella cover 4 and FIG. 24 is a plan view of top of fuel cap body showing the mounting locations of outlet and inlet vents and umbrella vent covers in approximate relationship each to the other.

[0024] The periphery 22 of the vent apertures are shown as legend 27

[0025] The rim edge 24 (FIG. 22) of inlet inverted umbrella cover 6, is in contact with surface of top of fuel cap 5, and the edge 28 of umbrella cover 4 is in contact with the surface 27 of fuel cap 5.

[0026] The umbrella parabola shaped covers 4 and 6 when mounted over the apertures as disclosed above, serve as vent control by the edges 24 or 28 being flexed and raised off of contact with the surface around the apertures, to allow for pressure or vacuum relief through its respective vent 20 or 25.

[0027] It is to be pointed out that the apertures 20 and 25 are each adjacent to its respective pillar post 19 and 18 under umbrella parabola shape cover 4 and 6 respectively.

[0028] The preferred material for the inlet and outlet vent umbrella covers 4 and 6 is fluorocarbon (fluoroplastic) moldings, having a Shore A, 55 to 65 hardness.

[0029] The other components may be molded of plastic material such as nylon or similar materials.

[0030] The threads 30, of the fuel cap body 5 are shown as coarse threads, but these threads may be replaced by quarter turn threads or other means for attaching the fuel cap to the fill pipe.

[0031] The reed valve arms are made of stainless steel or similar inert metal, and the shut-off valve face 17, 17′ contacts on the arms are preferably of plastic material such as nylon, or fluoropolymer or the metal of the arms would be sufficient to hold the vent closed against a pressure of 1—3 pounds per square inch.

[0032] Further description includes an outlet aperture 20 adjacent to a pillar 19, in fuel cap body 5, and an aperture cover 4, having an umbrella or parabola shape mounted on the pillar 19, and the aperture cover concave side 23 edge landed on the surface 27 around the pillar 19 and the outlet aperture 20 and the inlet aperture 25 adjacent to a second pillar 18 in the fuel cap body 5, and a second aperture cover 6 having an umbrella or parabola shape FIGS. 22 and 23, mounted on the second pillar 18 and the concave side edge 24, of the aperture cover landed on surface around the second pillar 18 and the inlet aperture 25, on the underside flat top 27 of fuel cap body 5.

[0033] The fluoropolymer thermoplastic material moldings of aperture covers should have a preferred Shore A hardness of 45 to 65, with a prederable range of 50 to 60 hardness.

[0034] The word “landed” means the edges 24 and 28 of the out-let and inlet aperture covers 4 and 6 are in contact with the respective surface around the pillars 18,19 and the apertures 20 and 25, and the attachment of the outlet/inlet umbrella covers 4 and 6 to the pillars 19 and 18 is tight to prevent any vent leakage between the pillars and the umbrella covers.

[0035] As an alternate, to obviate springs in a vehicle fuel cap outlet and inlet vent apparatus a first outlet aperture 20 vent in a fuel cap body 5 and a metal reed 13 attached on one end 6 and adjacent to outlet aperture 20 vent the end 26 of the reed 13 opposite to attached end 16 extending over aperture 20 to close the outlet aperture 20, end of the metal reed 13 opposite to the attached end in shut off contact with the outlet aperture vent 20, and, an inlet aperture 25 in the fuel cap body 5, a second metal reed 13′ attached on one end 16′ and adjacent to aperture 25 for inlet vent, the end 26′ of the second metal reed 13′ opposite to attached end 16′, extending to cover inlet aperture vent 25, the end 26′ of the second metal reed opposite to the attached end 16 in shut off contact with the inlet aperture 25.

[0036] In all of the above discussion and disclosure, the umbrella parabola covers 4 and 6, and reed valves 13 and 13′ are actuated to vent either in or out by a pressure difference between the fuel tank and the atmospheric pressure.