Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-26
2001-09-04
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C701S029000, C220S203240, C220S203260, C220S303000, C081S003400, C081S121100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285934
ABSTRACT:
This invention is to disclose apparatus and method for monitoring motor vehicle fuel tank caps to insure adequate tightening of fuel/gas caps of motor vehicles, such as cars, trucks motorcycles etc. At the present time, particularly with self service gas stations, there is a problem of adequately tightening the fuel/gas cap after filling the fuel or gas tank.
When a fuel/gas cap is not adequately tightened, volatile components from the fuel or gasoline are vented out of the as tank past the cap and thus pollutes the atmosphere.
The gas cap monitor apparatus and method of this invention insures adequate tightening of the fuel/gas cap, after refueling,to prevent venting of vapors out of the gas tank, via the filler tube. By having adequate tightening of the vehicle fuel tank cap by the apparatus of this invention, as indicated by the monitor computer alarm of this apparatus, the atmosphere is protected from added pollution.
PRIOR ART IN THIS FIELD OF INVENTION
Prior art patents pertaining to this invention are;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,975 for LOST MOTION FUEL CAP WITH CLOSURE INDICATOR. A fuel cap including a closure mechanism and an indicator for providing indication of sealed closure of the cap on the filler tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,086 for DELAYED ACTUATION FUEL CAP. This patent discloses a fuel cap with a delayed actuation mechanism for providing a lost-motion driving connection between the handle of the cap and the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,001 for PRESSURE RELEASE VENT CAP. This patent discloses a pressure relief and venting closure and includes provision of a torque over-ride for the closure to limit its rotary movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,505 for DELAYED ACTUATION FUEL CAP. Disclosure is made of a predetermined lost motion angle through which the handle and drive lug are permitted to rotate, relative to the driven lugs coupled to the closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,219 for SEALING CAP FOR A GASOLINE TANK. Disclosure is made of a gas cap and including an indicator window so one can read off the fully closed position of the sealing cap with certainty.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,346 for TORQUE OVERRIDE THREADED LOCKING CAP. Disclosure is made of a key locking cap for a threaded filler neck and provides for free ratcheting of the cap when locked.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,036 for AUTOMATIC FUELING FOR AUTOMOBILES Disclosure is made of a system for fueling a car by programmable means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,786 for APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC REFUELING OF VEHICLES. Disclosure is made of apparatus for opening the fuel tank pipe of the vehicle and includes a robot head and a transceiver unit carried by the robot head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is to disclose apparatus and method for monitoring a motor vehicle fuel tank cap,to insure adequate tightening of the gas cap. A tight gas cap is to insure protection of the environment by preventing release of hydrocarbon fuel vapors from a refueled automobile filler pipe and past the gas cap.
The apparatus of this invention has a handle connected to a torsion plate cover which in turn fits over a bell shaped torsion plate and the torsion plate having side walls on the interior of the bell shaped torsion plate, and the side walls on the interior of the torsion plate forming channels across the inside diameter of the bell shape torsion plate and these channels to straddle the ridge of the gas cap to remove the gas cap on turning in a counter clockwise direction and further there is a gas cap ball head extending upward from the center of the fuel/gas cap ridge so that the gas cap is removed on unscrewing and the fuel/gas cap is held in the torsion plate by means of a gas cap clip extending over the gas cap ball head.
The torque indicating device mounted on torsion plate shaft pillars is in essence a wheatstone bridge with wires leading from strain gauge indicating device to contact rings then to the contact carrier and to a monitor computer alarm set to respond to a preset strain gauges “torque” measurement level to indicate suitable tightening of the gas cap after refueling.
Electric power is supplied to the monitor apparatus, which in turn supplies the power to the monitor computer alarm from the strain gauges indicating suitable fuel cap tightening on rotating the monitoring apparatus and fuel cap attached thereto on the fuel tank fill pipe.
The monitor computer alarm is set to respond audibly or visually at certain torque level, as indicated by the strain gauges, to indicate adequate closing of the vehicle fuel tank cap, or warning of failure to use,to adequately tighten the fuel tank cap onto the vehicle fill pipe.
OBJECTS OF THIS INVENTION
The monitor computer alarm is set to respond audibly or visually at a certain torque level to indicate placement and adequate closing of the fuel/gas cap, or warning of failure to adequately tighten the fuel/gas cap of the refueled automobile, or other vehicle.
An object of this invention of apparatus and method for monitoring motor vehicle fuel tank caps is to disclose apparatus, usable by hand, and comprising a torsion plate and channel walls in the torsion plate, and the channel walls providing channels in the torsion plate, and a torsion plate cover extending over the torsion plate, and the shaft of the torsion plate comprising torsion plate shaft pillars, and these pillars connected to the torsion plate shaft crown, and a strain gage mounted on each of the torsion plate shaft pillars, and the strain gages comprising a wheatstone bridge circuit, with wires extending from the strain gages to contact rings mounted inside of the torsion plate cover, and a wire from each strain gage connected to a separate one of the four contact rings, and the contact rings are insulated each from the other by means of insulating ring spacers. The electric wires from the strain gages are attached to the contact rings and for each contact ring there are contactor brushes making contact with its respective contact ring and the contactor brushes are mounted on contactor arms, and each contact ring has its own set of a pair of contact brushes mounted on its own set of contact arms, and a separate wire connected to each connector arm pair and the wire from each connector arm pair extends to a monitor computer alarm box wherein response is made as pre-set to respond to a limit of electrical response as relayed by the strain gages to torque developed on rotating clockwise by hand the handle of this fuel cap torque monitoring apparatus on tightening the vehicle fuel gas cap on the filler pipe of the fuel tank.
A further object of this invention is to disclose apparatus to limit the amount of torque applied on tightening the fuel cap on the filler pipe of the vehicle fuel tank, and the apparatus comprises a ratcheting or slipclutch arrangement for torque over ride protection between the base of the handle and the torsion plate to allow only a preset maximum torque to be attained for tightening the fuel gas cap and the slipclutch over-ride protects the strain gauge assembly from over-torque.
In this disclosure the strain gauges indicate the “torque” on rotating the vehicle fuel cap into the fuel pipe, and the monitor computer alarm is pre set to a predetermined value, from the strain gauges for suitable mounting of the fuel cap on the fill pipe of the fuel tank for a good seal of the cap on the fill pipe.
A further object of this invention is to disclose apparatus to limit the amount of torque applied on rotating the fuel gas cap on the filler pipe of the fuel tank, by means of a ratcheting arrangement between the base of the handle and the torsion plate to allow only a preset maximum torque to be attained on tightening the vehicle fuel tank cap onto the filler pipe of the fuel tank.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4280346 (1981-07-01), Evans
patent: 4373388 (1983-02-01), Kitamura et al.
patent: 4436219 (1984-03-01), Reutter
patent: 4765505 (1988-08-01), Harris
patent: 4779755 (1988-10-01), Harris
patent: 4795054 (1989-01-01), Brown
patent: 5108001 (1992-04-01), Harris
patent: 5441168 (1995-08-01), Carlini
patent: 5449086 (1995-09-01), Harr
Johnson Robert T.
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
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