Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Automatic control of flow cutoff or diversion – Level or overflow responsive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-29
2001-06-26
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Automatic control of flow cutoff or diversion
Level or overflow responsive
C141S059000, C141S083000, C141S094000, C141S095000, C141S099000, C141S104000, C141S192000, C141S250000, C141S285000, C141S302000, C141S392000, C340S450200, C340S941000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250347
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic fueling system, and more specifically to an automatic fueling system by which all the steps of the fueling operation including the insertion of a fueling nozzle to a fueling port of an automobile, the fuel-sort discrimination and the suspension of fueling at a required fueling level are carried out without a manual operation of fueling nozzles.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In a recent gas station, many efforts have been made to reduce the cost for fueling, for instance by producing a semi-automatic fueling system, thereby eliminating the number of fueling operators.
For example, there has been disclosed as Kokoku Publication 2 (1990)-12840 a fueling system wherein a fueling nozzle is automatically inserted to a fueling port of an automobile to be fueled. Furthermore, fueling systems are reported which have fuel-sort discrimination units for preventing from dispensing different sorts of fuel from the ones in fuel tanks in cars as disclosed in Japanese Kokai Publications 6 (1994)-115598 and 8 (1996)-169498, fueling systems which automatically dispense fuel to automobiles to the full-tank level thereof by the provision of full-tank fueling units as disclosed in Japanese Kokai Publications 58 (1983)-41095 and 63 (1988)-125196.
All of the above-mentioned fueling systems are effectively used with a minimum number of fueling operators, although there is no fueling system reported which is completely automatic and with which the fueling operation is safely carried out only by a customer with inputting some signal to the fueling system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fueling system of which fueling steps are performed automatically only by the signal input by a customer.
The object of the present invention is achieved by an automatic fueling system comprising a fueling machine comprising a nozzle mechanism comprising an injection pipe having a nozzle insertion sensor thereon, and a plurality of fueling nozzles contained in the injection pipe, each for dispensing a predetermined sort of fuel, and a fuel port sensor; and a data input/output unit for performing a signal transmission to and from the fueling machine; wherein the insertion of one of the nozzles is carried out to an automobile to be fueled having a signal generator thereon by the movement of the fueling machine based on the signal transmission between the fuel port sensor and the signal generator, and the fueling is suspended by the detection of a required level of fueling.
The object of the present invention is also achieved by an automatic fueling system comprising a first fueling machine and a second fueling machine, each comprising a fuel control unit comprising a fuel-sort discrimination unit, a full-tank fueling unit, an injection pipe having a nozzle-insertion sensor thereon, and a plurality of fueling nozzles contained in the injection pipe, each for dispensing a predetermined sort of fuel, and a fuel port sensor; and a first data input/output unit and a second data input/output unit for performing a signal transmission respectively to and from the first fueling machine and the second fueling machine; wherein the first fueling machines performs the insertion of one of the nozzles thereof to an automobile to be fueled having a signal generator thereon by the movement of the fueling machine based on the signal transmission between the fuel port sensor and the signal generator, the fuel control unit causes to function the fuel sort discrimination unit by the receipt of a nozzle-insertion signal from the nozzle-insertion sensor, and causes to function the full-tank fueling unit to start fueling when the fuel sort discrimination unit detects a correct fuel selection, the fueling is suspended by the detection of a required level of fueling by the full-tank fueling unit, and the first data input/output unit inhibits an input from the second data input/output unit by outputting a data input/output inhibition signal to the second data input/output unit when a fueling data is input to the first data input/output unit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3642036 (1972-02-01), Ginsburgh et al.
patent: 5309957 (1994-05-01), Saisuu
patent: 5628351 (1997-05-01), Ramsey, Jr. et al.
patent: 5634503 (1997-06-01), Musil et al.
patent: 6068030 (2000-05-01), Tatsuno
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Maust Timothy L.
Tatsuno Corporation
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