Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With soil removing – coating – lubricating – sterilizing and/or... – Drip collection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-14
2004-03-23
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 1725)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With soil removing, coating, lubricating, sterilizing and/or...
Drip collection
C141S094000, C141S095000, C141S192000, C141S198000, C141S391000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708736
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to engine driven welding machines, and more particularly to arrangements for filling the fuel tanks of welding machine engines.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,928,535; 6,172,332; 6,263,926; and 6,296,027; and the Operator's Manual for the RANGER 9 are incorporated herein by reference and illustrate various types of grommets that can be used fuel assembly arrangements for engine welders.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Engine driven welding machines include a gas powered engine to run a generator which supplies power to the welding electrode. Consequently, the fuel tank for the gas powered engine must be periodically refilled with fuel. Years ago, the gas tank opening for the engine welder was located at or near the base of the engine welding machine. This position of the gas tank opening of the welder had several disadvantages, one which was that an operator was required to bend down to the ground to open, fill and then reseal the gas tank. This problem was solved by the RANGER 8 and 9 sold by The Lincoln Electric Company. The RANGER 8 and 9 included a cut out in the top cover of the engine welder to allow a filler tube to project therethrough. The filler tube extended to the fuel tank located in the base of the engine welder. As a result, an operator could will the fuel tank without having to bend down to the ground.
Another disadvantage of prior engine welder fuel assemblies was that the close proximity of the gas tank opening to the top of the gas tank provided little, if any, warning to the operator during fueling that the gas tank was approaching a full condition, thus resulting in fuel spillage. This problem was also solved by the RANGER 8 and 9. The fuel tank of the RANGER 8 and 9 was located at the base of the engine welder housing and the filler tube opening was located above the top cover of the engine welder housing. As a result, the longer filler tube provided additional warning time to an operator during the filling of the fuel tank. In addition, the filler tube volume was larger volume near the fuel tank than at the filler tube opening. This variable volume of the filler tube also provided the operator additional warning that the fuel tank was approaching a full condition.
Prior engine welder had the further disadvantage of allowing fuel, that back flowed through the filler tube during the filling of the fuel tank, to flow all over the top and/or side surface of the engine welder housing. Such fuel spillage could result in the defacing of the engine welder housing and/or damage to the internal components of the engine welder. Once again this problem was overcome by the RANGER 8 and 9. The RANGER 8 and 9 incorporated the use of a grommet that was positioned in the cut out opening in the top cover of the engine welder. The grommet sealed the cut out opening to prevent fuel from leaking into the interior of the engine welder housing. The grommet was also designed to direct any spilled fuel, resulting from the filling of the fuel tank, off to the side of the engine welder housing. As a result, any fuel spills were controlled by the grommet and resulting in the spilled fuel being safely directed off the side of the engine welder housing.
Although the fuel assembly design of the RANGER 8 and 9 has been commercially successful, at times, fuel spillage can occur from the filler opening during the filling of the fuel tank. During the filling of the fuel tank, back flow of the fuel from the filler tube opening periodically occurred even though the filler tube length had been extended and the filler tube had a larger volume near the fuel tank. In order to address this problem, The Lincoln Electric Company developed a new fuel tank assembly which incorporated the use of a fuel gauge. This fuel tank assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,263,926 and 6,296,027, which are incorporated herein by reference. The fuel gauge is positioned adjacent to the filler tube and allows an operator to monitor the fuel level in the fuel tank during the filling of the fuel tank. As a result, the operator is able to terminate the filling of the fuel tank long before any back flow occurs through the filler tube. A grommet was again used to seal the cut out region about the filler tube. A portion of the top and adjacent side of the engine welder is cut out and the grommet is positioned in the cut-out region to reseal the top and side of the engine welder. The opening of the filler tube extends through the bottom of the grommet. The cavity of the grommet directs spilled fuel to one side of the engine welder for easier cleanup of spills. The grommet, like all grommets, was designed to maintain a seal between the filler tube and the grommet during the operation of the engine welder so as to prevent any fuel that spills out of the filler tube opening to enter the interior of the engine welder housing. The grommet also allowed for easy removal and cleaning during the periodic servicing of the engine welder.
Although the fueling assembly disclosed in Assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,263,926 and 6,296,027 addressed many of the past problems associated with the fueling of engine welders, there remains a need for a fuel assembly for an engine welder that minimizes the incident of splashback and spillover during the fueling of the engine welder, is easy to service, facilitates in proper sealing, and minimizes or prevents fuel from damaging the engine welder during the occurrence of a fuel spill occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fueling assembly for a housed engine, and more particularly, to an improved grommet for the filler tube opening in the housing of an engine welder; however, the invention is not limited to engine welders, and can be used in all types of mechanisms that include a gas powered engine.
In accordance with a principal aspect of the present invention, an engine driven device is provided which includes a housing to at least partially protect the internal components of the engine. The engine driven device may include one or more other components at least partially in the housing. One type of engine driven device that is particularly applicable to the present invention is an engine driven welder. Typically, an engine driven welder includes a housing to protect the internal components of the welder. Protected by the housing is a fuel powered engine and an electric generator. The fuel powered engine runs the electric generator which in turn produces electricity for the arc welder. The electric generator is selected to produce electricity for various types of welders, such as, but not limited to, TIG welders, plasma arc welders, MIG welders, STT welders, and the like. Electric circuitry can be included within the housing to control the amount of current, voltage, power and/or the waveform of current directed to the electrode of the welder. A fuel tank is provided within the housing to supply fuel to the fuel powered motor. The fuel tank can be positioned in various areas within the housing, but is typically positioned at or near the base of the housing of the engine driven welder. A filler tube is connected to a portion of the fuel tank and extends upwardly from the fuel tank and through a portion of the housing to enable an operator to refill the fuel tank. The filler tube and fuel tank can be made from one or multiple pieces of material. The filler tube and fuel tank are typically made of a durable material such as, but not limited to, a plastic and/or a metal material. The engine welder typically includes a control panel to operate various internal components of the welder and to provide connectors to various components of the welder. One or more fixed or adjustable exhaust pipes for the fuel powered engine are also included on the engine driven welder. The one or more exhaust pipes can extend vertically upward or be oriented at some other angle. These and other standard components of an engine driven welder are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,928,535; 6,172,332; 6,263,926; and 6,296,027, whic
Fay Sharpe Fagan Minnich & McKee LLP
Lincoln Global Inc.
Maust Timothy L.
LandOfFree
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