Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With signal – indicator – recorder – inspection means or exhibitor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-06
2001-04-03
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With signal, indicator, recorder, inspection means or exhibitor
C141S098000, C141S351000, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030, C705S413000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209592
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to automatic filling of fluid containers, and particularly to refueling of vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
So-called “Gas Management Systems” (GMS) are known and virtually eliminates the need for a gas station attendant. In such systems, there is mounted around the fuel tank inlet of a vehicle a coil antenna that is controlled by a microcontroller located discreetly within the vehicle. At the refueling site, the nozzle of the GMS system pump is fitted with a nozzle coil front-end which interfaces with the site or forecourt controlling computer.
Authorization to refuel occurs during the contact-free, two-way communication between the vehicle and the site controlling computer. When the pump nozzle enters the fuel inlet, radio frequency communication occurs between the two. Driver identification is also established at this stage providing for an additional level of security.
Where more than one driver uses a specific vehicle, GMS provides an option of issuing driver tags which must be presented to the pump front-end prior placing the nozzle into the fuel inlet. Once the computer is satisfied that this is an authorized driver and that the right fuel is about to be dispensed into the right vehicle, it initiates the flow of fuel into the car's fuel tank.
Refueling continues as long as communication is maintained between the coil antenna in the vehicle's fuel tank and the fuel nozzle. On removing the nozzle, communication is interrupted, immediately stopping the flow of fuel. All data is automatically stored on the site computer and is forwarded daily to the transaction administrators, enabling them to provide their customers with comprehensive fuel management reports.
Installation of such a system requires a mechanical mounting for fixing the coil antenna proximate the fuel tank. The coil antenna must then be wired to the antenna interface of a smart card fitted inside the vehicle thus requiring the steel body of the vehicle to be drilled so as to pass the connection cable therethrough. Whilst these are not in themselves difficult operations, they are clearly beyond the ability of most motorists and thus have to be performed by a mechanic having access to the proper tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,439 (Ott et al.) discloses a self-closing cap particularly adapted for use with the filler neck of vehicle fuel tanks. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the self-closing cap
11
comprises a closure ring
15
having an annular seal
23
and being attachable to the filler neck
12
. A spring-biased closure flap
14
having a seal is swivel-mounted on the closure ring with two bearing arms
20
to a shaft
30
supported by a bearing block
17
inserted in a recess on the housing ring. A locking spring seated on the shaft of the bearing block biases the closure flap, with one end
29
of the spring engaging the closure flap
14
or a bearing arm
20
and the other end of the spring engaging the bearing block
17
.
When used to seal a vehicle fuel tank, a fuel nozzle being part of a gas filling station may be inserted through the annular seal against the spring bias so as to urge the closure flap into an open position, whereby fuel may be pumped into the fuel tank. On removing the fuel nozzle, the spring biased closure flap returns to its closed position, thus sealing the fuel tank. By such means, no mechanical removal of the seal is required and therefore such a self-closing cap is amenable to automatic fueling systems of the kind described above.
Use of such self-closing caps still does not of itself address the problem associated with mounting the coil antenna around the fuel pipe within the vehicle. It would obviously be desirable if a simpler way were provided for achieving this objective without requiring the services of qualified personnel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a particular object of the invention to allow a coil antenna to be associated with a vehicle fuel tank in such a manner that drilling of the vehicle body is unnecessary and obviating the need for a special mount.
To this end there is provided in accordance with the invention a self-closing cap for the filling neck of a container, the self-closing cap having integral therewith a smart card having a container coil antenna for communicating with a supply station coil antenna fixed to a supply nozzle when the supply nozzle is inserted into the container through the self-closing cap.
Preferably, the container is a vehicle fuel tank and the supply station is a gas station having a complementary coil antenna mounted proximate a fuel nozzle and tuned to the same frequency as the vehicle coil antenna.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4986439 (1991-01-01), Ott et al.
patent: 5241160 (1993-08-01), Bashan et al.
patent: 5605182 (1997-02-01), Oberrecht et al.
patent: 5727608 (1998-03-01), Nusbaumer et al.
patent: 5857501 (1999-01-01), Kelerich et al.
patent: 6045043 (2000-04-01), Bashan et al.
patent: 0736484 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 2600318 (1987-12-01), None
patent: 9406031 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 9514612 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 9532919 (1995-12-01), None
Aduk Moshe
Bashan Oded
Gilboa Ronnie
Itay Nehemya
Browdy and Neimark
Maust Timothy L.
On Track Innovations Ltd.
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