Patent ID: 7882862
Filing Date: 2011-02-08
Classification: B60K

Abstract:
1. A filler neck closure assembly for a vehicle fuel tank filler neck, the assembly comprising a housing adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank filler neck to receive a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle during fuel tank refueling, the housing including spaced-apart top and bottom walls and a side wall arranged to extend between the top and bottom walls to define an interior region of the housing therebetween, the top wall being formed to include an outer nozzle-receiving aperture opening into the interior region, the bottom wall being formed to include a passageway adapted to communicate with the fuel tank filler neck when the housing is coupled to the fuel tank filler neck, the housing further including a nozzle-actuated flapper door mounted for movement relative to the bottom wall to open and close the passageway formed in the bottom wall and located to position the bottom wall between the nozzle-actuated flapper door and the top wall, an insert located in the interior region to divide the interior region into an upper fluid distribution channel communicating with the outer nozzle-receiving aperture formed in the top wall and a lower fluid distribution channel communicating with the passageway formed in the bottom wall and the upper fluid distribution channel, a refueling vent manager located in the lower fluid distribution chamber and configured to provide means for receiving and sealingly engaging a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle extending through the outer nozzle-receiving aperture, the upper and lower fluid distribution channels of the interior region, and the passageway to move the nozzle-actuated flapper door relative to the bottom wall to open the passageway formed in the bottom wall and to allow liquid fuel to be dispensed therefrom into a fuel tank filler neck coupled to the housing and for establishing a normally closed fluid vent that opens to allow liquid fuel to flow from the fuel tank filler neck through, in sequence, the passageway, the lower and upper fluid distribution channels, and the outer nozzle-receiving aperture to form a stream of liquid fuel overflowing onto ground underlying the filler neck in response to failure of an automatic nozzle shut-off mechanism associated with the fuel-dispensing pump nozzle to stop discharge of liquid fuel from the fuel-dispensing pump nozzle at the end of a fuel tank refueling activity to provide a visual signal to an observer indicating failure of the automatic shut-off mechanism, and wherein the insert includes a nozzle-guide funnel having a wide-diameter upper portion located in confronting relation to the outer nozzle-receiving opening and formed to include an outlet aperture and a relatively narrower narrow-diameter lower portion located in confronting relation to the bottom wall and formed to include an inlet aperture, the nozzle-guide funnel is formed to include an overflow basin in an interior region of the wide-diameter upper and narrow-diameter lower portions and to cooperate with a surrounding portion of the side wall of the housing to locate an outer liquid transfer chamber therebetween to lie in fluid communication with the lower fluid distribution channel, and the nozzle-guide funnel is formed to include a side inlet aperture opening into the overflow basin and to the outer liquid transfer channel to conduct liquid fuel therebetween.