Abstract:
An overflow prevention dispensing container comprising a portable container having at least one handle means, a nozzle, at least one air vent, at least one liquid fill aperture, and fill aperture cover; a dispensing handle having a valve mechanism; and at least one release; an automatic shutoff sensing means for sensing the level of fluid in a receiving tank and stopping the flow of liquid into the receiving tank when it is full, whereby the container is placed in a position to dispense liquid to the receiving tank, the operator activates the dispensing handle allowing liquid to freely flow into the receiving tank until the apparatus senses the level of the liquid in the receiving tank to be desired level at which time the flow will automatically be stopped.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention generally relates to refueling a vehicle in a remote location. In particular, the invention relates to a portable overflow prevention dispensing container, wherein the portable overflow prevention dispensing container is used by a person to refuel a vehicle such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) or a personal watercraft (PWC) in their normal operating environment such as a forest or on a body of water while preventing overfilling the fuel tanks which causes excess fuel to spill and contaminate the environment. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Refueling containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Current refueling containers have many typical traits in common such as a container for retaining the fuel, a nozzle, and an integrated handle. Some refueling containers have the ability to control the flow of fuel but require the user to release the control in a timely fashion to prevent overfilling. Additionally, the refueling tank sizes commonly hold 2-5 gallons of fuel. A PWC, ATV, or UTV may hold anywhere from 5 gallons of fuel to 25 gallons with the more common range to be between 7-15 gallons. Currently, there are some no-spill systems that use a button on a small container that allow a user to fill up the small fuel tank on a lawn mower but this type of system would require multiple fuel containers in a single setting to refuel a PWC, ATV, or UTV just once thereby increasing the possibility of a spill and environmental contamination. Additionally, manipulating a small button on a “no-spill” container of a size sufficient to fill a PWC, ATV, or UTV would be difficult in its current configuration due to the size and weight of the fuel and would likely result in a spill and environmental contamination. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention overcomes these shortcomings by providing an apparatus that allows a user to control and fill a fuel tank on a vehicle such as a PWC, ATV, or UTV while simultaneously preventing overfilling a fuel tank and contaminating the environment. The apparatus may consist of a container, a nozzle, fuel aperture and an auto-shutoff sensor that allows the user to position the nozzle inside the fuel tank, began filling the fuel tank, and have the apparatus automatically stop the refueling operations before fuel is spilled. 
         [0005]    There have thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0006]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0007]    Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the overflow prevention dispensing container. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an internal view of overflow prevention dispensing container. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a side view of one embodiment of the overflow prevention dispensing container. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an overflow prevention dispensing container  100 . The overflow prevention dispensing container  100  may comprise a portable container  102 , integrated handles  104 , a fill aperture  106 , a nozzle  110 , a dispensing handle  112  and an auto-shutoff sensing means  114 . The overflow prevention dispensing container  100  allows a user to easily control the container  102  via the integrated handles  104  while fueling a vehicle such as a PWC, ATV, or UTV. The dispensing handle  112  is positioned such that a user may use both hands to control the container  102  while simultaneously dispensing fuel. The portable container  102  is preferably made from plastic materials such as polyethylene but may also be made from materials, including, but not limited to metal. Additionally, a portable container  102  may be shaped in a cylindrical or polygonal form for ease of dispensing fuel into a fuel tank. A handle  104  may be integrated into the portable container  102  for ease of production and ease of use as noted above. 
         [0012]    In an embodiment, there are two integrated handles  104  on one side of the portable container  102  and a positioner  116  on the nozzle  110 . The positioner  116  may be placed on the rim of the fuel tank to minimize movement relative to the fuel spout it engages while filing, which allows a user to place the nozzle  110  inside the fuel tank in a desired position. The user when pouring fuel into a fuel tank now has a positioner  116  and integrated handles  104  to easily control and dispense fuel while having the sensor  114  in a desired location to sense the fuel level thus preventing the overfilling of the fuel tank. 
         [0013]    The portable container  102  receives fuel through the fill aperture  106  wherein a filling cap  118  is removed to allow fuel to be poured inside the portable container  102 . The filling cap  118  is connected to a filling cap retainer  120  which is then connected to the portable container  102  at the cap attachment point  122 . This feature prevents the filling cap  118  from being dropped but more specifically, it prevents the cap from being lost when refueling a PWC while in the water. The filling cap  118  upon the filling of the portable container  102  is placed back onto the fill aperture  106 . The filling cap  118  may be attached to the fill aperture  106  including but not limited to using threads or other securing means adapted to prevent fuel leakage know to one skilled in the art. 
         [0014]    Attached to the portable container  102  is a nozzle  110  that allows the fuel to flow from the portable container  102  through the nozzle  110  into a fuel tank. The flow of the fuel from the portable container  102  through the nozzle  110  is controlled by a dispensing handle  112  that allows more fuel to flow as more pressure is applied to the dispensing handle  112  until the maximum flow is achieved. The dispensing handle  112  may be selected from a lever, a switch, or a button to control the flow of fuel from the portable container  102  into the fuel tank. Also inside the nozzle  110  is an auto-shutoff sensor  114  that detects the fuel level and once the fuel has reached a desired level, the sensor sends a signal to the dispensing handle  112  that disengages the handle  112  and prevents any further flow of fuel into the fuel tank. The automatic shutoff sensor may be activated by a number of means selected from an air pressure, ultrasonic, infrared, laser, and radar sensor. 
         [0015]    In a preferred embodiment the overflow prevention dispensing container  100  uses the Venturi effect to autosense when the fuel tank is full and prevent further fuel flow into the fuel tank. The auto-shutoff sensor  114  uses the Venturi effect such that as the pressure is changed, the pressure differential will be sensed by the auto-shutoff sensor  114  which is a Venturi tube that is connected to a diaphragm in the valve mechanism  202  internally to the portable container  102  that once it has sensed there is fuel in the auto-shutoff sensor  114 , the diaphragm then disengages the valve mechanism  202  which disconnects the dispensing handle  112  thus preventing any more fuel from flowing. The use of the Venturi effect to automatically stop the flow of a fluid is well known to one skilled in the art such as the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,735A incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0016]    Also contained on the body of the portable container  102  is a attachment point  124  that allows either a retention strap or a grounding strap to be attached between the portable container  102  and a vehicle. In the specific case of a PWC, if the portable container was to slip out of the hands of the user while the PWC was being refueled in the water, this attachment point  124  with a retention strap would prevent the portable container  102  from being lost. Additionally, a grounding strap would reduce the possibility of igniting the fuel. 
         [0017]    Additionally, there is an air vent  108  that is attached to the portable container  102  that allows air to enter into the portable container  102  once the container is in the upside down position. The air vent  108  allows the fuel to flow freely into the fuel tank eliminating the potential for fuel burping and causing premature shutoff thus increasing the potential of spilling fuel. The air vent is preferably comprised of a check valve-type mechanism that allows only one way flow into the tank through the valve. Moreover, the air vent  108  facilitates in the quick transfer of fuel from the portable container  102  to the fuel tank. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is an internal view of the overflow prevention dispensing container  200 . The portable container  102  internally may comprise of a valve mechanism  202 , a mechanical linkage  204 , baffles  206 , and baffle openings  208 . The valve mechanism  202  controls the fuel flow from the portable container  102  to the fuel tank and provides the automatic shutoff when a particular level of fuel with inside the fuel tank is reached. After the portable container  102  is positioned, the dispensing handle  112  is depressed such that the mechanical linkage  204  opens the valve mechanism  202  to allow fuel to flow out of the container  102  through the nozzle  110  into the fuel tank. The valve mechanism  202  uses a Venturi to control the fuel flow and detect the level of fuel in the fuel tank. The Venturi creates a low pressure area that then starts sucking air in through the auto shutoff sensor  114  and as long as this air flow continues through the auto shutoff sensor  114  fuel will continue to flow. At such time when the level of fuel rises within the tank such that is covers the auto shutoff sensor  114 , fuel will then be drawn into the valve mechanism  202  that will then activate a diaphragm that will then release the valve thus preventing future flow of fuel. 
         [0019]    Additionally, the portable container  102  may contain baffles  206  internally. The baffles  206  are to enable the user to easily control the portable container  102  when filling a fuel tank by preventing sloshing of the fuel when the portable container  102  is positioned to fill the fuel tank. Within the baffles  206  are baffle opening  208  that allows fuel within those sections to freely flow down toward the nozzle  110  when in a filling position thus preventing fuel from becoming trapped inside the container. 
         [0020]    As discussed earlier in  FIG. 1 , there are integrated handles  104  in the preferred embodiment. In the embodiment in  FIG. 2 , a different style of integrated handle  210  is shown which provides more vertical control as the portable container  102  is moved into a filling position and as that filling position becomes more vertical, the user retains more control using this integrated handle  210 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  illustrates an electronic overflow prevention dispensing container  300 . This is another embodiment of the overflow prevention dispensing container  100  using electronics to sense and control the flow of fuel. The electronic overflow prevention dispensing container  300  may comprise a dispensing button  302 , dispensing button wiring  304 , an electronic sensor  306 , electronic sensing wiring  308 , an electromechanical valve assembly  314 , an external handle  310 , and external handle strap  312 . As previous discussed in  FIG. 1  the dispensing handle  112  controls the flow of fuel into the fuel tank. In  FIG. 3 , this embodiment shows the election of a dispensing button  302  and the dispensing wiring  304  that controls the flow of the fluid via an electromechanical valve assembly  314   
         [0022]    As before, the portable container  102  is placed in the refueling position then the dispensing button  302  is depressed which sends a signal through the dispensing button wiring  304  to the electromechanical valve assembly  314  that actuates the valve electrically allowing the flow of fuel to the fuel tank. As the fuel tank fills, the electronic sensor  306  repeatedly checks the fuel level inside the fuel tank and once the fuel reaches a predetermined level, the sensor  306  signals the electromechanical valve assembly  314  via the electronic sensor wiring  308  to stop the flow of fuel to the fuel tank. The electronics may be powered by batteries housed inside the electromechanical valve assembly  314 . In  FIG. 300 , the automatic shutoff sensing means is selected from infrared detecting the level of the fluid inside the fuel tank and once the fuel tank has reached the desired level then sends a signal through the electronic sensor wiring  308  to the electro-mechanical valve  314  to immediately disengage the valve and prevent further fuel from flowing into the fuel tank. 
         [0023]    Additionally,  FIG. 3  illustrates another embodiment wherein only one of the handles  104  may be integrated and the other external handle  310  is affixedly attached by an external handle strap  312  to the portable container  102 . This configuration allows a user to place the external handle  310  in multiple locations on the portable container  102 .