Abstract:
A cap for selective attachment with a threaded opening includes an outer cover and an inner portion, the inner portion lying at least partially within the outer cover and having threads engageable with the threaded opening and a set of circumferentially-spaced teeth arranged to selectively receive torque from manual rotation of the outer cover. A slider in constant driving engagement with the outer cover is selectively engageable with the teeth of the inner portion to transmit torque from the outer cover to the inner portion. An actuator is provided to actuate the slider into and out of engagement with the teeth of the inner portion. A lock is provided accessible from outside the outer cover and being coupled to the actuator. A locked state of the cap is one in which the slider is removed from engagement with the teeth of the inner portion by the lock and actuator and an unlocked state of the cap is one in which the slider is engaged with the teeth of the inner portion.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/760,670, filed Jan. 20, 2006, entitled VENT INCLUDING A SEPARATOR MEMBRANE, and to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/760,613, filed Jan. 20, 2006, entitled MODULAR RATCHET CAP, and to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/760,674, filed Jan. 20, 2006, entitled LOCKING CAP, and to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/862,077, filed Oct. 19, 2006, entitled LOCKING CAP, and to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/862,074, filed Oct. 19, 2006, entitled VENT INCLUDING A SEPARATOR MEMBRANE, and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/624,711, filed Jan. 19, 2007, entitled VENT INCLUDING A SEPARATOR MEMBRANE, and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/624,709, filed Jan. 19, 2007, entitled MODULAR RATCHET CAP, the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to caps and, more particularly, to a locking cap, especially for use on a tank such as, for example, a fuel tank. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In independent aspects and in some constructions, the invention provides a cap for closing an opening, such as the filling tube on a fuel tank, the cap being operable between a locked condition, in which the cap is inhibited from being removed from the opening, and an unlocked condition, in which the cap is removable from the opening. The cap generally includes a threaded portion for engaging complementary threads on a structure of the opening, a cover portion for engagement by an operator, and a locking mechanism operable between a locked condition, to thereby inhibit the cap from being removed from the opening, and an unlocked condition, to allow the cap to be removable from the opening. 
   Independent features and independent advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the detailed description and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a locking cap according to a first embodiment; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded assembly view of the locking cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the locking cap of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the locking cap of  FIG. 1  shown in the unlocked state with the cover removed. 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the locking cap of  FIG. 1  shown in the locked state with the cover removed; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a slider of the locking cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the locking cap of  FIG. 1  with a dust cover opened; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded assembly view of a locking cap according to a second embodiment; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the locking cap of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the locking cap of  FIG. 8 , taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an outer cover portion of the locking cap of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a bottom view of the outer portion of  FIG. 11 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a slider of the locking cap of  FIG. 8 ; and 
       FIG. 14  is a perspective view of an actuator of the locking cap of  FIG. 8 . 
   

   Before any independent features and at least one embodiment of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangement 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 or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   Although references are made below to directions, such as left, right, up, down, top, bottom, front, rear, forward, back, etc., in describing the drawings, the references are made relative to the drawings (as normally viewed) for convenience. These directions are not intended to be taken literally or to limit the present invention in any form. 
   The use of “including”, “having”, and “comprising” variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The use of letters to identify elements of a method or process is simple for identification and is not meant to indicate that the elements should be performed in a particular order. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A cap  20  is provided with a locking mechanism  24  for selectively putting the cap  20  into a locked condition, in which the cap  20  is inhibited from being removed from an opening  28 , and an unlocked condition, in which the cap  20  is removable from the opening  28 . In one embodiment, the cap  20  is used to close the opening  28 , which is part of a filling tube  32  of a fuel tank (not shown). In the locked condition, the cap  20  is less susceptible to vandalism, including theft of the cap  20  and/or the contents of the tank. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1-3  and  7 , the cap  20  includes an outer cover portion  36  (or simply, “cover”) engageable by an operator to rotate the cap  20  relative to the opening  28  about an axis A. The cap  20  also includes an inner threaded portion  40 . The inner threaded portion  40  is a body or member formed with threads  41 , which are engageable with complementary threads  44  formed on the opening  28 . A seal  48  is disposed between the cover  36  and the inner threaded portion  40 , and a gasket  52  is provided underneath the inner threaded portion  40  for engagement necessarily air-tight. 
   The cover  36  and inner threaded portion  40  are selectively engaged with each other via the locking mechanism  24 . In general, the locking mechanism  24  is operable to selectively put the cap  20  in a condition that prevents its removal from the opening  28 . The locking mechanism  24  selectively disengages a rotational driving connection between the cover  36  and the inner threaded portion  40  such that torque on the cover  36  about the axis A is not transferred to the inner threaded portion  40 , and rotation of the cover  36  does not cause rotation of the inner threaded portion  40 . In the unlocked condition, the locking mechanism  24  couples the cover  36  and the inner threaded portion  40  for transmission of torque to allow the cap  20  to be removed modifications to the tank or opening  28  and is compatible with various cap and thread sizes, including standardized cap and thread sizes. 
   The locking mechanism  24  includes a lock cylinder assembly  56  (in some constructions, an off-the-shelf lock cylinder) that is received in an opening  58  in the cover  36  and positioned by a retainer clip  59 . The lock cylinder assembly  56  includes a cam portion  60  which is movable relative to the cover  36  and relative to the remainder of the lock cylinder assembly  56  between a first position (see  FIG. 4 ) and a second position (see  FIG. 5 ). In the illustrated embodiment, the cam portion  60  is rotatable about the axis A. A key (not shown) is insertable into the lock cylinder assembly  56  and operable to pivot the cam portion  60  between the first and second positions. The lock mechanism  24  also includes a slider  64  coupled to the cover  36 . The slider  64  is supported on the cover  36  for rotation with the cover  36  about axis A and for selective sliding movement relative to the cover  36 . In the illustrated embodiment, the slider  64  is supported for sliding in a radial direction on the cover  36 , substantially perpendicular to the axis A. 
   The slider  64  is formed with first and second guide protrusions  64 A, which extend from the slider  64  toward a transverse wall  65  of the cover  36 . The transverse wall  65  is formed with a pair of guide slots  65 A, which receive the guide protrusions  64 A and allow movement of the slider  64  only along a short path in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis A with respect to the cover  36 . The slider  64  is also formed with a cam follower surface  66 , which is contacted by the cam portion  60  to move the slider  64  along the short path as discussed in further detail below. 
   The locking mechanism  24  also includes structure, such as a retainer  68 , supported for rotation with the inner threaded portion  40 . For example, the retainer  68  is welded, bonded, or snapped into engagement with the inner threaded portion  40 . In some embodiments, the retainer  68  is formed as a separate component from the inner threaded portion  40 , and is thereafter permanently joined (e.g., by spin welding) with the inner threaded portion  40  such that the retainer  68  may be considered part of the inner threaded portion  40 . The slider  64  and the retainer  68  include respective sets of teeth  72  and  76 , which are selectively engageable with each other to connect the slider  64  to the retainer  68  and thereby connect the cover  36  to the inner threaded portion  40 . 
   In the unlocked condition (see  FIG. 4 ), the cam portion  60  of the lock cylinder assembly  56  is moved to the first position, forcing the slider  64  to an extended position and into engagement with the retainer  68  such that one or more slider teeth  72  are engaged with one or more retainer teeth  76 . Due to the slider  64  and the retainer  68  being engaged and thus, fixed against relative rotation, an operator may grasp the cover  36  and rotate it (e.g., in a counterclockwise manner) to unscrew and remove the cap  20  from the filling tube  32 . Also, an operator may grasp the cover  36  and rotate it (e.g., in a clockwise manner) to screw-on and install the cap  20  on the filling tube  32 . 
   In the locked condition (see  FIG. 5 ), the cam portion  60  of the lock cylinder assembly  56  is moved to the second position, holding the slider  64  in a retracted position and out of engagement with the retainer  68  such that the slider teeth  72  are disengaged from the retainer teeth  76 . In this condition, the slider teeth  72  are prevented from engaging the retainer teeth  76 , and the cover  36  is free to rotate relative to the inner threaded portion  40  without transmitting torque or rotational movement thereto. Therefore, when a vandal or miscreant attempts to unscrew the cap  20  in the locked configuration, the cover  36  spins, but no torque is transmitted to the retainer  68  or to the inner threaded portion  40 , and the cap  20  cannot be unscrewed form the filling tube  32 . 
   It should be understood that, in other constructions, the locking mechanism  24  may include different components and/or have components which operate in a different manner. For example, the cam portion  60  may move in a different manner (e.g., slide (laterally (side-to-side), vertically (up and down), etc.), pivot vertically, etc.) between the first and second positions. Also, the slider  64  may move in a different manner (e.g., pivot between the extended and retracted positions, rather than slide along an axis), slide along a different axis (e.g., up and down) between the extended and retracted positions. 
   In addition, different structure may be provided to rotatably connect the cover  36  and the inner threaded portion  40 . For example, a friction engagement (rather than a toothed engagement) may be provided between the cover  36  and the inner threaded portion  40 . In some constructions, the cap  20  includes a different type of toothed engagement, such as a ratchet assembly to prevent over-tightening of the cap  20  on the filling tube  32 , prevent damage to the cap  20  and/or filling tube  32 , provided audible and/or tactile feedback to the user that a sufficient level of torque (e.g., at or greater than a minimum retention torque) has been achieved, etc. The ratchet assembly includes an assembly for ratcheting engagement between the cover  36  and the inner threaded portion  40  when the cap  20  is in the unlocked condition. Regardless of whether or not ratcheting action is provided, the toothed engagement within the cap  20  has different orientations, numbers, and shapes of teeth  72 ,  76  is alternate embodiments. 
   In some embodiments, as illustrated  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  5 , the slider  64  includes two ribs  84  integrally formed with and projecting outwardly from a flat surface  88  of the slider  64 . The ribs  84  extend from the flat surface  88  in the direction facing the cover  36 . The ribs  84  are configured to snap over corresponding ribs  92  on the interior of the cover  36  when the slider  64  is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position and vice versa. This provides tactile and/or audible feedback to user when the locked/unlocked condition of the cap  20  is changed (i.e., when the slider  64  is moved from the retracted position to the extended position or vice versa). In some embodiments, the ribs  84  on the slider  64  and the corresponding ribs  92  on the cover  36  positively position the slider  64  in either the locked position or the unlocked position and act to prevent incidental movement of the slider  64  out of the desired position. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  and  7 , a dust cover  95  is rotatably mounted on the cover  36  in some embodiments to protect the locking mechanism  24  from harsh conditions and debris. The dust cover  95  includes visible indicia  98  in the illustrated embodiment to indicate the direction for rotating the dust cover from the closed position to the open position. 
   In some embodiments, as best illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the cover  36  includes visible indicia  102  adjacent to the locking mechanism  24  to indicate the direction of key rotation to accomplish a locking operation and oppositely, an unlocking operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicia  102  include a “locked” padlock symbol, an “unlocked” padlock symbol, and corresponding curved arrows. 
   A cap  200  according to a second embodiment and individual portions thereof are illustrated in at least  FIGS. 8-14 . The cap  200  is rotatable about an axis A′ and selectively engageable with the opening  28 . The cap  200  includes some features common with the cap  20  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 , which features may be referred to by the same reference numerals. The elements and features which differ form the first embodiment are discussed in detail. The cap  200  includes an outer cover port on  204  (or simply, “cover”) and a slider  208 , which is coupled to the cover  204  for rotation therewith. The slider  208  includes four notches  212 , which engage respective posts  216  on an inner surface of a transverse wall  220  of the cover  204 . The slider  208  also includes teeth  224  for engaging with complementary teeth  228  of an inner threaded portion  232  of the cap  200 . The slider teeth  224  are spaced around an outer periphery of the slider  208 . In the illustrated embodiments, the slider  208  is generally circular and formed with a flange portion  236 . The notches  212  and the teeth  224  extend radially form the flange portion  236 . In the illustrated embodiment, each tooth  224  is circumferentially spaced between an adjacent pair of notches  212  and vice versa. Each slider tooth  224  is formed at a distal end of a ratchet member  240 . 
   The slider  208  includes threads  248  formed on an interior wall  250  of a central aperture  252 . The cap  200  further includes a locking mechanism  256 , which includes a lock cylinder assembly  260  and an actuator  264 . The lock cylinder assembly  260 , which may substantially identical to the lock cylinder  56  of  FIGS. 2-5  and  7  in some embodiments, is received in an opening  262  in the cover  204 . The actuator  264  is formed with threads  268  for engaging the threads  248  of the slider  208 . The lock cylinder assembly  260  includes a cam portion  272  engageable with the actuator  264 . In some embodiments, the cam portion  272  and the actuator  264  are in constant driving engagement with one another such that, when the lock cylinder assembly  260  is actuated by a key (not shown), the actuator  264  is rotated a substantially equal amount as the cam portion  272  about the axis A′. In the illustrated embodiment, the cam portion  272  is received in a pocket  276  of the actuator  264 , and the cam portion  272  and actuator  264  rotate about the axis A′ in a 1:1 ratio. 
   As the actuator  264  is rotated by the cam portion  272 , it drives the slider  208  parallel to the axis A′. The slider  208  is fixed against rotation relative to the cover  204  via the notches  212  and posts  216 . Thus, the rotation of the actuator  264  drives the slider  208  into and out of engagement with the teeth  228  of the inner threaded portion  232  along the axis A′. 
   When the slider teeth  224  are engaged with the teeth  228  of the inner threaded portion  232 , the cap  200  is in an unlocked state and the cover  204  may be rotated in a counter clockwise direction about the axis A′ to remove the cap  200  form the opening  28 . A driving connection is established between the cover  204  and the inner threaded portion  232  in the cap-removal direction via the slider teeth  224  and the teeth  204  is rotated in a clockwise (cap-installing) direction on the opening  28 , a torque-limited driving connection is established between the cover  204  and the inner threaded portion  232 . When a torque is applied to the cover  204  in the cap-installing direction that exceeds a predetermined amount, the ratchet member  240  of the slider  208  deflect radially inwardly to allow the teeth  224  at the distal ends thereof to slip over the teeth  228  of the inner threaded member  232 . 
   When the slider teeth  224  are disengaged from the teeth  228  of the inner threaded portion  232 , the cap  200  is in the locked condition, and there is no driving connection in either direction between the cover  204  and the inner threaded portion  232 . Therefore, the cap  200  is unable to be removed from the opening  28  by rotation about axis A′ in the cap-removal direction. 
   Additional modifications to the caps disclosed include the option of mounting a tether for retaining the cap  20  or  200  to a fill tube or another member such as a vehicle frame or body. Tethers of various lengths and configurations are accommodated by the caps  20  and  200 . The cap  20  or  200  can be vented or non-vented, provided with male or female threads, and provided with various sizes and types of threads.