Abstract:
A fuel dispensing nozzle is provided with fuel activated levers that engage the vehicle fill pipe to prevent drive-off without paying. Fuel pump pressure acts on plungers to pivot fill pipe levers, against spring pressure, to lock the two together. Movement of the levers is initially prevented by a trigger that is spring biased forward on the nozzle spout. Since the fill pipe is not large enough to pass the trigger, insertion of the spout into the fill pipe moves the trigger against spring pressure to uncover the levers. The levers are locked to the fill pipe as long as pump pressure is present. Removal of fuel pressure allows the levers to be withdrawn by spring action. A breakaway joint is provided to stop fuel flow in the event of drive-off with the fuel nozzle in a fuel filled pipe.

Description:
[0001]     This is a Continuation-in-Part of your applicant&#39;s prior application Ser. No. 11/037,929 filed Jan. 19, 2005, and now Pat. No. ______ issued ______. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     An interlocking mechanism locks a fuel dispensing nozzle to a fill pipe at a filling station to prevent drive-off without payment. Initial fuel pressure at the pump presses locking levers out against spring pressure with the locking levers released to lock by trigger movement when the nozzle is inserted into the fill pipe. Removal of fuel pressure allows spring retraction of the levers.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     The concept of providing fuel nozzles with spout extensions to secure the nozzle to a fuel tank to prevent spilling and need to hold the nozzle are old. M. McCune, U.S. Pat. No. 1,457,535, issued Jun. 5, 1923, and L. Dorris, U.S. Pat. No. 1,515,844, issued Nov. 18, 1924, and J. Seidel, U.S. Pat. No. 1,726,044, issued  
         [0006]     Aug. 27, 1929, and R. Chadil et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,547,690, issued Apr. 3, 1951, and G. Moore et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,121, issued Mar. 24, 1970, and J. Moss, U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,536, issued Oct. 19, 1982, and C. Sunderhaus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,302, issued Dec. 10, 1985, and R. Mohr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,023, issued Aug.  17 , 1993, and B. Dyer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,182, issued Jan. 31, 1995, are examples. The use of pull away parts to preclude unnecessary damage when a vehicle operator pulls off with the nozzle still in the fill pipe is known with M. Carder et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,123, issued Sep. 26, 2000, examples.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present fuel nozzle will enable service stations that dispense fuel to customer vehicles to provide a locking mechanism between the nozzle and the fill pipe of a vehicle&#39;s gas tank so that the release of the nozzle is under the control of the service station attendant/cashier. The motivation for this invention is the problem of drive-offs, unintentional or otherwise, costing service station owners and operators about $270 million per year across the United States. A typical drive-off involves $25.30 at a fuel price of $1.75 per gallon and thus is not a felony; therefore, there is little incentive to worry about prosecution from the point of view of the accused gas thief, and from the point of view of the service station owner. The invention should reduce drive-offs, or at least make those who continue to drive off more fearful of prosecution.  
         [0008]     A fuel filler neck restrictor plate in the fuel filler pipe of cars manufactured since 1974 prevents filling of leaded gasoline or other fuels from a larger nozzle diameter. The fuel dispensing nozzle comprises a double lever mechanism that interlocks with the fill pipe of vehicles, particularly the fuel filler neck restrictor required by unleaded fuel vehicles. Fuel pump pressure is applied to engage the levers. These latches will have 10 psi of fluid pressure being supplied by the incoming tube from the poppet valve chamber as long as fuel under pressure is present. A trigger on the nozzle spout prevents engagement of the latches or levers with the fill pipe until the nozzle is inserted into a fill pipe. Since the trigger is too large to fit through the restrictor, it is moved inward on the nozzle spout against spring pressure to uncover the levers and permit them to engage the fill pipe. The interlocking mechanism is activated by initial insertion of the spout, and is maintained by fuel pressure transmitted by a tube that connects the poppet valve chamber to lever actuators inside of the spout. When, and only when, the attendant/cashier turns off the pump, the fluid pressure is removed from the plunger and the latches allowing the latches to retract back into the spout by latch spring pressure, which in turn permits the dispensing nozzle to be safely removed from the customer&#39;s vehicle. If the customer fails to pay the cashier and drives off, a breakaway joint between the nozzle and hose will fail, as mandated by OSHA, disconnecting the nozzle from the hose. This breakaway occurs whenever a force &gt;350 lbs. is applied with less than an ounce of fuel spilled as a result of the breakaway. This invention will not interfere with the automatic “pay at the pump” dispensing operation. The customer could merely hit a button on the “pay at the pump” panel to turn off the pump. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the fuel nozzle of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the fuel nozzle of the invention in a fill pipe with a section broken away.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3 . Is a sectional side view of the spout end of the fuel nozzle of the invention in a fill pipe.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a sectional top view of the spout end of the fuel nozzle under fuel pressure.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a sectional top view of the spout end of the fuel nozzle with pressure removal.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective sectional view of the spout end of the fuel nozzle of the invention removed from a fill pipe.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a sectional side view of a break-away joint for a nozzle drive away. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     The invention modifies the standard fuel nozzle with a drive-off prevention system by adding a fuel fill pipe restrictor grasp assembly in the nozzle spout.  
         [0017]     The modified nozzle  1  is shown in  FIG. 1 . The nozzle has a tube or passage  101  routed from the poppet valve chamber  20  to the spout  2  plunger housing  30 . A tube guard  102  is intended to protect the tube extension to the spout from damage due to routine insertion and otherwise. Fuel from the pump enters the nozzle  1  through the handle conduit  100  and passes into the poppet valve housing  20 , through the poppet valve tubes  101  past the venturi assembly  40  into the plunger assembly  30  when the fuel pump is activated.  
         [0018]     As seen in  FIG. 2 , a manually activated handle driven poppet valve  105  allows the customer to regulate the standard 10 psi of fuel pressure delivered by the pump. The vehicle filler pipe  200  is where the fuel enters the car for storage and it houses the fill neck restrictor  201 . The nozzle also contains a 13/16inch diameter metal or plastic fuel spout, which is inserted past the fuel tank fuel filler neck restrictor now present on the fill pipes of all vehicles using unleaded fuel since 1974.  
         [0019]     The fuel lever  104 , within hand guard  103 , is pressed to pump fuel into a fuel tank fill tube  202 . The standard plastic guard  103  helps retain the lever as well as protect against an accidental dispensing of gasoline.  
         [0020]     The valve stem  107  communicates the action of the upward motion of the hand lever  104  to the poppet valve  105  and to the main poppet valve spring  106 . Pressing on the fuel lever  104  lifts the poppet valve  105  off of its seat against poppet valve spring  106  pressure through valve stem  107 . This admits fuel into nozzle passage  108  and to the venturi assembly  40  and out to the spout  2 . At the entrance to the venturi assembly is a venturi plug  43  that seats against venturi ring  42  due to venturi spring  44 .  
         [0021]     The internal components of the present spout end of the nozzle are shown in  FIGS. 2-7 . The spout section has been designed to take advantage of the 10 psi fluid pressure being supplied from the poppet valve chamber  20  to actuate the two plungers  31 , 32  located in part in the cylinders  38 , 39  and inside of the spout itself. Plunger caps  33 , 34  seal the fuel in the plunger housing. The spout end of the nozzle is tapered at  3  and accommodates the trigger  21  and trigger spring  22 . The spout end  2  has slots  4  that permit the latches  11 , 12  to pass through to engage with the restriction  201  in a fill pipe  200 . Due to the latch sub-assembly being located within the interior of the spout, the spout inner diameter is expanded to permit a greater flow rate around these parts. This expansion runs from the rear or venturi end  6  to the trigger or distal end  3  where it tapers to a smaller diameter to be able to fit into a vehicle&#39;s fuel filler neck restrictor passage.  
         [0022]     The latch retainer ring  13  is a metal ring that houses the right latch  11  and left latch  12  as well as the latch pin  14 . This ring will transmit to the spout the longitudinal forces created by someone trying to remove the spout from the fill pipe without first removing the fuel pressure from the nozzle. The latch pin  14  slides through the latch retainer ring  13  and provides a fulcrum point for the latches and a solid means of transmitting force to the spout.  
         [0023]     Once acted upon  53  by the plungers  31 , 32  under fuel pressure P the latches  11 , 12  rotate around the latch pin  14 , to extend out  54  of the spout locking the entire fuel nozzle  1  in the filler pipe  200 . A small hole  24  in the rear of the latch  11  accommodates the latch spring end  17  and a small hole  25  in the rear of the latch  12  accommodates the latch spring end  16 .  
         [0024]     To prevent fuel discharge outside a fuel tank fill pipe, a trigger mechanism is employed. The latches  11 ,  12  are free to pivot on latch pivot pin  14 . The pivotal movement of the latches is controlled by the latch spring  15  and the plungers  31 ,  32  of the plunger assembly  30 . The coil spring legs  16 , 17  are biased away from each other to withdraw  52  the lever hook ends  18 , 19  into the nozzle spout  2  when there is no pressure P on the plungers and the plungers had been pressed outward. The absence of fuel pump pressure P on the plungers  31 ,  32  allows the lever inner ends to be moved outwardly  51  under spring  15  pressure.  
         [0025]     At the outer ends of the latches  11 ,  12  are extensions  18 ,  19  that are able to hook onto the restrictor plate  201  in the fill pipe  200  of a vehicle. The spring  15  extends between the inner ends of the latches  11 , 12  with ends  16 , 17 , passing through the holes  24 , 25  in the rear of the latches. A spring force is produced that will push the rear of the latches apart and tend to push the plungers  31 , 32  back into the cylinders  38 , 39 , and to continuously push the rear of the latches outward. Because of the relative pressure involved between the spring  15  and plungers, this movement can only happen when there is little or no fluid pressure to extend the actuator plungers toward the levers. In this depressurized mode, the latches are able to be retracted back inside of the spout  2  and enable the spout to be removed from the fill pipe. Removal allows the trigger spring  22  to push the trigger  21  over the venturi inlet  5  as well as the latch slots  4 . The importance of this action is to protect the latches from being tampered with and prevent the venturi assembly from creating a vacuum as is the standard safety features in nozzles. By blocking the venturi inlet, the internal workings of the nozzle handle will not allow any gas to flow. Pulling the trigger back by hand in an attempt to steal gas will only result in a significant multi-directional spray from the end of the spout due to the configuration of the latches and the spout trigger guide slots. Therefore, to prevent gas spray and theft, the spout must be forced into the fill pipe where it pushes the trigger back and locks the latches behind the restrictor plate. In this embodiment, a trigger mechanism  21  is pushed back by the customer&#39;s insertion of the spout  2  into a fill pipe  200 . This movement uncovers the latches  11 , 12  ends  18 , 19  and venturi inlet  5  against trigger spring  22  pressure. This will allow the latches to interlock with the fuel tank fuel filler neck restrictor  201  and the venturi to form a vacuum. This trigger will be held in place as long as fuel pressure is present and the latches are interlocked with the fuel restrictor.  
         [0026]     Removal of pump pressure from the lever actuator allows the levers to be withdrawn due to spring action.  
         [0027]     The venturi sub-assembly is best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , it is basically a standard component that can be found in existing spout designs. However, to cut costs and the quantity of components required, the internal workings of the spout have been integrated into the spout. By doing this, no extra parts have to be molded and the chance of an o-ring failure is virtually eliminated. The venturi tube  41  is the standard means of detecting that the fill pipe is full of fuel. The venturi produces a slight vacuum when fuel is flowing and sucks in air from the vent tube end  46  which has been routed to the distal end of the spout. The venturi also produces a vacuum over a chamber above a diaphragm in the plunger assembly  109  when the venturi inlet slot  5  is uncovered. This structure is standard in fuel nozzles. This venturi ring  42  is a plastic ring that provides a seat for the venturi plug  43  and is also responsible for the creation of the vacuum in the venturi tube. This situation is present in standard fuel nozzles. The venturi plug  43  is pushed back by the flow of gasoline when the handle lever is squeezed and fuel passes through the passage  108 . By venturi spring  44  loading the plug, it can act like a throttle to provide a vacuum when a small amount of fuel is passing between the venturi plug  43  and the venturi ring  42 . The venturi spring  44  loads the plug to help produce a vacuum. This structure is present in standard fuel nozzles. The venturi pin is a small pin that is anchored in the venturi housing  45  and ensures that the plug will stay aligned.  
         [0028]     In operation, the pump is activated. When the pump is turned on, before the customer has even picked up the spout, 10 psi of fuel pressure is being supplied to the rear of the plungers  31 ,  32  through the handle tubes  101  and plunger passages  118  that run from the poppet valve chamber  20  to the spout  2 . This pressure on the plungers is translated to press against the latches pushing their inner ends  24 ,  25  in and their outer ends  18 ,  19  out.  
         [0029]     The consumer inserts the spout  2  into the fill pipe  200  of the vehicle. The trigger spring  22  wrapped around the outside of the spout at the straight distal end  2  is acted on by the trigger. By forcing the end  2  of the spout into a vehicle, the trigger assembly will make contact with the filler pipe  200  restrictor plate  201 . As the trigger  21  compresses the trigger spring  22  it slides back and uncovers the venturi inlet  5  and spout slots  4  exposing the ends  18 ,  19  of the latches  11 ,  12 . As soon as the trigger  21  is pushed back far enough to uncover the latch slots  4 , the latches are allowed to pivot around the latch pin  14  as the plungers  31 ,  32  move inside the spout  2  and the outer ends  18 , 19  extend out from the spout.  
         [0030]     The latch spring  15  is compressed and the extensions  18 ,  19  on the ends of the latch protrude from the spout through slots  4  and extend past the rim of the restrictor plate  201  effectively locking the spout  2  to the vehicle. This position is maintained as long as there is fuel pressure present on the plungers. When the pump is turned off, fuel pressure is removed from the nozzle body.  
         [0031]     This pressure removal allows the latch spring  15  to force the plungers  31 ,  32  back into their cylinders  39 ,  38 . At the same time the plungers are pushed back, the latches  11 ,  12  hook ends  18 , 19  are retracted back into the spout so that the entire assembly can be removed from the vehicle. When the latches are back in the spout  2 , the trigger  21  moves out under trigger spring  22  pressure to again cover the trigger slots  4  and venturi openings  5 .  
         [0032]     The introduction of fuel fill pipe grasps operated by fuel pump pressure also introduces an independent fuel spill passage for drive-offs. To comply with OSHA requirements, break-away joints  110  shown in  FIG. 7  are placed in the fuel supply lines near the plunger assembly  30 . The break-away joints are shown as being under the nozzle tube guard  102 . The break-away joints are shown in the form of check valves. The break-away joint  110  has two separable components, a permanent coupling  117 , firmly attached to or integral with the passage conduit  101 , and a forceably removable break-away coupling  116 , firmly attached to or integral with plunger passage  118 . The break-away permanent coupling  117  houses a check ball  111  between the passage conduit  101  end and a tapered discharge  114  end. The break-away coupling  116  has a stop pin  115  integrally or otherwise securely attached internally to prevent the check ball from seating against the tapered discharge break- away seat  114  of the permanent coupling  117 . The permanent coupling  117  and break-away coupling  116  are shown secured together by an “O” ring  113  of neoprene or other suitable plastic to firmly hold the two together without leakage.  
         [0033]     Under normal operation, the permanent coupling  117  housing the check balls  111  is connected to the break-away coupling  116  and permits fuel to pass through plunger passage  118  to the plunger assembly  30  and permits fuel to escape back through the passage conduit  101  through slots  119  when the spring  15  presses the plungers back after fuel pressure is released. However, if a drive-off with the nozzle in the fill pipe occurs, the break-away coupling  116  will be jerked off of the permanent coupling  117 . When this occurs, with pump fuel pressure present, the stop pin  115  will be removed with the break-away coupling  116  and fuel pressure will drive the check ball  111  against the tapered discharge  114  end, seating it there and precluding fuel from escaping.  
         [0034]     It is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative only and that changes, variations, substitutions, modifications and equivalents will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and that such may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.