Abstract:
A nozzle assembly for a portable fuel can has the following. A cap provision for generally sealing vapors inside a contained volume inside the combined nozzle assembly and portable fuel can. A spout to dispense liquid fuel. A main valve for the liquid fuel which automatically closes in the absence of manual operation. A manual operator for manually and selectively opening the main valve. Porting providing vacuum venting whereby gases are admitted into the contained volume as the liquid fuel level pours out of the can, whereby the vacuum venting allows for gaseous exchange between the can as liquid fuel empties therefrom and the target container liquid-fuel fills in and flushes out gases due to the rising fuel level therein. Wherein the vacuum venting comprising and intake port disposed to provide automatic overflow cutoff. At least one over-pressurization relief break, and at least one under-pressurization relief break.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/342,283, filed Apr. 12, 2010. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to fluid handling and, more particularly, to a portable fuel can and nozzle assembly with pressure relief. 
     A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the skills of a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable fuel can and nozzle assembly with pressure relief in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged-scale perspective view of fuel nozzle assembly in isolation; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial sectional view taken along line in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged scale perspective view of detail V-V in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial sectional view comparable to  FIG. 2  except showing an alternate embodiment of under-pressurization relief; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged scale elevational view of detail VII-VII in  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a partial sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 3  show a combined portable fuel can  20  and nozzle assembly  22  with pressure relief in accordance with the invention. 
     Preferably the portable fuel can  20  provides just a single opening which serves both re-fill and pour functions. This opening is surrounded by a threaded neck. The nozzle assembly  22  screws onto this threaded neck. With general reference to  FIG. 1 through 5 , the nozzle assembly  22  serves a number of functions. A non-exclusive list includes, without limitation, the following.
         1—It is a cap  30  (eg., to cover the can  20 &#39;s re-fill/pour opening and generally seal vapors inside the contained volume inside the combined nozzle assembly  22  and portable fuel can  20 ).   2—It is a spout  32  (eg., to dispense fuel into a target, such as a tank of a vehicle or the like, which is not shown).   3—It has an automatically CLOSED main valve  34 , so that during non-use, the main valve  34  is CLOSED and the vapors are generally sealed inside the contained volume of the can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22 .   4—It has a manual operator (eg., thumb button  36  is preferred) so that during use, a user can selectively OPEN the main valve  34  and pour, with precise control.   5(a)—During pouring operations, it provides vacuum venting or, that is, the admission of air (or vapors and/or admixtures thereof) into the contained volume as the fuel level drains in the can  20 , and in order to prevent the walls of the can  20  from collapsing or else choking off the pour.   5(a)—During pouring operations, it provides for more than mere vacuum venting, it provides for gaseous exchange:—ie., the can  20  while emptying is suctioning out the gases, (eg., generally, ‘vapor,’ likely, a mix of true vapor diluted by air) that are being flushed out by the rising fuel level in the tank-being-filled.   6—It provides automatic overflow cutoff.   7—It and/or the can  20  or else both in combination might provide a handle  28  or handles  38  for the user.   8—During non-use, in order to prevent damage due to over-pressurization, it provides for over-pressurization self-relief and cracks a seal  46 , 56  to allow escape of vapors until the pressure differential between vapors in the can  20  and ambient are within an acceptable range (eg., over-pressurization relief).   9—During non-use, in order to prevent damage due to under-pressurization, it provides for under-pressurization self-relief and cracks a vacuum-relief seal  40  or  97  to allow admission of air until the pressure differential between the vapors in the can  20  and ambient are again within an acceptable range (eg., a vacuum-relief valve  40  or  97 , and in contrast to vacuum venting through inlet port  72  during pouring).       

     The nozzle assembly  22  is accompanied by a retaining collar  42 . The retaining collar  42  actually screws onto the threaded neck of the can  20  in order to seal the re-fill/pour opening with the nozzle assembly  22 . The collar  42  screws tight onto the neck, forcing an air-tight seal between mating flanges of the neck and the nozzle assembly  22 . Preferably the fuel can  20 , the collar  42 , and most of the components of the nozzle assembly  22  are produced out of plastic materials (wherein, spring steel is preferably used to make a spring  44  and elastomeric materials are preferably used to make an O-ring  46 , grommet serving as a ring seal  78 , umbrella valve  40  and/or O-ring  97  serving as the under-pressurization seals). 
     The nozzle assembly  22  includes a hollow T-shaped cap  30 , a pour spout  32 , a main valve  34 , and thumb button  36  to manually operate the main valve  34 . 
     The hollow T-shaped cap  30  has a bottom-ported cylindrical stem  50  (ie., which is closed across the top) with one reduced-size ported arm  52  extending rearward and another reduced-size ported arm  54  extending forward on about the same linear axis as the rearward arm  52 . The bottom-ported cylindrical stem  50  and the reduced-size ported arm  54  that extends forward both include interior volume that is part of the greater contained volume of the can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22  as a whole. 
     The rear ported arm  52  essentially serves as a receiver for the thumb button  36 . More particularly, it is preferred if the rear ported arm  52  essentially serves as a hollow cylindrical track for sliding reciprocation of the thumb button  36 . The forward ported arm  54  serves both as a valve seat  56  as well as a nipple on which the spout  32  is affixed. 
     The spout  32  comprises a hollow outer sleeve  58  and a hollow inner sleeve  62 . The hollow inner sleeve  62  is, in other words, the vent intake tube  62 . The inner and outer sleeves  58  and  62  are fixed together by a pair of flanking webs  66  to define an annular pour conduit  64 . The vent intake tube  62  extends between inner and outer open ends  68  and  72  and serves as the vacuum venting conduit during the pour. The outer open end  72  serves as the vent intake port. During pouring, make-up gases are suctioned into portable fuel can  20  by way of the vent intake port  72 . If the pour is into, say, an open container such as a coffee can, then the make-up gases are going to be air for the most part. At the same time during the pour, fuel pours out (needless to say) through the annular pour conduit  64  between the inner and outer sleeves  68  and  72  (fuel pouring out is not shown). 
     If the spout  32  is disposed into a confined container, say, the neck of a fuel tank (neither tank nor neck thereof are shown), there will actually be an exchange of gases. That is, the nozzle assembly  22  will suction in through the vent intake port  72  of the spout  32  the needed make-up gases (ie., generally a mixture of ‘true’ fuel vapor and air) for the emptying can  20  from the pushed-out gases needing to escape from the filling tank. That is, the pushed-out gases from the filling tank will be suctioned into the emptying can  20  to make up for the increase in volume in the can  20  for gases due to the fuel dispensed out therefrom. 
     The main valve  34  comprises a tubular valve stem  74  that extends between a closed end affixed to the thumb button  36  and an open end that telescopes over the spout  32 &#39;s vent intake tube  62  at the inner open end  68  thereof and forms a sliding seal with the vent intake tube  62 . The valve stem  74 &#39;s open end flares out as a conic valve member  76 . As stated above, the forward ported arm  54  serves in part as the valve seat  56 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the valve member  76  closed against the valve seat  56 , to form an air tight seal. The tubular valve stem  74  inserts through a ring seal  78  for it in the rearward ported arm  52 . A compression spring  44  compressible between the thumb button  36  and a flange surface surrounding the ring seal  78  on the valve stem  74  automatically forces the valve member  76  shut against the valve seat  56 . 
     Hence the valve seat  56  and valve member  76  form one air tight seal. The ring seal  78  around the valve stem  74  forms another. Thus the contained gaseous gases (and the liquid fuel) are sealed inside the combined contained volume of the can  20 ′ and nozzle assembly  22 . It can be discerned that the valve stem  74  has ventilation apertures  82  formed in the sidewall thereof rear of the ring seal  78 . 
     In use, a user tips the spout  32  down until liquid fuel fills the forward ported arm  54  until backed up against the valve member  76 . When the user depresses the button  36 , the valve stem  74  is thrust forward until the ventilation apertures  82  slide forward of the ring seal  78  and into the (until now) sealed interior volume of the can  20  and nozzle assembly  22 . The T-shaped cap  30  has a pair of flanking ears  38  serving as handles and/or finger rests for the middle and index finger of the hand used to depress the button  36  with the thumb thereof. The seal is broken at the valve seat  56 . With the same thrust of the valve stem  74 , the ventilation apertures  82  are inside the ring seal  78 . Liquid fuel flows out across the valve seat  56 . The vacuum venting of make-up air or vapors are suctioned into the vent intake port  72  and dispersed into the combined interior volume of the can  20  and nozzle assembly  22  via the ventilation apertures  82  in the valve stem  74 . 
     When the user lets off the button  36 , the compression spring  44  automatically drives the main valve  34  to shut, stopping the pour of liquid fuel. Alternatively, if the fuel level of the tank-to-be-filled floods to the level where the fuel level submerges the vent intake port  72 , then the pour of liquid fuel is likewise automatically shut-off by the virtue of choking off the vent intake port  72  from the suctioning in of make-up gases (air and/or vapors). 
     The foregoing has described the conditions of the can/nozzle assembly combination  20 / 22  being sealed and vented (and back to being sealed again) in connection with pouring. In connection with long non-use during storage or transport, there is further interest in the pressure differential between ambient and the vapors sealed in the closed can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22 . The pressure differential can go either way. That is, the vapors contained inside the can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22  can be either over-pressurized relative ambient, or under-pressurized. 
       FIG. 3  shows better that, the combination can  20  and nozzle assembly  22  in accordance with the invention is provided with self-relief of over-pressurization by the following design. The compression spring  44  is designed to yield if the pressure against the back of the valve member  76  exceeds a design set-point. That is, if the pressure inside the can  20  and nozzle assembly  22  exceeds the design set-point, the vapors are permitted to leak out past the cracked-open valve member  76 . It is preferred to leak vapors out of the over-pressurized can  20  rather than keep the vapors corked inside until the over-pressurization damages the can  20 &#39;s sidewalls and/or components of the nozzle assembly  22 . Hence, among its other functions, the main valve  34  also functions as an over-pressure relief valve. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show better that, the combination can  20  and nozzle assembly  22  in accordance with the invention is provided with self-relief of under-pressurization by a vacuum relief valve  40 . This particular design includes without limitation a push-in version of an elastomeric umbrella valve  40 . The umbrella valve  40  functions as a one-way valve. The bottom-ported cylindrical stem  50  of the T-shaped cap  30  has a pair of apertures  84  and  86  formed in its sidewall, one larger than the other. The umbrella valve  40  comprises a shaft  92  extending between a barbed end  94  and an annular umbrella canopy  96 . The shaft  92  gets pushed into the larger hole  84  (eg., the mounting hole), barbed end  94  first, from inside the T-shaped cap  30 . The smaller hole  86  is situated close enough such that the annular canopy  96  of the umbrella valve  40  laps over this hole, the vacuum-relief port  86 . The push-in valve  40 &#39;s shaft  92  forms a permanent seal with the mounting hole  84  for it in the cap  30 &#39;s sidewall. In contrast, the push-in valve  40 &#39;s annular canopy  96  forms merely a temporary seal over the vacuum-relief port  86  under conditions of over-pressurization or light under-pressurization. When the under-pressurization exceeds a design set-point value, the elastomeric canopy  96  cracks the seal over the vacuum-relief port  86 , allowing an intake of fresh air, and hence preventing the can  20 &#39;s sidewall from crushing in on itself. 
     Optionally, the vacuum-relief valve  40  can be re-located from being mounted on the nozzle assembly  22  to instead on the portable fuel can  20 . 
       FIGS. 6 through 8  show an alternate embodiment in which the combination of the can  20  (not shown in these views) and nozzle assembly  22  in accordance with the invention is provided with self-relief of under-pressurization by a vacuum relieving (or vacuum breaking) O-ring  97 . The relief valve  40  is omitted in these views. The vacuum breaking O-ring  97  functions as a one-way valve. As  FIG. 6  shows better, the vacuum breaking O-ring is encircled around hollow valve stem  74  of main valve  34 . When the main valve  34  is in the closed position, the hollow interior of the valve stem  74  is not in communication for vapor exchange with the vapors inside the greater confined volume of the can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22 . Instead, the hollow interior of the valve stem  74  is open to the atmosphere at vent intake port end  72  and also as well at ventilation apertures  82 . 
     Again, the vacuum breaking O-ring  97  snugly/tightly encircles the valve stem  74 . The valve stem  74  is formed with two pair of retention seats  98 . The retention seats  98  comprise nodes (or bumps) of material extending out of the sidewall of the valve stem  74 . 
     By way of non-limiting example, one pair of retention seats  98  are illustrated as flanking the O-ring  97  at the twelve o&#39;clock position of the valve stem  74 . The other pair of retention seats  98  are illustrated as flanking the O-ring  97  at the six o&#39;clock position of the valve stem  74 . The ordinarily skilled artisan would routinely understand how to routinely vary the illustrated design into numerous routine variations of what is drawn in the drawing figures, and still be guided by the present disclosure. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  together show the coordinated features of the vacuum-breaking O-ring  97  and the retention seats  98 .  FIG. 8  shows that the pair of retention seats  98  at the twelve o&#39;clock position flank a pin-hole sized  99  aperture serving as a vacuum-breaking port  99 . 
     The retention seats  98  are only circumferentially formed around the circumference of the valve stem  74  by a minuscule amount. The six o&#39;clock seats  98  cooperate more than adequately with the twelve o&#39;clock seats  98  to retain the O-ring  97  in the preferred axial station along the axis of the valve stem  74 . The twelve o&#39;clock seats  98  flank the preferred and sole vacuum-breaking port  99 . The outlet of the vacuum-breaking port  99  in the sidewall of the valve stem  74  is positioned at the bottom of the trough between the twelve o&#39;clock seats  98 . 
     When the gases in the can  20  are pressurized in equilibrium with ambient, the vacuum-breaking O-ring  97  seats to form a seal over the vacuum-breaking port  99  as pinched (seated) among (i) the twelve o&#39;clock seats  98  and (ii) the trough therebetween being the sidewall of valve stem  74  between those twelve o&#39;clock seats  98 . Hence there is not any under-pressurization condition, nor any under-pressurization relief. 
     When the gases in the can  20  are over-pressurized relative to ambient, the vacuum-breaking O-ring  97  is compressed thereby to form even a tighter seal over the vacuum-breaking port  99 . 
     When the gases in the can  20  are under-pressurized by a depressed amount selected by design, the vacuum-breaking O-ring  97  yields to leakage into the greater contained volume of the can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22 , and hence intake of air into the greater contained volume of the can/nozzle assembly  20 / 22 . The air supply fills the hollow interior of the valve stem  74  either and/or both through the vent intake port  72  and/or ventilation apertures  99 . 
     In all the text herein of this patent document, the term “vapor” has any of the following meanings according to context:—1—fuel vapor, 2—admixture of fuel vapor and air, and/or 3—gases or gaseous mixtures in general, whether clean or entrained. 
     The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.