Patent Publication Number: US-9404442-B2

Title: Fuel bowl for carburetor system and associated methods

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to fuel bowls for carburetor systems and, more specifically, to modular fuel bowls for a carburetor, and associated methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Carburetors have been used in engines to blend air and fuel. The fuel bowl is a component of the carburetor that assists in delivering fuel to the carburetor. A fuel float regulates how much fuel may enter into the fuel bowl. Cars today, however, are becoming too powerful. With a more powerful engine, it is difficult to keep the fuel bowl full. Some current fuel bowls use a needle and seat assembly valve to allow fuel to enter the carburetor. The needle and seat assembly acts as a bottleneck for fuel flow, preventing continuous flow. Without the use of a valve, however, the engine may become flooded with fuel and, as such, inoperable. 
     Existing fuel bowls have different threading at the fuel inlets. Therefore, in typical existing designs, if a different thread is needed on the inlet, a completely new fuel bowl must be purchased and attached to the carburetor. The attachment process provides opportunities for misalignment and error which may result in decreased efficiency, or even failure, of the engine. Additionally, fuel inlet locations are limited on current fuel bowls, creating increased difficulties with regard to access. 
     This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to a fuel bowl for a carburetor adapted to provide ease of access and further adapted to receive a plurality of fuel lines comprising different threading orientations. 
     These and other objects, features and objectives of the present invention are provided by a fuel bowl for a carburetor system that includes a fuel container and a fuel flow assembly that is removeably couplable to the fuel container. The fuel container may include a base, a pair of sidewalls extending upwardly from the base, a rear wall extending upwardly from the base, a top overlying the pair of sidewalls and the rear wall, and a cavity defined by the pair of sidewalls and the rear wall. The base may have a pair of pump housings formed therein. Each of the pair of pump housings may include at least one passageway formed therethrough to provide access to the cavity. The rear wall may include a fluid flow assembly passageway formed therethrough, and a plurality of carburetor fastener passageways formed therethrough. 
     The fuel flow assembly may include a base, a pair of sidewalls extending upwardly from the base, a rear wall extending upwardly from the base, and a top overlying the pair of sidewalls and the rear wall. A plurality of fuel inlet passageways may be formed in at least one of the sidewalls and the rear wall. A plurality of fuel flow assembly fastener passageways may be formed in the rear wall. 
     The plurality of fuel inlet passageways may include a first fuel inlet passageway formed in a first one of the pair of sidewalls, a second fuel inlet passageway formed in a second one of the pair of sidewalls, and a third fuel inlet passageway formed in the rear wall. The first, second and third fuel inlet passageways may be threaded. The threading of each of the first, second and third fuel inlet passageways may be oriented differently from one another. 
     Each of the plurality of fuel flow assembly fastener passageways formed in the rear wall of the fuel flow assembly may include a recess adapted to receive a gasket. The fuel flow fastener assembly passageway formed in the rear wall of the fuel container may include a gasket recess formed therein adapted to receive a gasket. Each of the plurality of carburetor fastener passageways formed in the rear wall of the fuel container may include a recess adapted to receive a gasket. The fuel flow assembly fastener passageways formed in the rear wall of the fuel flow assembly may be adapted to be aligned with the fuel flow assembly fastener passageways formed in the rear wall of the fuel container when the fuel flow assembly is connected to the fuel container 
     A method aspect of the present invention is for connecting a fuel bowl to a carburetor. The method may include connecting the fuel container to the carburetor by passing carburetor fasteners through the carburetor fastener passageways formed in the rear wall of the fuel container to engage a portion of the carburetor to which the fuel container is to be connected. The method may also include connecting the fuel flow assembly to the fuel container by aligning the fuel flow assembly fastener passageways formed through the rear wall of the fuel container with the fuel flow assembly fastener passageways formed through the rear wall of the fuel flow assembly. The method may further include passing a fuel flow assembly fastener through each of the fuel flow assembly fastener passageways formed in the rear wall of the fuel flow assembly through the rear wall of the fuel container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1 a    is a perspective view an exemplary fuel container of a fuel bowl according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1 b    is a perspective view exemplary fuel flow assembly of a fuel bowl according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2 a    is a side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the fuel container illustrated in  FIG. 1   a.    
         FIG. 2 b    is a side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the fuel flow assembly illustrated in  FIG. 1   b.    
         FIG. 3 a    illustrates a sectional view of the fuel container taken through lines  3   b - 3   b  in  FIG. 1   a.    
         FIG. 3 b    illustrates a sectional view of the fuel flow assembly taken through lines  3   a - 3   a  in  FIG. 1   b.    
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an assembled fuel flow assembly and fuel container. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the fuel flow assembly, the fuel container and the mounting portion of the carburetor main body. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
     Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention. 
     In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention. 
     Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the art should note that quantitative qualifying terms such as “generally,” “substantially,” “mostly,” and other terms are used, in general, to mean that the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes a majority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of these terms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and the meaning may be expressly modified. Further, throughout this disclosure the terms “passageways” and “holes” may be interchangeably used. 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1 a   - 5 , there are shown exemplary embodiments of the method and structures according to the present invention. 
     As illustrated, for example, in  FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of the fuel bowl system for a carburetor includes a fuel container  100  and a fuel flow assembly  200 . The fuel container  100  is configured to attach to a carburetor main body  500  and the fuel flow assembly  200  is configured to attach to the fuel container  100 . In this manner, the fuel flow assembly  200  can be removed without the need to disconnect the fuel container  100  from the carburetor main body. This is advantageous because it allows the inside of the carburetor to be accessed more easily without having to line up the gaskets with the accelerator pump actuator, and so can reduce misalignment and assembly errors. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the fuel flow container  100  includes a base  101 , a pair of sidewalls  102  extending upwardly from the base  101  and a rear wall  103  also extending upwardly from the base. The sidewalls  102  may, for example, and without limitation, be opposing sidewalls, but the skilled artisan will appreciate that the sidewalls may extend upwardly from the base  101  in any configuration while still accomplishing the goals, features and objectives according to the present invention. A top wall  104  may overlay the pair of sidewalls  102  and the rear wall  103 . The rear wall  103  and sidewalls  102  define a cavity  105  in which fuel can be held. As perhaps best illustrated in  FIG. 2 a   , the rear wall  103  may include an opening  107  configured to be in fluid communication with the fuel flow assembly  200 . 
     While an embodiment of the fuel container  100  has been described as a parallelogram, in other embodiments, the housing of the fuel flow container  100  can have curved sidewalls or a hemispherical shape. In such an embodiment, opening  107  can be formed in an appropriate location and the side, front, and rear walls, and base, can be omitted or incorporated therein accordingly. 
     The opening  107  can include a perimeter to accept a gasket  111  and can include attachment locations, such as holes or through-holes  110  (also referred to as passageways) to accept bolts, so as to allow attachment of fuel flow assembly  200  thereto. In addition, the fuel container  100  can include an attachment portion for connecting to the main body  500  of the carburetor. The attachment portion can include holes  110  and a portion or recess  112  configured to hold a gasket  111 . In an embodiment, holes  110  may be provided through which bolts  800  can be inserted to connect the fuel container  100  to the carburetor main body. The holes  110  can include a recess  113  formed so as to accommodate a gasket  114  (e.g., an O-ring, gasket paste, etc.). 
     The base  101  may include one or more pump housings  106 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 a   , the base  101  includes two pump housings  106  formed therein. The pump housings  106  include at least one passageway  115  formed therethrough so as to provide access to the cavity  105 . This embodiment, for example, allows the use of two accelerator pumps  400  to drive the carburetor. An accelerator pump allows an extra injection of fuel when the carburetor is first opened (i.e., the pump delivers a shot of fuel when needed). If fewer accelerator pumps are needed or present than the number of pump housings  106  included in the design, then the extra pump housings  106  can be blocked off (e.g., with a cap or plug). The fuel container  100  may also include a groove  121  running a length of the base  101  between the pump housings  106 . 
     The fuel container  100  may include a valve system  600 . In exemplary embodiments, the valve system may be a needle and seat assembly to regulate fuel flow into the engine. Exemplary needle and seat assemblies are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,702,215 and 5,984,281, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. The needle and seat assembly used for this application may be a larger version of conventional valves. The valve system  600  may be attached at a valve system receiver  220  on fuel flow assembly  200 . In some embodiments, the valve system receiver  220  may be disposed in a wall of fuel assembly  200  on which a fuel inlet port  204  is not formed. In some embodiments, the valve system receiver  220  may be formed in the top  209 . 
     In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the fuel container  100  is configured to accept fuel jets  400  (e.g., two fuel jets). By having a removable fuel assembly  200 , it allows the two fuel jets to be accessed by simply removing the fuel assembly  200  without having to remove the fuel container  100 . This allows the inside of the carburetor to be accessed more easily without having to line up the gaskets with the accelerator pump actuator, and so can reduce misalignment and assembly errors. 
     In addition, exemplary embodiments may have the length L (or depth) of the fuel container  100  increased or decreased in order to optimize volume versus the slosh of the fuel and to accommodate variously sized and/or shaped fuel floats. 
     The fuel flow assembly  200  is configured so as to be connected to the fuel container  100  at opening  107  using bolts  300 . In an exemplary embodiment, the fuel flow assembly  200  can include a base  201 , a pair of sidewalls  202  extending upwardly from the base  201 , a rear wall  203  extending upwardly from base  201 , and a top  209  overlaying the pair of sidewalls  202  and the rear wall  203 . A fuel inlet passageway  204  is formed in the body of the fuel flow assembly  200 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 2A , fuel inlet passageways  204  are formed in the side walls  202  and the rear wall  203 . Each wall can obtain any number of fuel inlets  204 , or no fuel inlet. 
     Additionally, the fuel flow assembly  200  can include a fastening portion for connecting the fuel flow assembly  200  to the fuel container  100 . The type of fastener, and the number thereof, are not particularly limited. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2A , a plurality of fastener passageways  205  are formed in the rear wall  203  for accepting a fastening device such as a bolt  300 . As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment, the fastener passageways  205  are formed so as to be aligned with holes  110  when the fuel flow assembly  200  is in a mounting position. Fastener passageways  205  can be configured with a recess  206  in which to fit a gasket  214 . 
     The fuel flow assembly  200  normally includes at least one fuel inlet port  204 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the fuel flow assembly  200  includes four fuel inlet ports  204 , however the number of inlet ports  204  is not particularly limited. The fuel inlet ports  204  can have an appropriate attachment for connecting fuel inlet lines  700 . In an exemplary embodiment, the fuel inlet ports  204  can be threaded. In some embodiments, the fuel inlet ports  204  can have different thread configurations, or other appropriate connection configuration(s) (e.g., type, size, etc.), to allow different (or multiple) fuel line  700  connectors/sizes to be used. This can allow multiple locations in which a fuel line  700  can be installed so that installation can be simplified. Also, the ability to have different kinds of attachments for fuel inlet ports  204  means that you do not have to have separate fuel flow assemblies for different attachment schemes. This can simplify inventory and increases the efficiency of working on the system. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 3B , a plurality of inlet ports  204  extend to a common passage  207  which leads to the fuel outlet  212 . The fuel outlet  209  can be formed in a front wall  210 . In  FIG. 3B , an inlet port  204  having a different configuration is formed on each of the side walls  202  and the rear wall  203 . In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3B , the inlet ports  204  reduce in diameter, and are connected by holes  211  to the common passage  207 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an assembled fuel container  100  and fuel flow assembly  200  according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 5 , illustrates the fuel flow assembly  200  and fuel container  100  in relation to the carburetor main body mounting location  502 . 
     While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 
     Further, it is noted that, Applicant&#39;s intent is to encompass equivalents of all claim elements, even if amended later during prosecution. 
     Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan. 
     While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. 
     Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.