Patent Publication Number: US-11021362-B1

Title: Fuel nozzle retainer kit

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to fuel nozzle devices and more particularly pertains to a new fuel nozzle device for retaining a fuel nozzle in fuel tank during refueling. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to fuel nozzle devices. The prior art discloses a vapor seal that is positioned on a fuel nozzle to inhibit fuel vapors from exiting a fuel tank during refueling. The prior art also discloses a strap that is positionable around a breast feeding mother and a retainer coupled to the strap for engaging a feeding bottle. Additionally, the prior art discloses a pair of flanges that are mountable to a license plate of a vehicle when the fuel cap is located behind the license plate for restraining a fuel nozzle. In no instance does the prior art related to the patent search disclose a device that places tension on the fuel nozzle when the fuel nozzle is inserted into the fuel tank. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a first retainer that is attachable to a fuel tank that has a skirt thereon. The first retainer extends over a fill port on the fuel tank. Additionally, the first retainer has elastomeric properties to engage and thus retain a fuel nozzle in the fuel port. A second retainer is attachable to a fuel tank that does not have a skirt thereon. The second retainer has a first portion that is mountable around a fill port of the fuel tank that does not have a skirt. The second retainer has a second portion which is pivotally coupled to the first portion. Additionally, the second portion is positionable to engage a fuel nozzle inserted into the fill port to retain the fuel nozzle in the fill port. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure 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 additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first retainer or a fuel nozzle retainer kit according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  of a first retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure being mounted to a skirt on a fuel tank. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective in-use view of a first retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of a second retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a right side view of a second retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a second portion of a second retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure being positioned in a deployed position. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a second portion of a second retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure being positioned in a stowed position. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective in-use view of a second retainer of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 9  thereof, a new fuel nozzle device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 9 , the fuel nozzle retainer kit  10  generally comprises a first retainer  12  that is attachable to a fuel tank  14  that has a skirt  16  thereon. The fuel tank  14  may be a fuel tank on a semi tractor or any other cargo vehicle that is driven on public roads. The first retainer  12  extends over a fill port  18  on the fuel tank  14 . Additionally, the first retainer  12  has elastomeric properties to engage and thusly retain a fuel nozzle  20  in the fuel port. The fuel nozzle  20  may be a fuel nozzle on a fuel pump at a refueling station or the like. 
     The first retainer  12  comprises a biasing member  22  that is attachable to a fuel tank  14  having the biasing member  22  extending over a fill port  18  on the fuel tank  14 . In this way the biasing member  22  can be stretched over the fuel nozzle  20  that is inserted into the fill port  18 . The biasing member  22  has a first end  24  and a second end  26 . Additionally, the biasing member  22  may comprise a spring or the like. 
     The first retainer  12  includes a pair of couplers  28  that is each coupled to the biasing member  22 . Each of the couplers  28  engages a skirt  16  on the fuel tank  14  thereby facilitating the biasing member  22  to be spaced outwardly from the fill port  18 . The skirt  16  may be a skirt that is installed on the fuel tank  14  for aerodynamic purposes. Each of the couplers  28  is coupled to a respective one of the first end  24  and the second end  26  of the biasing member  22 . Additionally, each of the couplers  28  engages the skirt  16  on the fuel tank  14  on opposite sides of a cutout  29  in the skirt  16  that facilitates access to the fill port  18 . Each of the couplers  28  may comprise an eyebolt and a corresponding nut or any other type of releasable fastener. 
     The first retainer  12  includes a sleeve  30  that is positioned around the biasing member  22 . The sleeve  30  is comprised of a resilient material, including but not being limited to canvas, to protect the biasing member  22  from abrasion. The sleeve  30  extends between the first end  24  and the second end  26 . The first retainer  12  includes a grip  32  that is coupled to and extends away from the sleeve  30 . The grip  32  can be gripped by a user for stretching the biasing member  22  over the fuel nozzle  20 . 
     The grip  32  is centrally positioned between the first end  24  and the second end  26  of the biasing member  22 . Additionally, the grip  32  extends along a line that is oriented perpendicular to a line extending between the first end  24  and the second end  26  of the biasing member  22 . The grip  32  may comprise a loop that is wrapped around the sleeve  30  and is stitched to the sleeve  30 . 
     A second retainer  34  is provided that is attachable to a fuel tank  14  that does not have a skirt  16  thereon. The second retainer  34  has a first portion  36  that is mountable around a fill port  18  of the fuel tank  14  that does not have a skirt  16 . The second retainer  34  has a second portion  38  that is pivotally coupled to the first portion  36 . The second portion  38  is positionable to engage a fuel nozzle  20  inserted into the fill port  18 . In this way the second retainer  34  can retain the fuel nozzle  20  in the fill port  18 . 
     The first portion  36  has a pair of legs  40  that are spaced apart from each other and a rounded section  42  extending between each of the legs  40 . The legs  40  are oriented collinear with each other and each of the legs  40  has a distal end  44  with respect to the rounded section  42 . The rounded section  42  is positionable around the fill port  18  on the fuel tank  14  that does not have a skirt  16  having each of the legs  40  extending downwardly along the fuel tank  14  from the fill port  18 . The second portion  38  has a stem  45  and a head  46 , and the stem  45  has a distal end  48  with respect to the head  46 . The distal end  48  of the stem  45  is pivotally coupled to an engagement point  50  that extends between the distal end  44  of each of the legs  40  of the first portion  36 . 
     The head  46  has a primary end  52  and secondary end  54 , and the head  46  is concavely arcuate between the primary end  52  and the secondary end  54 . Moreover, the head  46  is oriented transverse to the stem  45  such that each of the primary end  52  and the secondary end  54  are directed away from the stem  45 . The second portion  38  is positionable in a stowed position having the head  46  being surrounded by the rounded section  42  of the first portion  36 . Additionally, the second portion  38  is positionable in a deployed position having the stem  45  extending outwardly from the fuel tank  14 . In this way the head  46  can cradle the fuel nozzle  20  to inhibit the fuel nozzle  20  from falling out of the fill port  18 . 
     In use, the first retainer  12  is attached to the skirt  16  on the fuel tank  14  such that the biasing member  22  extends across the fill port  18 . The grip  32  is gripped and the biasing member  22  is stretched over the fuel nozzle  20  when the fuel nozzle  20  is inserted into the fill port  18 . In this way the fuel nozzle  20  is inhibited from falling out of the fill port  18  during refueling procedures. The first portion  36  of the second retainer  34  is positioned around the fill port  18  on the fuel tank  14  that does not have a skirt  16 . The second portion  38  of the second retainer  34  is positioned in the deployed position to support the fuel nozzle  20  when fuel nozzle  20  is inserted into the fill port  18 . In this way the fuel nozzle  20  is inhibited from falling out of the fill port  18  during refueling procedures. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, kit and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.