Abstract:
A locking gasoline cap and integrated portable container to restrict unauthorized access and removal of the container and contents. An outer freely rotating cap is selectively engaged by a key locking cylinder to an inner fluid sealing access cap. A reversible pour spout provides for direct fluid transfer from the container after unlocking and repositioning. A static security cable links the locking cap with the container and an immovable object attachment point therebetween.

Description:
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/063,395, filed Feb. 4, 2008. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This device relates to locking caps and closures that allow the user to secure access to fluid storage sources. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art devices of this type have been directly primarily to locking gas caps that are typically found on automobiles or commercial vehicles such as trucks and heavy equipment. Such devices usually have a cap that locks to the gas filler pipe so that a key must be used to gain access to same, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,028,914, 4,342,208, 4,811,865 and 4,984,698. 
     In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,028,914, 4,984,698, and 4,342,208 all have a lockable closure cap showing three different structural ways to lock a cap on a fluid outlet. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,865 illustrates a cap and spout assembly with a strap that attaches to a locking mechanism to prevent removal of the cap therefrom. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A multiple phase locking gasoline cap on a portable liquid container. The cap provides for keyed lock that allows for interengagement of an outer cap with an inner fluid sealing access cap for rotation of same. The interengaging security cable extends from the cap to around the neck of the container so that when locked thereon the cable can encircle an adjacent fixed element preventing the container from being moved without unlocking the cap. A removable pour spout is threadably disposed within the cap configuration to form a liquid tight seal when in stored or deployed pour position. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of the primary form of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of an alternate form of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a graphic perspective illustration of a gas container and cap of the invention secured to a retainment barrier. 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the gas container with the cap spout of the invention inserted therein for use. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the primary form of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the primary form of the invention with spout deployed on the dedicated container. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the alternate form of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the alternate form of the invention with the pour spout deployed on a standard gasoline container. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4  of the drawings, locking gas caps  10  and  11  of the invention and a container  12  can be seen defining a primary and alternate form of the invention respectively. 
     The primary cap  10  has a container engagement body member  13  with an internal and exterior threaded sleeve  14  extending therefrom, having an annular cap engagement portion  15 . A keyed cylinder locking assembly  16  is mounted in a hand engagement cap portion  17  that is in turn rotatably retained over the hereinbefore described container engagement body member  13 . The cylinder lock assembly  16  has a selectively extending elements  18  that locks into a corresponding receiving key way  19  in the top of the container engagement body member  13  when the lock assembly is in the unlocked position activated alternately by a key K. 
     A cable retainment ring  20  is secured about the exterior of the container engagement body member  13  with a cable  21  extending therefrom as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
     The free end of the cable  19  has a container engagement ring  22  with a nozzle cap retainer fitting  23  extending therefrom. 
     A reversible dispensing nozzle  24  is threadably retained within the threaded sleeve  14  of the cap  10  having exterior threads  25  extending inwardly from its threaded end  26  as best seen in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. 
     The container  12  of the invention as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4  of the drawings has two angularly disposed handles  27  and  28  formed therein and multiple molded stabilization support feet  29  on its bottom surface as will be well understood by those skilled in the art. A molded outlet neck  30  extends from the container&#39;s upper surface adjacent the handle  27 . 
     The neck  30  as best seen in  FIG. 5  of the drawings has a pair of independent internal threaded fields at  31  and  32 . The first of which at  31  is of a larger diameter and threadably receives the exterior threads on the cap sleeve  14  which correspondingly retains the dispensing nozzle  24  therewithin as noted. 
     In closed locked position, the cap  10  on the neck  30 , the dispensing nozzle  24  forms a first liquid seal with the container  12  by engaging an annular sealing ring  33  at the internal base of the container neck  30  and the cap portion  17  is free to rotate about the container engagement body member  13 . 
     A second liquid seal is formed by the threaded engagement of the nozzle  24  against the internal surface of the cap portion  32  which may have a sealing gasket  34  positioned within a recess, if required, indicated specifically by broken lines. 
     As seen best now in  FIG. 6  of the drawings, the cap  10  has been removed from the neck  30  by unlocking of the locking assembly  16  engaging the respective cap portions for removal from the container  12  with the nozzle  24  removed and reversed and threadably engaged within the container neck  30 , second thread field  32 . The gasket ring  33  again defines a liquid seal therebetween for use access dispensing as generally illustrated in  FIG. 4  of the drawings. 
     The nozzle  24  has a flexible bellows portion  24 A with a threaded end portion  24 B for threadably receiving a nozzle cap  35  which when not in use is retained in the hereinbefore described cap holder  23 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 ,  7  and  8  of the drawings, the alternate locking gas cap  11  of the invention can be seen which can be used on any existing portable gas container illustrated generally at  36 . The alternate cap  11  has a main annular cap member  37  with a cylinder locking assembly  38  mounted centrally therein. 
     An inner independently rotatable sealing container cap portion  39  is selectively engaged by the cylinder lock assembly  38  via an engagement element  40  so as to engage the cap portion  39  to the cap member  37  allowing for rotation removal or replacement on the neck  41  of the standard gasoline container  36  or the like. 
     A pour nozzle  42  is stored within the neck  36  held in place by the inner cap portion  39  with sealing gaskets  43 A and  43 B. 
     An annular nozzle retainment fitting  44  is threadably disposed on the cap member  37  having a central aperture at  45  therein allowing access to the cylinder lock assembly  30  by a key K′. 
     In use, it will be seen that once unlocked via the key K′ the inner sealing cap portion  39  can be rotated by the outer cap member  37  removing same from the container. The nozzle  42  is then removed and inverted and placed through the apertured nozzle retainment fitting  44 , now removed, and repositioned on the container neck  41  as seen in  FIG. 8  of the drawings for pour access of the fluid therewithin indicated by directional fluid arrows. 
     It will be evident from the above description that in the primary form of the invention the locking cap  11  with its integrated attached cable  21  will extend from the cap around a fixed element FE and back to the container&#39;s neck  30  so as to prevent the container  12  from being removed as illustrated generally in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. 
     It will thus be seen that multiple gasoline or fluid locking cap assemblies have been illustrated and described and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other limited access locking cap configurations can be used such as containers without nozzle requirements as in control medical substances available by prescription for example. It can also be adapted to a true child resistance closure which may be needed with certain pharmaceutical compounds available in liquid form. Therefore various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore I claim: