Patent ID: 7302977

Claim:
A nozzle inhibitor apparatus comprising a fill tube adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having a diesel engine and inhibitor means for preventing insertion of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle into the fill tube while allowing insertion of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle into the fill tube, the inhibitor means includes a foundation mounted in a passageway formed in the fill tube and formed to include a central aperture and fingers mounted on the foundation for movement between a closed position wherein the fingers cooperate to contact a tip of a small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle having a first outer diameter and moving inwardly in the passageway of the fill tube to block further inward movement of the small-diameter unleaded fuel nozzle in the fill tube relative to the foundation and a spread position wherein the fingers are spread apart from one another to define a widened nozzle-receiving opening between the fingers to allow movement of a large-diameter diesel fuel nozzle having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter past the fingers and through the widened nozzle-receiving opening further inwardly into the passageway of the fill tube, wherein the foundation has a round top wall having a center point and the foundation includes a border edge with each of the fingers including a root end appended to the foundation at the border edge and an opposite free end and the border edge has a central aperture offset from the center point of the round top wall.