Patent ID: 7628178

Claim:
A safety apparatus for a tank system which includes a tank pipe having one end for connecting to a filler neck and another end for connecting to a fuel container, a pliable region to compensate for deformations arising in the event of an accident, and a rigid region, said safety apparatus comprising a reinforcing element having a plurality of sleeve elements allocated to the rigid region, each of said sleeve elements having a substantially semicircular cross section and a plurality of circumferentially extending tongues with openings defined therein, wherein: an interior contour of the reinforcing element conforms to an outer contour of the tank pipe; the sleeve elements are arranged on opposite sides of the tank pipe so as to enclose an outer circumference of the tank pipe; each of the sleeve elements has a plurality of lateral edges separated along separating lines from a plurality of facing lateral edges of at least one other of the sleeve elements without touching those facing lateral edges; and projections, protruding radially through the openings, are receivable in said openings defined in said tongues.