Patent ID: 7222611

Claim:
A fuel supply apparatus for an internal combustion engine, for supplying fuel in a fuel tank to a fuel injection valve via a fuel supply passage by a fuel pump, comprising: a bypass passage bypassing said fuel supply passage to return the fuel into said fuel tank; a communication/shutoff switching mechanism which is capable of switching the communication shutoff between said fuel supply passage and said bypass passage of holding the shutoff between said fuel supply passage and said bypass passage during closed engine operation, and establishes the communication of said fuel supply passage with said bypass passage when engine operation is stopped; and a pressure regulating mechanism which returns a part of the fuel in said fuel supply passage into said fuel tank through said bypass passage to lower a fuel pressure in said fuel supply passage to a predetermined fuel pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure, thereby regulating the fuel pressure, when said fuel supply passage and said bypass passage are communicated with each other by said communication/shutoff switching mechanism.