NZ220249A - Fuel dispenser housing: nozzle stowage ports situated away from respective springy masts - Google Patents

Description

m 220249 o NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No.: 220249 Date: 8 May 1987 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "MULTI-PRODUCT PETROL PUMP" I/We, PRODUCTION ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED, a New Zealand Company of Station Road, Marton, New Zealand ^ —- :':?£iveo ^ may 198$ I I 't.rsA..* /" / hereby declare the invention for which I / we pray that a paterT be granted to me/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- ( iNf - 2 2202-19 This invention relates to multi-product fuel dispensers and in particular, but not solely, to the physical configuration of such d ispensers.

A multi-product fuel dispenser is one which, for example, is able to dispense fuels of different octane ratings and/or fuels with different additives, e.g., "leaded" and "unleaded". Such dispensers have separate hoses and displays (for example, unit price displays) for each fuel. Existing multi-product fuel dispensers have a number of disadvantages, and these include: (1) hoses of inadequate length, (2) hose configurations which allow hose tangling, (3) hoses which drape out from the dispenser and over the forecourt to obstruct people and vehicles, (4) hose nozzle stowage ports which are widely separated from each other and from the corresponding dispenser information display, and (5) inadequate information displays in that customers are not clearly guided by the information display as to how to use the dispenser.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-product fuel dispenser which goes at least some way to overcoming one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.

Accordingly, the invention consists in a multi-product fuel dispenser comprising: a ground mounted dispenser housing having two sides and two opposite ends, the side dimension being greater than the end dimension, said housing supporting a customer information display, a plurality of fuel dispensing hoses and corresponding hose nozzle stowage ports, the construction and arrangement being such that the hoses are each suspended from respective springy masts located adjacent one end of said housing, the masts extend above the top of said housing in a substantially co-planar array parallel to the sides of said housing, the nozzle stowage ports are arranged in a co-planar array adjacent to the opposite end of said housing parallel to the sides of said housing with the innermost stowage port receiving the nozzle attached to the hose suspended from the innermost springy mast and successive hoses of the plurality being associated with stowage ports corresponding to their respective springy masts so that when the nozzles are stowed the hoses are suspended parallel to the sides of the housing in co-planar loops one above the other.

The preferred forms of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of one form of multi-product fuel dispenser, Figure 2 is an end view of the multi-product fuel dispenser shown in figure 1, Figure 3 shows a preferred information display for a multi-product fuel dispenser, Figure 4 is a side view of a second form of multi-product fuel dispenser, and Figure 5 is an end view of the multi-product fuel dispenser shown in figure 4.

Referring to Figure 1, one form of the multi-product fuel dispenser of the present invention is built around a housing or casing including two end columns 1 and 2 linked by horizontal members. Standard components such as pumps and motors are housed in the lower section of the frame between columns 1 and 2. The dispenser illustrated is designed to dispense three fuel products tut other dispenser configurations could easily be envisaged supplying say two or four fuel products.

The dispenser delivery hoses 3, 4 and 5 each dispense a separate fuel product and are suspended from above the dispenser structure by three springy masts 6, 7 and 8. In the preferred arrangement the hoses each pass coaxially upwards through the masts to loop down from a high moveable suspension point which allows good hose reach to vehicles irrespective of their precise location in relation to the dispenser. The high hose suspension technique shown, together with the length of the dispenser housing, allow for long hose lengths and therefore increased convenience for customers, when a vehicle fill point is positioned on the side of the vehicle away from the fuel dispenser. Additional reach is provided by the masts bending down on the application of moderate force on the hose by a user. Further, by locating the hose nozzle stowage ports 9, 10 and 11 in column 1 rather than in column 2 or at some point on the housing therebetween, when hose nozzles 12, 13 or 14 are stowed a considerable additional length of hose can be accommodated clear of the forecourt on which the dispenser is mounted.

With such long hose lengths tangling can be a problem but this is obviated in the present invention by arranging for the innermost stowage port to accommodate the nozzle of hose 6 and the outermost stowage port to accommodate the nozzle of outer hose 5. The hose lengths are suitably adjusted so that the inner hose is shorter than the outer hose. When stowed the hoses form co-planar loops one above the other across the side of the dispenser housing. The hoses therefore project minimally beyond the "footprint" of the dispenser as may best be seen from figure 2.

The dispenser may be a dual unit to provide fuelling facilities on both sides. Such a dispenser is shown in figure 2. Thus two vehicles can be filled with the same fuel product tf\ . simultaneously when required. / f kxfs* •"'** r «•' > Electronic dispenser information displays 15 and 16 are located on opposite sides of the top of column 1. Each display provides volume dispensed and value of fuel dispensed for the selected fuel product, and separate unit price, information for each of the three fuel products. A typical information display is shown in figure 3. Price information for each fuel product is divided into three zones 17, 18 and 19. In the display illustrated each zone contains separate pricing for both cash and credit transactions. These display zones each align with the corresponding fuel product nozzle stowage port as shown in Figure 1.

Within each display zone areas 20, 21 and 22 can be caused to flash to highlight the message carried in those areas upon removal of the appropriate hose nozzle. In the drawing the message is the word "Select" together with arrows pointing upwards and downwards which indicated to the user that after removing the hose nozzle he must press either the upper "credit" button 23, or the lower "cash" button 24, before proceeding.

A second and preferred pump variant is shown in figures 4 and 5. Here the dispenser housing has a long (about 1500 mm) low profile to allow easy viewing from one side to the other. The hose nozzle ports 31, 32 and 33 are located in a housing module 34 located at the opposite end of the dispenser to a mast support module 35.

The information display 36 is contained in a separate pod 37 which is mounted on a pole 38 above housing module 34.

Three springy masts 39, 40 and 41 are fixed to the top of the mast support module to provide a flexible high hose support point about 2600 mm above the dispenser ground level. The hoses 42, 43 C C and 44 loop down and across the dispenser housing in the manner already described for the figure 1 variant.

The information display can be the same as that described with reference to figure 3. This variant has all the same functional features as the first variant, except that the housing profile is different. Similarly a dual unit with identical facilities available in mirror-image fashion on the opposite side of the dispenser is envisaged.

Commonly the dispenser can be a dual two-product or a dual three-product machine.

Compared with prior art multi-product fuel dispensers the present invention has many practical advantages. These include: (1) reduced tangling of hoses, (2) increased hose reach, (3) reduced pull required to extend hose, (4) hose clearance over vehicles when required, (5) information display cannot be obscured by hoses, (6) controlled hose disposition to minimise contact with user, and (7) improved prompts for customers when the customer information display on the dispenser incorporates a cash/credit option.

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Claims (9)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A multi-product fuel dispenser comprising: a ground mounted dispenser housing having two sides and two opposite ends, the side dimension being greater than the end dimension, said housing supporting a customer information display, a plurality of fuel dispensing hoses and corresponding hose nozzle stowage ports, the construction and arrangement being such that the hoses are each suspended from respective springy masts located adjacent one end of said housing, the masts extend above the top of said housing in a substantially co-planar array parallel to the sides of said hous ing, the nozzle stowage ports are arranged in a co-planar array adjacent to the opposite end of said housing parallel to the sides of said housing with the innermost stowage port receiving the nozzle attached to the hose suspended from the innermost springy mast and successive hoses of the plurality being associated with stowage ports corresponding to their respective springy masts so that when the nozzles are stowed the hoses are suspended parallel to the sides of the housing in co-planar loops one above the other.

2. A fuel dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said information display is mounted in said frame directly above said nozzle stowage ports.

3. A fuel dispenser according to claim 2 wherein said information display is mounted in a pod on top of the dispenser housing.

4. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims which dispenses three products wherein there are three hoses and three corresponding nozzle stowage ports on one or both sides of the dispenser.

5. A fuel dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 3 which dispenses two products wherein there are two hoses and two corresponding nozzle stowage ports on one or both sides of the dispenser.

6. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said housing supports two independent sets of information displays and hoses which are located on opposite sides of said housing in mirror-image fashion.

7. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the information display is divided into horizontally spaced apart zones each zone appropriate to each fuel product and said nozzle stowage ports are aligned below the corresponding information display zone.

8. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the information display includes instructions to a user on what action to take next after removing a hose nozzle from a stowage port, said instructions being caused to flash on the display zone corresponding to the removed nozzle and said flashing removal of said nozzle. - 9 - 22024

9. A multi-product fuel di described with reference to accompanying drawings. penser substantia 1 ly as hereinbefore figures 1 to 3 or 3 to 5 of the fvcHM. By Jar^/their authorised Agents A. J. PARK & SON, per ~—.