US2649776A - Gas tank cap valve - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 25, 1953 A. w. KONCHAN 2,649,776

- GAS TANK CAP VALVE Filed Nov. 17, 1949 IIIHIIIHIIHIHHIHIIllHHIIHHIIHIIHIIIIM "will!!! Patented Aug. 25 1 953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Anton W. Konchan, Berwyn, Ill. Application November 17, 1949, Serial No. 127,943

The present invention relates to a closure cap and more particularly to a tank cap especially adapted for use asaclosure for a gasoline tank opening and provided with a valve for venting the tank to the atmosphere while preventing the .loss of liquid or vapor through the vent.

As is well known, itis necessary to vent tanks or other storage containers having a body of volatile liquid confined therein to prevent vapor lock interferencewith the withdrawal of liquid from the tank. In automobile gasoline tanks, such a vent is generally provided by means of a hole of relatively small diameter formed in the cap of the gasoline "tank and communicating directly with the body of fuel contained within the tank. The possibilities of fuel loss, both in the liquid and the vapor phases, will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Any object of the present invention is to provide an improved closure cap especially adapted for use with automobile gasoline tanks, the cap being provided with a vent aperture and a spring urged closure valve for preventing loss of fuel, while permitting venting of the tank to atmospheric pressure.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a simple spring-urged valve structure for employment in a vented closure cap to prevent the loss of vapor or liquid from the tank without interfering with the venting of the tank contents to the atmosphere.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided a closure cap for a receptacle opening having opposing cam edges, the cap including a body portion insertable into the receptacle opening, and deflectable arms extending outwardly beyond the body portion for engaging the cam edges of the opening to position the body portion within the opening. A cap cover is secured to the body portion to overlie the same in spaced relation thereto, the cover being apertured to provide a vent in fluid communication with the interior of the receptacle.

A spring urged valve is interposed between the body portion and the cap portion, the valve being spring urged to closed position under a light load 7 to permit venting of the receptacle to atmosphere through the vent hole, while at the same time preventing the flow of either liquid or vapor from the receptacle through the vent hole.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-541) Figure 1 is a side view of the neck of a receptacle or tank having a cap of the present invention secured thereto;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the receptacle neck;

Figure 3 is a bottom elevational view of the cap of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a; sectional view, with parts shown in elevation taken along the plane IVIV of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a sectional plane VV of Figure 4,

As shown on the drawings:

In the Figure 1, reference numeral I6 refers generally to a receptacleor tank having a generally cylindrical neck portion II projecting upwardly therefrom and defining an inner opening I2 communicating with the interior of the tank (Figure 2). The neck portion is provided with conventional diametrically opposed cam or bayonet slots I3I3, opening on cam edges l4, which face the interior of the tank. This structure is conventional in the tank art and particularly in the automobile gasoline tank art.

A tank cap I5 'of the present invention is adapted to be detachably secured to the neck portion II so as to close the opening I2.

The cap comprises generally a cupped metal stamping I6 provided with a central, depending, cylindrical cup I8 having opposed slots or vent apertures I9 formed in the side walls thereof. The stamping I6 is also provided with a radially outwardly extending flange 20 provided with an annular depressed portion 2| and a terminal depending flange 22 concentric with the cup I8.

A polished cap or lid 23, also provided with a peripheral flange 24, is secured to the stamping I6, as by an inturned terminal flange 25 underlying the flange 22 of the stamping Hi. The cap 23 is provided with a central upwardly dished portion in spaced relation to the cap I8 having a central restricted orifice or vent, hole 26.

A gasket or seal ring 21 is positioned to abut the flange 20 of the tank I6, the ring 2'! being confined between the flange 20 and the adjacent portions of the neck II, with the annular portion 2| in sealing engagement therewith when the cap is positioned thereon as shown in Figure 4.

The stamping I 6 is secured within the neck I I by means of a locking element 28 fastened to the mouth of the cup I8 by suitable means, as by rivets 29. The locking element 28 is provided with opposed defiectible arms 30 sized to be inserted through the slots I3-I3 of Figure 2 and contacting the camming surfaces I 4 upon roview taken along the tation of the stamping I6 relative to the neck ll.

A dished valve plate 3| having a downturned peripheral flange 32 nested and secured within the cup I8 and an upstanding, centrally apertured, central embossment 33, is interposed between the cover 23 and the stamping 16 as best shown in Figure 4. The frusto-conical inner surface of the embossment 33 forms a valve seat for a valve 34 having a lower frusto-oonical head 35 engaging the valve seat 33 and an upstanding central post 36 extending through the aperture in the embossment 33. The post 36 terminates in an out turned peripheral flange 31 which cooperates with the embossment 33 to receive a spiral compression spring 38 therebetween.

The operation of the valve 34 will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description and the drawings, in which it will be seen that the spring 38 urges the valve head 35 into seating engagement with the, valve seat provided by the embossments 33-, The valve, when. thus seated by the spring38, prevents the: egress of fumes or liquid from the, interior of the tank or receptacle H)v and the neck H, while upon the creation of pressures within the neck ll lower than atmospheric pressure. is vented through the vent 36, the valve will be opened against the spring38 to permit venting of the receptacle 19 to atmosphere.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention;

In a closure cap construction for closing the filling opening of a fluid receptacle, a body mem ber comprising a stamped metal disk drawn into a generally dished configuration to provide a recess on one face of the disk and having a struckout centrally apertured. conical embossment extending into said recess and providing an annular conical valve seat on the opposite face of said disk, a venting valve having a complementary conical head seated on said seat and having a stem extending into said recess, and a coil spring in said recess having one end receiving said embossment and connected to said stem to normally load said valve closed, said valve opening against said spring for automatic venting, said stamping having a peripheral cylindrical flangeextending in coaxial direction of said valve seat from said one face of the disk.

ANTON W. KONCHAN.

References Cited in. the file of this patent U IT D ST E PAT Number Name Date 1,326,124 Vischer, Jr. Dec. 23, 1919 1,717,573 M-cAtee- June 18-, 1929 1,761,396 Karmazin June 3, 1930 1,777,768 Reid Oct. 7, 1930 1,922,112 Snell Aug. 15, 1933 2,154,113 Smith Apr. 11, 1939 2,171,168; Swank Aug. 29, 1939 2,203,801 Swank June 11-, 1940 2,334,948 Newton Nov. 23, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES Ser. No. 340,456, Blau, Jr. et al. (A. P;-.C.)', published May 25, 1943.

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