BR112013001920B1 - ADAPTER SET AND SYSTEM FOR PRESSURIZED CONTAINERS - Google Patents

Abstract

adapter set and system for pressurized containers is an adapter set (12) for a pressurized gas container (14) that has an internally threaded outlet port (38) to normally receive a service valve. the adapter assembly (12) includes a housing (70) that has an externally lower threaded mounting portion (71) for coupling to the internally threaded outlet port (38) and a check valve (74) operably associated with the accommodation (70). the check valve (74) has a valve slide (106) to move between the normally closed position to prevent the transfer of liquid and / or gas between the container (14) and an external device and an open position to allow the transfer. the slide (106) can move towards the open position only when a fitting (42) of the outer device is operably connected to the check valve (74). a liquid level sending unit (16) with an overflow protective device (66) is connected to the adapter assembly (12). a liquid level indicator (76) is connected to the housing (70). the indicator (76) responds to the movement of the sending unit (16).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the control of fluids and level indicating devices for tanks or other containers and, more particularly, to an adapter set to allow the tanks to be fitted with a liquid level transducer while controlling the ingress and egress of fluid.

Many areas of the world lack natural gas resources and / or centralized natural gas distribution networks to meet basic living requirements, such as cooking, heating, bathing and so on. Consequently, homeowners in these areas often depend on various sizes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders or cylinders, such as propane, butane or combinations thereof, which need to be refilled or replaced when emptied. With many of these containers, no provision is made to determine the amount of fuel remaining. Consequently, the fuel usually runs out at a more inconvenient time, such as during cooking or bathing.

In addition, many of these containers have a service valve with a handwheel to open and close the valve to selectively connect and disconnect the pressurized gas from the container with a gas appliance through a pressure regulator. In order to fill the container, the service valve is first closed manually and the pressure regulator is then uncoupled. A supply of LPG is then connected to the service valve and the valve is opened to allow LPG to flow into the container. Once the container is filled to the appropriate level, the service valve is closed again, the LPG supply is removed, the pressure regulator is connected, and the service valve is opened to allow fuel flow to the gas appliance . Such a construction, although safe when appropriate procedures are followed, lacks safety features when operator error occurs. For example, failure to close the service valve before removing the pressure regulator can cause the remaining gas to escape from the container and result in potentially unsafe areas. Furthermore, the bleed tube in such systems, which must remain open to the atmosphere during filling, allows the gas to escape from the container until the appropriate level of liquid in the container is fixed and the bleed tube is manually closed.

It would therefore be desirable to obtain an adapter set that provides indication of the liquid level of the container with a filling interruption safety device while eliminating the potential operator error and inconveniences associated with connecting and / or disconnecting the container with the regulator. pressure and / or gas lines and appliances.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, an adapter set for a pressurized gas container is provided which has an internally threaded outlet port to normally receive the service valve. The adapter assembly includes a housing that has an externally lower threaded mounting portion for coupling to the internally threaded outlet port and the associated check valve operably associated with the housing. The check valve has a valve slide to move between the normally closed position to prevent the transfer of liquid and / or gas between the container and an external device and an open position to allow the transfer. The slide can move towards the open position only when a fitting of the outer device is operably connected to the check valve.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a system for use with a pressurized gas container is provided which has an internally threaded outlet port to normally receive a service valve. The system includes a fitting associated with at least one of a pressure regulator, a supply hose and a gas powered appliance, an adapter set, a check valve, a liquid level shipping unit, and a pressure indicator. liquid level. The fitting includes a hollow connection portion with external threads. The adapter assembly includes a housing that has an externally lower threaded mounting portion to engage the internally threaded outlet port, an upper orifice section with an upper internal threaded portion to engage the outer threads of the fitting, and an orifice section lower portion with a reduced diameter portion that separates the upper and lower orifice portions. The adapter set additionally includes a check valve with a valve slide positioned in the housing to move between the closed and open positions to close and open the fluid communication, respectively, between the upper and lower orifice portions. The slide can move towards the open position only when the socket is threaded on the upper inner threaded portion of the upper orifice section. The liquid level shipping unit is connected to the housing and extends downwards from it. The liquid level indicator is connected to the housing and is operably associated with the shipping unit to display the amount of liquid inside the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preceding summary as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be better understood when considered together with the accompanying drawings, in which the same designations denote the same elements in all drawings, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a fuel distribution system showing a pressurized tank or container in cross section with an adapter set and its associated components connected to the container;

Figure 2 is an exploded front isometric top view of the adapter assembly according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is an exploded rear isometric bottom view of the adapter assembly;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter assembly seen along line 4-4 of Figure 1 and showing a check valve in a closed position;

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4 with the check valve in an open position;

Figure 6 is a top isometric front view of an adapter assembly according to an additional embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the adapter assembly seen along line 7-7 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an exploded front isometric top view of the adapter assembly of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is an exploded front isometric view of the same;

Figure 10 is a schematic top view of the adapter assembly showing an indication display in a full indication position when a magnet associated with the liquid level shipping unit is in a first rotating position; and

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 with the indicator display in a hollow indication position when the magnet is in a second rotating position.

It should be noted that the drawings are intended to describe only typical modalities of the invention and, therefore, should not be considered as limitations of its scope. It should also be noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, and to Figure 1 in particular, a fuel delivery system 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The fuel delivery system 10 preferably includes an adapter assembly 12 connected to a pressurized gas container 14, such as a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank, a liquid level shipping unit 16 positioned in the container and connected to a first or lower end 17 of the adapter assembly 12, and a pressure regulator 18 of conventional construction connected to a second or upper end 19 of the adapter assembly. A gas appliance 20, such as a stove, oven, water heater, clothes dryer, refrigerator, and so on, is connected to pressure regulator 18, preferably via a manual shut-off valve 22 (shown schematically) positioned between the regulator and the device. Manual shut-off valve 22 provides an extra level of safety to adapter assembly 12, as will be described in greater detail below. Consequently, it should be understood that valve 22 can be eliminated from the system where redundancy is not required.

The container 14 is preferably of conventional construction for storing LPG or other gases and / or liquids under pressure and typically includes a continuous side wall 24 bounded by a lower wall 26 and an upper wall 28 to form a hollow interior 30 to maintain a quantity of liquid fuel 32 and gas 34 in a pressurized state. A mounting head 36 is located on the top wall 28 for receiving adapter assembly 12. Typically mounting head 36 includes an internally threaded outlet port 38 that would normally receive a conventional, manually operated service valve with a handwheel, lever or similar (not shown) to open and close the valve to selectively release pressurized gas and to fill the container. It should be noted that the adapter assembly 12 of the present invention fits within orifice 38 and therefore eliminates the need for the manually operable service valve. A guard ring 40 extends out of the upper surface 28 to protect adapter assembly 12 from damage.

A fitting 42 is operably associated with the pressure regulator 18, gas line and / or gas powered appliance and includes a hollow connection portion 44 with external threads 46 for connection to the second end 19 of the adapter assembly 12, as will be described in greater detail below in relation to Figure 5. A pair of arms or wings 48 preferably extends out of the socket 42 to facilitate installation and removal of the socket in relation to the adapter assembly 12 without the use of hand tools. It should be understood that socket 42 may additionally or alternatively include one or more engagement surfaces for use with a spanner or other hand tool without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The sending unit 16 preferably includes a pivot arm 50, a float 52 connected to a free outer end 54 of the pivot arm, and a pivot shaft 56 connected to an inner end 60 of the pivot arm via a gear assembly 58 A magnet 62 (Figure 3) is located at an upper end 64 of axis 56 and is adapted to rotate along it as the rotation arm 52 oscillates between a full tank position (as denoted by float 52A in dashed line when the tank is in an upright orientation or by float 52B when the tank is in a horizontal orientation) and the hollow position (as shown by float 52 in solid line). The shipping unit 16 preferably also includes an overflow protection device (OPD) 66 that works to close the fuel inlet opening (not shown) in the shipping unit when the liquid contents of the container 24 reach the appropriate level 32 during the filling to prevent, in this way, the excess liquid from entering the container. Additional details of appropriate modalities for shipping unit 16 can be found in Patent Documents No. US 7,654,281 and No. US 7,293,578 and International Publications No. W0 2008/022340, all assigned to Rochester Gauges, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, whose disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference. It should be understood that other shipping units known with OPDs can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the OPD portion of the shipping unit may be modified or eliminated when other means are employed to interrupt a filling operation and / or provide pressure relief or indication when a full container condition has been achieved.

Now referring to Figures 2 to 4, the adapter assembly 12 preferably includes a housing 70 with a shipping unit connector 72 located at the lower end 17 thereof, a check valve assembly 74 located between the lower end 17 and the upper end 19 thereof and a liquid level indicator assembly 76 removably connected to the outside of housing 70 between opposite ends. Housing 70 is preferably machined or otherwise formed of suitable material, such as brass, aluminum, reinforced plastics, and so on, and is generally cylindrical in shape with an externally lower threaded mounting portion 71 sized to engage with the internally threaded outlet port 38. Flat wrench engagement surfaces 73 are formed around the outer periphery of housing 70 above mounting portion 71 to facilitate installation and removal of adapter assembly 12 relative to container 14 (Figure 1) with a spanner or other hand tool. An upper orifice section 77 and the lower orifice section 75 are formed in the housing 70. A first inner threaded portion 76 is located in the lower orifice section 75 at the first end 17, a second inner threaded portion 78 is located in the orifice section upper 77 at the second end 19, and a third internal threaded portion 80 is located between the first and second internal threaded portions. A reduced diameter portion 82 separates the upper and lower orifice portions and is located between the second and third internal threaded portions. A valve seat 84 is integrally formed with the reduced diameter portion 82 and faces the third internal threaded portion 80. An unevenness or groove 86 is also integrally formed with the reduced diameter portion to receive and hold an O-ring 88 The sending unit connector 72 preferably includes a connector body 90 with a hole 92 extending therethrough. A circumferential flange 94 formed in the connector body 90 and is located between an inner threaded lower portion 96 and an upper outer threaded portion 98. The opposite flat spanner faces 100 are formed on the flange 94 to engage by means of a spanner. mouth or other hand tool during assembly and disassembly of connector 72 in relation to housing 70. As best shown in Figure 4, the upper outer threaded portion 90 is located in the lower orifice section 75 and engages the first inner threaded portion 76 of the housing 70 so that orifice 92 is in fluid communication with the lower orifice section 75. The inner threaded bottom portion 96 also engages an upper outer threaded portion 102 of the shipping unit 16 when the components are assembled together. The connector 72 can be modeled and / or sized to accommodate a wide variety of different shipping units. The check valve assembly 74 preferably includes a spring seat 104, a valve slide 106, a compression spring 108 positioned between the spring seat and the valve slide, a seal 110 connected to slide 106, a retainer 112 connected to the valve slide 106, and a retaining washer 114 located between the seal 110 and the retainer 112. The spring seat 104 preferably includes a lower installation portion 115 with a pair of opposing flat spanner faces 116 for engaging by means of a cylindrical nut wrench or other tool (not shown) during assembly / disassembly, and an upper outer threaded portion 118 which engages the third inner threaded portion 80 of the housing 70 to securely retain the spring seat 104 in the lower orifice section 105. A circular depression 120 is formed in the spring seat 104 to receive the compression spring 108 and a central orifice 122 extends through the portion bottom installation 114 and is in fluid communication with depression 120.

The valve slide 106 preferably includes a stem 124 with a reduced diameter guide section 126 at a lower end thereof and an enlarged receptacle 128 at an upper end thereof. The guide section 126 is located inside the central hole 122 of the spring seat 104 and has a central diameter that is preferably smaller than the inner diameter of the central hole 122 to allow fluid flow through it. The receptacle 128 is dimensioned to receive the seal 110, which is preferably in the form of an elastomeric washer or the like. It should be understood that other shapes, sizes and types of sealing can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Retainer 112 has a lower threaded portion 130 that extends through retainer washer 114 and seal 110 and into a threaded gap 132 formed at the upper end of stem 124. An enlarged head 134 of retainer 112 presses retainer washer 114 to if placed between the washer and the seal 110 between the head and the receptacle 128. A slot 136 can be formed in the head 134 to receive a screwdriver or similar ■ (not shown) during assembly / disassembly. Slit 136 also serves as a passage for liquid and gas flow when fitting 42 is installed, as shown in Figure 5.

Although the check valve 74 is shown mounted on housing 70, it should be understood that a separate check valve can be supplied and installed in housing 70, according to an additional embodiment of the invention.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the liquid level indicator assembly 76 preferably includes a base 140 with a display face 141, a transparent cover or lens 142, and a magnetically driven display 144 connected between the base and cover members through needle bearings to rotate in relation to it. A clamp 146 is preferably connected to the rear of the base 140 to attach to housing 70. Clamp 146 is preferably constructed of resilient material and includes a pair of legs that fit into a circumferential groove 150 formed in housing 70. A circular depression 152 is formed on one of the flat spanner faces 73 of the housing 70 to accommodate a similarly shaped rear protrusion 154 of the base 140. The rear protrusion 154, in turn, is shaped to receive the magnetic portion 156 of the display 144 .

As shown, the liquid level indicator assembly 76 is preferably oriented in a direction generally parallel to a central geometric axis 157 of housing 70 of adapter assembly 12 so that display face 141 can be seen from the side of container 14 ( Figure 1). However, it should be understood that the liquid level indicator assembly 7 6 can be oriented in any direction convenient for viewing by an operator. According to a further embodiment of the invention, as will be described in more detail below in relation to Figures 6 to 11, the indicator assembly is preferably oriented in a direction generally perpendicular or transverse to a central geometric axis of the adapter assembly housing for operator viewing from the top end of the container.

In operation, when the axis 64 with magnet 62 is rotated in response to the movement of float 52 (Figure 1), the pointer 158 will rotate along a scale 160 on the display face 141 of the base 140 under magnetic forces applied to the magnetic portion 156 of the display 144 to indicate the liquid level condition of container 14. Additional details of the liquid level indicator assembly, its operation in conjunction with shipping unit 16 and variations can be found in International Publication No. WO 2008/022340 incorporated above by reference. It should be understood that other known indicators with various means .5 of actuation for the indicator display can be used.

In use, and in reference to the Figures. 1, 4 and 5, when the adapter set 12 is installed in the container 14 without the fitting 42, the check valve 7 4 will be in the closed position, as shown in Figure 4. In that position, the spring 108 exerts a deflecting force against valve slide 106 which in turn pushes seal 110 against valve seat 84 to thereby prevent gas and / or liquid from escaping from container 14. When fitting 42 (which can be associated with pressure regulator, a hose, an external filling tank, a gas powered appliance, and so on) are threaded on the second internal threaded portion 78 of housing 70, the lower frustoconical surface 162 of fitting 42 will engage in a sealed manner to the O-ring 88 to seal the fitting to the adapter assembly. Continued threading in the fitting in the second internal threaded portion 78 causes the lower end surface 164 of the fitting to contact the head 134 of the retainer 132 and moves to the valve slide 106 against the deflecting force 25 of the spring 108 and remove the seal 110 d from the valve seat 84. In that position, as shown in Figure 5, an access passage 166 is opened between the lower orifice section 75 and the upper orifice section 77 to allow ingress or egress of liquid and / or gas in relation to the 3'0 container 14.

Referring now to Figures 6 to 9, an adapter assembly 170 preferably includes a housing 172 with a shipping unit connector 174 attached to the lower end 173 thereof, a check valve assembly 176 located in the housing between the lower end 173 and an upper end 175 thereof and a liquid level indicator assembly 178 removably connected to the outside of housing 172 between opposite ends. As shown, indicator assembly 178 is preferably oriented in a direction generally perpendicular or transverse to a central geometric axis 180 of housing 172 of adapter assembly 170 for viewing by an operator from a top end of container 14 (Figure 1 ). The housing 172 is somewhat similar to the housing 70 previously described and preferably includes an externally lower threaded mounting portion 182 sized to engage with the internally threaded outlet port 38 of the container 14. The flat faces or spanner engagement surfaces 184 are formed around the outer periphery of housing 172 above mounting portion 182 to facilitate installation and removal of adapter assembly 12 from container 14 (Figure 1) with a spanner or other hand tool. A circumferential groove 186 is preferably formed in the housing 172 and extends through each engagement surface 184 to removably mount the indicator assembly 178, as will be described in more detail below. An upper orifice section 188 and the lower orifice section 190 are formed in housing 172. A first internal threaded portion 192 is located in the lower orifice section 190 at the first end 173 of housing 172 and a second internal threaded portion 194 is located in the upper orifice section 188 at the second end 175. A reduced diameter portion 196 (Figure 7 ) separates the upper and lower orifice portions and is located between the first and second internal threaded portions. A valve seat 198 is integrally formed with the reduced diameter portion 196 and extends towards the first internal threaded portion 192. An unevenness or groove 200 is also integrally formed with the reduced diameter portion to receive and hold an O-ring 88. The sending unit connector 174 preferably includes a connector body 202 that has an upper orifice section 204 in fluid communication with a lower orifice section 205. The upper orifice section is preferably larger in diameter than the lower orifice section of so that a lower spring seat 207 is formed at the junction of the orifice sections. A circumferential flange 206 is formed in the connector body 174 and is located between an inner threaded lower portion 208 and an upper outer threaded portion 210. The opposing flat spanner faces 212 are formed on the flange 206 to engage with a key mouthpiece or other hand tool during assembly and disassembly of connector 174 in relation to housing 172. As best shown in Figure 7, the upper outer threaded portion 210 engages with the first inner threaded portion 192 of housing 172 so that the orifice section upper 204 is in fluid communication with a lower orifice section 190. The inner threaded lower portion 208 also engages the upper outer threaded portion 102 of the shipping unit 16 when the components are assembled. As in the previous embodiment, connector 174 can be modeled and / or dimensioned to accommodate a wide variety of different shipping units. The check valve assembly 176 preferably includes a valve slide 214, a compression spring 216 positioned between the lower spring seat 207 and the valve slide, and a seal 218 connected to the slide 214 to move with it.

The valve slide 214 preferably includes a circular body 220 with a lower circular receptacle 222 that serves as an upper spring seat and an upper receptacle 224 that extends coaxially to the body. A column 226 extends upwardly from the upper depression 224 and preferably includes a slot 228 that acts as a passage for the flow of liquid and gas when slide 214 is installed in housing 172. A plurality of protrusions extending axially 230 it is formed in radially spaced locations around the body 220. The protrusions 220 serve as bearings or guides during axial movement of the slide 14 inside the housing 172 and allows the flow of fluid inside and outside of the container 14 (Figure 1) when the slide of valve 214 is in the open position. The seal 218 is located in the upper receptacle 224 of the slide 214 to move next to it. The seal 110 is preferably in the form of an elastomeric washer or the like and presses the valve seat 196 when the slide 214 is deflected in the closed position by the compression spring 216.

When assembled, the column 226 of the valve slide 214 is positioned in the reduced diameter portion 196 of the body 172 for linear movement in relation to it between the open and closed positions. The spring 216 is compressed between the lower spring seat 207 of the connector 174 and the upper spring seat 222, thereby deviating the valve slide 214 and its attached seal 218 towards the closed position against the valve seat 198. A centering sleeve 231 can be provided to ensure that spring 216 moves in a linear fashion to avoid buckling and potential interference to axis 64 and / or magnet 62 of shipping unit 16.

As in the previous modality, when fitting 42 (Figures 1 and 5, which can be associated with the pressure regulator, a hose, an external filling tank, a gas powered appliance, and so on) is threaded on the second threaded portion internal 194 (Figure 7) of housing 172, the lower frustoconical surface 162 of the socket 42 will engage in a sealed manner with the O-ring 8 8 to seal the socket to the adapter assembly 17 0. The continued threading of the socket into the second internal threaded portion 194 causes the lower end surface 164 of the fitting to contact column 22 6 of valve slide 214 and move the valve slide against the deflecting force of spring 216 towards the open position with seal 218 away from the valve seat 198.

As best shown in Figures 8 and 9, the liquid level indicator assembly 178 preferably includes a base 140, a transparent cover or lens 142, and a magnetically driven display 144 connected between the base and cover members by means of bearings needle to rotate in relation to them. A mounting bracket 234 is preferably attached to the rear of the base 140 to secure the indicator assembly 178 to housing 172.

Mounting bracket 234 preferably includes a first mounting portion 236 for receiving the base 140 and a second mounting portion 238 extending upwardly from the first mounting portion for connection to housing 172. The first mounting portion 236 it is preferably formed as a generally flat panel with a first entrance 240. The base 140 can be removably connected to the first mounting portion 236 or permanently mounted thereon by known connection means, such as screw fasteners, supports, mutually engaging members, adhesives, welding, friction fitting, and so on. Similarly, the second mounting portion 238 is preferably formed as a generally flat panel with a second opening 242 formed therein to receive the upper end 175 of housing 172. The hook-shaped connector arms 244 are spaced circumferentially around the second opening 242 and extending downwardly from the second mounting portion 238. A lower free end of each arm of the connector 244 is formed with a hook or projection 246 that extends radially inward to engage the circumferential groove 186 of housing 172 in a pressure closing motion. The pressure closure means 248 also extends below the second mounting portion 238 to engage the flat faces 184 to ensure proper alignment of the mounting bracket 234 with the housing 172.

With this arrangement, the indicator assembly 178 is oriented in a direction generally perpendicular or transversal to the central geometric axis 180 of the housing 172 of the adapter assembly 170 for viewing by an operator from a top end of the container 14 (Figure 1) . In this orientation, a rotating geometric axis of the dial 144 is parallel to the central geometric axis 180 of the housing 172. However, it should be understood that the mounting bracket 234 can be modified or otherwise constructed so that the assembly of the indicator is oriented in a direction generally parallel to the central geometric axis 180 or at any angle to it without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the pressure-locking arrangement of the arms of the connector 244 with the housing 172 facilitates the installation and removal of a container 14 when the container is changed.

In operation and with reference to Figures 10 and 11, when axis 64 with magnet 62 (shown in dashed line) is rotated in response to the movement of float 52 (Figure 1), pointer 158 will rotate along scale 160 on the face base 140 due to the mutual magnetic attraction and / or repulsion of magnet 52 and pointer 158, as shown by their respective north and south poles, to thereby indicate the liquid level condition of the container 14.

It should be noted that the adapter set 170 described above uses fewer parts than the adapter set 12, thereby saving on extra part costs and assembly time and allows the display to be oriented in a position that takes up little vertical space, when compared to adapter set 12. Additionally, housing 172 is smaller in size than its predecessor, thereby saving even more on material costs.

The adapter set modalities described above eliminate the need for hand-operated service valves, usually installed in tanks and their inherent disadvantage costs, and safety-related factors. The modalities of the adapter set of the present invention also facilitate the installation and safe removal of in-line equipment, such as the pressure regulator when the tank contents are empty, while providing a structure for attaching a shipping unit. inside the tank and an associated indicator outside the tank to confirm the amount of fluid remaining in the tank. When the attached shipping unit incorporates an overflow protection device, the adapter assembly also contributes to a secure filling mechanism for the tank.

It should be understood that the term "preferably", as used throughout the specification, refers to one or more exemplary modalities of the invention and, therefore, should not be interpreted in any sense of limitation. It should also be understood that the term "connect" and its various derivatives, as they can be used throughout the specification, refers to components that can be joined either directly or through one or more intermediate members. In addition, the terms of guidance and / or position, as may be used throughout the specification, such as top, bottom, internal, external and so on, refer to relative rather than absolute orientations and / or positions.

Those skilled in the art will see what changes can be made to the modalities described above without departing from the broad concept of the invention. By way of example, although the check valve assembly is shown vertically oriented when the container is vertically oriented, it should be understood that the check valve assembly can be oriented at an angle transversal to the orientation of the container, according to a further embodiment of the invention. It should be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but is intended to encompass modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (27)

1. "AN ADAPTER SET", characterized by comprising a pressurized gas container (14) with a mounting head (36) with an outlet port (38) to mount a service valve with a handwheel to open and close the valve service to selectively connect and disconnect the pressurized gas from the container (14) to a gas appliance (20) via a pressure regulator (18), where: an adapter set (12) is provided to replace the service valve , the adapter assembly including: a housing (70) having a lower mounting portion (71) connected to the outlet port (38) of the mounting head (36) associated with the pressurized gas container (14); a check valve assembly (74) operatively associated with located in the housing (70), the check valve assembly (74) having a valve shuttle (106) for movement between a normally closed position to prevent liquid transfer and / or gas between the container and an external device (18) and an open position to allow said transfer, said valve slide (106) being movable towards the open position only when a socket (42) of the external device is operationally connected to the check valve; and a liquid level shipping unit (16) is connected to the housing (70) and extends downwardly from the housing to detect a liquid level in the pressurized gas container. 2. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the housing (70) additionally comprises an upper orifice section (77) and a lower orifice section (75) with a reduced diameter portion ( 82) separating the upper and lower orifice portions, the valve slide (106) being movable between the closed and open positions to close and open the fluid communication, respectively, between the upper and lower orifice sections. 3. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the check valve additionally comprises: a seal (110) connected to the valve slide (106); a valve base (84) formed in the reduced diameter portion (82); a spring base (104) fixed firmly to the lower orifice section (75); and a compression spring (108) which extends between the spring base (104) and the valve slide (106) to tilt the seal (110) towards the valve base (84) in the closed position. 4. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 3, characterized in that a portion of the valve slide (106) extends through the small diameter portion (82) to contact the external adjustment device ( 42). 5. "ADAPTER SET", according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that the upper orifice section (77) has internal threads (78) that engage with external threads (44) of the external adjustment device (42). 6. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that a liquid level indicator assembly (76) is connected to the housing (70) and responds to an output from the sending unit (16) to display the amount of liquid (32) inside the container (14). 7. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the sending unit (16) comprises: a pivot arm (50); a float (52) connected to an external free end (54) of the float pivot arm (50); and a rotary axis (56) connected to an inner end (60) of the articulated arm (50) through a set of gears (58) for rotation when the articulated arm (50) is articulated in response to a change in the liquid level in the container (14) 8. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 8, characterized in that the indicator assembly (76) comprises a rotating display (144) with a magnetic portion (156) and additionally comprises a first magnet (62) connected to the axis (64), the magnet (62) engages and magnetically rotates the rotary knob (144) after rotation of the axis (56). 9. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that a connector (72) is attached to a first end (17) of the housing (70), the liquid level sending unit (16) ) attached to the connector (72) 10. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 10, characterized in that a portion of the connector (72) is located within the section of the lower hole portion (75), the connector (72) further comprising a central hole (92) to receive the rotary axis (56) of the sending unit (16). 11. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that a mounting bracket (234) with a first mounting portion (236) is connected to the indicator assembly (178) and a second mounting portion ( 238) for connecting the housing (172), an opening (242) formed in the second mounting portion (238) receiving the housing (172). 12. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 12, characterized by the fact that: a groove (186) is formed in the housing (172); and a plurality of connecting arms (244) is positioned around the opening (242) of the second mounting portion (238) and each connecting arm (244) having a projection (246) oriented to engage with the groove (186) so that the indicator assembly (76) can be connected to the housing (172) and removed from the housing (172). 13. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 13, characterized in that the dial (144) rotates about an axis parallel to a central axis of the housing (172). 14. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 9, characterized in that the dial (144) rotates about an axis that extends transversely to a central axis of the housing. 15. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid level shipping unit (16) includes an overflow protection device (66) to prevent fluid from entering when a condition is complete container has been hit. 16. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", characterized by comprising a mounting head (36) with an internal threaded outlet port (38) for mounting a service valve with a handwheel to open and close the valve instructions for connecting and disconnecting pressurized gas from the container (14) to a gas appliance (20) and an adjustment device (42) associated with at least one of a pressure regulator (18), a supply hose and a gas appliance (20), the adjustment device (42) including a hollow connection portion (44) with external threads, wherein; an adapter assembly (12) is provided to replace the service valve, the adapter assembly additionally including: a housing (70) having an externally threaded bottom mounting portion (71) for mating with the internally threaded outlet port (38) mounting head (36) associated with the pressurized gas container (14), an upper orifice section (77) with an upper inner threaded portion (78) which engages the outer threads of the hollow connection portion (44) of the adjustment device (42) and a lower orifice section (75) with a small diameter portion (82) that separates the upper and lower portions of the orifice; a check valve assembly (74) having a valve slide (106) positioned in the housing (70) for movement between the closed and open positions to close and open the fluid communication, respectively, between the upper and lower orifice sections said valve slide (106) being movable towards the open position only when the adjusting device (42) is threaded on the upper internal threaded portion (78) of the upper orifice section (77); a liquid level shipping unit (16) connected to the housing (70) and extending below the housing (70); and a liquid level indicator (76) connected to the housing (70) and coupled to the shipping unit (16) to display the amount of liquid (32) inside the container (14). 17. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 13, characterized in that the check valve assembly (74) additionally comprises: a seal (110) connected to the valve slide (106); a valve base (84) formed in the reduced diameter portion (82); a spring base (104) firmly attached to the lower orifice section (75); and a compression spring (108) which extends between the spring base (104) and the valve slide (106) to tilt the seal (110) towards the valve base (84) in the closed position. 18. "ADAPTER SET" according to claim 17, characterized in that a portion of the valve slide (106) extends through the reduced diameter portion (82) for contact with the external adjustment device (42) . 19. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 16, characterized by the fact that the sending unit (16) comprises: a floating articulation arm (50); a float (52) connected to an external free end (54) of the articulation arm (50); and a rotary axis (56) connected to an inner end (60) of the articulation arm (50) through a set of gears (58) for rotation when the articulation arm (50) is articulated in response to a change in level of the liquid in the container (14). 20. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 19, characterized in that the indicator (76) comprises a rotating display (144) with a magnetic portion (156) and additionally comprises a first magnet (62) connected to the shaft (64), magnet (62) magnetically engaging and rotating the rotary knob (144) after rotation of the shaft (56). 21. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER" according to claim 20, characterized by the fact that a mounting bracket (234) has a first mounting portion (236) connected to the indicator assembly (178) and a second mounting portion (238) for connection to the housing (172), an opening (242) formed in the second mounting portion (238) that receives the housing (172). 22. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 21, characterized by the fact that: a groove (18 6) is formed in the housing (172); and a plurality of connecting arms (244) are positioned around the opening (242) of the second mounting portion (238) and each connecting arm (244) having a projection (246) oriented to engage with the groove ( 186) so that the indicator assembly (76) can be connected to the housing (172) and removed from the housing (172). 23. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 22, characterized by the fact that the dial (144) rotates about an axis parallel to a central axis of the housing (172). 24. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 21, characterized by the fact that the dial (144) rotates about an axis that extends transversely to a central axis of the housing. 25. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 20, characterized by the fact that a connector (72) is attached to a first end (17) of the housing (70), being the unit of liquid level sending (16) attached to the connector (72). 26. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER", according to claim 25, characterized by the fact that a portion of the connector (72) is located inside the lower orifice section (75), the connector (72) further comprising a central hole (92) for receiving the rotary axis (56) of the sending unit (16). 27. "SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER" according to claim 19, characterized by the fact that the liquid level shipping unit (16) includes an overflow protection device (66) to prevent overflow fluid inlet when a complete container condition is reached.

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