CA1041061A

CA1041061A - Plastic trigger nozzle

Info

Publication number: CA1041061A
Application number: CA226,390A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Maurice Plantard
Original assignee: Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Current assignee: Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority date: 1974-06-13
Filing date: 1975-05-06
Publication date: 1978-10-24
Also published as: FR2274549B1; DE2526111A1; FR2274549A1; BR7503684A; JPS5115812A; SE7506709L; GB1512434A; NL7506930A

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Fuel dispensing nozzle wherein its body comprises various assembled parts made of rigid plastic and wherein an electrical connection is made between an annular conductor arranged near the attachment orifice to the hose in order to be connected to the earthing conductor provided in the latter and an elongated conductor arranged along the discharge spout in order to make contact with the metal filling orifice of the tank that is to be filled.

Description

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The present invention relates to a fuel dispensing nozzle and, more specifically, a nozzle the body of which is made of plastic material.
A dispensing nozzle is essentially a manually or semi-automatically operated shut-off device intended to be fitted to the end of a delivery hose connected to the delivery orifice of a fuel pump used for filling a tank, such as the tank of a vehicle.
In French patent No. 7~ 13419, filed 17th April, 1972, for an "automatic shut-off device for fuel dispensing nozzles", Applicant has already suggested making the various constituent parts of the body of the nozzle of rigid plastic, which has numerous advantages, such as light weight, cleanliness, easy rnanufacture, low cost price, etc.
However, the property of electrical insulation in-herent in the plastic used poses the problem of earthing the -vehicle. The latter can actually have a potential very different from that of the delivery pump, which is itself generally earthed. Such a difference in potential can result in a dis-charge and a spark at the spout during fuel delivery, which ; obviously is particularly dangerous.
The invention aims at overcoming this drawback by connecting the potential of the pump to the vehicle whose tank is to be filled.
The invention provides a fuel dispensing nozzle to be attached to the end of a delivery hose, which nozzle according ` to the invention is characterized in that its body comprises ; different assembled parts made of rigid plastic, and in that an electrical connection is made between an annular conductor arranged near the attachment orifice of the hose in order to be connected to the earthing conductor provided in the latter and an electrical conductive rneans, for example, an elongated B -1- ~

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conductor arranged along the discharge spout in order to make contact with the metal filling orifice of the tank that is to be filled.
According to the invention there is provided an electrically conductive nozzle assembly for delivery of a liquid from a source to a liquid receiver having a metal inlet, said nozzle assembly comprising: (1) a rigid plastic nozzle including a nozzle inlet adapted for connection to a source of liquid, said source having electrical path means communicating with an electrical ground, a nozzle outlet, a nozzle housing between said nozzle inlet and said nozzle outlet, control means for con-: trolling liquid flow from said nozzle inlet through said nozzle housing to said nozzle outlet, and (2) means for conducting an electrical charge comprising an annular conductor disposed on said nozzle and adapted to make electrical connection with the electrical path means of said liquid source elongated electrical ' conductive mean~ disposed on said nozzle outlet to make contact with said liquid receiver inlet, and electrical connective means for coupling said electrical conductive means with said annular conductor.
Where the body of the nozzle essentially comprises anattachment part in the form of a handle, a central part enclosing the delivery control mechanism which is actuated by a pivoting lever under the control of the operator, an end part `:. G

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1(3-~ ~0~'1 terminating in the discharge spout, and a protective p~rt in t~e form of a trigger gua~d arranged beneath the attachment part 80 as to prevent accidental operation of the ~ivoting lever,according to the invention the above-mentioned electrical connection is preferably made by a metal strip that is basically attached to the protective part alone and that presents one free end that can be kept in resilient contact with the above-mentioned elongated conductor, the other end of the strip being permanently conne~ted to the said annular conductor which is also basically attached to the protective part.
~he invention will be elucidated by reference to the following descrlption relating to the attached drawing, the drawing be$ng given solely by way of example, the single figure being a cross-section of a nozzle according to the invention.
Number 10 in the figure indicates a dispensing nozzle intended to be fitted to the end of a delivery hose (not shown), connected to the delivery orifice of a fuel pump (not shown) for filling the tank (not shown) of a motor vehicle.
The nozzle 10 es~entially comprises a body 12 that is assembled from several parts made of rigid plastic, namely:
an attachment part 14 in the form of a handle, a central ; part 16 in one or several pieces, an end part 18 terminating in a discharge spout 20, and a protective part in the form of a trigger guard 22 arranged beneath the attachment part 14 and the central part 16.
A delivery control mechanism 24 is set in part 16 of the ; body 12 and is actuated by a lever 26 pivoting between the protective part 22 and the attachment part 14, 80 that it can be controlled by the operator. The mechanism 24, shown in the drawing, is of a conventional type, operated semi-automatically, in which the shut-off valve 28 can be operated either manually by means of the lever 26 or held open automatically until the level of the fuel poured into the tank reaches an opening 30 - 35 arranged at the tip of the discharge spout 20.
A proper-insertion safety device is advantageously provided by the arrangement of a lever 32, pivoting at the end of the spout 20, to erfect upon 1ntroduot1on of the latter into tbe trn~

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~~i filling orifice, the opening of a safety valve 34 which will keep the shut~off valve 28 open.
According to the invention, an electrical connection 36 i8 made between an annular conductor 38 arranged near the attachment orifice 3~ of part 14 to the delivery hose (not shown) and an elongated conductor arranged along the discharge spout 20 which conductor can, advantageously, be con~tituted by the above-mentioned metal lever 32. This connection 36 permits the tank filling orifice to be connected to the earthing conductor usually provided in the delivery hose .
In a preferred arrangement, the connection 36 i8 made by a metal strip 40 that i~ basically attached to the inner face of the protective part 22 alone. One end (42) of the strip 40 - 15 i8 free and kept in contact with the end 44 of the conductor-lever element 32 only by the resilience of this strip. ~he other end (46) of the strip 40 is connected to the annular conductor 38 by a metal riv-t or analogous means 48 able to hold in place the end 46 as well as the element 38 on the back section (attached to part 14) of the protective part 22.
With such an arrangement it is readily appreciated that the electrical connection 36 is basically made by the part 40 alone in such a way that the assembly andlor dismantling of one or several of parts 14, 16, 18, 20 and/or 22 does not 25 present any problems with respect to this connection.
It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment herein described and presented. Numerous modifications can be made, e~pecially in the specific form of the control mechanism, in the nu~ber of constituent parts of the body 12 and in the desi~n of the conductor elements 32 and 38, as well as in that of the electrical connection 36, without going beyond the scope of the invention.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An electrically conductive nozzle assembly for delivery of a liquid from a source to a liquid receiver having a metal inlet, said nozzle assembly comprising:
(1) a rigid plastic nozzle including a nozzle inlet adapted for connection to a source of liquid, said source having electrical path means communicating with an electrical ground, a nozzle outlet; a nozzle housing between said nozzle inlet and said nozzle outlet, control means for controlling liquid flow from said nozzle inlet through said nozzle housing to said nozzle outlet; and (2) means for conducting an electrical charge com-prising an annular conductor disposed on said nozzle and adapted to make electrical connection with the electrical path means of said liquid source; elongated electrical conductive means disposed on said nozzle outlet to make contact with said liquid receiver inlet, and electrical connective means for coupling said electrical conductive means with said annular conductor.

2. A nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said nozzle housing comprises an attachment part in the form of a handle, a central part enclosing a delivery control mechanism which is actuated by a pivoting lever under the control of the operator, an end part terminating in a discharge spout at the nozzle outlet and a protective part in the form of a trigger guard arranged beneath the attachment part so as to prevent accidental operation of the pivoting lever; and said electrical connective means comprises an elongated conductor arranged along said discharge spout and a metal strip attached to the protective part alone, said strip having a free end adapted to be kept in resilient contact with the elongated conductor, the end of the strip remote from said free end being permanently connected to the said annular conductor.

3. A nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the elongated conductor consists of a lever pivoting beneath the discharge spout adapted to control the opening of a delivery safety valve when the spout is introduced into the liquid receiver inlet.

4. An electrically conductive nozzle assembly for delivery of a liquid from a source to a liquid receiver having a metal inlet, said nozzle assembly comprising:
(1) a rigid plastic nozzle including a nozzle inlet adapted for connection to a source of liquid, said source having electrical path means communicating with an electrical ground, a nozzle outlet; a nozzle housing coupling said nozzle inlet and said nozzle outlet, control means for controlling liquid flow from said nozzle inlet through said nozzle housing to said nozzle outlet; and a proper insertion safety valve for preventing discharge of liquid through said control valve unless the nozzle is propertly inserted into the liquid receiving inlet; and (2) means for conducting an electrical charge com-prising an annular conductor disposed on said nozzle and adapted to make electrical connection with the electrical path means of said liquid source; electrical conductive means dis-posed on said nozzle outlet to make contact with said liquid receiver inlet, said electrical conductive means being an elongated lever pivoting on said nozzle and operatively con-nected to said safety valve for opening said safety valve when the nozzle outlet is introduced into the liquid receiver inlet and electrical connective means for coupling said electrical conductive means with said annular conductor.