US1715328A - Fill cap - Google Patents

Description

A. JONCHA May 28, 1929.

FILL CAP Filed Jan. 18, 1928 INVENTOR. ANTON JONCHA.

ATTORNEY.

I llml Patentd May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTON JNCHA, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO OIL PRODUCTS .APPLIANCE CO., OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF 'ILLINOIS.

FILL CAP. r

Application filed January 18, 1928. Serial No. 247,(542.

The invention is an improvement in caps for filling tubes of tanks such as employed by the usual filling station.

It is customary to furnish the filling station with free equipment, including a large capacity tank, usually buried in the ground, and with pumps, the oonsideration being the exclusive right to supply the demands of the tank or tanks so installed. The tanks are charged through filling tubes provided with removable caps and unscrupulous dealers have been known to take advantage of this in order to substitute a cheaper and inferior product to the manifest damage to the business and good will of the producer. With the View of overcoming this dishonest practice, it

is now the custom to provide a lock 'for the cap. Locked filling caps sufi'erthe dis'advantage that they must be constructed to permit the use of a gauge rod and under some circumstances the opening for the passage of the gauge rod has been used to introduce inferior materials into the tank.

cap is earried by a sleeve section threaded onto the fillin tube and, as the sleeve can be disconnected rom the tank, notwithstanding the looked cap, to open the filling tube, it has been proposed and is more or less customary to rivet or otherwise 'positively secure the sleeve section to the filling pipe, but this has proven trouble'some and unsatisfaetory.

The principal obj ect of the invention is the provison of a cap for filling tubes which conveniently can besecured in such way as to prevent its removal without detection, the

cap having an openin for the reception of a gauge rod, which w ile effective for that purpose may not be used for filling purposes. The invention in its preferred embodiment 40 is illustrated in the acoompanying drawings,

wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved oap and a portion of the filling-tube, the eap-sleeve being broken away to show the looking means between such sleeve and the filling tube.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the oap-sleeve, the cap proper being removed and thefilling tube being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view through the cap-sleeve and filling tube illustrating the interlock between these part-5.'

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the filling tube, with the cap-sleeve in broken section.

Furthermore, the' The filling tube 1, which leads to and communieates with a tank (not shown) has its upper open end suitably extended to permit convenient refilling of the tank. Its open end is provided with a cap, which must be capable of formin a complete closure to prevent unauthorize accessibility to the interior of the tank and must be further capable of permitting ready gauging of the contents of the tank at any time without thereby providing a means for unlawful replenishment of the tank.

The filling cap so-called embodies a. capsleeve designed to be screwed onto the threaded end of the filling tube and a cap proper designed to be locked to the cap sleeve or removed therefrom at Will.

The cap-sleeve 2 com rises a skirt portion 3, interiorly threaded or cooperation with the threaded head 4:, of the filling tube, and a fiange 5 at the upper endof and 'extend ing radially beyond the skirt 3. The skirt I 3 is formed below the fiange 5 with an ofl'- set 6, of hollow or box form and opening through the flange as at 7. The outer wall 8 of the ofiset 6 converges towards the wall of the skirt in the same direction as the threads on the filling tube and the bottom 9' of 'the receptacle ofiset inclines downwardly in the same direction. The portion of the skirt proper which forms the inner wall of the ofiset is entirely cut away below the fiange 5, so that in all applied positions of the cap-sleeve the threads on the head of the filling tube are exposed to the cavity of the ofset 6.

The cap-sleeve 2 is formed, diametrically opposite the offset 6, with a keeper lug 10, having an elongated slot 11. The fiange 5, while' circular in plan, is eccentric to the upper end of the filling tube 1, in order to cover and provide an entrance to the ofiset 6 and is provided with concentric relatively spaced looking lips 12. C A The cap proper 13, comprises a flat plate 14, having a depending collar 15 to`fit over the fiange 5, and lugs 16 to cooperate with the looking lips 12 to secure the cap against direct separation from the cap-sleeve. The cap has a lateral keeper lug 17, formed 'With an opening 18, which in the final position of the cap is designed to register with the keeper lug 10 of the cap-sleeve to permit the application of a look, as 19, through the openings 11 and l8,`and thus with the cooperating lugs 16 and lips 12, positively lock the cap proper to the cap-sleeve.

In order to lock the cap-sleeve to the filling tube a ball 20 is placed in the oiset 6 following the application of the cap-sleeve to the filling tube. When the cap proper is v applied, the entrance to the offset. is completely covered, and therefore, so long as the cap proper is in place, the ball 20 is inaccessible. Any attempt to separate the capsleeve from the filling tube without first removing the ball 20, will cause the latter to wedge between the wall 8 of the ofiset and the threads of the filling tube with the inevitable result of mutilating the threads and eventually rupturing the otfset walL Either result is a tell-tale of the attempt to tamper with the tank, and hence, tampering readily is detectable. Evidently, the holder of the key of the lock 19, will remove the cap proper in filling the tank but, if .it is necessary to remove the cap-sleeve for any purpose the cap proper first will be removed and the ball 20 taken from the offset 6, when the cap-sleeve readily may be separated from the filling tube without damage to either part of the ball clutch.

Aside from means for securing the filling cap against unauthorized opening it is important that the provision for gauging the contents of the tank be serviceable at all times yet without afl'ording a medium for unlawful filling. For this purpose the cap proper is equipped with a dome 21 having a gauge stick opening 22 of L form. The gauge stick 23 is of corresp-onding thin L section. For example, the respective wings of the gauge stick are about five-eighths of an inch in width and three-thirty-seconds of an inch in thickness. With the slot 22 4. of an accurately fitting dimension, it is apprecludes the introduction of any liquid into the tank. The gauge stick is preferably of aluminum to avoid possibility of sparks in the introduction or withdrawal of the stick. A supplemental cap 24, secured to the capsleeve by a chain or the like 25, serves to cover the done 21 and gauging slot when desired. p

The improved cap for the filling tube of fuel or like tanks is so constructed that when the cap proper is in position on the capsleeve and locked, the tank is positively closed against the unauthorized introduction of any liquid, as any attempt to remove the cap through removal of the cap-sleeve will result in such mutilation and rupture of the parts as to advertise such unauthorized attempt. The connection between the capsleeve and filling tube, however, is such that the cap-sleeve may be disconnected from the filling tube after removal of the cap proper and the further removal of the ball 20 from the ofi'set 6.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A cap for filling tubes including a sleeve having threaded connection with the tube, said sleeve being formed with an offset, a clutch Operating in said ofiset and serving to prevent disconnection 'of the sleeve and.r

tube, and a cap proper removably engaging the sleeve and covering said ofiset, said cap proper closing the end of the tube.

2. A cap for filling tubes including a sleeve designed to be threaded onto the end of the tube and ;formed with an ofi'set, a ball loosely arranged in said ofiset, the outer wall of the offset cooperating with the ball to cause it to'operate as'a wedge to prevent relative movement of the 'sleeve and tube in one direction, a cap proper interloekng with the sleeve and' overlying and closing the ofset, andmeans for looking the cap to the sleeve.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. v ANTON J ON CHA.

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