US1877418A - Combination gas-tank cap, fuel pipe, and drain pipe lock - Google Patents

Description

T. s. GREER 1,877,418

COMBINATION GAS TANK CAP, FUEL PIPE, AND DRAIN PIPE LOCK Sept. 13, 1932.

Filed NOV. 7. 1950 Greer' QWQLQAAJSL.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 13, 1932 TONY s. GREEK, or SACRAMENTO. CALIFORNIA,

COMBINATION GAS-TANK CAP, FUEL PIPE, AND DRAIN PIPE Loci:

Application filed November 7, 1930. Serial No. 494,058.

This invention relates to devices for re- 7' of Fig. 2. o

ducing the theft of automobiles, by preventing the feeding of the gas from the main tankto the carbureter, as well as for preventing any gas being placed in the tank. A car equipped with my device and with the latter set so as to function in the above manner can only be driven a short distance before it will stop on account of a lack of fuel at the engine.

The present invention particularly represents improvements and modifications over the structure for the same purpose shown in my co-pending application for patent, Serial No. 427,134, filed February 10, 1930; now Patent 1,805,868 of May 19, 1931; my main object now being to simplify the apparatus and render the same more easily applied to almost any standard form of motor vehicle 2 tank.

Apart from the theft of cars themselves considerable gasoline is stolen by siphoning the same from the main tank or by drawing the fuel from the bottom drain plug.

A further object of my invention therefore is to arrange the apparatus so that the gas cannot be drawn either from the top or bottom openings of the tank unless the owner so wishes.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts aswill fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of ref- 5 erence indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary transverse section of a gas-tank showing the preferred form of fuel pipe, drain plug and filler tube lock arrangement, the fuel pipe being shown in its open or feeding position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the fuel pipe closed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the hand control the position occupied thereby when the tank cap is removed.

Fig. 4 is a cross section onthe line 4-4 .50 of Fig. 1.

member of the structure shown in I Fig. 5 is a cross section on, the line 55 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View showinga modified form of fuel pipe closure. r Referring now more particularly. tothe' characters of reference on the drawing, and particularly at present to Figs. 1 to 5, the numeral 1 denotes the main fuel tank having a filler tube 2 projecting upwardly therefrom on the top, and which is provided with a cap 3 having a lock structure 4-incorporated therewith so that the cap can only be removed by the use ofthe proper key. This cap and its lock structure is preferably of the same type as that shown in my Patent N 0. 1,716,724, dated June 11, 1929. i

A vertical fuel pipe 5 extends from and through the top of the tank to one side of the filler tube, down to and through thebottom of the tank; the lower portion of the pipe being vertical and in substantially central alinement with the tube. The lower end of the pipe below the tank is threaded and is provided with a removable cap, 6. This low er extension of the pipe either serves as a. drain opening orenables a gravity-feed supply pipe tobejconnected thereto. A

Adjacent the bottom of the tank a hole 7 is drilled into the pipe 5, and the lower straight portion of said pipe is surrounded by a sleeve 8 having a hole '9 therein adapted to register with the hole 7. Thesleeve has a snug but turnable fit on the pipe and toward its upper end is provided with a circumferential slot 10 in which a pin 11 "rides and which .3 projects outwardly from the pipe. The slot is arranged so that when the pin is at one end of the same theholes 7 and .9 register and the-pin then seats ina slight depression formed in the'top of the slotat. said end as shown in Fig. 1, so.as to: prevent-the sleeve possibly shifting its position with the vibration of the car. When the pin isat the other end of the slot the holes are completely out of register with each other. a Provided with the sleeve on oneside is a socket 12 in which the lower-end of a stem13 non-rotatably fits. The stem above th'e socket is hollow and a rod 14is slidable therein and projects above the.same;a spring 15 in the stem acting to force the rod upwardly. The rod is permitted limited vertical movement in the stem but is caused to rotate therewith by reason of a vertical slot and pin arrangement therebetween as indicated at 16. The upper end of the rod carries a knob 17 which is adapted to: abut against and be depressed by the lock box of the cap when the latter is placed on the filler tube.

When the cap is removed the spring is free to force the rod upwardly, the movement permitted the rod being sufficientito cause it to" then project some distance above I the top of the tube as shown in Fig. 3,;thus

,fuel can of course be drawn as defined by the appended presenting the knob where it may be readily manipulated by the fingers. c

To move the sleeve to either a pipe-closing oropening position, the cap 3 must of course be first removed, which will expose the fin- P ger knob, as above stated. The operator thengrasps the knob and rotates the same, which will impart a 8 for the length of the slot 10 in one direction or the other, depending on the direction of rotation of the knob. If the sleeve has been moved to a pipe closing position no from the tank through the pipe 5 and to the engine, either from the upper end of said pipe or from the lower gravity feed or drain outlet. Replacing of the cap on the filler tube when the sleeve isthus set willof course prevent anybody from moving the sleeve out of its closing position; and removal of the cap can only be accomplishedby the person-having the proper key. 1

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 the structure as a whole and its operation are the same as above however does not project through the bottom of the tank and the surrounding sleeve 8a P described. The pipe 5a extends below and 1s closed across the bottom of the pipe, as shown. This arrangement of course does not control a flow through the drainplug of the tank, and would be used as an installation more easily and cheaply apwhich are already in use.

plied to certain cars From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects of the inventionas set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail thelpresent and preferred construction of the .dev1ce,still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted toas do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention,

7 claims.

. Having'thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is '1. Ina fuel tank ing from the tank and having a valvestructure'associated with said vertical tion in one direction or rotation to the sleeve portion of the pipe including a member rotatable axially of the pipe and whose rotation in one direction or the other provides or prevents communication between the tank and the interior of the pipe, a stem rigid with and upstanding from said member, a finger rod extending upwardly into the tube from the stem and slidably ed tohthe latter, and a sprlng between the stem and rod tending to force the stem upwardly; said spring being overcome and the rod depressed by th cap when the latter is in ta v V e I V 2. In a fuel tank having a filler tube on top, a cap for the tube and a fuel pipe leading from the tank and having a vertical portion at its lowerend directly under ,the tube, a valve structure associated with said vertical ortion of the pi e including a memberrotatableaxially o thepipe and Whose rotathe other provides or revents communication .between the tank and the interior of the pipe, and means for rotating said member, said means including a rod projecting upwardly into the tube, and means acting on the rod to raise the upper end of thesame above the tube when the cap is removed. I 3. In a fuel tank, a delivery pipe projecting upwardly through and then out o the tank from an open-ended inception below the tank, a removable closure for said open end of the pipe, said pipe having a side opening therein inside and adjacent the bottom of the tank, a closure for said opening, andmeans to operate said. closure from the exterior of the tank.

4. In a fuel tank having a filler tube on top, a cap for the'tube and a fuel pipe leading from the tank;- a

ipe within the tank, hand means for operating the closure, said means including a vertical depressible rod, .and aspring acting on said rod to cause the upper end of the same toproject above tube when the cap is removed; e

In testimonywhereof I afliX my signature.

. TONY S. GREEK the topfof the filler c...

but non-rotatably connect- EPA closure member for said L.

I I having filler tube on I 'top,'a"cap for the tube and a fuel pipe leada'verticalpor-

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