U.S. patent application number 13/689018 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-29 for snap-on fuel cap cover.
This patent application is currently assigned to BRIGGS & STRATTON CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is BRIGGS & STRATTON CORPORATION. Invention is credited to CARL TIEFENTHALER.
Application Number | 20140144913 13/689018 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50772357 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140144913 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TIEFENTHALER; CARL |
May 29, 2014 |
SNAP-ON FUEL CAP COVER
Abstract
A fuel tank closure assembly includes an inner cap and an outer
cover. The inner cap has a cylindrical side wall and multiple
protrusions extending outward from the cylindrical side wall. The
protrusions have a height less than a height of the cylindrical
side wall. The outer cover has a cylindrical side wall with an
inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the inner cap. The
cylindrical side wall has multiple openings and multiple hollows.
The openings and the hollows in the outer cover each receive one of
the protrusions to secure the cover to the cap and rotatably lock
the cover and the cap together.
Inventors: |
TIEFENTHALER; CARL;
(JACKSON, WI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BRIGGS & STRATTON CORPORATION |
WAUWATOSA |
WI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BRIGGS & STRATTON
CORPORATION
WAUWATOSA
WI
|
Family ID: |
50772357 |
Appl. No.: |
13/689018 |
Filed: |
November 29, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/212.5 ;
81/3.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60Y 2304/078 20130101;
B60K 15/0406 20130101; B60K 2015/0438 20130101; B60Y 2304/05
20130101; B67B 7/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/212.5 ;
81/3.4 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/04 20060101
B65D041/04; B67B 7/18 20060101 B67B007/18 |
Claims
1. A fuel tank closure assembly, comprising: an inner cap
comprising a cylindrical side wall and a plurality of protrusions
extending outward from the cylindrical side wall, the protrusions
having a height less than a height of the cylindrical side wall;
and an outer cover comprising a cylindrical side wall with an inner
diameter larger than an outer diameter of the inner cap, the
cylindrical side wall having a plurality of openings and a
plurality of hollows; wherein the openings and the hollows in the
outer cover each receive one of the protrusions to secure the cover
to the cap and rotatably lock the cover and the cap together to fix
the location of the cover relative to the cap.
2. The fuel tank closure assembly of claim 1, wherein the
protrusions are equally spaced about a circumference of the inner
cap.
3. The fuel tank closure assembly of claim 2, wherein the
protrusions have a curved outer surface.
4. The fuel tank closure assembly of claim 3, wherein the openings
and the hollows are equally spaced about a circumference of the
outer cover and alternate about the circumference of the
cylindrical side wall of the outer cover.
5. The fuel tank closure assembly of claim 4, wherein the hollows
have a curved inner surface shaped similarly to the curved outer
surface of the protrusions.
6. The fuel tank closure assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer
cover further includes a grip portion extending from the
cylindrical side wall in a direction away from the inner cap.
7. The fuel tank closure assembly of claim 6, wherein the grip
portion comprises a generally cylindrical body with a contoured
side wall.
8. A cover apparatus, comprising: a cap having a cylindrical side
wall from which a plurality of protrusions extend outwardly, the
cap configured to engage a container with a threaded connection;
and a cover having a plurality of snap features and a cylindrical
side wall with an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of
the cap, wherein the cylindrical side wall of the cover includes a
plurality of openings with each opening formed in one of the snap
features, and a plurality of hollows, wherein each of the openings
and the hollows is configured to receive one of the protrusions,
wherein the plurality of openings and the plurality of hollows
alternate about a circumference of the cylindrical side wall of the
cover, and wherein the cover is configured to be coupled to the cap
with a snap connection by engaging the protrusions with the snap
features; wherein the snap connection rotatably locks the cap to
the cover such that the cap may be engaged with or disengaged from
the container by rotating the cover; and wherein the cap is
configured to nest within the cover.
9. (canceled)
10. The cover apparatus of claim 8, wherein the protrusions have a
height less than a height of the cylindrical side wall of the
cap.
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. (canceled)
14. A snap-on fuel cap cover, comprising: a coupling portion
including an opening configured to engage a first protrusion on a
fuel cap, a hollow configured to receive a second protrusion on the
fuel cap, a cylindrical side wall configured to surround an outer
periphery of the fuel cap, and a U-shaped snap feature that
partially defines the opening in the cylindrical side wall; and a
grip portion extending from the coupling portion away from the fuel
cap; wherein the coupling portion is configured so that the
interaction of the opening and the first protrusion and the
interaction of the hollow and the second protrusion secures the
coupling portion to the fuel cap such that the fuel cap may be
rotated by grasping and rotating the grip portion.
15. (canceled)
16. (canceled)
17. The snap-on fuel cap cover of claim 14, wherein the coupling
portion further includes a relief slot on either side of the
U-shaped snap feature, so that the U-shaped snap feature is located
between the two relief slots.
18. The snap-on fuel cap cover of claim 14, wherein the coupling
portion further includes a plurality of openings and a plurality of
hollows.
19. The snap-on fuel cap cover of claim 18, wherein the openings
and the hollows are evenly spaced in an alternating fashion about a
circumference of the cylindrical side wall.
20. The snap-on fuel cap cover of claim 14, wherein the hollow has
an inner surface shaped similarly to an outer surface of the second
protrusion.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
threaded closures for containers. Containers, such as fuel tanks
for internal combustion engines, may be closed by a threaded lid or
cap. These caps may have low profile designs to reduce the space
requirements of the container. A common threaded connection may be
used for fuel tanks in several varied fuel tank and engine
configurations, making the low profile cap desirable because it can
be utilized to close the fuel tank without worrying about clearance
with the surrounding bodies. For example, a common threaded
connection may be used for an engine/fuel tank package provided to
multiple original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
SUMMARY
[0002] One embodiment of the invention relates to a fuel tank
closure assembly including an inner cap and an outer cover. The
inner cap has a cylindrical side wall and multiple protrusions
extending outward from the cylindrical side wall. The protrusions
have a height less than a height of the cylindrical side wall. The
outer cover has a cylindrical side wall with an inner diameter
larger than an outer diameter of the inner cap. The cylindrical
side wall has multiple openings and multiple hollows. The openings
and the hollows in the outer cover each receive one of the
protrusions to secure the cover to the cap and rotatably lock the
cover and the cap together.
[0003] Another embodiment of the invention relates to a cover
apparatus including a cap and a cover. The cap has multiple
outwardly extending protrusions and is configured to engage a
container with a threaded connection. The cover has multiple snap
features and is configured to be coupled to the cap with a snap
connection by engaging the protrusions with the snap features. The
snap connection rotatably locks the cap to the cover such that the
cap may be engaged with or disengaged from the container by
rotating the cover.
[0004] Another embodiment of the invention relates to a snap-on
fuel cap cover including a coupling portion and a grip portion. The
coupling portion includes an opening configured to engage a first
protrusion on a fuel cap, and a hollow configured to receive a
second protrusion on the fuel cap. The grip portion extends from
the coupling portion away from the fuel cap. The coupling portion
is configured so that the interaction of the opening and the first
protrusion and the interaction of the hollow and the second
protrusion secures the coupling portion to the fuel cap such that
the fuel cap may be rotated by grasping and rotating the grip
portion.
[0005] Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features
and combinations of features as may be generally recited in the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The invention will become more fully understood from the
following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a snap-on fuel cover assembly,
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the snap-on fuel cover
assembly of FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the snap-on fuel cover
assembly of FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the snap-on fuel cover
assembly of FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4.
[0011] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the cover for the snap-on
fuel cover assembly of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a front view of the cover for the snap-on fuel
cover assembly of FIG. 5.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a side view of the cover for the snap-on fuel
cover assembly of FIG. 5.
[0014] FIG. 8 is a top view of the cover for the snap-on fuel cover
assembly of FIG. 5.
[0015] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the cover for the snap-on fuel
cover assembly of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the
exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the
application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth
in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be
understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description
only and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a closure assembly 10 is shown
according to an exemplary embodiment to include a cover 30 that is
configured to snap onto a fuel cap 20. The fuel cap 20 may be used
to close an opening in a container (not shown), such as a fuel tank
for an internal combustion engine. The fuel cap 20 is a low profile
cap with a cylindrical side wall 22 and an end wall 24. The fuel
cap 20 engages the container with a threaded connection utilizing
internal threads 26, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (e.g., by rotating
the fuel cap 20 about an axis of rotation 12). The fuel cap 20
further includes multiple protrusions 28 (e.g., nubs, ridges,
bumps, etc.). The protrusions 28 provide raised surfaces to
facilitate the turning of the cap 20 by a user. According to an
exemplary embodiment, the protrusions 28 have a length that is less
than the height of the side wall 22 and has a convex
cross-sectional shape (e.g., arcuate or circular segment) defined
by a curved surface 29. In other exemplary embodiments, the
protrusions 28 may have another cross-sectional shape (e.g.,
rectangular, semi-circular, trapezoidal, triangular, etc.). The
protrusions 28 may be spaced equally about the periphery of the
side wall 22. According to an exemplary embodiment, the fuel cap 20
has eight protrusions 28, each separated from the adjacent
protrusions by forty-five degrees. In other exemplary embodiments,
the fuel cap 20 may have more or fewer than eight protrusions 28.
In some embodiments, the height of the protrusions 28 is less than
the height of the cylindrical side wall 22.
[0018] The low profile of the fuel cap 20 minimizes the occupied
volume and allows a single fuel cap design to be utilized for
multiple engine and fuel tank designs. The cover 30 is coupled to
the cap 20 and may be configured to have dimensions, colors, or
shapes specific to a particular engine and fuel tank design. For
example, an emblem, trademark, or other design may be found on or
formed in the end wall 52.
[0019] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cover 30 is coupled
to the fuel cap 20 with a snap connection. Referring now to FIGS.
5-9, the cover 30 is larger body with a higher profile to increase
the surface area that may be gripped by the user, making it easier
for the user to remove the fuel cap 20 from the container. The
cover 30 includes a first portion or coupling portion 32 that
connects the cover 30 to the fuel cap 20 and a second portion or
grip portion 34 that is configured to be grasped by the user so
that the user may rotate the closure assembly 10 to connect or
disconnect the fuel cap 20 and the opening of the container.
[0020] The coupling portion 32 is shaped such that it may nest with
the fuel cap 20 with a cylindrical side wall 36 and a generally
annular end wall 38 that provides a transition between the side
wall 36 and the grip portion 34. The side wall 36 has an inner
diameter that is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the
side wall 22 of the fuel cap 20. The protrusions 28 of the fuel cap
20 are received in openings 40 and hollows 42 in the side wall 36
to couple the cover 30 to the fuel cap 20. The openings 40 and the
hollows 42 have a spacing corresponding to the protrusions 28 on
the fuel cap 20. In an exemplary embodiment, the openings 40 and
the hollows 42 alternate about the periphery or circumference of
the coupling portion 32 of the cover 30 such that the cover 30
includes four openings 40 interspersed with four hollows 42.
[0021] Each of the openings 40 is partially defined by a U-shaped
snap feature 44 formed in the side wall 36 and defined by a relief
slot 46 on either side. The relief slots 46 may extend through the
thickness of the side wall 36 or may be grooves that have a depth
less than the thickness of the side wall 36. The relief slots 46
allow the snap feature 44 to flex outward as the cover 30 is pushed
down onto the fuel cap 20 along the rotational axis 12. When the
cover 30 is properly oriented with the fuel cap 20, a portion of
the protrusions 28 are received in each of the opening 40. As shown
in FIG. 3, the snap feature 44 engages the protrusion 38 and the
end wall 38 of the coupling portion 32 contacts the end wall 24 of
the fuel cap 20 to lock the cover 30 to the fuel cap 20 in the
direction of the rotational axis 12.
[0022] The remainder of the protrusions 28 are received in the
hollows 42 (e.g., receptacles, voids, spaces, sockets, etc.)
instead of the openings 40. The hollows 42 are formed in the side
wall 36 by a curved portion 48 that extends outward from the side
wall 36. The hollows 42 have a concave cross-sectional shape (e.g.,
arcuate or circular segment) similar to the protrusions 28 such
that the inner surface 49 of the curved portion 48 contacts the
curved surface 29 of the protrusion 28 as shown in the FIG. 4. When
the cover 30 is coupled to the fuel cap 20, the contact between the
surfaces 29 and 49 cooperates with the snap features 44 to
rotatably lock the cover 30 to the fuel cap 20. The surface to
surface contact between the protrusions 28 and the curved walls 48
helps to fix the location of the cover 30 relative to the cap 20
and, by providing additional points of contacts between the cover
30 and the cap 20 distributes the torque applied the assembly 10
when the assembly 10 is rotated about the axis 12 among the snap
feature 44 and protrusion 28 combinations and the hollow 42 and
protrusion 28 combinations.
[0023] The grip portion 34 extends upward beyond the end wall 38 of
the coupling portion 32 and includes a contoured side wall 50 and
an end wall 52. The side wall 50 may have ridges 54 (e.g., raised
portions) and depressions 56 (e.g., recessed portions) and the end
wall 52 be shaped to match the contour of the side wall 50 (e.g.,
star-shaped). The contoured side wall 50 of the grip portion 34
increases the surface area that may be grasped by the user (i.e.,
compared to the side wall 22 of the fuel cap 20), and thereby
increase the ease with which the user may connect or disconnect the
fuel cap 20 and opening of the container. In other exemplary
embodiments, the grip portion 34 may be otherwise shaped (e.g.,
cylindrical, frusto-conical, hexagonal, octagonal, etc.) and may
have a surface texture (e.g., nubs, ridges, knurling, etc.).
[0024] The cover 30 is formed of a material that is sufficiently
flexible to allow the cover 30 to be snapped onto the fuel cap 20
and sufficiently strong to transfer the torque applied by the user
to the fuel cap 20 without warping and disengaging from the fuel
cap 20. According to an exemplary embodiment, the cover 30 is
formed of an injection-molded polymer. According to other exemplary
embodiments, the cover 30 may be formed of a metal or metal alloy.
In still other exemplary embodiments, the cover 30 may be formed of
a composite material, such as a fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
[0025] The cover 30 may be customized to match an individual engine
and fuel tank design. For example, the cover 30 may include indicia
(e.g., a molded indicia, a printed indicia, etc.) such as an OEM
logo. The cover 30 may be colored differently (e.g., painted or
molded in a specific color) for different engine and fuel tank
designs. The cover 30 may be provided as an aftermarket accessory
or may be shipped together with the engine and assembled by the OEM
or by the user. In this way, an OEM receiving a bulk shipment of
engines or fuel tanks including the low-profile fuel cap 20 can
customize the appearance of their product as needed by coupling an
appropriate cover 30 to the fuel cap 20.
[0026] It is important to note that the construction and
arrangement of the closure assembly as shown in the various
exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few
embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those
skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily
appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations
in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the
various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use
of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially
departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject
matter described herein. For example, elements shown as integrally
formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the
position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the
nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered
or varied. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may
be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments.
Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also
be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the
various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of
the present invention.
* * * * *