Eaton Corporation

Carl F Binder

Charles Joseph Martin

Robert Philip Benjey

Rosemary Bergsma, Legal Representative

A capless closure assembly for a fuel tank filler tube has a housing adapted for covering a bulkhead with an opening disposed on a proximal end of the filler tube, a sliding element disposed in the housing, and a door that is biased to close an aperture in the housing. The sliding element is movable between a first position that exposes the opening in the bulkhead and a second position that covers the opening in the bulkhead, and the door cooperates with the sliding element to move the sliding element from the second position to the first position as the door is opened.

Capless closure assembly and method for fuel tank filler

A method of mechanical twist lock attachment of a pass-through valve or fitting over an aperture in a plastic fuel tank having an embedded vapor barrier layer. A ring having circumferentially spaced internal lugs is secured to the tank by weldment around an aperture in the tank wall exposing an edge of the barrier layer. A seal ring on the pass-through is located in the aperture to seal the exposed vapor barrier edge. Outwardly extending projections on the pass-through attach the pass-through by twist locking engagement with the projections on the ring.

Mounting a pass-through on a plastic fuel tank

A closure assembly and method for a capless fuel tank filler tube employs a housing with a flange adapted for mounting on a bulkhead having a nozzle size-discriminating and positioning aperture provided on the upper end of the filler tube. A sliding element in the housing has a nozzle opening offset from and normally closing the bulkhead aperture. Upon insertion of a refueling nozzle, a cam surface on sliding element causes the element to move to a position aligning the opening with the bulkhead aperture permitting the nozzle to be further inserted through the bulkhead. A projection on the sliding element may extend through a slot in the bulkhead for performing an auxiliary function such as releasing a flapper door latch.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Carl F Binder