Stant Inc.

Dwight D Smith

Robert S Harris

Leonard J Cranfill

A system is provided for activating a sensor during an initial stage of a vehicle refueling activity. The system includes a fuel tank filler neck having a mouth and a fuel cap having a closure rotatably engaging the filler neck for closing the mouth. A sensor is positioned in close proximity to the filler neck. The fuel cap further includes a seal between the closure and the filler neck, an outer shell providing a hand grip, a hub, and an actuator member movable between an inactive position and a sensor-activating position. The hub interconnects the closure and the outer shell for applying a torque to the closure after a predetermined amount of movement of the shell relative to the filler neck so that a lost motion connection is established between the closure and the shell. The lost motion of the hub acts to move the actuator member to its sensor-activating position before rotating the closure relative to the filler neck in an amount sufficient to break the seal. Thus, fuel vapors in the filler neck are unable to escape therefrom through the mouth until at least the sensor has been activated.

Two-stage fuel cap

A method is provided for producing an end plate for a container having a continuous wall, with a novel end plate being produced thereby. The end plate includes a thickened plate which is disposed perpendicular to the continuous wall, with the thickened plate having a diameter less than the inner diameter of the cylindrical walls. A sheet having a peripheral down-turned flange is disposed above the thickened plate, with the down-turned flange having a diameter greater than the diameter of the cylindrical walls. An opening is provided in the sheet which is aligned with an opening in the thickened plate. An end portion of the continuous wall is bent outwardly to form a peripheral lip which has an outer diameter less than the diameter of the sheet. A seam between the continuous wall and the metal sheet is formed by inserting a stud into the opening and engaging a groove-containing roller to the down-turned flange and peripheral lip. The stud is utilized to facilitate the rotation of the canister and seam with respect to each other to form a perimetral seam having no portion which extends above the plane of the sheet.

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Connersville, IN, United States of America

Dwight D Smith