Apparatus for dispensing a fluid

Claim 1

A FUEL-DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES, COMPRISING A VALVE HOUSING PROVIDED WITH INLET MEANS FOR LIQUID FUEL TO BE DISPENSED, A FUEL-DISCHARGE NOZZLE ON SAID HOUSING INSERTABLE INTO A TANK OF AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE TO BE POWERED BY SAID FUEL, VALVE MEANS IN SAID HOUSING NORMALLY BLOCKING THE PASSAGE OF FUEL FROM SAID INLET MEANS TO SAID NOZZLE, MANUAL OPERATING MEANS FOR DISPLACING SAID VALVE MEANS INTO AN UNBLOCKING POSITION WHEREBY SAID FUEL IS ALLOWED TO FLOW INTO SAID NOZZLE FOR DISCHARGE THEREFROM, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR DISABLING SAID OPERATING MEANS IN THE ABSENCE OF AN OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID NOZZLE AND AN ENTRANCE PORT OF SAID TANK, SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST ELEMENT ON SAID NOZZLE AND A CO-OPERATING SECOND ELEMENT ON SAID ENTRANCE PORT, SAID HOUSING CONTAINING A VACUUM CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INLET MEANS IN THE UNBLOCKING POSITION OF SAID VALVE MEANS FOR THE CREATION OF SUCTION IN SAID CHAMBER AND MEANS INCLUDING A PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT IN SAID CHAMBER FOR RESTORING SAID VALVE MEANS TO BLOCKING POSITION INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID MANUAL OPERATING MEANS UPON A DROP IN THE PRESSURE OF SAID CHAMBER BELOW ATMOSPHERIC LEVEL, SAID CHAMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH AN AIR TUBE EXTENDING THEREFROM WITHIN SAID NOZZLE AND HAVING A TEST APERTURE AT THE INSERTION END OF SAID NOZZLE NORMALLY CONNECTING SAID CHAMBER WITH THE ATMOSPHERE WHEREBY SAID PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT IS RENDERED EFFECTIVE TO BLOCK THE PASSAGE OF FUEL UPON THE LIQUID LEVEL IN SAID TANK REACHING SAID TEST APERTURE, SAID FIRST ELEMENT NORMALLY OBSTRUCTING SAID TEST APERTURE AND BEING DISPLACEABLE BY SAID SECOND ELEMENT INTO A NONOBSTRUCTING POSITION UPON INSERTION OF SAID NOZZLE INTO SAID ENTRANCE PORT.