Fuel adapter and coupler assembly

Claim 2

An adapter and coupler assembly comprising an adapter body and a coupler body, means for telescopically uniting said adapter and coupler bodies, said adapter and coupler bodies each having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in a predetermined direction when said bodies are telescopically united, valve means normally closing said adapter body passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, and means connecting said handle means to said valve means for manually opening said valve means in a direction generally opposite to the predetermined direction of fluid flow and further permitting the automatic opening of said valve means upon a reversal of direction of said fluid flow and the application of an opening force against said valve means in said reverse direction, and wherein said coupler body includes valve means normally closing said coupler body passage, means mounting said coupler body valve means for movement to contact and open said adapter body valve means, and means for moving said coupler body valve means to its open position thereby applying the opening force against said adapter body valve means resulting in the opening thereof.

Claim 3

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes a lost-motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means remains inoperative during the automatic opening of said valve means, and said connecting means further includes means for transforming said lost-motion connection into a positive connection for manually opening said valve means.

Claim 4

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said valve means is a swing valve mounted for swinging movement in said adapter body passage between open and closed positions thereof, and spring means for biasing said swing valve toward its closed position.

Claim 5

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 1 including means for retaining said handle means in a manually inoperative position during the automatic opening of said valve means, and means for effecting relative movement between said retaining means and said handle means whereby said hAndle means can be manually operated to manually open said valve means.

Claim 6

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 1 including handle means connected to said coupler body, valve means for moving said coupler body valve means between open and closed positions thereof, means for coupling said adapter body to said coupler body, and means for preventing the operation of said coupler body handle means until said coupler and adapter bodies have been coupled together by said coupling means.

Claim 7

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said adapter body valve means is a swing valve, said coupler body valve means

Claim 8

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 1 including handle means pivotally connected to said coupler body valve means for moving said coupler body valve means between open and closed positions thereof, means for coupling said adapter body to said coupler body, said coupling means includes a locking ring mounted for rotation exteriorly of said coupled body between locked and unlocked positions relative to said adapter body, cooperative abutment means of said locking ring and said coupler body handle means for preventing pivot movement of said coupler body handle means in the unlocked position of said locking ring, and recess means adjacent the abutment means of said locking ring for receiving therein at least a portion of said abutment means of said coupler body handle means for permitting pivoting movement of said coupler body handle means in the locked position of said locking ring.

Claim 9

An adapter and coupler assembly comprising an adapter body and a coupler body, means for telescopically uniting said adapter and coupler bodies, said adapter and coupler bodies each having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in a predetermined direction when said bodies are telescopically united, valve means normally closing said adapter body passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, positive connecting means connecting said handle means to said valve means for manually opening said valve means in a direction generally opposite to the predetermined direction of fluid and for closing said valve means, and means for transforming said positive connection means into a lost motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means remains inoperative permitting the automatic opening of said valve means upon a reversal of direction of said fluid flow and the application of an opening force against said valve means in said reverse direction, and wherein said handle means is mounted for pivoting movement about an axis generally transverse to the adapter passage axis, said handle means includes a stem projecting into said coupler body, said connecting means includes linkage means between said valve means and said stem, and said lost-motion connection is defined by a stem of said linkage means in telescopic relationship to and freely rotatable relative to said handle means stem.

Claim 10

An adapter and coupler assembly comprising an adapter body and a coupler body, means for telescopically uniting said adapter and coupler bodies, said adapter and coupler bodies each having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in a predetermined direction when said bodies are telescopically united, valve means normally closing said adapter body passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, positive connecting means connecting said handle means to said valve means for manually opening said valve means in a direction generally opposite to the predetermined direction of fluid and for closing said valve means, and means for transforming said positive connection means into a lost motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means remains inoperative permitting the automatic opening of said valve means upon a reversal of direction of said fluid flow and the application of an opening force against said valve means in said reverse direction, and wherein said handle means is mounted for pivoting movement about an axis generally transverse to the adapter passage axis, said handle means includes a stem projecting into said coupler body, said connecting means includes linkage means between said valve means and said stem, and said lost-motion connection is defined by a stem of said linkage means in telescopic relationship to and freely rotatable relative to said handle means stem.

Claim 11

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 8 including means for transforming said lost-motion connection into a positive connection of said stems.

Claim 12

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein one of said stems is tubular and the other of said stems has an end portion received in said tubular stem, and said transforming means is defined by an axial slot in said tubular stem adapted to receive an offset portion of said other stem.

Claim 13

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 10 including means in said tubular stem normally maintaining said slot and offset portion disengaged.

Claim 14

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein said connecting means includes a lost-motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means remains inoperative during the automatic opening of said valve means, and means for transforming said lost-motion connection into a positive connection for manually opening said valve meanS.

Claim 15

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 12 wherein said handle includes a stem projecting generally transversely into said adapter body, said connecting means includes linkage means between said valve means and said stem, and said lost-motion connection is defined by a stem of said linkage means in telescopic relationship to and freely rotatable relative to said handle means stem.

Claim 16

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said means for effecting relative movement between said retaining means and said handle means is a sliding connection between said stems whereby said handle means can be slid away from said retaining means for manually operating said valve means, and means for normally biasing said handle means toward said retaining means.

Claim 17

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein one of said stems is tubular and the other of said stems has an end portion received in said tubular stem, and said transforming means is defined by an axial slot in said tubular stem adapted to receive an offset portion of said other stem.

Claim 18

The adapter and coupler assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein one of said stems is tubular and the other of said stems has an end portion received in said tubular stem, and said transforming means is defined by an axial slot in said tubular stem adapted to receive an offset portion of said other stem.

Claim 19

A nozzle adapter body having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in each of two opposite directions, valve means for closing said passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, positive connecting means connecting said handle means to said valve means whereby manual movement of said handle means closes and opens said valve means selectively permitting fluid flow through said passage in a first direction, means for transforming said positive connecting means into a lost-motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means is inoperative and said valve means is free to open automatically upon the application of a force applied thereagainst from a direction opposite to the first direction of fluid flow, and wherein said handle means is mounted for pivoting movement about an axis generally transverse to the passage axis, and means mounting said handle means for sliding movement along its pivot axis for selectively obtaining said positive and lost-motion connection.

Claim 20

A nozzle adapter body having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in each of two opposite directions, valve means for closing said passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, positive connecting means connecting said handle means to said valve means whereby manual movement of said handle means closes and opens said valve means selectively permitting fluid flow through said passage in a first direction, means for transforming said positive connecting means into a lost-motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means is inoperative and said valve means is free to open automatically upon the application of a force applied thereagainst from a direction opposite to the first direction of fluid flow, and wherein said handle means is mounted for pivoting movement about an axis generally transverse to the passage axis, and means mounting said handle means for sliding movement along its pivot axis for selectively obtaining said positive and lost-motion connection.

Claim 21

A nozzle adapter comprising an adapter body having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in each of two opposite directions, valve means for closing said passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, means positively connecting said handle means to said valve means whereby manual movement of said handle means opens said valve means and permits fluid flow through said passage in a first direction, and means for transforming said positive connecting means into a lost-motion connection whereby said handle means is inoperative but said valve means is free to open upon the application of a force applied thereagainst from a direction opposite to the first direction of said flow, and including means for preventing pivotal movement of said handle means when said handle and valve means are disengaged by the lost-motion connection.

Claim 22

A nozzle adapter comprising an adapter body having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in each of two opposite directions, valve means for closing said passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, means positively connecting said handle means to said valve means whereby manual movement of said handle means opens said valve means and permits fluid flow through said passage in a first direction, and means for transforming said positive connecting means into a lost-motion connection whereby said handle means is inoperative but said valve means is free to open upon the application of a force applied thereagainst from a direction opposite to the first direction of said flow, and including means for preventing pivotal movement of said handle means when said handle and valve means are disengaged by the lost-motion connection.

Claim 23

The nozzle adapter as defined in claim 17 wherein said handle means includes a stem projecting into said adapter body, said connecting means includes linkage means between said valve means and said stem, and said lost-motion connection is defined by a stem of said linkage means in telescopic relationship to and freely rotatable relative to said handle means stem.

Claim 24

The nozzle adapter as defined in claim 19 wherein one of said stems is tubular and the other of said stems has an end portion received in said tubular stem, and said positive connecting means is defined by an axial slot in said tubular stem which receives an offset portion of said other stem.

Claim 25

The nozzle adapter as defined in claim 20 wherein one of said stems is tubular and the other of said stems has an end portion received in said tubular stem, and biasing means is positioned in said tubular stem for applying a force against said handle means to urge the same outwardly of said adapter body.

Claim 26

An adapted and coupler assembly comprising an adapter body and a coupler body, means for telescopically uniting said adapter and coupler bodies, said adapter and coupler bodies each having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in a predetermined direction when said bodies are telescopically united, valve means normally closing said adapter body passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, positive connecting means connecting said handle means to said valve means for manually opening said valve means in a direction generally opposite to the predetermined direction of fluid and for closing said valve means, means for transforming said positive connection means into a lost-motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means remains inoperative permitting the automatic opening of said valve means upon a reversal of direction of said fluid flow and the application of an opening force against said valve means in said reverse direction, means for retaining said handle means in a manually inoperative position during the automatic opening of said valve means, and means for effecting relative movement between said retaining means and said handle means whereby said handle means can be manually operated to manually open said valve means.

Claim 27

An adapted and coupler assembly comprising an adapter body and a coupler body, means for telescopically uniting said adapter and coupler bodies, said adapter and coupler bodies each having a passage through which fluid is adapted to flow in a predetermined direction when said bodies are telescopically united, valve means normally closing said adapter body passage, handle means exteriorly of said adapter body, positive connecting means connecting said handle means to said valve means for manually opening said valve means in a direction generally opposite to the predetermined direction of fluid and for closing said valve means, means for transforming said positive connection means into a lost-motion connection between said valve means and said handle means whereby said handle means remains inoperative permitting the automatic opening of said valve means upon a reversal of direction of said fluid flow and the application of an opening force against said valve means in said reverse direction, means for retaining said handle means in a manually inoperative position during the automatic opening of said valve means, and means for effecting relative movement between said retaining means and said handle means whereby said handle means can be manually operated to manually open said valve means.