Fuel transfer apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for transferring fuel by suction to a vehicle fuel tank comprising: 1. a fuel supply tank mounted on a service vehicle powered by an engine having a suction manifold, 2. a flexible fuel supply line having one end connected to said supply tank through an aperture therein, 3. a flexible vacuum line connected at one end to said suctioN manifold of said service vehicle, 4. an inlet coupling member on said vehicle fuel tank, and 5. a composite filler assembly article fitted on said vehicle fuel tank at said inlet coupling member, said filler assembly article consisting essentially of: a. twist-tight closure means for removable fluid-tight sealing engagement of said filler assembly article on said inlet coupling member, said closure means including locking means for engagement with said inlet coupling member, with separate gasket means lying in a plane between surfaces of said inlet coupling member and said closure means, b. a unitary body of material fixed to said closure means, with said closure means axially lateral on said unitary body, said unitary body having separate and independent first and second passages therein disposed laterally with respect to each other, each said passage being disposed and passing perpendicularly through the plane of said gasket means and extending substantially in parallel downwardly therefrom, one said downwardly extending passage being larger in cross section than the other, said larger passage being a fuel passage and said other passage being a vacuum passage, each said passage having an internal opening for interior communication inside said vehicle fuel tank and an external opening for exterior communication outside said vehicle fuel tank, whereby each said passage provides means for fluid communication between the interior and exterior of said vehicle fuel tank as said composite filler assembly article is removably attached thereto, i. said fuel passage being characterized by being substantially uniform in cross section downwardly from said closure means, and by having its entire internal opening at least as distant downwardly from said closure means than any part of said vacuum passage as well as any internal fluid access opening for said vacuum passage, ii. said vacuum passage being characterized by having a single vacuum inlet valve port disposed for communication within said vehicle fuel tank at a location above said entire internal opening of said fuel passage, and by having portions thereof below said single vacuum inlet valve port enlarged to form a guide chamber for float means, with means at the bottom of said chamber to retain said float means therein, and with internal fluid access opening to said chamber from portions of said chamber lateral thereto, whereby fuel entering said vehicle fuel tank as suction transfer takes place does not enter said chamber until said internal opening of said fuel passage is submerged below the level of fuel rising in said vehicle fuel tank, c. means connecting the other end of said flexible fuel supply line to the external opening of said fuel passage, d. means connecting the other end of said flexible vacuum line to the external opening of said vacuum passage, e. and said composite filler assembly article additionally including control means for the vacuum passage thereof, said control means consisting essentially of: i. a float-actuated vacuum shut-off valve assembly which includes the aforesaid single vacuum inlet valve port and a float-actuated member which is drawn into sealing engagement therewith when the level of fuel in said vehicle fuel tank raises said float-actuated member to said valve port, said float-actuated member having said aforesaid float means operably confined within the aforesaid guide chamber and thereby protected from being struck by incoming fuel from said internal opening of said fuel passage, ii. a manually operated hand valve accessible for operator control at the exterior of said composite filler assembly as said filler assembly is removably attached to said vehicle fuel tank, said hand valve being operable for opening and closing communication of said vacuum passage to said vacuum line; and iii. pressure relief valve means in said vacuum passage intermediate said shut-off valve and said hand valve, said pressure relief valve means Being automatically operable under predetermined conditions to allow air of the atmosphere exterior to said vehicle fuel tank to enter said vacuum passage and thereby limit the vacuum condition within said vehicle fuel tank to a level not causing collapse of said tank.