US3840036A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Safety device for vehicles, particularly motor vehicles, for automatically switching off the current supply or shutting off the fuel line
Assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
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Filing: 1973-06-07
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Granted: 1974-10-08
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Expires: 1993-06-07
Abstract
Abstract A safety device for vehicles powered by easily ignitable fuel which automatically shuts-off the fuel line or switches off the electric current supply by the mass inertia of an actuating element upon attainment of a certain deceleration of the vehicle. Upon an impact the actuating element overcomes a spring resistance between two plates, one of which is a magnet whilst the other is of a ferro-magnetic material. With the spring resistance overcome, one of the plates, forming the closure member of a shut off valve in the fuel line, is moved towards the other plate forming the seat of said valve, and the plates are then held in contact with each other by the magnetic force effective between them. The valve also incorporates a movable bushing which together with a ball forms an axially movable nonreturn valve. The fuel line is held shut by the magnetic force until by manual operation of a piston in a cylinder fuel supply is again restored. The device may also be applied to a switch for interrupting the electric current supply.
Inventors
- 👤 R Renk
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 06:24
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60K; B60K28/00; B60K28/10; B60K28/14; F; F02; F02D; F02D17/00; F02D17/04; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/0753; Y10T137/0923; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/20; Y10T74/20528; Y10T74/2054
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
119 words
An inertia-operable shut-off device for vehicles, comprising two plates arranged face to face and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; an inertia-operable actuator member arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; and a guide ring of resilient material surrounding the actuator member and arranged to restore it to its initial position after response to the given inertia force.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
119 words
An inertia-operable shut-off device for vehicles, comprising two plates arranged face to face and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; an inertia-operable actuator member arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; and a guide ring of resilient material surrounding the actuator member and arranged to restore it to its initial position after response to the given inertia force.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
137 words
An inertia-operable fuel shut-off device for vehicles, comprising two plates arranged face to face and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; an inertia-operable actuator member arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; and a resilient device arranged to restore the actuator member to its initial position after response to the given inertia force; the stationary one of said plates forming the seat of a fuel-valve, while the movable plate forms a closure member of said valve.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
137 words
An inertia-operable fuel shut-off device for vehicles, comprising two plates arranged face to face and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; an inertia-operable actuator member arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; and a resilient device arranged to restore the actuator member to its initial position after response to the given inertia force; the stationary one of said plates forming the seat of a fuel-valve, while the movable plate forms a closure member of said valve.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
A device according to claim 2, in which the actuator member is made of nail-like shape having a head engageable with the movable plate and a tip about which the member is tiltable under the effect of inertia force.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
172 words
An inertia-operable fuel shut-off device for vehicles, comprising the following combination: a casing; two plates arranged face to face within the casing and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; an inertia-operable acutator member arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; a fuel inlet to admit fuel between the plates; and a resilient device arranged to restore the actuator member to its initial position after response to the given inertia force; the stationary one of said plates hAving a central fuel-flow aperture associated with a seal ring forming a valve seat; and the movable plate forming a valve closure member adapted to bear against said seat when the plates are in contact.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
172 words
An inertia-operable fuel shut-off device for vehicles, comprising the following combination: a casing; two plates arranged face to face within the casing and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; an inertia-operable acutator member arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; a fuel inlet to admit fuel between the plates; and a resilient device arranged to restore the actuator member to its initial position after response to the given inertia force; the stationary one of said plates hAving a central fuel-flow aperture associated with a seal ring forming a valve seat; and the movable plate forming a valve closure member adapted to bear against said seat when the plates are in contact.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
A device according to claim 4, having associated with it a plate-separator device comprising a spring-loaded manual piston and cylinder device connected to the said outlet bore of the casing so that operation of the piston provides said reverse-flow fuel.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
229 words
An inertia-operable fuel shut-off device for vehicles, comprising the following combination: a casing; two plates arranged face to face within the casing and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; and an inertia-operable actuator arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; a fuel inlet to admit fuel between the plates; and a resilient device arranged to restore the actuator member to its initial position after response to the given inertia force; the stationary one of said plates having a central fuel-flow aperture associated with a seal ring forming a valve seat; the movable plate forming a valve closure member adapted to bear against said seat when the plates are in contact; the casing having a fuel-flow outlet bore registering with said aperture; said bore containing an axially displaceable one way valve arranged to pass fuel coming from said aperture but to close to fuel flowing in the reverse direction and by the pressure of said reverse-flow fuel arranged to apply pressure to the movable plate in the plate-separating direction.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
229 words
An inertia-operable fuel shut-off device for vehicles, comprising the following combination: a casing; two plates arranged face to face within the casing and normally spaced apart, one plate being a magnet while the other is of ferro-magnetic material, and one plate being movable into contact with the other to effect the shut-off action; spring means loading the movable plate away from the other plate; and an inertia-operable actuator arranged to load the movable plate towards the other plate, against the spring means, responsive to a given inertia force, to the extent that the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction; a fuel inlet to admit fuel between the plates; and a resilient device arranged to restore the actuator member to its initial position after response to the given inertia force; the stationary one of said plates having a central fuel-flow aperture associated with a seal ring forming a valve seat; the movable plate forming a valve closure member adapted to bear against said seat when the plates are in contact; the casing having a fuel-flow outlet bore registering with said aperture; said bore containing an axially displaceable one way valve arranged to pass fuel coming from said aperture but to close to fuel flowing in the reverse direction and by the pressure of said reverse-flow fuel arranged to apply pressure to the movable plate in the plate-separating direction.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-10-07 | 1978-04-08 | 1978-10-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-10-07 | 1982-04-08 | 1982-10-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-10-07 | 1986-04-08 | 1986-10-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |