Float shut off valve for liquefied petroleum gas tank fillers

Claim 2

A LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS TANK FILLER VALVE ASSEMBLY, COMPRISING A FILLER VALVE BODY HAVING A FLOW PASSAGE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH FROM A FILLER MOUNT, A CHECK VALVE IN SAID FLOW PASSAGE, ATTACHMENT MEANS ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BODY FOR SEALINGLY SECURING SAID BODY VERTICALLY IN AN OPENING IN THE TOP OF A LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS TANK WHICH IS NORMALLY VERTICALLY DURING FILLING, MEANS DEFINING A HOUSING OF RELATIVELY REDUCED DIAMETER EXTENDING FROM SAID BODY ADJACENT SAID ATTACHMENT MEANS SUCH TAHT SAID HOUSING WILL PASS FREELY THROUGH AN OPENING IN WHICH SAID ATTACHMENT MEANS SECURES SAID BODY AND THUS EXTEND DOWNWARDLY INTO THE INTERIOR OF A TANK, SAID BODY AND SAID HOUSING BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TOGETHER SO AS TO BE MOUNTABLE AS IN INTEGRAL UNIT ON AND IN A TANK, DISCHARGE PORT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FLOW PASSAGE AND OPENING FROM THE ASSEMBLY BELOW SAID ATTACHMENT MEANS SO AS TO OPEN INTO A TANK IN WHICH THE ASSEMBLY IS MOUNTED, SHUT-OFF VALVE MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS FOR CONTROLLING FLOW FROM SAID PASSAGE TO SAID DISCHARGE PORT MEANS, SAID SHUT-OFF VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE CLOSURE MEMBER MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS AND HAVING OPPOSED PRESSURE SURFACES, SPRING MEANS HAVING A CLOSING FORCE FOR NORMALLY MAINTAINING SAID VALVE CLOSURE MEMBER IN ITS CLOSED POSITION EXCEPT WHEN A NET PRESSURE FORCE ON SAID OPPOSED PRESSURE SURFACES IN AN OPENING DIRECTION EXCEEDS THE CLOSING FORCE OF SAID SPRING DURING FILLING OF A TANK IN WHICH THE ASSEMBLY IS MOUNTED, AUTOMATIC MEANS, INCLUDING A FLOAT CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING, RESPONSIVE TO THE LEVEL OF LIQUID IN A TANK IN WHICH THE ASSEMBLY IS MOUNTED FOR REDUCING SAID NET PRESSURE FORCE TO A VALUE LESS THAN THE CLOSING FORCE OF SAID SPRING WHEN SUCH LIQUID LEVEL REACHES A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND OVERRIDE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE ORIENTATION OF THE ASSEMBLY FOR CAUSING SAID AUTOMATIC MEANS TO REDUCE SAID NET PRESSURE FORCE AS AFORESAID WHEN THE ASSEMBLY IS ORIENTED BEYOND A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT FROM THE VERTICAL, REGARDLESS OF THE LIQUID LEVEL IN A TANK IN WHICH THE DEVICE IS MOUNTED.

Claim 3

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said attachment means on the periphery of said body comprises screw threads, and said housing is in the form of a reduced-diameter longitudinal extension of said body below said screw threads.

Claim 4

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said housing is rigidly but detachably connected to said body.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said shut-off valve means and said discharge ports are carried by said housing.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said housing carries a pressure chamber of which said valve closure member forms a part so that one pressure surface thereof is subjected to pressure in said chamber, the other pressure surface of said valve closure member being exposed to pressure in said flow passage, restricted orifice means fluidly communicating said pressure chamber with said flow passage, and a vent controlled by a valve for communicating said pressure chamber with the exterior of said housing, said valve controlled vent being located such that the valve thereof is opened and closed by said float.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said filler valve body is a standard liquefied petroleum gas filler valve, and said housing and its included elements comprise an attachment therefor.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said override means comprises a spring opposing the weight of said float, the spring force being less than the full weight of said float when the assembly is vertically oriented but greater than the vector component of weight aligned with the spring force axis when the assembly is oriented beyond said predetermined amount from the vertical.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 mounted in a liquefied petroleum gas tank.

Claim 10

A liquefied petroleum gas tank filler valve assembly, comprising a filler valve body having a flow passage extending therethrough from a filler mouth, a check valve in said flow passage, attachment means on the exterior of said body for sealingly securing said body vertically in an opening in the top of a liquefied petroleum gas tank which is normally vertical during filling, means defining a housing of relatively reduced diameter extending from said body adjacent said attachment means such that said housing will pass freely through an opening in which said attachment means secures said body and thus extend downwardly into the interior of a tank, said body and said housing being rigidly secured together so as to be mountable as an integral unit on and in a tank, discharge port means communicating with said flow passage and opening from the assembly below said attachment means so as to open into a tank in which the assembly is mounted, shut-off valve means for controlling flow from said passage to said discharge port means, said shut-off valve means comprising a valve closure member movable between open and closed positions and having opposed pressure surfaces, spring means having a closing force for normally maintaining said valve closure member in its closed position except when a net pressure force on said opposed pressure surfaces in an opening direction exceeds the closing force of said spring during filling of a tank in which the assembly is mounted, automatic means, including a float carried by said housing, responsive to the level of liquid in a tank in which the assembly is mounted for reducing said net pressure force to a value less than the closing force of said spring when such liquid level reaches a predetermined level, said housing carrying a pressure chamber of which said valve closure member forms a part so that one pressure surface thereof is subjected to the pressure in said chamber, the other pressure surface of said valve closure member being exposed to pressure in said flow passage, restricted orifice means fluidly communicating said pressure chamber with said flow passage, a vent controlled by a valve for communicating said pressure chamber with the exterior of said housing, said valve controlled vent being located such that the valve thereof is opened and closed by said float, said discharge port means and said flow passage opening adjacent and facing said other pressure surface of said valve closure member, said discharge port openings being of annular configuration around the periphery of, and being axially parallel with, the flow passage opening, and said discharge port openings and flow passage opening being defined by valve seats simultaneously engageable by said other pressure surface of said closure valve member.

Claim 11

A liquefied petroleum gas tank filler valve assembly, comprising a filler valve body having a flow passage extending therethrough from a filler mouth, a check valve in said flow passage, attachment means on the exterior of said body for sealingly securing said body vertically in an opening in the top of a liquefied petroleum gas tank which is normally vertical during filling, means defining a housing of relatively reduced diameter extending from said body adjacent said attachment means such that said housing will pass freely through an opening in which said attachment means secures said body and thus extend downwardly into the interior of a tank, said body and said housing being rigidly secured together so as to be mountable as an integral unit on and in a tank, discharge port means communicating with said flow passage and opening from the assembly below said attachment means so as to open into a tank in which the assembly is mounted, shut-off valve means for controlling flow from said passage to said discharge port means, said shut-off valve means comprising a valve closure member movable between open and closed positions and having opposed pressure surfaces, spring means having a closing force for normally maintaining said valve closure member in its closed position except when a net pressure force on said opposed pressure surfaces in an opening direction exceeds the closing force of said spring during filling of a tank in which the assembly is mounted, automatic means, including a float carried by said housing, responsive to the level of liquid in a tank in which the assembly is mounted for reducing said net pressure force to a value less than the closing force of said spring when such liquid level reaches a predetermined level, said housing carrying a pressure chamber of which said valve closure member forms a part so that one pressure surface thereof is subjected to the pressure in said chamber, the other pressure surface of said valve closure member being exposed to pressure in said flow passage, restricted orifice means fluidly communicating said pressure chamber with said flow passage, a vent controlled by a valve for communicating said pressure chamber with the exterior of said housing, said valve controlled vent being located such that the valve thereof is opened and closed by said float, said discharge port means and said flow passage opening adjacent and facing said other pressure surface of said valve closure member, said discharge port openings being of annular configuration around the periphery of, and being axially parallel with, the flow passage opening, and said discharge port openings and flow passage opening being defined by valve seats simultaneously engageable by said other pressure surface of said closure valve member.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 further comprising spring means opposing the weight of said float and urging said float in a vent closing direction, the spring force being less than the full weight of said float when the assembly is vertically oriented but sufficient to bias said float to close said vent when the assembly is oriented beyond a predetermined amount from the vertical, regardless of the liquid level in a tank in which the device is mounted.