US5971042A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Precision fuel dispenser
Assignee: Gilbarco Inc
•
Filing: 1998-07-02
•
Granted: 1999-10-26
•
Expires: 2018-07-02
Abstract
Abstract The invention provides a fuel dispenser for a dispensing system having a receiver capable of receiving fueling parameters transmitted from the vehicle. The fueling parameters relate to information about tank size, ullage, maximum allowed fueling rates and maximum fueling rates as a function of ullage, among others. Based on these fueling parameters, the fuel dispenser controls the fueling operation to optimize fuel delivery and minimize fuel spillage. Control of the fueling operation may vary from simply adjusting the delivery rate to a maximum allowed by the vehicle to defining a fueling schedule for the entire fueling operation wherein the fueling schedule defines a fueling process which varies flow rates throughout the fueling operation as necessary to optimize fueling. Additionally, the dispenser may continuously adjust the maximum fueling rate throughout the fueling operation based upon a fueling parameter defining the maximum fueling rate as a function of ullage. The dispenser may also control the fueling operation based on fueling parameters received from the vehicle in combination with fueling regulations mandated by various regulatory bodies. In such embodiments, the dispenser may optimize the fueling operation while abiding by both vehicular and regulatory limitations, such as maximum allowable delivery rates and predefined average fuel rates for all or various portions of the fueling operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Hal C. Hartsell, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 18:30
CPC Classifications
B; B67; B67D; B67D7/00; B67D7/04; B67D7/0476; B67D7/0478; B67D7/048; B67D7/0482; B67D7/0486; B67D7/06; B67D7/08; B67D7/14; B67D7/145; B67D7/32; B67D7/34; B67D7/344; B67D7/348
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 35
Claim 1
Independent Claim
115 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive information from a vehicle to be fueled, the information including or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the particular vehicle to be fueled during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
115 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive information from a vehicle to be fueled, the information including or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the particular vehicle to be fueled during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
The fuel dispenser of claim 1 wherein the parameter includes information relating to vehicle configuration, and said control system is configured to determine the maximum flow rate for the vehicle and regulate the fuel delivery flow rate based on the maximum flow rate for the vehicle configuration during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
The fuel dispenser of claim 2 wherein the vehicle configuration relates to a vehicle fuel tank configuration, and said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate based on the vehicle fuel tank configuration during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
146 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein the parameter relates to fuel tank ullage and said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fuel delivery based on the fuel tank ullage.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
146 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein the parameter relates to fuel tank ullage and said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fuel delivery based on the fuel tank ullage.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
The fuel dispenser of claim 4 wherein the parameter relates to vehicle configuration, and said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate based on the ullage related information and vehicle configuration during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The fuel dispenser of claim 4 wherein said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate as a function of ullage during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
149 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path: a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein the parameter relates to an initial fuel tank ullage and said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fuel delivery based on the initial fuel tank ullage.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
149 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path: a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein the parameter relates to an initial fuel tank ullage and said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fuel delivery based on the initial fuel tank ullage.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
137 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate at a constant flow rate during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
137 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rate, said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate at a constant flow rate during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
138 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rates said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate according to a determined fueling schedule during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
138 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to remotely receive a parameter from a vehicle to be fueled, the parameter bearing upon or from which is obtainable a maximum fuel delivery flow rate for the vehicle during at least a portion of fuel delivery; means for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said means for controlling the flow rates said control system adapted to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate during the portion of fueling based on the maximum fuel delivery rate for the vehicle, wherein said control system is configured to regulate the fuel delivery flow rate according to a determined fueling schedule during the portion of fuel delivery.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
104 words
An intelligent, precision fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to receive vehicle information including or from which a maximum flow rate for the vehicle is obtainable from a vehicle to be fueled; flow rate control for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said flow rate control for regulating the fuel flow rate in said fuel delivery path during a portion of the fueling operation based on the maximum flow rate for the particular vehicle being refueled.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
104 words
An intelligent, precision fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; a receiver adapted to receive vehicle information including or from which a maximum flow rate for the vehicle is obtainable from a vehicle to be fueled; flow rate control for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the vehicle during a fueling operation; and a control system operatively associated with said receiver and said flow rate control for regulating the fuel flow rate in said fuel delivery path during a portion of the fueling operation based on the maximum flow rate for the particular vehicle being refueled.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein the information includes the vehicle's type wherein said control system is adapted to determine the maximum flow rate based on the vehicle's type.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein the parameters include the vehicle's tank configuration wherein said control system is adapted to regulate the fuel flow rate based on the vehicle's tank configuration.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein the information includes the vehicle's tank type wherein said control system is adapted to regulate the fuel flow rate based on the vehicle's tank type.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein said control system regulates the fuel flow rate in said delivery path to the maximum flow rate during a portion of the fueling operation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein said control system continuously adjusts the fuel flow rate to the maximum flow rate throughout a select portion of the fueling operation.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
41 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein the received fueling information relates to the vehicle's fuel tank configuration and said control system regulates the fuel flow rate to the maximum flow rate according to the vehicle's fuel tank configuration.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein said control system regulates the fuel flow rate in said delivery path below the maximum flow rate during a portion of the fueling operation.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
51 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 17 wherein said control system determines an amount of fuel required to fill the vehicle's tank based on the information received from the vehicle and regulates fuel flow rate throughout the select portion of the fueling operation to provide an average fuel flow rate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
43 words
The intelligent, precision fuel dispenser of claim 10 wherein said control system ramps up the fuel flow rate while minimizing spillage at a beginning of the fueling operation to an allowable fuel flow rate based on the fueling information received from the vehicle.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
90 words
A fuel dispenser comprising a fuel delivery system adapted to control fuel flow rate and a receiver associated with said delivery system adapted to receive signals from a particular vehicle to be fueled bearing on the vehicle's configuration wherein said configuration affects fuel delivery rates, said delivery system determining a maximum flow rate for the vehicle to be fueled based on said signals and controlling fuel delivery rate to optimize fuel delivery during a fueling operation based on the vehicle's configuration without exceeding the maximum flow rate for the vehicle.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
90 words
A fuel dispenser comprising a fuel delivery system adapted to control fuel flow rate and a receiver associated with said delivery system adapted to receive signals from a particular vehicle to be fueled bearing on the vehicle's configuration wherein said configuration affects fuel delivery rates, said delivery system determining a maximum flow rate for the vehicle to be fueled based on said signals and controlling fuel delivery rate to optimize fuel delivery during a fueling operation based on the vehicle's configuration without exceeding the maximum flow rate for the vehicle.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
79 words
A method of controlling fuel delivery comprising: providing a fuel dispenser having a receiver adapted to receive information from a particular vehicle to be refueled bearing on a maximum fuel delivery rate for the particular vehicle; receiving the fueling information from the vehicle at a fuel dispenser during a fueling operation; initializing the fuel dispenser for fuel delivery; and controlling fuel delivery to the vehicle to maximize flow rate based on the maximum flow rate for the particular vehicle.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
79 words
A method of controlling fuel delivery comprising: providing a fuel dispenser having a receiver adapted to receive information from a particular vehicle to be refueled bearing on a maximum fuel delivery rate for the particular vehicle; receiving the fueling information from the vehicle at a fuel dispenser during a fueling operation; initializing the fuel dispenser for fuel delivery; and controlling fuel delivery to the vehicle to maximize flow rate based on the maximum flow rate for the particular vehicle.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of controlling fuel delivery of claim 21 wherein the received vehicle fueling parameters relate to the maximum flow rate and the step of adjusting fuel delivery rate further comprises regulating the fuel flow rate in the delivery path to the maximum flow rate during a portion of the fueling operation.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of controlling fuel delivery of claim 21 further comprising continuously adjusting the fuel delivery rate as necessary to the maximum flow rate throughout the fueling operation.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of controlling fuel delivery of claim 21 further comprising: determining a predefined average fuel delivery rate for the portion of the fueling operation based on the received information; and adjusting the fuel delivery rate during the fueling operation to provide the predefined average fuel delivery rate for the portion of the fueling operation.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of controlling fuel delivery of claim 21 further comprising: determining a fueling schedule for the fueling operation to provide a predefined average fuel delivery rate for the fueling operation based on the received information; and adjusting the fuel delivery rate during the fueling operation to provide the predefined average fuel delivery rate for the fueling operation.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
67 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; means for receiving a parameter including or from which a maximum flow rate is obtainable for a particular vehicle to be fueled; and means for regulating the fuel delivery flow rate to the vehicle during the portion of fueling based on the maximum flow rate for the particular vehicle to be refueled.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
67 words
A fuel dispenser comprising: a fuel dispenser for delivering fuel along a fuel delivery path; means for receiving a parameter including or from which a maximum flow rate is obtainable for a particular vehicle to be fueled; and means for regulating the fuel delivery flow rate to the vehicle during the portion of fueling based on the maximum flow rate for the particular vehicle to be refueled.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3386620A
Cited
US3536109A
Cited
US3586070A
Cited
US3650303A
Cited
US3642036A
Cited
US3662924A
Cited
US3786421A
Cited
US4263945A
Cited
US4532511A
Cited
US4313168A
Cited
US4345146A
Cited
US4469149A
Cited
US4490798A
Cited
US4760533A
Cited
US4600829A
Cited
US4728955A
Cited
US4714925A
Cited
US4846233A
Cited
US5070328A
Cited
US5053774A
Cited
US4887578A
Cited
US4919305A
Cited
US4840064A
Cited
EP0349316A1
Cited
US4934419A
Cited
GB2222714A
Cited
EP0360464A2
Cited
US4930665A
Cited
US4881581A
Cited
US5025253A
Cited
US4897642A
Cited
US4967366A
Cited
US5238034A
Cited
US5204512A
Cited
US5163586A
Cited
US5363889A
Cited
US5393195A
Cited
US5359522A
Cited
US5086389A
Cited
US5040577A
Cited
US5141019A
Cited
US5072380A
Cited
US5392049A
Cited
US5414427A
Cited
US5204819A
Cited
US5156198A
Cited
EP0518662A2
Cited
US5257720A
Cited
US5383500A
Cited
US5444742A
Cited
US5343906A
Cited
US5249707A
Cited
US5249612A
Cited
WO1994005592A1
Cited
WO1994006031A1
Cited
US5267592A
Cited
US5365984A
Cited
US5557268A
Cited
US5541835A
Cited
US5327066A
Cited
US5327945A
Cited
US5485520A
Cited
US5495250A
Cited
US5507325A
Cited
WO1995014612A1
Cited
US5552789A
Cited
WO1995032919A1
Cited
US5505234A
Cited
US5507326A
Cited
GB2293658A
Cited
EP0736484A2
Cited
WO1996028791A1
Cited
US5605182A
Cited
WO1996039351A1
Cited
US5673732A
Cited
US5660214A
Cited
US5794667A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-10-25 | 2003-04-26 | 2003-10-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-10-25 | 2007-04-26 | 2007-10-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-10-25 | 2011-04-26 | 2011-10-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |