IP Library Granted Patent US 6,840,274
Granted Patent B1
US 6,840,274 · App. 10/009,787 · Granted Jan 11, 2005

Weldable mount for fuel systems component

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,840,274
App. No.
10/009,787
Granted
Jan 11, 2005
Kind
B1
Abstract

A vent apparatus ( 10 ) includes a tank mount ( 12 ) made of a weldable plastics material and a fuel system component such as a valve assembly ( 13 ). Valve a assembly ( 13 ) includes a valve housing ( 14 ) made of a nonweldable plastics material and a valve ( 21 ) movable in a valve chamber ( 24 ) formed in valve housing ( 14 ) to open and close an aperture ( 23 ) leading to a venting outlet ( 22 ). Tank mount ( 12 ) supports valve housing ( 14 ) in a position in a mounting aperture ( 16 ) formed in a fuel tank ( 18 ). Valve housing ( 14 ) is made by injecting on-weldable plastics material into a mold containing the pre-molded tank mount ( 12 ).

Claims (33)

1. A vent apparatus adapted to be coupled to a vehicle fuel tank, the apparatus comprising

a valve housing made from a non-weldable plastics material and formed to include a cylindrical sleeve defining an interior region, a top wall coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and formed to include on aperture and an annular flange defining an annular channel, and a venting outlet coupled to the top wall at the aperture and provided to conduct fuel and fuel vapor from the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to another destination outside the valve housing,

a valve positioned to lie within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve and formed to move within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to open and close the aperture defined by the top wall of the valve housing which leads to the venting outlet, and

a tank mount made from a weldable plastics material, coupled to the top wall of the valve housing, and formed to include an outer rim adapted to be coupled to the fuel tank to support the cylindrical sleeve within the tank, an annular rib formed to be received within the annular channel of the flange of the top wall, and a top wall coupled to and positioned to lie between the outer rim and the annular rib, the tank mount being positioned to cause the top wall of the tank mount and the top wall of the valve housing to lie in coplanar relation with one another.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tank mount is ring-shaped and is further formed to include an annular interior wall defining an opening formed to receive the top wall of the valve housing, and the annular inner rib of the tank mount is coupled to the annular interior wall and is formed to extend into the opening.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the interior wall of the tank mount includes an upper face and a lower face and the annular inner rib is positioned to lie midway between the upper face and the lower face.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the top wall of the tank mount is positioned to extend radially outwardly from the interior wall and the outer rim of the tank mount is coupled to the top wall of the tank mount, formed to extend radially downwardly from the top wall of the tank mount, and formed to include a bottom face adapted to be coupled to the fuel tank.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the inner rib is formed to define a notch and the flange of the valve housing is formed to include a locator tab to be received within the notch in order to prevent rotation between the tank mount and the valve housing.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the venting outlet of the valve housing is positioned to lie above the tank mount and the cylindrical sleeve of the valve housing is positioned to lie below the tank mount.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the top wall of the tank mount further includes a top surface and a bottom surface and the outer rim of the tank mount includes an outer surface and an inner surface, and wherein the top surface of the top wall has a length, X, and the outer surface of the outer rim has a height, Y, and further wherein X is greater than Y.

8. A vent apparatus adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank, the apparatus comprising

a valve housing formed to include a cylindrical sleeve defining an interior region, a top wall coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and formed to include an aperture and an annular flange defining an annular channel, and a venting outlet coupled to the top wall at the aperture in order to conduct fuel and fuel vapor from the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to another destination outside the valve housing,

a valve positioned to lie within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve and formed to move within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to open and close the aperture defined by the top wall of the valve housing, and

a tank mount coupled to the top wall of the valve housing and formed to include an outer rim adapted to be coupled to the fuel tank to support the cylindrical sleeve within a mounting aperture of the tank and an annular rib formed to be received within the annular channel of the flange and wherein the valve housing is includes a locator tab coupled to the annular flange and the annular rib includes a notch formed to receive the locator tab of the valve housing in order to prevent rotation between the valve housing and the tank mount.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the tank mount includes a top wall and the venting outlet of the valve housing is positioned to lie above the top wall of the tank mount and the cylindrical sleeve of the valve housing is positioned to lie below the top wall of the tank mount.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the tank mount further includes an interior wall defining an opening for receiving the top wall of the valve housing therein and the inner rib of the tank mount is coupled to the interior wall and positioned to extend into the opening of the tank mount, and wherein the tank mount further includes a top wall positioned to extend radially outwardly from the interior wall, and the outer rim is coupled to the top wall and is positioned to extend radially downwardly from the top wall.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the valve housing is made from a non-weldable plastics material and the tank mount is made from a weldable plastics material and the inner rib of the tank mouth is received within the channel of the flange of the top wall of the valve housing to cause the tank mount to be mechanically coupled to the valve housing.

12. A vent apparatus adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank, the apparatus comprising

a valve housing made from a non-weldable plastics material and formed to include a cylindrical sleeve defining an interior region, a top wall coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and formed to include an aperture and an annular flange having an interior opening forming a channel adapted to face the fuel tank, and a venting outlet coupled to the top wall at the aperture and provided to conduct fuel and fuel vapor from the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to another destination outside the valve housing,

a valve positioned to lie within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve and formed to move within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to open and close the aperture defined by the top wall of the valve housing which leads to the venting outlet, and

a tank mount made from a weldable plastics material and formed to be received within the channel of the flange of the top wall of the valve housing to cause the flange to completely surround the tank mount, the tank mount having a bottom surface adapted to be weldably coupled to the fuel tank in order to support the valve housing within a mounting aperture formed in the fuel tank.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the tank mount forms a T-shaped cross section and the channel of the flange of the valve housing is similarly formed to define a T-shaped cross-section.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the tank mount includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion coupled to the horizontal portion at a first end and adapted to be weldably coupled to the fuel tank at a second end defining the bottom surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the tank mount is further formed to define a notch and the flange of the valve housing includes a locator tab formed to be received within the notch of the tank mount in order to prevent rotation between the tank mount and the valve housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the annular flange of the valve housing is formed to include a top wall coupled to the top wall of the valve housing, opposite side walls positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to each other, and a tab portion coupled to each side wall in order to define the T-shaped channel.

17. A vent apparatus adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank, the apparatus comprising

a valve housing made from a non-weldable plastics material and formed to include a cylindrical sleeve defining an interior region, a top wall coupled to the cylindrical sleeve and formed to include an aperture and an annular flange having an interior opening forming a channel adapted to face the fuel tank, and a venting outlet coupled to the top wall at the aperture and provided to conduct fuel and fuel vapor from the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to another destination outside the valve housing,

a valve positioned to lie within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve and formed to move within the interior region of the cylindrical sleeve to open and close the aperture defined by the top wall of the valve housing which leads to the venting outlet, and

a tank mount made from a weldable plastics material formed to include a T-shaped portion formed to be received within the channel of the flange of the top wall of the valve housing to cause the flange to completely surround the T-shaped portion and a base portion coupled to the T-shaped portion and adapted to be weldably coupled to the fuel tank in order to support the valve housing within a mounting aperture of the fuel tank.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the flange of the valve housing is formed to include a locator tab and the T-shaped portion of the tank mount is formed to define a notch formed to receive the locator tab therein to prevent rotation of the tank mount relative to the valve housing.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the T-shaped portion is formed to include a horizontal portion and a vertical portion coupled to the horizontal portion at a first end and coupled to the base portion at a second end, and the base portion is formed to include a top surface coupled to the vertical portion, an interior surface, and exterior surface, and a bottom surface adapted to be coupled to the fuel tank.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the flange is formed to include an outer side wall and the outer side wall is positioned to lie in coplanar relation with the exterior surface of the base portion of the tank mount.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the annular flange of the valve housing is formed to include a top wall coupled to the top wall of the valve housing, opposite side walls positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to each other, and a tab portion coupled to each side wall in order to define the T-shaped channel.

Assignments (7)
GRANT OF A SECURITY INTEREST -- PATENTS Recorded May 21, 2014
From: STANT USA CORP.
To: CERBERUS BUSINESS FINANCE, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 032972/0152 →
RELEASE OF GRANT OF A SECURITY INTEREST -- PATENTS Recorded May 21, 2014
From: ALLY COMMERCIAL FINANCE LLC (FORMERLY KNOWN AS GMAC COMMERCIAL FINANCE LLC)
To: STANT USA CORP.
Reel/Frame 032982/0598 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 11, 2009
From: GMAC COMMERICAL FINANCE LLC, AS AGENT
To: STANT CORPORATION; STANDARD-THOMSON; STANT MANUFACTURING INC.
Reel/Frame 023498/0499 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 10, 2009
From: STANT USA CORP.
To: GMAC COMMERICAL FINANCE LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 023498/0035 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2009
From: STANT MANUFACTURING INC.
To: STANT USA CORP.
Reel/Frame 023471/0086 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 27, 2008
From: STANT CORPORATION; STANDARD-THOMSON CORPORATION; STANT MANUFACTURING INC.
To: GMAC COMMERICAL FINANCE LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 021158/0232 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2008
From: BLEASE, THOMAS; DEVALL, JEFFREY; SMITH, DWIGHT
To: STANT MANUFACTURING INC.
Reel/Frame 020532/0736 →