FUEL FILLING SYSTEM

• US 20130146494A1
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Briggs & Stratton Corporation
• Original Assignee: Briggs & Stratton Corporation
• Inventors: Gilpatrick, Richard J.
• Application Number:
  US13/323,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20130146494A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/459.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03177 made of non-metallic material, e.g. plastics, or of a combination of non-metallic and metallic material B60K15/03006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/0406 Filler caps for fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03217 Fuel level sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03368 for preventing overfilling of tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0493 Means for checking absence or presence of closure cap
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/225 Walk behind vehicles, e.g. motorized wheel barrows
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/92 Driver displays
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/365 using floats

Abstract

An apparatus and method sense a level of fuel in the fuel tank and actuate one or more lights to different states based upon the sensed level of fuel in the fuel tank.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a fuel tank;

a float movably supported within the fuel tank;

a sensor to sense positioning of the float; and

one or more lights which actuate between different states based upon sensed positioning of the float.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a cap configured to close an opening of the fuel tank; and

a second sensor carried by the cap, wherein the one or more lights actuate between different states based upon sensed positioning of the cap.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second sensor comprises:

a second magnet carried by the cap; and

a switch responsive to a magnetic field, wherein the switch actuates the one or more lights between the different states in response to a proximity of the second magnet.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein one of the different states occurs in response to a complete installation of the cap onto the fuel tank.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein one light of the one or more lights indicates both positioning of the float and positioning of the cap.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more lights actuate between a first state in response to a first sensed positioning of the float, a second state in response to a second sensed positioning of the float and a third state in response to a positioning of the cap.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the different states comprise a first state occurring in response to the fuel tank being empty, a second state occurring in response to the fuel tank being full, a third state occurring in response to the fuel tank being partially full and a fourth state occurring in response to positioning of the cap on the tank.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first state occurs in response to the fuel tank not being full and wherein the second state occurs in response to the fuel tank being full.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the different states comprise a first state occurring in response to the fuel tank being empty, a second state occurring in response to the fuel tank being full and a third state occurring in response to the fuel tank being partially full.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first state comprises a first color of light, wherein the second state comprises a second color of light and wherein the third state comprises a third color of light.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more lights emit the first color of light at a first frequency, wherein the one or more lights emit the second color of light at a second frequency and wherein the one or more lights emit the third color of light at a third frequency.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more lights emit light at a first frequency and the first state, emit light at a second frequency greater than the first frequency in the second state and emit light at a third frequency greater than the first frequency and less than the second frequency in the third state.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the different states comprise flashes of light at different frequencies.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the different states comprise a first state comprising a first color of light and a second state comprising a second color of light.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the different states comprises a third state comprising no emission of light.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the different states comprise a first state comprising a first area of emitted light, a second state comprising a second area of emitted light and a third state comprising a third area of emitted light.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first area and the second area each emit light in the second state and wherein the first area, the second area and the third area each emit light in the third state.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more lights comprise a plurality of lights.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first state comprises a first total number of the plurality of lights emitting light and wherein the second state comprises a second total number of the plurality of lights emitting light.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first state comprise a first pattern of light emitted by the plurality of lights and wherein the second state comprise a second different pattern of light emitted by the plurality of lights.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a fuel tank;

one or more lights;

a first magnet;

a float carrying the first magnet movably supported within the fuel tank; and

one or more switches responsive to a magnetic field to actuate the one or more lights from a first state to a second state in response to proximity of the first magnet.

22. A method comprising:

sensing a level of fuel in the fuel tank;

actuating one or more lights to different states based upon the sensed level of fuel in the fuel tank.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising emitting light from the one or more lights based upon the level of fuel in the fuel tank and positioning of a cap of the fuel tank.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising emitting light from the one or more lights based upon the sensed level of fuel in the fuel tank in response to a cap of the fuel tank being removed.