Breakaway gas cap
First Claim
1. A cap for an automobile fuel fill neck, comprising an inner portion having a central portion adapted to close and seal the neck and having peripheral portions, an outer portion carried by said peripheral portions and providing a hand engaging surface to be used to insert and remove the central portion from the neck, said inner portion including a frangible section defined between the central portion and the peripheral portions to enhance breakage of the gas cap without affecting the closure and sealing of the neck.
7 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A break-away gas cap includes an inner member having a central portion adapted to close and seal an opening in gasoline tanks, such as the gasoline fill neck of an automobile, and an outer shell that engages and is carried by the inner member and provides a hand-engaging surface to be used to insert and remove the gas cap. The inner member includes weakened portions between its closure portion and the portions carrying the outer shell to enhance breakage of the outer shell from the inner member in the event of impact, such as an automobile accident, without affecting the closure and seal of the gasoline tank.
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Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A cap for an automobile fuel fill neck, comprising an inner portion having a central portion adapted to close and seal the neck and having peripheral portions, an outer portion carried by said peripheral portions and providing a hand engaging surface to be used to insert and remove the central portion from the neck, said inner portion including a frangible section defined between the central portion and the peripheral portions to enhance breakage of the gas cap without affecting the closure and sealing of the neck.
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5. A gas cap comprising a molded plastic closure having an axially depending portion threaded about its central axis to engage an automobile fuel fill neck and a disk-like upper portion having cantilevered peripheral edge portions and plural pawl fingers extending generally concentrically about the central axis of the closure and supported from the upper portion by the cantilevered peripheral portions, an outer shell rotatably carried by said closure on said cantilevered peripheral edge portions, said outer shell including means forming a ratch concentric with the central axis of the closure and adapted to be engaged by the plural pawl fingers of the closure permitting the outer shell to rotate the closure in one direction, and providing slip in the event the rotational torque in said one direction exceeds a predetermined level, and permitting the outer shell to rotate the closure in the other direction without slip, said closure forming two straight intersecting V-shaped grooves between each of the cantilevered peripheral portions and the disk-like upper portion of the closure, and a radially extending, V-shaped groove in the central portion of each of the cantilevered peripheral portions and intersecting the two adjacent straight intersecting V-shaped grooves whereby an impact on the outer shell will fracture the disk-like upper portion of the closure leaving the closure in the fill neck.
- 6. A gas cap for a filler neck opening comprising an inner portion forming a closure carried within the opening and an outer portion adapted to be gripped and to permit removal of the inner portion from the opening, said gas cap including a frangible section between said closure and said outer portion located to fracture without breaking the closure.
Specification