Indicator of amount of liquefied gas in bottle

• US 4,245,505 A
• Filed: 07/30/1979
• Issued: 01/20/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/b/a Jarden Consumer Solutions (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Baynes, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): YASICH, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US06/061,750
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 73/296, 177/256, 177/168, 177/170, 177/173, 126/41 R, D 7/108, D 7/109
• US Class Current: 73/296
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0713 with gas burners
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 3/12 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/20 by measurement of weight, e.g. to determine the level of stored liquefied gas

Abstract

A movable platform supports a bottle for liquefied petroleum gas, a pointer is connected to that platform to move when that platform moves, and adjustable spring means urge that platform to move in a direction which will move that pointer toward an "empty" position but that adjustable spring means will permit a "full" bottle to hold that platform in a position wherein that pointer is spaced away from that empty position.

Claims

1. An indicator which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle of gas can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said positioning means holding the center of gravity of said bottle a predetermined distance from said axis, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from all nearby objects to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a portion thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, and spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said spring means having an "empty" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "empty" and having a "full" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "full", said spring means applying said spring force at a second predetermined distance from said axis, said spring means being dimensioned so the product of the horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring means has said "empty" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of the horizontal projection of the first said predetermined distance and of the "empty" weight of said bottle to dispose said indicating means adjacent said "empty" position, said spring means also being dimensioned so the product of said horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring has said "full" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of said horizontal projection of said first said predetermined distance and of the "full" weight of said bottle to displace said indicating means away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support.

2. An indicator as claimed in claim 1 wherein a readily-accessible adjustable member can be adjusted to change said "empty" position indicating stress in said spring means and thereby change said spring force which is provided by said spring means at said second predetermined distance from said axis, whereby said indicating means can readily be disposed closely adjacent said "empty" position whenever said bottle and the regulator and hose therefor are completely empty.

3. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, portable, gas-consuming device, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-consuming device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said positioning means holding said bottle so the center of gravity of said bottle is a predetermined distance from said axis, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from all nearby objects to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a portion thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said spring means having an "empty" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "empty" and having a "full" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "full", said spring means applying said spring force at a second predetermined distance from said axis, said spring means being dimensioned so the product of the horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring means has said "empty" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of the horizontal projection of the first said predetermined distance and of the "empty" weight of said bottle to dispose said indicating means adjacent said "empty" position, said spring means also being dimensioned so the product of said horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring has said "full" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of said horizontal projection of said first said predetermined distance and of the "full" weight of said bottle to displace said indicating means away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support, said indicating means being located adjacent an exterior surface of said portable gas-consuming device, and a readily-accessible adjacent member which can be adjusted to change said "empty" position indicating stress in said spring means and thereby change said spring force that is provided by said spring means at said second predetermined distance from said axis, said readily-accessible adjustable member also being located adjacent an exterior surface of said portable gas-consuming device.

4. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, readily-portable, gas-fired cooking device that has a ground-engaging structure which can engage the ground or another supporting surface and that has a generally-vertical structure which holds a cooking chamber above the level of said ground-engaging structure and hence above the level of said ground or other supporting surface, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-fired cooking device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis and relative to said generally-vertical structure, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from said generally-vertical structure to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support, connecting means between said indicating means and said movable support which interconnect said indicating means and said movable support so rotation of said movable support about said axis forces said indicating means to move, a substantial portion of said connecting means being disposed within, but being free to move relative to, said generally-vertical structure of said readily-portable cooking device, and said spring means being connected to said connecting means within said generally-vertical structure, said holding means holding at least a portion of said movable support below and in register with said cooking chamber, and said positioning means holding at least a portion of said bottle below and in register with said cooking chamber.

5. An indicator as claimed in claim 4 wherein said indicating means is located adjacent, and is movable relative to, an exterior surface of a table of said readily-portable cooking device, and wherein another part of said connecting means underlies, but is close to, said table.

6. An indicator which can indicate when the supply of gas in a bottle for a portable cooking grill needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable platform on which said bottle of gas can be supported for movement about an axis, a pointer that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable toward and away from a position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, connecting means which interconnect said pointer and said platform to enable movement of said platform to effect movement of said pointer toward and away from said position, and spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said platform to urge said platform for movement in a predetermined direction relative to said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to permit said platform to move in the opposite direction relative to said axis and thereby permit said pointer to move away from said position, one edge of said platform being pivoted to the base of said portable cooking grill, said connecting means being attached to said platform at a point spaced from said one edge, and the distance between the pivot point for said platform and the horizontal projection of the center of gravity of said bottle being less than the distance between that pivot point and the horizontal projection of the point of attachment of said platform to said connecting means, whereby a mechanical advantage greater than one-to-one is provided for the movement of a point on said platform which is in vertical registry with said center of gravity of said bottle about said pivot point for said platform when compared with the movement of said point of attachment about said pivot point for said platform.

7. An indicator for a bottle-equipped, readily portable, gas-fired cooking device that has a ground-engaging structure which can engage the ground or another supporting surface and that has a generally-vertical structure which holds a cooking chamber above the level of said ground-engaging structure and hence above the level of said ground or other supporting surface, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-fired cooking device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis and relative to said generally-vertical structure, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from said generally-vertical structure to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, said indicating means being located adjacent an exterior surface of a table of said readily-portable cooking device, connecting means between said indicating means and said movable support which interconnects said indicating means and said movable support so rotation of said movable support about said axis forces said indicating means to move, part of said connecting means being disposed within and being concealed and protected by said generally-vertical structure of said readily-portable cooking device, another part of said connecting means underlying, but being close to, said table, said indicating means moving through a path of movement that is largely located above the level of the top of said generally-vertical structure, a lever that has one end thereof displaced from said axis and which has said indicating means on said one end thereof, a pivot which pivotally supports said lever, said connecting means applying a force to said lever at a point which is intermediate said indicating means and said pivot for said lever to move said indicating means, whereby said indicating means moves further that said point on said lever, spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, and said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into an out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support.

8. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, gas-consuming device, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said positioning means holding the center of gravity of said bottle a predetermined distance from said axis, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from all nearby objects to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, said indicating means being located adjacent and being movable relative to an exterior surface of said gas-consuming device, spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said spring means having an "empty" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "empty" and having a "full" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "full", said spring means applying said spring force at a second predetermined distance from said axis, said spring means being dimensioned so the product of the horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring means has said "empty" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of the horizontal projection of the first said predetermined distance and of the "empty" weight of said bottle to dispose said indicating means adjacent said "empty" position, said spring means also being dimensioned so the product of the horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring has said "full" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of said horizontal projection of said first said predetermined distance and of the "full" weight of said bottle to displace said indicating means away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support, said positioning means and said holding means and said support automatically fixing the horizontal position of said bottle and also automatically limiting the horizontal movement of said bottle, said positioning means and said holding means and said support and said spring means automatically coacting with said weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to determine the vertical position of said bottle.

9. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, gas-consuming device, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-consuming device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported above an underlying surface, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically relative to said underlying surface, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said holding means holding said support close to said underlying surface so the bottom of said bottle is close to said underlying surface, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from all nearby objects to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, and spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said positioning means and said holding means and said support automatically fixing the horizontal position of said bottle relative to said underlying surface and also automatically limiting the horizontal movement of said bottle relative to said underlying surface during rotation of said support about said axis, said positioning means and said holding means and said support and said spring means automatically coacting with said weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to determine the vertical position of said bottle relative to said underlying surface.

10. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, readily-portable, gas-fired cooking device that has a ground-engaging structure which can engage the ground or another supporting surface and that has a generally-vertical structure which holds a cooking chamber above the level of said ground-engaging structure and hence above the level of said ground or other supporting surface, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-fired cooking device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis and relative to said ground-engaging structure and also relative to said generally-vertical structure and said cooking chamber, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically relative to said ground-engaging structure and said cooking chamber, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said positioning means holding the center of gravity of said bottle a predetermined distance from said axis, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from said generally-vertical structure and said cooking chamber to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, said holding means holding said support close to said ground or other supporting surface so the bottom of said bottle is close to said ground or other supporting surface, and spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said holding means positioning said support so at least a part of said support is overlain by said cooking chamber, whereby said positioning means can hold at least a part of said bottle below and in register with said cooking chamber, said spring means having an "empty" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "empty" and having a "full" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "full", said spring means applying said spring force at a second predetermined distance from said axis, said spring means being dimensioned so the product of the horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring means has said "empty" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of the horizontal projection of the first said predetermined distance and of the "empty" weight of said bottle to dispose said indicating means adjacent said "empty" position, said spring means also being dimensioned so the product of said horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring has said "full" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of said horizontal projection of said first said predetermined distance and of the "full" weight of said bottle to displace said indicating means away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support.

11. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, readily-portable, gas-fired, cooking device that has a ground-engaging structure which can engage the ground or any other supporting surface and that has a generally-vertical structure which holds a cooking chamber above the level of said ground-engaging structure and hence above the level of said ground or other supporting surface which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-fired cooking device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically, relative to said cooking chamber, said holding means holding said support below the level of said cooking chamber with at least a part of said movable support below and in vertical registry with said cooking chamber, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said holding means holding said support close to said ground or other supporting surface so the bottom of said bottle is close to said ground or other supporting surface, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to displace all parts of said bottle far enough away from said generally-vertical structure and from said cooking chamber to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, indicating means that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, and spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support, said positioning means and said support automatically disposing the center of gravity of said bottle within a horizontal area which is defined by said ground-engaging structure, and below the level of said cooking chamber, the automatic disposition of said center of gravity of said bottle within said horizontal area and below the level of said cooking chamber enabling said ground-engaging structure to resist tilting of said gas-fired cooking device despite the application of laterally-directed forces to said cooking chamber of said gas-fired cooking device.

12. An indicator, for a bottle-equipped, readily-portable gas-fired cooking device that has a ground-engaging structure which can engage the ground or another supporting surface and that has a generally-vertical structure which holds a cooking chamber above the level of said ground-engaging structure and hence above the level of said ground or other supporting surface, which can indicate when the supply of gas in a standard removable bottle of liquefied petroleum gas for said gas-fired cooking device needs to be replenished and which comprises a movable support on which said bottle can be releasably supported, holding means holding said support for rotation about an axis and relative to said generally-vertical structure and said ground-engaging structure and said cooking chamber, said axis being generally horizontal whereby said bottle can move, at least in part, vertically relative to said ground-engaging structure and relative to said cooking chamber, positioning means which can releasably hold said bottle in position for movement with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being adapted to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of register with said support, said positioning means holding the center of gravity of said bottle a predetermined distance from said axis, said holding means holding at least a portion of said movable support below and in register with said cooking chamber, said positioning means holding at least a portion of said bottle below and in register with said cooking chamber, said holding means and said support and said positioning means coacting to hold said bottle adjacent said generally-vertical structure while displacing all parts of said bottle far enough away from said generally-vertical structure and said cooking chamber to permit unobstructed rotation of said bottle with said support as said support rotates about said axis, said positioning means being located below the level of said cooking chamber a distance appreciably greater than the height of said bottle to permit ready movement of said bottle into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support, indicating means that has at least a part thereof which is displaced from said axis and which is movable when said support rotates about said axis and which is movable toward and away from an "empty" position that represents an "empty" condition of said bottle, spring means coacting with, and providing a spring force for, said support to urge said support for rotation in a predetermined direction about said axis, and hence to urge said indicating means for movement toward said "empty" position, said spring means responding to the weight of said bottle and of the gas therein to yield and thereby permit said support to rotate in the opposite direction about said axis and thereby permit said indicating means to move away from said "empty" position, said spring means having an "empty" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "empty" and having a "full" position indicating stress therein whenever said bottle is held by said positioning means and is "full", said spring means applying said spring force at a second predetermined distance from said axis, said spring means being dimensioned so the product of the horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring means has said "empty" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of the horizontal projection of the first said predetermined distance and of the "empty" weight of said bottle to dispose said indicating means adjacent said "empty" position, said spring means also being dimensioned so the product of said horizontal projection of said second predetermined distance and of said spring force, whenever said spring has said "full" position indicating stress therein, essentially equals the product of said horizontal projection of said first said predetermined distance and of the "full" weight of said bottle to displace said indicating means away from said "empty" position, said holding means preventing accidental separation of said support from said holding means as said bottle is moved into and out of engagement with said positioning means and hence into and out of register with said support, an adjustable member which can be adjusted to change said "empty" position indicating stress in said spring means and thereby change said spring force which is provided by said spring means, said adjustable member being adjacent and being movable relative to an exterior surface of said gas-fired cooking device, whereby said adjusting member can easily be adjusted to change said "empty" position, and connecting means between said indicating means and said movable support to interconnect said indicating means and said movable support so rotation of said movable support about said axis forces said indicating means to move, a substantial portion of said connecting means be ing disposed within, but being free to move relative to, said generally-vertical structure of said readily-portable cooking device, said spring means being connected to said connecting means within said generally-vertical structure.