Fuel cap leakage tester

• US 5,952,559 A
• Filed: 11/20/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stant USA Corporation (Vapor Acquisition Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Stant Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Bowden, Bruce K., Harris, Robert S., Foltz, Dean C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brock, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wiggins, J. David
• Application Number:
  US08/974,857
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 73/49.7, 73/49.2, 73/117.3, 73/118.1, 73/40, 123/518, 220/86.2, 220/DIG. 33
• US Class Current: 73/49.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3209 Details, e.g. container closure devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 220/33 Gasoline tank cap

Abstract

A fuel cap tester kit containing a plurality of fuel cap adapters, wherein each adapter has a mouth opening, outer rim, cap receiving chamber, air supply passageway and a fuel cap connection opening and with each fuel cap opening being configured to engage and retain a different and specifically configured fuel cap, and wherein each adapter is also provided with a threaded base connection that cooperates with a complimentary threaded connection on a test base that is fluidly connected to a pressure source and tester apparatus and wherein the base connectors of each adapter are configured alike so that each adapter can be connected to the single threaded connector in the test base to permit testing of different size fuel caps dependent on the adapter threaded into the test base, where the tester kit is used to decide upon quality of fuel caps under test by determining a leakage rate of pressurized air from the cap-receiving chamber through the mouth opening.

Claims

1. A fuel cap tester kit having component parts capable of being assembled in the field at a fuel cap leakage testing site to provide a fuel cap leakage tester configured to accept and test more than one style of fuel cap, each fuel cap having a filler neck closure portion and an outer shell coupled to the filler neck closure portion, the kit comprising the combination of

a test base formed to include a base chamber and a pressurized air supply conduit in fluid communication with the base chamber and

at least two cap adapters, each cap adapter being formed to include a pressurized air supply passageway and a cap-receiving chamber adapted to receive a fuel cap to be tested therein and connected to the pressurized air supply passageway, each cap adapter including a threaded connector adapted to engage a cooperating configured threaded connector in the test base to communicate pressurized air from the base chamber to the cap-receiving chamber through the pressurized air supply passageway, an outer rim providing a mouth opening into the cap-receiving chamber, and a retainer adapted to mechanically fasten and retain a filler neck closure portion of a fuel cap to be tested in a mounted position extending into the cap-receiving chamber and closing the mouth opening into the cap-receiving chamber preparatory to determining a leakage rate of pressurized air from the cap-receiving chamber through the mouth opening.

2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the retainer of a first of the cap adapters is configured to retain a first style of fuel cap in the mounted position on the first cap adapter and the retainer of a second of the cap adapters is configured to retain a second style of fuel cap different from the first style of fuel cap in the mounted position on the second cap adapter.

3. The kit of claim 2, wherein the retainer of a third of the cap adapters is configured to retain a third style of fuel cap different from each of the first and second styles of fuel caps in the mounted position on the third cap adapter.

4. The kit of claim 3, wherein the retainer means of a fourth of the cap adapters is configured to retain a fourth style of fuel cap different from each of the first, second, and third styles of fuel caps in the mounted position on the fourth cap adapter.

5. The kit of claim 1, further comprising an air supply hose and a hose connector coupled to the hose and the test base to hold the air supply hose in fluid communication with the pressurized air supply conduit formed in the test base to enable pressurized air to pass from the air supply hose to the base chamber through the pressurized air supply conduit.

6. The kit of claim 1, wherein the test base includes a side wall and a bottom wall coupled to the side wall and the side wall and bottom wall cooperate to define the base chamber.

7. The kit of claim 1, wherein each cap adapter further includes a tubular member formed to include the pressurized air supply passageway, an annular flange adjacent to the tubular member, and an O-ring seal abutting the tubular member and the annular flange.

8. The kit of claim 7, wherein each cap adapter further includes an annular wall positioned to lie between the annular flange and the outer rim and formed to include the cap-receiving chamber and the retainer includes at least one cap-retainer flange coupled to the annular wall to lie in the cap-receiving chamber.

9. The kit of claim 7, wherein each cap adapter further includes an annular wall positioned to lie between the annular flange and the outer rim and formed to include the cap-receiving chamber and the retainer includes cap-retainer threads coupled to the annular wall to lie in the cap-receiving chamber.

10. The kit of claim 7, wherein the connector is appended to the tubular member.

11. The kit of claim 10, wherein the connector is defined by external threads formed on the tubular member to position the O-ring seal between the external threads and the annular flange.

12. The kit of claim 7, wherein the test base includes an outer rim defining a mouth opening into the base chamber and the connector of each cap adapter is defined by means on the tubular member for engaging the test base to trap the O-ring seal in sealing relation between the outer rim on the test base and the annular flange and to position the tubular member in the base chamber so that any pressurized air extant in the base chamber passes through the pressurized air supply passageway formed in the tubular member to the cap-receiving chamber.

13. The kit of claim 12, wherein the base includes internal threads positioned to lie in the base chamber and the engaging means includes external threads mating with the internal threads of the test base.

14. The kit of claim 11, wherein the test base includes internal threads positioned to lie in the base chamber and the connector of each cap adapter includes external threads appended to the tubular member and arranged to mate with the internal threads of the test base.

15. The kit of claim 14, wherein the tubular member further includes an outlet end communicating with the cap-receiving chamber, an inlet end lying in spacedapart relation to the outlet end, and an exterior wall extending between the inlet and outlet ends and carrying the external threads and each cap adapter further includes an O-ring seal surrounding the exterior wall of the tubular member and lying between the external threads and the outlet end.

16. The kit of claim 1, wherein each cap adapter further includes an annular wall formed to include the cap-receiving chamber and the retainer includes at least one cap-retainer flange coupled to the annular wall.

17. The kit of claim 1, wherein each cap adapter further includes an annular wall formed to include the cap-receiving chamber and the retainer includes capretainer threads.

18. A fuel cap tester kit having component parts capable of being assembled in the field at a fuel cap leakage tester to provide a fuel cap leakage tester configured to accept and test a fuel cap having a filler neck closure portion and an outer shell coupled to the filler neck closure portion, the kit comprising the combination of

a test base formed to include a base chamber and a pressurized air supply conduit in fluid communication with the base chamber and

a cap adapter formed to include a pressurized air supply passageway and a cap-receiving chamber adapted to receive a fuel cap to be tested therein and coupled to the pressurized air supply passageway, the cap adapter including a connector adapted to engage the test base via a cooperating configured threaded connector thereon to communicate pressurized air from the base chamber to the cap-receiving chamber through the pressurized air supply passageway, an outer rim providing a mouth opening into the cap-receiving chamber, and a retainer adapted to mechanically fasten and retain a filler neck closure portion of a fuel cap to be tested in a mounted position extending into the cap-receiving chamber and closing the mouth opening into the cap-receiving chamber preparatory to determining a leakage rate of pressurized air from the cap-receiving chamber through the mouth opening.

19. The kit of claim 18, further comprising an air supply hose and a hose connector coupled to the hose and the test base to hold the air supply hose in fluid communication with the pressurized air supply conduit formed in the test base to enable pressurized air to pass from the air supply hose to the base chamber through the pressurized air supply conduit.

20. The kit of claim 18, wherein the test base includes a side wall and a bottom wall coupled to the side wall and the side wall and bottom wall cooperate to define the base chamber.

21. The kit of claim 20, wherein the side wall includes an internal flange and the connector of the cap adapter includes an external flange arranged to mate with the internal flange on the side wall.

22. The kit of claim 20, wherein the side wall includes an annular surface and internal threads positioned on the annular surface to lie in the base chamber and the connector of the cap adapter includes a tubular member formed to include the pressurized air supply passageway and external threads appended to the tubular member and arranged to mate with the internal threads on the annular surface.

23. The kit of claim 20, wherein the side wall is a cylindrical tube having openings at opposite ends thereof and the bottom wall is a round disk positioned to lie in one of the openings formed in the cylindrical tube.

24. The kit of claim 23, wherein the cylindrical tube includes an annular surface defining the base chamber and internal threads positioned on the annular surface to lie in the base chamber and the connector of the adapter includes a tubular member formed to include the pressurized air supply passageway and external threads appended to the tubular member and arranged to mate with the internal threads on the annular surface.

25. The kit of claim 20, wherein the side wall is formed to include the pressurized air supply conduit.

26. The kit of claim 25, wherein the side wall includes an annular surface defining the base chamber and internal threads positioned on the annular surface to lie in the base chamber and engage the connector, the annular surface includes a lower portion positioned to lie between the internal threads and the bottom wall, and the lower portion of the annular surface is formed to include the pressurized air supply conduit.

27. The kit of claim 25, further comprising an air supply hose and a hose connector coupled to the hose and the side wall to hold the air supply hose in fluid communication with the pressurized air supply conduit formed in the side wall to enable pressurized air to pass from the air supply hose to the base chamber through the pressurized air supply conduit.

28. The kit of claim 18, wherein the cap adapter includes a tubular member formed to include the pressurized air supply passageway, an annular flange adjacent to the tubular member, and an O-ring seal abutting the tubular member and the annular flange.

29. The kit of claim 28, wherein the cap adapter further includes an annular wall positioned to lie between the annular flange and the outer rim and formed to include the cap-receiving chamber and the retainer includes at least one cap-retainer flange coupled to the annular wall to lie in the cap-receiving chamber.

30. The kit of claim 28, wherein the cap adapter further includes an annular wall positioned to lie between the annular flange and the outer rim and formed to include the cap-receiving chamber and the retainer includes cap-retainer threads coupled to the annular wall to lie in the cap-receiving chamber.

31. The kit of claim 28, wherein the connector is appended to the tubular member.

32. The kit of claim 31, wherein the connector is defined by external threads formed on the tubular member to position the O-ring seal between the external threads and the annular flange.

33. The kit of claim 28, wherein the test base includes an outer rim defining a mouth opening into the base chamber and the connector of the cap adapter is defined by means on the tubular member for engaging the test base to trap the O-ring seal in sealing relation between the outer rim on the base and the annular flange and to position the tubular member in the base chamber so that any pressurized air extant in the base chamber passes through the pressurized air supply passageway formed in the tubular member to the cap-receiving chamber.

34. The kit of claim 33, wherein the test base includes internal threads positioned to lie in the base chamber and the engaging means includes external threads mating with the internal threads of the base.

35. The kit of claim 28, wherein the test base includes internal threads positioned to lie in the base chamber and the connector of the cap adapter includes external threads appended to the tubular member and arranged to mate with the internal threads of the test base.

36. The kit of claim 35, wherein the tubular member further includes an outlet end communicating with the cap-receiving chamber, an inlet end lying in spaced-apart relation to the outlet end, and an exterior wall extending between the inlet and outlet ends and carrying the external threads and the connector of the cap adapter further includes an O-ring seal surrounding the exterior wall of the tubular member and lying between the external threads and the outlet end.

37. A fuel cap tester comprising

a test base formed to include a base chamber and a pressurized air supply conduit in fluid communication with the base chamber and

a cap adapter including a tubular member formed to include a cap-receiving chamber, a flange around the tubular member, and an O-ring seal around the tubular member adjacent to the flange, the tubular member including an axially inner end, an inner portion positioned to lie between the axially inner end and the O-ring seal and sized to fit in the base chamber, and an axially outer end opposite to the axially inner end, a base connector on the inner portion to threadingly couple the cap-receiving chamber in the cap adapter in fluid communication with the base chamber in the test base by means of cooperating configured threads thereon, and a fuel cap connector on the axially outer end to mechanically fasten and retain fuel cap to be tested in the cap-receiving chamber.

38. The tester of claim 37, further comprising an air supply hose and a hose connector coupled to the hose and the test base to hold the air supply hose in fluid communication with the pressurized air supply conduit formed in the test base to enable pressurized air to pass from the air supply hose to the base chamber through the pressurized air supply conduit.

39. The tester of claim 38, wherein the test base includes an interior side wall formed to include internal threads and an interior bottom wall coupled to the interior side wall, the interior side wall and bottom wall cooperate to define the base chamber, and the base connector on the cap adapter is defined by external threads configured to mate with the internal threads formed on the interior side wall of the base.

40. The tester of claim 39, the test base includes an outer rim defining a mouth opening into the base chamber and the connector of the cap adapter is defined by means on the tubular member for engaging the test base to trap the O-ring seal in sealing relation between the outer rim on the test base and the annular flange and to position the tubular member in the base chamber so that any pressurized air extant in the base chamber passes through the pressurized air supply passageway formed in the tubular member to the cap-receiving chamber.

41. The tester of claim 37, wherein the test base includes a side wall and a bottom wall coupled to the side wall and the side wall and bottom wall cooperate to define the base chamber.

42. The tester of claim 41, wherein the side wall is formed to include an outer rim and threads positioned to lie between the outer rim and the bottom wall.

43. The tester of claim 42, wherein the side wall further includes a cylindrical upper wall portion lying between the outer rim and the threads and a cylindrical lower wall portion lying between the threads and the bottom wall.

44. The tester of claim 43, further comprising an air supply hose and a hose connecter coupled to the air supply hose and to the cylindrical lower wall portion to hold the air supply hose in fluid communication with the pressurized air supply conduit formed in the test base to enable pressurized air to pass from the air supply hose to the base chamber through the pressurized air supply conduit.

45. The tester of claim 42, wherein the threads are axially offset from the outer rim by a distance of about 0.525 inch (1.3335 cm).

46. The tester of claim 45, wherein the side wall further includes an annular unthreaded upper wall lying between the outer rim and the threads.