Sealed, non-permeable fuel tank for spark-ignition motors

• US 8,813,780 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clark Equipment Company (Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Schiller Grounds Care, Inc.
• Inventors: Weber, Anthony S., Scheffler, Ronald, Bedford, Richard Lee III
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivell, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Venkatesan, Umashankar
• Application Number:
  US13/249,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20120097682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 137/587, 137/590.5, 137/590, 220/203.02, 220/203.23, 220/200, 123/516, 123518-520, 280/834, 56/167
• US Class Current: 137/587
• 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 15/03519 Valve arrangements in the vent line
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03046 made from more than one layer
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03296 Pressure regulating valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03523 Arrangements of the venting tube
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0496 the fuel inlet being arranged on the top of the fuel tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/223 Ridable lawn mowers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86324 Tank with gas vent and inlet or outlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86348 Tank with internally extending flow guide, pipe or conduit

Abstract

A fuel tank for a spark-ignition motor with a vapor intake port has a tank body having a tank wall enclosing a tank volume. A filler port in a first upper portion of the tank wall establishes a liquid fill-level limit for the tank volume. A vapor dome formed by a second upper portion of the tank wall subtends a vapor space above the liquid fill-level limit. A vapor vent valve is mounted in the vapor dome and is connectable to the vapor intake port. The vapor dome has a shape and size allowing the tank body to tilt from about a horizontal position to about thirty degrees in any direction from the horizontal position before a liquid filling the tank volume to the liquid fill-level limit contacts the vapor vent valve.

Claims

1. A fuel tank for a spark-ignition motor having a vapor intake port, the fuel tank comprising:

a tank body having a tank wall enclosing a tank volume;

a filler port at a filler-port location in a first upper portion of the tank wall, the filler-port location spaced radially from a vertical axis passing through a geometric center of the tank when the tank is in a horizontal position, the filler port establishing a liquid fill-level limit for the tank volume;

a vapor dome formed by a second upper portion of the tank wall, the vapor dome subtending a vapor space above the liquid fill-level limit; and

a vapor vent valve mounted in the vapor dome, the vapor vent valve connectable to the vapor intake port,

the vapor dome having a shape and size allowing the tank body to tilt from about the horizontal position to about thirty degrees from the horizontal position in at least two orthogonal directions before a liquid filling the tank volume to the liquid fill-level limit contacts the vapor vent valve.

2. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the tank volume is undivided.

3. The fuel tank according to claim 2, wherein the vapor space comprises at least ten percent of the tank volume.

4. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the vapor vent has a check valve.

5. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein an external vapor line provides a fluid passageway between the vapor vent valve and the vapor intake port.

6. The fuel tank according to claim 5, wherein a vapor absorber is in the vapor line.

7. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the filler port is sealed by a removable fuel cap.

8. The fuel tank according to claim 7, wherein the fuel cap is tethered to the fuel tank and comprises an air inlet valve and a pressure-relief valve.

9. The fuel tank according to claim 7, wherein the fuel cap threadedly engages the filler port and provides audible and tactile feedback when being rotated to seal the filler port.

10. The fuel tank according to claim 1, further comprising an internal fuel line having a weighted lower end with an in-line filter and an upper end attached to a fuel line port penetrating the tank wall.

11. The fuel tank according to claim 1, further comprising a mount fixedly attaching the tank wall to a chassis of a lawn mower having a spark-ignition motor with a fuel intake port and a vapor intake port and an external fuel line in fluid communication with the fuel intake port and the external vapor line is in fluid communication with the vapor intake port.

12. The fuel tank according to claim 11, wherein the lawn mower has at least one wheel driven by the mower and the fuel tank is mounted above the at least one wheel, a bottom portion of the tank wall is configured to conform to a curvature of the at least one wheel, a front portion of the tank wall has a generally arcuate shape.

13. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the lawn mower has a control panel in fluid communication with the fuel line and the tank wall has a recess within which the control panel is mounted.