Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A cap for a container and in particular for a fuel tank
for an automobile vehicle
The present invention relates to a cap or plug for
a container and in particular for a fuel tank of an auto~
mobile vehicle, of the type comprising means for attaching
the cap to an opening of the container and means for
5 locking the cap in the attached position, and actuated by
a key and independent of the attaching means, ~aid locking
means comprising a key-actuated barrel rotatively mounted
in the b~dy of the cap and at least one locking element
which is radially movable in the body so as to project
through an apertur~ of the body or to retract in~o the
body under the effect of the rotation of the barrel.
In order to avoid theft, it is conventional to
provide, in addition to the means for attaching caps to
an opening of the container, independent locking means
actuated by a key. These caps may, when desired, be
attached and detached simply manually without requiring
the use of the key for each attachment or removal of
the cap. This is, for example, advantageous when an
automobile vehicle driver travels over a long distance
which requires several refuelingsO
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In the caps of the aforementioned type, the locking
element is formed by a ring which is rotatively mounted on
an eccentric element connected to the key-actuated barrel
(French patent 2 285 503~, or by a slide which has a
slot in which engages a lug of the barrel (U.S. patents
1 924 308 and 2 4~1 458). These arrangements require much
precision and render the assembly of the cap complicated,
above all if it is desired to provide a plurality of
locking elements arranged on the periphery of the cap.
An object of the invention is to provide a cap
having the same properties but much cheaper to manufactureO
According to the invention there is provided a
filler cap for a container comprising means defining an
opening, said container being in particular, a fuel tank
of an automobile vehicle, the cap comprising a body, means
for attaching the cap to said opening of the contalner,
key-actuated means for locking the cap in the attached
position independent from the attaching means, said lock-
ing means comprising a barrel which receives a key and
is rotatively mounted in said body, at least one locking
element which is radially movable in said body, an ap-
erture in said body through which aperture said locking
element is movable so as to be capable of assuming select-
ively a projecting position relative to said aperture and
a retracted position within said body, the barrel being
associated with the locking element so as to cause the
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radial movement of the locking element selectively to
said projecting position and said retracted position
upon rotation of the barrel relative to the body, and
an elastically yieldable strip which is formed in an arc
of approximately 90 having a free end portion which
constitutes the locking element and an opposite end
portion which is fixed to said body, a plurali~y of said
locking elements evenly spaced apart on the periphery
of the cap, all the corresponding strips of the locking
elements being part of a single member fixed to said body,
each said locking elements is located at a given level
and a member which is rotatively mounted in said ~dy
and rigid with the barrel carries a plurality of means
defining cam grooves which cam grooves are superimposed
and circumferentially offset relative to each other,
a corresponding one of said locking elements being
elastically yieldably applied against each cam groove,
a cam member rotatably mounted on said body and shifting
said locking element between said projecting position and
said retracted position.
The invention will be described hereinafter in more
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which
illustrate only one embodiment of the invention. In these
drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an automobile
tank cap according to the invention, in which the locking
means are in the inoperative position;
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Fig. 2 is a plan view of this cap;
Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on lines
3-3 and 4-4 respectively of Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of
Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of the cap in
which the locking means are in the operative position;
~ig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of
Fig. 6,
Fig. 8, which appears on the same sheet of drawings
as Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is a persp~ctive view of a member for
locking the cap;
Fig. 9 is a plan view of the opening of a filler
pipe of a fuel tank which is to be closed by the cap shown
in Figs. 1 -to 8, and
Fig. 10 is a developed view of this opening of the
filler pipe.
The tank cap or plug shown in Figs. 1 to 8 comprises
mainly a body 1, a barrel 2, a double cam 3 and a locking
member 4 which is shown alone in perspective in Fig. 8.
The body 1 comprises an upper member 5, for ex-
ample of plastics material, having the general shape of
a horizontal disc 6 whose axis X-X is vertical and is
provided with a tubular projection 7 on its upper side.
~rhe projection 7 is provided with a cylindrical bore 8
which has an axis X-X and extends downwardly in the form
~ J
of an externally cylindrical spigot 9. The lower part
of the latter has, on a small fraction of i-ts circumfe-
rence, a cylindrical inner wall 10 whose diameter is
equal to that of the bore 8 and, on the rest of its
circumference, a cylindrical inner wall 11 of larger
diameter which is connected to the wall 10 by two
coplanar planar surfaces 12 which are parallel to the
axis X~X (Figs. 5 and 7).
The barrel 2 comprises a cylindrical main portion
13 having the same diameter as the bore 8 and engaged
in the latter and sur~ounted b~ a larger head 14. The
latter is received in a counter-bore 15 provided at the
upper end of the bore 8. The lower side of the barrel 2
is roughly located in the same horizontal plane as the
the lower side of the spigot 9 of the body 1 and an
eccentric lug 1~ downwardly extends beyond this side~
The portion 13 of the barrel 2 has two neighbour-
ing vertical slots 17 which extend from the base of the
portion 13 and define therebetween an elastically yiel-
dable tongue por-~-ion 18 whose lower end carries an outer
projection 19. The latter has the shape of a block
whose upper face 20 is horizon~al and whose lowèr face
21 is downwardly and inwardly inclined, this projection
being disposed in the large-diameter region 11 of the
spigot 9.
The projection 19 has a douhle function, na~ely
it actsas an axial retaining means and a lateral abutment.
~9:~8~
When the barrel 2 is inserted in the bore 8, the tongue
p~rtion 18 is urged radially inwardly and it returns
elastically to its initial shape when the projection l9
is completely contained in the region ll of the spigot
9. This occurs when the head 14 of the barrel reaches a
position of axial abutment, so that the barrel is mounted
by a simple clipping action. Further, the rotation of the
barrel 7 in both directions is limited by the fact that
the projection 19 abuts either of the planar surfaces 12
of the body l. In the illustrated embodiment, these two
positions of abutment correspond to two positions of the
barrel 2 at 180 to each other. Further, the barrel 2
contains a key-actuated lock mechanism.
Fixed on the member 5 of the body l is a hollow
donwardly open cover 22 of prelacquered press-formed
sheet metal or of plastics material. The interior shape
of this cover marries up with that of the member 5 except
for the fact that it includes a diametral projection 23
whose width corresponds to ~he outside diameter of the
tubular projection 7 of the member 5. The lower periphery
of the cover 22 is fixed, for example by a forming-over
operation or welded by ultra-sounds welding, to the
periphery of a skirt portion 24 which depends from the
periphery of the disc 6 of the member 5. Provided in
the middle of the projection 23 is a circular aperture,
the periphery of which is secured to the periphery of
the counter-bore 15 of this member 5. The cover 22 is
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connected to rotate with the member 5 by means of radial
projections 5a on the latter (Fig. 3) which cooperate with
the diametral projection 23 of the cover 22.
The lower part of the body 1 is constituted by
a cup 25 of press-formed sheet metal which has an axis
X-X and an upper flange 26 which is upwardly formed over
in the horizontal plane. The upper part of this cup
25 enters the skirt portion 24 and the periphery of the
flange 26 is fixed to the disc 6 by a forming over of
a series of circumferential tabs 27 in corresponding
openings 28 which extend through this disc. The forming
over of the tabs 27 render the parts 25 and 5 rigid with
each other and provides a sealed contact between the disc
6 and a circular boss 29 which is press-formed in the
flange 26 and projects upwardly.
The body 1 is completed by an annular elastically
yieldable seaiing element 30 which is applied under the
flange 26 betwen the cylindrical outer wall of the cup
25 and the inner wall of the skirt portion 24 and by a
stainless steel strip 31. The latter comprises an annular
web from which extend two diametrically opposed arms which
marry up with the inner shape of the cup 25 and are formed
over outwardly at a right angle in the region of two open-
ings 32 in the cup so as to form two attaching tabs 33.
As can be seen in Fig. 1, the tabs 33 have a large-angled
roof shapeO The strip 31 is spot-welded to the bottom of
the cup 25.
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The double cam 3 is inthe form of a member which
has a generally cylindrical shape of axis X-X and has,
at its upper end, a cylindrical coaxial cavity which is
an in-terference fit on the spigot 9. The opening of this
member is surrounded by a circular projection 34. The
~ottom of this cavity has an eccentric aperture which
receives the lug 16 of the barrel 2 so that the latter
is connected t~ ro~ate w~th the member 3. The projection
34 is received in a circular groove in the lower face of
the disc 6 and an annular sealing element 35 is interpo-
sed between this projection and the outer wall of the
spigot 9. Projecting irom the lower face of the member
3 is a centre cylindrical boss 36 which is received in a
complementary cavity in the bottom of the cup 25 which
completes the rotational guiding of the double camO
The member 3 comprises two superimposed cam groo-
ves 37 of variable radius on the periphery (Figs. 5
and 7). More precisely, each groove 37 has a region 38,
of small radius, a region 39 of large radius, and two
connecting regions 40 of variable radius. The region 38
of the two grooves are diametrically opposed, and the
same is true of the reglons 33,on one hand, and the pairs
of regions 40, on the other hand.
The locking member 4 is made from folded stainless
steel and comprises an annular web welded to that of the
strip 31. Two diametrically opposed arms 41 extend from
this web and marry up with the inner profile of the cup
~3331~
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25. Extending from the free end of each arm 41 is a
horizontal elastically yieldable strip 42 whose extent
is roughly a quarter o a circle and whose free end
por~ion is bent outwardly at a right angle and forms
a horizontal locking tab 43. The two tabs 43 are located
at slightly different levels in confronting relation to
two diametrically opposed apertures 44 in the cup 25 and
are elastically yieldably applied against the respective
cam grooves 37 of the member 3.
lo In the extreme position of the barrel 2 illus-
trated in Figs 4 and 5, the tWG regions 38 of small
radius are in alignment with the apertures 44. The free
ends of the strips 42 of the member 4 are applied elasti-
cally against these regions 38 so that the tabs 43 are
fully retracted into the cup 25.
T~hen the barrel 2 is brought to its other extreme
position, the regions 40,and then the regions 39 of
large radius,come into alignment with the apertures 44
and cause the tabs 43 to progressively extend out of
these apertures until the locking position of Figs. 6
and 7 is reached. The structure of the barrel allo~s
the extraction of the key in these two extreme positions
of the barrel.
The cap just described is adapted to close the
filling opening 45 of a filler pipe o~ a fuel tank of
an automobile vehicle. The opening 45 is illustrated in
Figs. 9 and 10 and di~grammatically represented in Fig.4.
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In order to place the cap in position with the tabs
43 withdrawn, the attaching tabs 33 are hooked under the
end flange 46 (which is doubly inwardly formed over) of
the filler pipe (Fig. 4).
This hooking is effected without the key. With
reference to Figs. 9 and 10, by a downward axial dis-
placement, the tabs 33 pass without clearance through
the notches 47 of the flange 46 and then, by a rotation
of the cap by acting on the diametrical projection 23 of
the cover 22 in the manner of a wing nut r the tabs 33 are
placed under this flange and travel along a descending
ramp 48 and finally abut a lug 49 which is adjacent to the
opposite notch 47 after the apex of each tab 33 has passed
through a low pointO A seal is achieved by the compression
of the entire periphery of the sealing element 30 against
the flange 46. The rotation of the cap is limited to
about 120 by the abutments 49 provided on the filler
pipe, and, when the cap is in position, the apertures 44
are located in alignment with the notches 47 through which
the tabs 33 pass.
The cap can then be withdrawn by hand by a reverse
rotation and then an upward axial translation, these
operations being repeated as many times as required
without intervention of the key.
On the other hand, if it is desired to lock the
cap in position, the barrel 2 is rotated by means of a
key inserted in an upper slot 50 of the barrel (Fig. 1),
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until its other extreme position is reached (Figs. 6 and
7). This brings the connecting regions ~C,and then
the region 39 of large radius,of the cam grooves 37 into
alignment with the apertures 44 and causes the tabs 43
to project out of the latter. The tabs43 then enter the
notches 47 of the pipe 45 and thus prevent any subsequent
rotation of the cap in either direction, as shown in
dot-dash lines in Figs. 9 and 10. The cap is then
locked and can only be withdrawn by withdrawing,by means
of the key,the tab 43 by a return rotaton of the barrel
2 to its initial posit~on and then by releasing the
bayonet hooking in the manner described hereinbefore.
Note that the cap according to the inven-tion may
be employed with a filler pipe having a conventional
opening which may,if desired,be attached to the pipe,
such as that shown in Figs.-9 and 10.
In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the cap
is of the sealed tYpe- By way of a modification, the cap
may comprise any venting device, eg. of the type employ
ing a ball check-valve or a diaphragm incorporated in
the member 5 of the body 1.
Note that a minor modification of the cap enables
it to be converted into a key-less cap. Indeed, for this
purpose, it is sufficient to employ a cover 22 without
the centre opening and~or to cons-truct the assembly
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3 - 5 in a single moulded part.
In another modification, it will be understood
that it is possible to provide more than two tabs 33
and/or more than two tabs 43 evenly spaced apart on the
periphery of the cap, the shape of the cam grooves 37
being, if required, modified correspondingly.
