Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090324866 | RECEPTACLE MANUFACTURING - A method of manufacturing a product, including extruding a parison, and separating the parison into parison halves by cutting a partially expanded parison or by pulling apart a longitudinally weakened parison, and forming the parison halves against corresponding mold halves. The method may also include applying a film against the parison halves and/or the mold halves, and forming the film and parison halves against the mold halves to produce multi-layer product halves. Apparatuses for performing the method are also disclosed. | 12-31-2009 |
20110068109 | FUEL TANK SUPPORT - An endoskeleton to support a fuel tank body and establish a fuel tank. The endoskeleton may include columns to support fuel system components, first and second beams staggered with respect to one another and having tank contact portions attachable to the tank body, and walls extending between adjacent first and second beams to baffle fuel and to yieldably restrain movement of the body. The fuel tank body may have a wall thickness of about 2 to 4 mm, and a combined weight of the tank body and the endoskeleton may be less than a weight of the fuel tank if the body were about 4 to 6 mm in wall thickness. Also, an endoskeleton-to-tank body contact surface area ratio may be greater than about 4% of a total interior surface area of the tank body. Further, fuel tank may include a strength to weight ratio greater than 250 l-mbar/kg. | 03-24-2011 |
20110215102 | FLUID RECEPTACLE - A fluid receptacle may include an outer wall defining a periphery of the fluid receptacle, and an inner wall. The inner wall may be connected to the outer wall at certain locations and spaced from the outer wall at other locations providing gaps between the outer wall and the inner wall. In some implementations, the inner wall may be complete or continuous and liquid fuel may be contained within the inner wall. In other implementations, liquid fuel may be received between the inner and outer walls. | 09-08-2011 |
20120321823 | RECEPTACLE WITH INTEGRALLY MOLDED ELONGATED ELEMENTS - A method of forming a fuel tank may include providing a cavity for forming fuel tanks; inserting one or more elongated elements within the cavity; placing a parison in the cavity proximate to the elongated elements; and exerting fluid pressure on the parison thereby deforming the parison and engaging the elongated elements with a surface of the parison. | 12-20-2012 |
20140103642 | FUEL TANK CONNECTION ASSEMBLY - A fuel tank connection assembly may include a first connector and a second connector that are brought together with a fuel tank neck tubing. The first connector may have one or more self-tapping thread(s) located at an interior surface of the first connector, and may also have a set of first screw threads located at the interior surface. The second connector may have a set of second screw threads located at an exterior surface of the second connector. When the first and second connectors are brought together with the fuel tank neck tubing, the self-tapping thread(s) can be threaded over an exterior surface of the fuel tank neck tubing and the first and second screw threads can be mated together. | 04-17-2014 |
20140117023 | SELF-ADJUSTING CONNECTOR - A self-adjusting connector for attaching a fuel tank accessory component to a wall of a fuel tank includes a mounting portion, a flange portion and a load-accommodating portion. The mounting portion is adapted to be attached to a wall of a fuel tank at an attachment site The flange portion is adapted to be attached to a fuel tank accessory component. And the load-accommodating portion is situated between the mounting portion and the flange portion and permits the mounting portion and the flange portion to move relative to one another. In at least some implementations, the relative movement permits loads applied by the fuel tank wall, such as due to temperature or other changes in the wall, to be accommodated without undue stress on the accessory component or undue reaction forces on the tank wall. | 05-01-2014 |
20140197174 | MOLDED RESERVOIR SUPPORT STRUCTURE COUPLING - A molded reservoir support structure coupling may include an anchor and a support structure. The anchor may have one or more first flange(s) projecting generally laterally from a side wall of the anchor. The support structure may have one or more second flange(s) projecting generally laterally therefrom. When interconnected, surface-to-surface confrontation between the first flange(s) and the second flange(s) inhibits longitudinal separation of the anchor and the support structure. | 07-17-2014 |
20140239557 | BLOW MOLDING PROCESS AND APPARATUS - In at least some implementations, a blow molding process provides that portions of the parison are engaged by one or more clamping devices disposed on or adjacent to the blow mold parts, and that the blow mold is opened whereby the parison is torn apart between the clamping devices, into two or more pieces of the parison. In other implementations, the clamping devices may be moved relative to the blow mold to tear the parison, or the parison may be torn by a combined movement of the blow mold parts and clamping devices. | 08-28-2014 |
20140252005 | METHOD OF BLOW MOLDING RESERVOIR, AND RESERVOIR MADE THEREBY - A method of blow molding a reservoir, such as an automotive fuel tank, may include one or more steps. In one step, the reservoir is at least partially formed to have a first wall and a second wall. The first wall defines a first interior and the second wall defines a second interior that may be open to the first interior. In another step, the second wall is contracted inwardly before its material hardens. After contraction, the volume of the second interior is reduced. The contraction may be performed via a mold tool assembly having one or more moveable tool segments. | 09-11-2014 |
20150034175 | CLOSED TANK SYSTEM - In at least some implementations, a fuel tank includes a tank body defining a chamber adapted to receive liquid fuel therein, a reinforcement for the tank body to permit the pressure within the chamber to exceed the vapor pressure of a fuel to be received within the chamber, and an inlet to the tank body through which fuel is added to the chamber. The inlet is configured to mate with a refueling nozzle through which fuel is added to the chamber to permit refueling the tank and maintaining the pressure in the chamber above atmospheric pressure. | 02-05-2015 |