Theft preventer for gasoline tanks

March 19, 1935. τ. l. myers 1,995,007

THEFT PREVENTER FOR GASOLINE TANKS Filed July 12, 1934

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Patented Mar. 19, 1935

1,995,007

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,995,007 THEFT PREVENTER FOR GASOLINE TANKS

Thomas L. Myers, Phoenix, Ariz.

Application July 12, 1934, Serial No. 734,872

Claims. (CL 220—86)

This invention relates to devices for preventing the theft of gasoline from automobile tanks and has for its object to provide a theft preventer of this character which is so constructed as to pre5 vent either the insertion of a rubber tube into the gasoline tank for the withdrawal of gasoline therefrom or to prevent a suction pump being applied to the inlet pipe for the purpose of withdrawing the gasoline bodily through the pipe.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:—

Figure 1 is a sectional view through the upper wall of the gasoline tank showing in section my invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a like view to Figure 1 and showing; the modified form of the inlet pipe.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the upper wall of a gasoline tank of any usual or suitable construction. The inlet pipe B in Figure 20 1 whereby the tank A is filled is shown as haying a curved upper portion or section 10 and then extending downward at right angles to form a section 11. The vertical portion 11 extends down into the tank. The portion 11 may be held to the 25 top of the tank in any suitable way so as to prevent its easy removal. Any suitable cap may be used for this inlet pipe B as this has nothing to do with my invention.

The part 11 extends downward below the top A 30 of the tank. Preferably a baffle plate 12 is disposed within the inlet end of the section 10, this baffle plate having numerous small perforations or apertures 13 through it. This baffle plate acts as a shield preventing the insertion of a rubber 35 tube or like element into the gasoline tank and the withdrawal of gasoline therefrom. A second apertured baffle plate 14 is disposed within the vertical portion 11 of the tube and preferably just below the top A. Below this baffle plate, the 40 inlet tube is formed with a plurality of vertical slots 15 and the lower end of the portion 11 is formed with an intumed flange 16. Normally resting upon this flange 16 and disposed below the lower end of the slots 15 is a float 17 which 45 may be made of metal and hollow or may be made of any buoyant material. This float approximately fits the interior of the part 11 of the inlet pipe and has a flat upper surface, adapted when the float rises to fit against the flat lower surface ⁵⁰ of the baffle plate 14 so as to prevent the passage of liquid upward through the perforations of the baffle plate 14.

Preferably, the lower end of the portion 11 is formed as a separate section from the upper end 55 of the portion 11 and these sections are screw threaded together at 18, the baffle plate 14 resting upon the shoulder formed by the lower section ll^a. The inlet pipe 10 is also formed in two sections joined to each other at 19, these sections being screw-threaded to each other and the baffle 5 plate 12 being held by the section 10 against the shoulder 20 formed on the elbow 10^a.

While I have illustrated in Figure 1 this inlet pipe as having reversed curves, I do not wish to be limited to this as obviously the same theft 19 preventing means may be applied to an inlet pipe extending straight upward as shown in Figure 2. It is not believed necessary to particularly describe the construction shown in Figure 2 as precisely the same construction is shown in Figure 1 15 except that the inlet pipe is straight instead of being curved. It is obvious that the inlet pipe · may be of various forms to conform to the requirements of cars of a special make without departing from the spirit of my invention. 20

The action of this device in preventing the theft of gasoline is as follows:—

The baffle plate 12 and additionally baffle plate 14 prevents the insertion of any rubber tube or even a very small tube into the gasoline tank for 25 the purpose of withdrawing or sucking out gasoline therefrom. The floating valve 17 will rise with the gasoline as the tank is filled so that even if any siphoning device could be gotten through the small apertures of the plate 12, yet the valve 30 lying against the under face of the baffle plate 14 would prevent the gasoline from being sucked out. If an automobile be tilted so that the gasoline rises in the tank, it will lift the valve 17 against the face of the baffle 14, preventing any attempt 35 to siphon or suck out liquid from the tank. When the gasoline tank is full, the float 17 rests on top of the gasoline and against the baffle 14 and any suction exerted on the upper open end of pipe 10 will, under these circumstances, cause 40 the float to press harder against the baffle and prevent the passage of gasoline from below the float. As the gasoline is used from the tank, the float drops with the level of the gasoline until it rests eventually on the flange 16 at the lower end 45 of the pipe section 11α, thus unclosing the slots 15 in the side of the pipe which allows the gasoline to enter the tank when filling

Obviously many minor changes might be made in this device without departing from the spirit ⁵⁰of the invention as defined in the appended claims.