US2563978A - Fluid control apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 14, 1951 A. N. voRlPAlEFF FLUID CONTROL APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 4, 1948 lllllllllllllfllllllh f BY "1] M.

ATTORNEYS Aug. 14, 1951 A, N. voRlPAlEl-F 2,563,978

FLUID CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Feb. 4, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nwEm-ORv ATTORN EYS a control apparatus.

Patented ug. 14, 95

UNITED s'rllTEfs l` PATENT ovl-*FICE i ,2,563,978 FLUID CONTltQL-APPARATUS vAlexander N. Voripaiel, Jackson Heights, N@ Y.

Application February 4, i948, Serial No. 6,292

1 The invention relates to a locking device for By control apparatus is meant any apparatus, suchas a valve, door, gate, electric switcher vthe like, by which passage 'through a conduit, an opening or a carrier is pe'rmitted or blocked.v

The locking 'device or the present invention has a wide range cf utility, and may, for example, be used in connection with a fuel valve control mechanism, suchlas one employed in aliquid or gaseous fuel supply line leading to an intern-al combustion engine furnace or other point of fuel consumption.

One object of the presen-t invention is to provide a new and improved locking device of the general character described, which forms a small compact unit or accessory, which may be easily tted or attached to a control mechanism, which is easily operable to lock rsaid control mechanism in predetermined control position, and which is effective to render said locking device and said control apparatus pick-proof.

As a feature of the present invention, the locking device is adapted to be attached as a compact unit or accessory 'to' a control apparatus, 'andi when attached is operable to lock said control apparatus in predetermined position and at the same time to move a part of said device into protective position to render said lockingv device and said control apparatus pick-proof against unauthorized entry; This protective part is separate from 'the locking means for the control apparatus, but is located adjacent thereto and forms a self-contained compact unit therewith.

As a vfurther feature, the locking' device is attached to the control apparatus through releasable mounting means such as screws and bolts, and the locking device is operable not only to lock said control apparatus against movement but also to move simultaneously a protective part or member on said locking device into position to render said mounting means unavailable for release. In its preferred' embodiment, this protective member takes the form of a housing movable by the operation of.locking the control apparatus, vinto position to enclose the mounting means and render it inaccessible for unauthorized tampering.

The locking devicey has certain of its vital or 5 critical parts preferably manufactured of veryl hard alloy material, so that they cannot be easily bent, cut lor broken without destroying the control apparatus.

One of the specific uses of the locking vdevice of the present invention may be in connection l5 claims. (01.137468) I 2 with the carburetor of an internal combustion engine, and the locking device is operable in this connection to close positively the fuel inlet valve in the supply line to the engine and to Alock said valve against unauthorized tampering. In the case 9i/hereA the locking device is mounted in an automobile, it would be effective in preventing theft of said automobile. In every otherfcase where the locking device is used in connection with the control of fuel from a source of supply, said device prevents unauthorized tampering with said source of supply.

In one embodimentof the invention, the locking device is operable vinto locking position by manipulation near the device, While in ari-Other embodiment, the locking device although attached close tothe control apparatus 'is' operable by manipulation from a remote station. In the latter case, where the locking device isattached to the fuel line of an automobile, the remote station may be located on the dash of the auto'- mobile.

Other Afeatures and advantages of the invention herein will be noted from the following de- -scription and the accompanying drawings illustratin'g' the preferred product embodying the features herein. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top pian viewof a carburetor with the accessory mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view of' the carburetor and theV improved accessory and illustrating the constructionalfeatures thereof;

Fig.V 3 shows the accessory in position on the carburetor and provides for the remote control locking of the accessory; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the locking portion oi the accessory.

When the novel device isA incorporated in or attached to a carburetor', its main function is to shut off the fuell at a predetermined time and allow the engine to turn over a few times until most ofthe liquid fuel remaining in the carburetor has been exhausted. In this manner the automobile does not have fuel on which to run, and thus' the motive power unit of the automobile or car becomes unusable.

it is well known that heretofore automobiles were easily Istelen by a quick' and easy bridging of Vthe electrical connections so 'that the engine may be started without trouble. By incorporating the improved novel locking device herein, 'the considerable manipulation and without sizeable toolsl and without doing considerable repair and 3 without such damage to the fuel system that could not be repaired without the use of new parts. All of these Operations take time and attract attention.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the locking device of the present invention is shown assembled with or attached to a control apparatus, which in the specific form shown comprises the carburetor of an internal combustion engine having a carburetor bowl I5 associated with a valve mechanism for the supply of fuel in an automobile and a float member Iii pivoted at I1 for moving a valve I8 to its valve seat I9 to close off the supply of fuel from fuel line 20. A plate 22 covers the bowl I5 and has openings therein for receiving the ends of fastening elements such as bolts 23 and 24.

The novel locking device adapted for original installation or for accessory installation or ,attachment to the control apparatus, is shown in its preferred form as an accessory body 26 having a frame comprising an upright extending body portion 21 and a lower at or plate portion 28 which preferably is ailixed to the plate 22. The heads of the fastening element means 23 and 24 are usually smaller than depressions 29 and 36 formed in the plate portion 28.

This accessory body 26 may be held in position on the carburetor in any satisfactory manner so as to prevent unauthorized disassembly or removal of the accessory and in the preferred disclosure herein, a cover 3| is provided so that it will extend over the fastening elements 23 and 24. Projections from this cover 3| are positioned so that they Will enter the spaces 29 and 3|), thereby preventing this cover from being twisted out of position and the fastening elements 23 and 24 from being removed. This cover is also provided with a slot 32 which allows the cover to slide around the neck 33 of the accessory body 26. y In order to prevent unauthorized destruction or changes in the construction of this accessory device, the accessory body 26 and the cover 3| may be made of any suitable alloy material that will resist destruction. It is usual and preferred herein that such alloys have high hardness.

Within the upright part 21 of the accessory body 26, there is provided suitable apparatus Vwhich may be manipulated by any satisfactory means such as by a key inserted in a slot 34 of a lock 36 for the purpose of moving the float element I6 to close the valve I8 on the seat I9, and at the same time to move some of its own parts so that there will not be any exposed portion of the accessory, or the top of the carburetor l that can be manipulated by unauthorized persons for disassembly pur-poses.

Instead of having the lock mounted on the upper part 21 of the accessory, a suitable lock may be positioned at a remote point from the installation of the accessory, all as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this remote control operation of the accessory parts, an arm 31 is employed to operate the moving parts of the accessory.

Inside of the accessory 26 it is preferred to provide a shaft 38 which can carry any suitable type of mechanism for moving the valve I8 against its seat I9 thereby cutting off the supply of fuel. In this preferred structure, the moving part between shaft 38 and the float mechanism I6 is preferred to be flexible and in this instance constitutes a flexible wire 39 which `passes over rollers 40 and down through cover 3| and plate portion 28 and plate 22 of the carburetor to en-..

4 gage the pivoted arm 4I carrying the float. It is preferred to have this flexible wire 39 pass through the arm 4| and have a relatively large head 42 provided on the underside of the arm 4I. An opening 43 in the arm 4I is sufficiently large to allow the arm to pivot about pivot point I'I without restricting the movement of the arm 4| when performing its normal operation of supplying fuel as demanded by the motive power unit or engine of the automobile while running. The dotted lines show in the bottom of Fig. 2 the float in a lower position and show the wire 39 in loose form and in a position that does not in any manner bind or guide or interfere with the normal movements of the float I6 and the arm 4 I. Thus, the valve in the fuel supply line can be moved at predetermined times to close position, and this movement may be accomplished by the key operating the shaft 38 or in operating the arm 31.

One of the preferred means of assembling the novel accessory device to the carburetor is shown in cross section in Fig. 2. In the desired construction it is preferred to provide as mounting or attaching means a heavy wall tube 44 which passes through openings in cover 3|, plate portion 28 and plate 22, as they are assembled to have these openings properly in registry. If desired, this tubing may be of any alloy and of high hardness. This tube 44 may be fastened in position in any suitable manner but it is preferred to lprovide the ends of the tube with threads for receiving nuts 46 and 41 which when screwed tightly firmly and releasably hold the accessory on to the carburetor.

With this preferred construction of the accessory, and its assembly on the carburetor as thus far described, it will be noted that there is no way of removing the bolts or set screws 23 and 24 and if these cannot be reached then the only entrance to the interior of the accessory is the space just above the cover 3|, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to prevent unauthorized release of the nut 41 after it has been screwed into holding position, there is provided a suitable protective slide member in the form of a housing and more specifically a sleeve so that at defmite times it may be moved downwardly and around the nut 41 and thereby prevent unauthorized entrance into the accessory. It will be noted that the lower end of sleeve 48 goes into the countersunk part of cover 3|. Thus, when the valve is closed by the operation of the accessory, no fuel can flow through the valve mechanism and the accessory cannot be tampered with to bypass the valve in its closed position.

In the most satisfactory manner of operating the fiexible wire 39 and the sleeve 48 in the accessory device, it is preferred to provide a rack 49 on the end of rod 31 and to provide a rack 50 in the side of sleeve 48. A suitable sprocket wheel 5| is provided on shaft 38 and when this wheel is operated by a key in slot 34 or by the movement of .rod 31, the flexible wire 39 will be wound on shaft 38 and sleeve 48 will be moved downwardly to enclose the nut 41. This sleeve 48 is also preferably made of a high strength alloy which will resist destruction by most any sizeable tool, and it is especially hardened so that the use of a hacksaw would require long and tedious work before the sleeve could be cut. Thus, there is provided a very satisfactory pickproof type of accessory for mounting on a fuel supply mechanism.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 wherein the remote control operation will be described, the operating arm 31 is surrounded by a heavy Wall pipe or tubing 52 of alloy material of high hardness and one which will resist destruction by substantially all of the smaller and lighter tools.

In the preferred installation of this accessory bolt 59 which holds the piping 54 in position on the dash. The lock receiving part E is preferred to be constructed so that it can be pushed into collar to thereby move arm 31 and operate the gear 5l, thereby moving wire 39 and lever 4I to close the valve. This movement acts to move sleeve 48. The engine will continue in operation until some of the gas in the bowl l5 has been consumed and then the engine will stop operation, because of lack of fuel. The key 62 of the lock may then be turned to nally lock the arm 31 in its position of having closed the valve i8.

It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the preferred form of the invention herein, and such modiiications and changes are to be understood as part of this invention, as outlined in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a fluid supply line, the combination of a valve mechanism therein, automatic means for regulating the position of said valve in response to the demand for iiow of iluid, a structure for supporting said valve, an accessory, means for attaching said accessory to said structure, said accessory including means for locally covering said attaching means against unauthorized access, means operable to positively close and lock said valve in closed position, and means to render said structure and said accessory substantially proof against unauthorized operation of said valve, said last mentioned means being geared to said valve closing means so as to be operated thereby to form a compact, self-contained unit therewith.

2. In a fuel supply line, the combination of a valve mechanism therein, control means for the valve in said mechanism to govern the flow of fuel therethrough, an accessory body for assembly with said mechanism, a lock associated with said body for locking its parts in predetermined positions, means for attaching said accessory body to said valve mechanism, said body when assembled on said control means covering said attaching means against unauthorized access and permitting normally said valve to operate at predetermined times, and a moving mechanism within said body Voperated by said lock to positively close said valve to stop the iiow of fuel therethrough.

3. In a fuel supply line, the combination of a valve mechanism therein, automatic means for controlling the position of said valve in response to demands for fuel, a valve operating accessory assembled with said valve mechanism to move said valve at predetermined times to completely stop the ow of fuel therethrough, a lock associated with said accessory, means for positively holding said accessory to said automatic control means, and a movable element within the locking accessory operating to close over said holding means when said lock has been moved to its locked position.

4. An accessory for attachment to a fluid supply valve mechanism, comprising a body to be fastened to said valve mechanism, means for fastening said body to said valve mechanism, a cover for engaging a portion of said body and for covering said fastening means against unauthorized access, an engaging means for positively holding said body and said cover to said valve mechanism, a movable element carried by said accessory and movable to cover said engaging means at predetermined times, an extension member carried by said body and adapted when moved to one position to cause a valve in said valve mechanism to be closed, and an operating means carried by said body for operating said extension member to close said valve and to move said movable element to cover said engaging means to further render the accessory proof against unauthorized tampering.

5. A locking device for a control apparatus comprising means for attaching said locking device to said control apparatus, a removable key for said locking device, means responsive to the operation of said key for locking said control apparatus in predetermined position, a housing for protectively and locally shutting-in said attaching means against access, and for rendering thereby said attaching means proof against unauthorized removal in the locked position of said control apparatus, said housing being supported for movement from inoperative position to said protective shutting-in position, and means responsive to the operation of said key for moving said housing into said protective position at the same time said control apparatus is locked.

ALEXANDER N VORIPAIEFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,211,756 Reid Jan. 9, 1917 1,365,694 Jernstedt Jan. 18, 1921 1,403,086 Kennedy Jan. 10, 1922 1,404,463 Meunier Jan. 24, 1922 1,700,989 Pinkerton Feb. 5, 1929 2,022,430 Nold Nov. 26, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 52,378 Sweden Aug. 2, 1922 144,529 Great Britain June 11, 1920

Images