AU604313B2 - Multi-product fuel dispenser - Google Patents

Description

COMMONWWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENT ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION 0431 3

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE CLASS INT. CLASS Application Number: Lodged: cCc

C

CC I

C

CC

C

Cr Complete Specification' Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: E: Z S a' Related Art-:

C

C C C CC e C C

CGCC

NAME OF APPLICANT: ADDRESS OF APPLICANT: NAME(S) OF INVENTOR(S) Station Road, Marton, New Zealand John Roland WILLIAMS Kevin William LOW Garth Matthew EMERSON PRODUCTION ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON, Patent Attorneys I Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED:* "MULTI-PRODUCT FUEL DISPENSER" The follodng statement is a fuull description of this invention, including the best method of perfoing.it known to us -2- This invention relates to multi-product fuel dispensers and in particular, but not solely, to the physical configuration of such dispensers.

A multi-product fuel dispenser is one which, for example, is able to dispense fuels of different octane ratings and/or fuels with different additives, "leaded" and "unleaded". Such S dispensers have separate hoses and displays (for example, unit price displays) for each fuel. Existing multi-product fuel dispensers have a number of disadvantages, and these include: (1) 10 hoses of inadequate length, hose configurations which allow hose tangling, hoses which drape out from the dispenser and over the forecourt to obstruct people and vehicles, hose nozzle stowage ports which are widely separated from each other and from SL cC, the corresponding dispenser information display, and inadequate information displays in that customers are not clearly guided by the information display as to how to use the dispenser.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-product fuel dispenser which goes at least some way to overcoming one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.

Accordingly, the invention consists in a multi-product fuel dispenser comprising: a ground mounted dispenser housing having ajlength greater than itsxwidth which supports a customer information display, a plurality of fuel dispensing hoses and corresponding hosa nozzle stowage ports,

I,

-3e C cC cc C C C C C C.

C C f 0C C eC I gC C C CC c Cr C CC C cc CQ C CCC C C c Cl C C the construction and arrangement being such that the hoses are each suspended from respective springy masts located adjacent a first end of said housing, the masts extend above the top of said housing in a substantially co-planar array parallel to the side of said housing, the nozzle stowage ports are in a co-planar array adjacent to the second and opposite end of said housing parallel.to the side of said housing with the innermost stowage port receiving the nozzle attached to the hose suspended from the innermost springy mast and SO on, so that when the nozzles are stowed the hoses are suspended across the side of the housing in co-planar loops one above the other.

The preferred forms of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of one form of multi-product fuel dispenser, Figure 2 is an end view of the multi-product fuel dispenser shown in figure 1, Figure 3 shows a preferred information display for a multi-product fuel dispenser, Figure 4 is a side view of a second form of multi-product fuel dispenser, and Figure 5 is an end view of the multi-product fuel dispenser shown in figure 4.

Referring to Figure 1, one form of the multi-product fuel dispenser of the present invention is built around a housing or casing including two end columns 1 and 2 linked by horizontal members. Standard components such as pumps and motors are housed in the lower section of the frame between columns 1 and 2. The -4dispenser illustrated is designed to dispense three fuel products but other dispenser configurations could easily be envisaged supplying say two or four fuel products.

The dispenser delivery hoses 3, 4 and 5 each dispense a separate fuel product and are suspended from above the dispenser structure by three springy masts 6, 7 and 8. In the preferred arrangement the hoses each pass coaxially upwards through the masts to loop down from a high moveable suspension point which allows ccc C good hose reach to vehicles irrespective of their precise location cC.

in relation to the dispenser. The high hose suspension technique shown, together with the length of the dispenser housing, allow for 0 CI long hose lengths and therefore increased convenience for customers, when a vehicle fill point is positioned on the side of C Cthe vehicle away from the fuel dispenser. Additional reach is C C I Iprovided by the masts bending down on the application of moderate force on the hose by a user. Further, by locating the hose nozzle C CC

C

CCC C stowage ports 9, 10 and 11 in column 1 rather than in column 2 or at some point on the housing therebetween, when hose nozzles 12, 13 or 14 are stowed a considerable additional length of hose can be accommodated clear of the forecourt on which the dispenser is mounted.

With such long hose lengths tangling can be a problem but this is obviated in the present invention by arranging for the innermost stowage port to accommodate the nozzle of hose 6 and the outermost stowage port to accommodate the nozzle of outer hose 5. The hose lengths are suitably adjusted so that the inner hose is shorter than the outer hose. When stowed the hoses form co-planar loops one above the other across the side of the dispenser housing. The hoses therefore project minimally beyond the "footprint" of the dispenser as may best be seen from figure 2.

C 2: I The dispenser may be a dual unit to provide fuelling facilities on both sides. Such a dispenser is shown in figure 2.

Thus two vehicles can be filled with the same fuel product simultaneously when required.

Electronic dispenser information displays 15 and 16 are located on opposite sides of the top of column 1. Each display provides volume dispensed and value of fuel dispensed for the selected fuel product, and separate unit price, information for each of the three fuel products. A typical information display is shown in figure 3. Price information for each fuel product is divided into three zones 17, 18 and 19. In the display illustrated each zone contains separate pricing for both cash and credit transactions. These display zones each align with the corresponding fuel product nozzle stowage port as shown in Figure 1.

Within each display zone areas 20, 21 and 22 can be caused to flash to highlight the message carried in those areas upon removal of the appropriate hose nozzle. In the drawing the message is the word "Select" together with arrows pointing upwards and downwards which indicated to the user that after removing the hose nozzle he must press either the upper "credit" button 23, or the lower "cash" button 24, before proceeding.

A second and preferred pump variant is shown in figures 4 and Here the dispenser housing has a long (about 1500 mm) low profile to allow easy viewing from one side to the other. The hose nozzle ports 31, 32 and 33 are located in a housing module 34 located at the opposite end of the dispenser to a mast support module The information display 36 is contained in a separate pod 37 which is mounted on a pole 38 above housing module 34.

JP r c- -6- Three springy masts 39, 40 and 41 are fixed to the top of the mast support module to provide a flexible high hose support point about 2600 mm above the dispenser ground level. The hoses 42, 43 and 44 loop down and across the dispenser housing in the manner already described for the figure 1 variant.

The information display can be the same as that described with reference to figure 3. This variant has all the same functional features as the first variant, except that the housing profile is different. Similarly a dual unit with identical- facilities available in mirror-image fashion on the opposite side of the dispenser is envisaged.

Commonly the dispenser can be a dual two-product or a dual three-product machine.

Compared with prior art multi-product fuel dispensers the present invention has many practical advantages. These include: reduced tangling of hoses, increased hose reach, reduced pull required to extend hose, hose clearance over vehicles when required, information display cannot be obscured by hoses, controlled hose disposition to minimiso contact with user, and improved prompts for customers when the customer information display on the dispenser incorporates a cash/credit option.

Claims (9)

1. A multi-product fuel dispenser comprising: a ground mounted dispenser housing having a length greater than itsAwidth which supports a customer information display, a plurality of fuel dispensing hoses and corresponding hose nozzle stowage ports, the construction and arrangement being such that the hoses are each suspended from respective springy masts located adjacent a first end of said housing, the masts extend above the top of said housing in a substantially co-planar array parallel to the side of said housing, the nozzle stowage ports are arranged in a co-planar array adjacent to the second and opposite end of said housing parallel to the side of said housing with the innermost stowage port receiving 4 the nozzle attached to the hose suspended from the innermost springy mast and so on, so that when the nozzles are stowed the hoses are suspended across the side of the housing in co-planar loops one above the other. f 20

2. A fuel dispenser according to Claim 1 wherein said information display is mounted in saidafrm directly above said nozzle stowage ports.

3. A fuel dispenser according to claima- wherein said information display is mounted in a pod on top of the dispenser housing. NT c -8-

4. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims which dispenses three products wherein there are three hoses and three corresponding nozzle stowage ports on one or both sides of the dispenser.

A fuel dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 3 which dispenses two products wherein there are two hoses and two corresponding nozzle stowage ports on one or both sides of the dispenser.

6. A fuel dispenser according to any one of claims 1-3 which dispenses one product wherein there is one hose and one corresponding nozzle stowage port on one or both sides of the dispenser.

7. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said housing supports two independent sets of information displays and hoses which are located on opposite sides of said housing in mirror-image fashion.

8. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceeding claims wherein the information display is divided into horizontally spaced apart zones each zone appropriate to each fuel product and said nozzle stowage ports are aligned below the corresponding information display zone.

9. A fuel dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the information display includes instructions to a user on what action to take next after removing a hose nozzle from a -9- stowage port, said instructions being caused to flash on the display zone corresponding to the removed nozzle and said flashing being triggered by removal of said nozzle. A multi-product fuel dispenser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 1 to 3 or 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings. -II T es- featur e s -di sc-losedh-eretin--n -dy DATED this 6th day of May, 1988 PRODUCTION ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED i C By Its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON i. -cns