US20070028998A1

US20070028998A1 - Fillsafely

Info

Publication number: US20070028998A1
Application number: US11/196,833
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin Clifford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-08-04
Filing date: 2005-08-04
Publication date: 2007-02-08

Abstract

The FILLSAFELY Electrostatic Discharge Circuit provides a safe electrostatic voltage grounding path, from the hand-held nozzle of typical gasoline pumps, to earth ground. The safe electrostatic voltage discharge is accomplished through a series of two resistors presenting a total resistance >10 megohms, thereby reducing the ESD current flow from a relatively high level, dependent upon the magnitude of the human stored electrostatic charge—to a relatively low level current path, directly to earth ground. This device is essential to preclude fires experienced at gasoline service stations throughout the US when the unsuspecting customer, filling their gas tanks, may unknowingly, possess a ‘self-generated’ human electrostatic charge of up to 35,000 volts. This voltage presently has only one path to ground when the unsuspecting customer, at a typical American gas station, inserts the metal filling nozzle into the gas tank—the path to ground is through the car's gas tank—with ensuing fire, explosion or both. The electrostatic voltage generated by the person as the result of sliding across the vehicle's seat, or generation of electrostatic voltage as the result of many other human possibilities, transfers this potentially incendiary voltage to the pump's nozzle—which is electrically above earth ground—to the car's frame and gasoline tank. When a customer endeavors to fill, his or her gas tank, the resulting electrostatic charge presently discharges through the gasoline tank, the body of the vehicle and finally the vehicle's tires, to earth ground. This high level electrostatic voltage coupled with the high resulting electrical current flow, transferred from the customer's hands to the gas pump nozzle, have on numerous occasions precipitated a vehicular gasoline tank fire, subjecting the customer and other persons within lethal range, to serious burns or death.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

FILLSAFELY doesn't cross reference to, or conflict with any related applications.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

No part of this invention was conceived with the inventor using ideas or materials derived from “Federally sponsored research or development.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention (FILLSAFELY) is a new application based upon technology within the field of ‘ESD’ (electrostatic discharge), devised to preclude damage to electronic circuits, and—in this specific case prevent injury and death to people, presently caused by the discharge of ‘human transferred’ electrostatic voltage, from the gas pump's nozzle through the gas tanks of automobiles, while filling their tanks.
I became involved in the development of this device (FILLSAFELY) as the result of reading articles and observing videos of people who were, and are being severely burned or killed, because of gasoline pump fires that began as the result of high-level electrostatic voltages being present on the gasoline pump filling hose metallic nozzle, that presently discharge though the auto's gas tank to ground, when the nozzle is inserted into the gas tank's filling device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

FILLSAFELY is designed to safely discharge to electrical ground any electrostatic voltages that are transferred from the body of the person filling their vehicle's gas tank to the gasoline pumps metallic filling nozzle. The discharge of the electrostatic voltage to electrical ground removes the possibility of a discharge path of incendiary electrical current through the vehicle's gasoline tank with subsequent ignition, explosion and fire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

1/1 Remote Control Interrogator, Dimensional Drawing
FIG. 1 Functional Block Diagram
FIG. 2 Schematic Diagram

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FILLSAFELY is an electronic system designed to eliminate death and injury to persons filling the gasoline tanks of their vehicles through the provision of a safe discharge path for high-level electrostatic voltage to electrical ground. It has been demonstrated and documented in a variety of media, both print and video, that Americans are injuring and killing themselves while filing their vehicle's gasoline tanks at fueling stations throughout the nation.
The problem lies in the transfer of high-level electrostatic voltages from the persons filling their gas tanks to the metallic nozzle of the gasoline pump's filling nozzle. With the present gasoline station configuration in the United States, high-level electrostatic voltage has a single path for discharge to electrical ground; that path to electrical ground is through the gasoline tank of the person's vehicle. High-level electro static current through the vehicle's gasoline tank ignites the gasoline with subsequent injury or death to the person filling their gasoline tanks.
The provision of an alternate path to electrical ground for the electrical current generated as the result of the transfer of electrostatic voltage from the person filling their gasoline tank to the metallic nozzle of the gasoline pump's filling hose eliminates the possibility of the ignition of the gasoline at the terminus of the filling hose nozzle, thus precluding injury to the person filing their vehicle's gasoline tank.
FILLSAFELY provides a method to accomplish the safe filing of vehicular gasoline tanks at filling stations throughout America:
FILLSAFELY provide an immediate solution to the problem of gasoline pump filling hoses igniting the gasoline with subsequent death and injury. This method is graphically displayed in the Functional Block Diagram in Drawing 1/1, FIG. 1. An electrostatic voltage grounding wire is physically attached to the existing filling station gasoline pump's filling nozzle, and secured along the filling hose using Velcro, or any other equally secure holding device. One end of the electrostatic voltage grounding wire is secured to the filling hose's metallic nozzle, while the other end of the filling hose grounding wire is connected to electrical ground, through a circuit box containing two resistors, which are placed in series between the metallic filling nozzle and electrical ground. The physical electrical grounding is provided by the insertion of a copper grounding rod into the earth, in close proximity to the filling station's gasoline pump(s).
In the event an electrostatic voltage is humanly transferred to the metallic gasoline filling nozzle the voltage now has a direct path to electrical ground through the grounding wire secured to the gasoline pump's filling hose, then through the two series resistors to electrical ground that is provided by the installed copper grounding rod. The electrical discharge path through the resistor network is graphically displayed in Drawing 1/, FIG. 2.
The direct discharge path to electrical ground eliminates the possibility of ignition of the gasoline (vapors) precluding the initiation of a fire—at the gasoline pump's metallic nozzle. The present electrostatic voltage grounding configuration, at filing stations throughout the United States, provides an electrostatic voltage discharge path through the vehicle's gasoline tank to ground. This configuration presents the continuing possibility of injury or death, by explosion and subsequent fire; the existing causes filling their vehicle's gasoline tank that
Reconfiguring the present electrostatic voltage discharge path, that is used in gasoline filling stations across America—to a direct, safe path as suggested in this application, will eliminate the possibility of injury or death, to people filling their vehicle's gasoline tank.

Claims

1. While there are written warnings at gasoline filling stations concerning the dangers of electrostatic voltage discharge, there is presently no known system installed to automatically protect America's drivers from injury and death, caused by fire and explosion resulting from the human transferred, electrostatic voltage discharge through the vehicle's gas tank.

The FILLSAFELY system provides, through the design of a safe electrostatic voltage grounding path, the capability of automatically protecting America's millions of automobile drivers, from injury or death, presently caused by America's gasoline filling stations not having the proper electrostatic voltage grounding circuitry available to automatically protect their customers from the resulting hazards of fire and explosion.