Patents Represented by Attorney C. K. Veenstra
  • Patent number: 4844515
    Abstract: A fuel line receiver has a fuel passage terminating in an enlarged region. A retainer ring secures an O-ring in the enlarged region. The tip of a fuel line is curled to facilitate insertion through the retainer ring and the O-ring into the fuel passage. The O-ring sealingly engages the fuel line and the peripheral wall, and the tip of the fuel line is supported by the fuel passage and the retainer ring. A flange on the fuel line is engaged by a nut or a clip to hold the tip of the fuel line in the fuel passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1989
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Martin J. Field
  • Patent number: 4826411
    Abstract: In an air pump vane assembly, the vane hub is both staked to the vane blade and clinched to the vane blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald A. Gaeth
  • Patent number: 4805582
    Abstract: An exhaust gas recirculation valve has a seat formed in a member that is secured to the valve actuator independently of the valve base and that can accordingly accommodate a wide variety of base designs without substantial change in the equipment employed to assemble the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1989
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Charles W. Braun, Joseph Fornuto, Dwight O. Palmer
  • Patent number: 4792114
    Abstract: A vacuum regulator valve unit has a valve body and a coil assembly that define a chamber. The valve body has an air inlet passage opening into the chamber. A washer overlies the valve body within the chamber and has an air inlet port aligned with the passage and a valve seat surrounding the port. The coil assembly supports a shaft projecting into the chamber. A valve member is mounted loosely on the shaft within the chamber and slides on the shaft into and out of engagement with the valve seat in response to energization and deenergization of the coil. The valve body has a peripheral annular ledge that cambers the washer to assure full engagement of the washer with the valve body at the perimeter of the port. The shaft has an undercut taper that articulates the valve member to allow the valve member to align with the valve set and thereby assure full engagement of the valve member with the valve seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Fornuto, James R. Gaffney, Thaddeus J. Grey
  • Patent number: 4768720
    Abstract: A fuel injector includes a solenoid operated valve that is opened on a periodic basis to meter fuel through a plurality of discharge passages, and also includes a rectifier valve that allows air to flow through the discharge passages when the solenoid operated valve is closed. The rectifier valve has a disc configuration with a flat valving surface adjacent an air inlet passage and an irregular surface adjacent an air outlet passage. When the solenoid operated valve is opened to meter fuel through the discharge passages, the flat valving surface of the rectifier valve is engaged against a wall about the air inlet passage to seal the air inlet passage. When the solenoid operated valve is closed, the irregular surface of the rectifier valve is engaged against the opposite wall about the air outlet passage and allows air to flow through the air inlet passage and the air outlet passage to the injector discharge passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph D. Cocca
  • Patent number: 4756289
    Abstract: A fuel pressure regulator base has a fuel chamber adapted for plug-connection directly to the fuel rail to receive fuel from the rail, a flexible diaphragm closes the chamber, a cover forms a pressure chamber with the diaphragm, and the pressure regulator base further has a pressure passage adapted for plug-connection directly to the inlet manifold and extending to the pressure chamber to transfer the manifold pressure to the pressure chamber. The diaphragm thereby senses the difference between the fuel pressure and the manifold pressure and operates a valve to discharge excess fuel from the fuel chamber and the fuel rail and thus maintain the fuel in the rail at the desired pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Rock, Carl H. Sherwood
  • Patent number: 4732588
    Abstract: A fuel vapor storage canister includes a vapor inlet for introducing vapor into the canister and a bed of adsorbant material in fluid communication with the inlet for adsorbing vapor within the canister. A vapor purge tube is in fluid communication with the bed for purging fuel vapor from the bed. A thermoelectric cooler/heater selectively cools the inlet tube to promote condensation of vapors therein and selectively and alternatively heats the bed to promote purging of vapors from the bed and the remainder of the canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Covert, William E. Gifford, Edwin C. Storey
  • Patent number: 4727827
    Abstract: In a diesel engine fuel injection system, a fuel injection pump draws fuel from a reservoir, delivers a portion of the fuel to the engine, and directs excess fuel through a return line back to the reservoir. A supply pump delivers fuel from a tank to the reservoir to maintain a constant volume of fuel in the reservoir. A fuel metering unit measures the rate of fuel delivery by the supply pump. An additive pump feeds an additive through the return line to the reservoir where the additive mixes with the fuel. The fuel metering unit controls the additive pump to proportion the rate at which additive is fed to the reservoir to the rate at which fuel is delivered by the supply pump, and the amount of additive delivered to the engine is thereby proportioned to the amount of fuel consumed by the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 1, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Mark B. Hoffman, Paul D. Ryan
  • Patent number: 4724861
    Abstract: A fuel tank filler neck has a partition providing a vent orifice for vapor flow from a fuel introduction tube to a vapor discharge fitting. A ball valve guided beneath the orifice is adapted to float into engagement across the orifice to prevent liquid fuel from passing through said orifice. A filler neck restrictor plate is carried on an actuating arm that has a cam surface engaging the ball valve. The cam surface engages the ball valve across the orifice to inhibit flow of fuel vapor through the orifice when the restrictor plate inhibits introduction of fuel through the filler neck, and permits the ball valve to drop away from the orifice to permit flow of fuel vapor through said orifice when the restrictor plate permits introduction of fuel through the filler neck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Covert, Joseph Fornuto, Roy A. Giacomazzi, William E. Gifford, Carl H. Sherwood
  • Patent number: 4725040
    Abstract: A valve assembly for controlling recirculation of exhaust gases has three solenoid operated valve members that meter flow of exhaust gases through calibrated outlets from an exhaust gas chamber. Each valve member has a valve stem extending to its solenoid armature, and each valve stem is surrounded by a pair of spring-biased seals that seal the openings around the valve stems into the solenoid coils and the chamber. In this assembly, each armature-valve member-seal floats laterally to compensate for potential misalignment between the solenoid coils and the outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Fornuto, Peter R. Wendt
  • Patent number: 4714485
    Abstract: A canister adapted to store fuel vapor discharged from a fuel tank has an inlet chamber that forms a trap for liquid fuel. Fuel is purged from the canister through a purge tube that has a small liquid purge hole at the bottom of the chamber and a large vapor purge hole spaced above the bottom of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Covert, William E. Gifford, Craig G. Kemler, Gordon R. Paddock
  • Patent number: 4706708
    Abstract: A fuel tank filler neck has a plate that pivots between a position restricting the filler neck and a position permitting introduction of fuel through the filler neck. A vent housing secured on the filler neck has a vapor inlet fitting and a vapor outlet fitting connected through a vent orifice, a pressure relief orifice, and a vacuum relief orifice. A diaphragm vent valve controls flow through the vent orifice. An actuating arm pivoted with the restrictor plate engages the vent valve across the vent orifice when the restrictor plate restricts the filler neck, and permits the vent valve to allow vapor flow from the vapor inlet fitting through the vent orifice to the vapor outlet fitting when the restrictor plate permits introduction of fuel through the filler neck. A diaphragm valve controls flow through the pressure relief orifice, and an umbrella valve controls flow through the vacuum relief orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Fornuto, William E. Gifford, Daniel Nolan, Carl H. Sherwood
  • Patent number: 4703738
    Abstract: A valve obstructs flow of fuel vapor to an engine induction passage both when the engine is not operating and when the engine is operating with a closed throttle, and varies flow of fuel vapor to the induction passage when the engine is operating with an open throttle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Chris M. DeMinco, Martin J. Field, Debra E. Serth
  • Patent number: 4699176
    Abstract: In an exhaust emission control system for an automotive internal combustion engine, an air control valve assembly either directs air flow provided by an engine driven air pump to the engine exhaust ports or to an exhaust system catalytic converter, or diverts the air flow away from the exhaust system. The air control valve assembly has a single diaphragm with three independent diaphragm valve elements, each operated by the air pump discharge pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Gordon R. Paddock
  • Patent number: 4695342
    Abstract: To form a pair of truck cab frames, a pair of mandrels are provided in base-to-base relationship, filamentary material is wound about the mandrels to form four corner pillars, four roof rails and two roof cross-members of each frame, and the corner pillars of one frame are separated from the corner pillars of the other frame adjacent the bases of the mandrels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Gordon F. Belleau, Michael J. Jelcin, Charles F. Verga
  • Patent number: 4693223
    Abstract: A fuel connector has a projection with a threaded external surface that mates with the threaded internal surface of a fuel injection valve fitting, and also has a sleeve surrounding the fitting. An O-ring engages the internal surface of the sleeve and the external surface of the fitting and allows the valve to be rotated relative to the connector without breaking the sealing engagement between the valve and the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Edgar S. Eshleman, Martin J. Field, James L. Penwright
  • Patent number: 4693393
    Abstract: A fuel vapor storage canister has inner and outer covers that define a labyrinth through which the purge air flow is directed. The labyrinth inhibits ingestion of water and dirt as purge air is drawn into the canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Chris M. DeMinco, Martin J. Field, Richard K. Judd
  • Patent number: 4683862
    Abstract: A canister adapted to store fuel vapor discharged from a fuel tank has an inlet chamber at one end that forms a trap for liquid fuel. Fuel is purged from the canister through a purge tube that has a small liquid purge hole at the bottom of the chamber and a large vapor purge hole spaced above the bottom of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1986
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Fornuto, William E. Gifford, Karen M. Meyer
  • Patent number: D290462
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Charles A. Mendenhall
  • Patent number: D305028
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Carl H. Sherwood, Peter R. Wendt