Prior art — US Patent 11905896

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11905896, I will examine the patent citations listed within the document itself. The USPTO provides a Patent Public Search tool to access patent information and prior art.

The "Dual fuel selector switch" patent (US11905896B2) cites the following prior art documents:

US3696333A
- Full Citation: US3696333A, "Automatic engine starter", Mott, Willard, published October 3, 1972.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: October 3, 1972; Filing: June 10, 1970.
- Brief Description: This patent describes an automatic engine starter, which may involve fuel control but is primarily focused on the starting mechanism itself.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While this patent deals with engine operation, it does not appear to directly anticipate the specific dual-fuel selector switch mechanism that prevents simultaneous fuel flow, as claimed in US11905896. Its relevance might be in the broader field of engine control systems.
US4297742A
- Full Citation: US4297742A, "Engine and fuel shutdown control", Caterpillar Tractor Co., published October 27, 1981.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: October 27, 1981; Filing: August 11, 1977.
- Brief Description: This patent describes an engine and fuel shutdown control system. This system is concerned with stopping fuel flow rather than selecting between multiple fuel sources and preventing their simultaneous use.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference might be considered for its teaching of fuel shutdown, which is a component of controlling fuel flow. However, it does not appear to disclose the specific selector switch mechanism for mutually exclusive selection of two fuel sources, as claimed in US11905896 (e.g., Claim 1, Claim 7, Claim 15, Claim 21, Claim 30).
US4489699A
- Full Citation: US4489699A, "Control mechanism for selectively operating an internal combustion engine on two fuels", Outboard Marine Corporation, published December 25, 1984.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: December 25, 1984; Filing: October 23, 1981.
- Brief Description: This patent describes a control mechanism specifically for selectively operating an internal combustion engine on two fuels. This directly addresses the core concept of a dual-fuel system.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant. It explicitly deals with selectively operating an engine on two fuels. Depending on the details of its "control mechanism," it could potentially anticipate aspects of claims in US11905896, particularly those related to controlling fuel flow from two sources (e.g., Claim 1, Claim 7, Claim 15, Claim 21, Claim 30). Further analysis would be required to determine if its mechanism prevents concurrent use of both fuels in the same manner as the selector switch in US11905896, specifically the mechanical interlock described.
US20020125115A1
- Full Citation: US20020125115A1, "Full power switch assembly for portable generators", Burkholder, Robert F., published September 12, 2002.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: September 12, 2002; Filing: March 7, 2001.
- Brief Description: This publication describes a full power switch assembly for portable generators, likely related to electrical output control rather than dual-fuel selection.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference appears to be less directly related to the specific fuel selection and interlock mechanism of US11905896. Its relevance would be limited to the broader context of generator control panels.
US20040240141A1
- Full Citation: US20040240141A1, "Electronic fuel selection switch system", Honeywell International Inc., published December 2, 2004.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: December 2, 2004; Filing: May 30, 2003.
- Brief Description: This publication describes an electronic fuel selection switch system.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is a highly relevant reference as it deals with a fuel selection switch system. If the electronic system described prevents simultaneous fuel flow and achieves the same safety interlock as the mechanical system of US11905896, it could potentially anticipate various claims, particularly Independent Claims 7, 15, 21, and 30, especially if the means for selection and prevention of concurrent flow are broadly claimed in US11905896 without specific mechanical limitations. The distinction here would be between electronic vs. mechanical interlock.
US20040246118A1
- Full Citation: US20040246118A1, "System and method for indicating fluid condition", Tharman, Paul A., published December 9, 2004.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: December 9, 2004; Filing: June 4, 2003.
- Brief Description: This publication describes a system and method for indicating fluid condition, which is less directly related to fuel selection and interlock.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is unlikely to anticipate the core claims of US11905896, as its focus is on fluid condition indication rather than dual-fuel selection and prevention of concurrent flow.
US20060169238A1
- Full Citation: US20060169238A1, "Engine generator", Mazuka, Naoto, published August 3, 2006.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: August 3, 2006; Filing: December 7, 2004.
- Brief Description: This publication describes an engine generator in a general sense.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This broad reference on engine generators is unlikely to specifically anticipate the detailed dual-fuel selector switch mechanism of US11905896.
US20070137591A1
- Full Citation: US20070137591A1, "Engine operated generator", Honda Motor Co., Ltd., published June 21, 2007.
- Publication/Filing Date: Publication: June 21, 2007; Filing: September 29, 2004.
- Brief Description: This publication describes an engine-operated generator in a general sense.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US20060169238A1, this reference is too general to specifically anticipate the novel features of the dual-fuel selector switch in US11905896.

Based on this analysis, the most relevant prior art references for US11905896 are likely to be US4489699A and US20040240141A1, as they both address aspects of dual-fuel engine operation or fuel selection systems. The degree to which they anticipate US11905896 depends on the specific details of their mechanisms for preventing concurrent fuel flow, especially the mechanical interlock described in US11905896.