A fuel pump typically comprises a pump part standing on the ground, a display part positioned above the pump part and showing the chosen type of petrol, cash readout, volume readout etc, and a column to which one or more petrol hoses are connected.
When the tank of a vehicle is to be filled up, the driver parks the vehicle beside the petrol pump and opens the cover or cap of the vehicle's petrol tank. Then the driver selects the desired type of petrol and places the pump nozzle mounted at the end of the hose in the inlet of the vehicle's petrol tank and puts in the desired volume of petrol.
In some types of payment procedures, it is necessary to pay before filling-up can be started. For instance, charge card payment must in most cases be initiated by means of a card and code in an associated terminal before the pump is activated.
A difficulty that may arise in connection with filling-up is that the hose does not reach to the vehicle if parked a distance from the petrol pump. The reason why the vehicle has not been parked sufficiently close to the pump may be difficulty in maneuvering owing to a limited space round the petrol pump. It may also happen that the vehicle is first parked at a terminal for charge card payment. In that case the hose is usually not long enough and the driver must move the vehicle once more, which is time-consuming, so that it stands close to the petrol pump. To allow the hose to reach to the vehicle, it is usually necessary for the driver to park his vehicle so that the side of the vehicle where the filler cap is positioned faces the petrol pump. It is not always known to a driver of an unfamiliar vehicle whether the filler cap is positioned on the left or right side. This may result in the driver by mistake parking the vehicle on the wrong side of the pump and thus not being able to fill up the tank without moving the vehicle to the other side of the petrol pump since the hose does not reach all the way round the vehicle.
One way of facilitating access to the petrol pump is to provide it with a longer hose. This may, however, cause problems since a longer hose may tend to land on the ground when not used and thus get stuck in or be damaged by passing cars or other vehicles. To prevent this, the column may be provided with some kind of returning mechanism for the hose.
A problem common for hose returning devices is their size, or their extension within respective hose housings, which results in bulky structures.