Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – Fluid pressure discharge means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-03
2001-04-03
Brinson, Patrick (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
Fluid pressure discharge means
C239S588000, C285S246000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209804
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to apparatus for removably and sealably connecting a flexible hose to an inlet or outlet port in the wall of a vessel, more particularly, to a bulkhead fitting including a barbed adapter for receiving the end portion of a flexible hose thereupon for detachably retaining the hose in the fitting; and most particularly, to a barbed hose adapter, insertable into a tank inlet or outlet boss, for receiving a flexible hose thereupon and having male or female latching means for cooperating with female or male latching means on the boss to prevent rotation of the adapter in the boss during and after tightening of a compression nut on the boss for retaining the hose on the adapter. The present invention is useful, for example, in removably attaching a sprayer hose to the tank of a garden sprayer.
It is known to use a bulkhead fitting comprising a compression nut for attaching a flexible, semi-elastic hose to the inlet or outlet of a vessel. Typically, a vessel port is provided with a male-threaded boss extending outwards from the wall of the vessel. The boss may be further formed to have a male portion having an axial passage there through and extending outwards from the boss for receiving in female relationship the end of the flexible hose. A female-threaded compression nut is screwed onto the boss to compressibly capture the end of the hose onto the male portion. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,423 issued Jan. 12, 1993 to Combeau.
Alternatively, for ease and economy of manufacture, in place of the integral male extension of the boss, a separate intermediate hose-receivable adapter having an axial passage there through and having one or more saw-tooth annular expansions (“barbs”) or ridges on its outer surface may be provided and sealably disposed within the boss. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,995 issued May 3, 1994 to Jackson et al. wherein the end of the hose is urged into the boss by a compression nut and is clamped to the mouth of the boss by an inwardly facing surface of an intermediate hose adapter.
A problem can occur with some bulkhead fittings having separate intermediate hose adapters. During use of the coupled hose and vessel, for example, as in a conventional garden tank sprayer, torsional forces may be exerted on the hose. Because the hose is captured by the nut in a frictional and compressional fit between the adapter and the boss, such forces have been known to cause the nut, hose, and adapter to become unscrewed as a unit from the boss, resulting in undesirable leakage and loss of pressure from the tank. Such leakage can be messy, leading to customer dissatisfaction with the device, and can also be hazardous to the operator.
What is needed is a system for removably attaching a flexible hose to a tank boss via an intermediate hose adapter wherein the adapter is prevented from rotating within the boss during and after tightening of a compression nut.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide a system for attaching a hose to a tank wherein torsional forces on the hose are prevented from causing unscrewing of the compression nut.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system for attaching a hose to a tank wherein the hose may be readily installed onto and removed from the tank.
Briefly described, a bulkhead fitting embodying the invention includes a tank boss and an intermediate hose-receiving adapter, each having respectively a male or female longitudinally-oriented latching portion such that when the adapter is inserted into the boss, the latching portions come together to prevent relative rotation between the boss and the adapter. The female latching portion may comprise a longitudinal groove in the outer surface of either the boss or the adapter, and the male latching portion may comprise a longitudinal tab extending from an outer portion of either the boss or adapter and matable with the corresponding female latching portion. In a currently preferred embodiment, two grooves are disposed 180° apart in the outer end of the boss and two tabs are disposed 180° apart on a flange of the barbed adapter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 787529 (1905-04-01), Muehtberg
patent: 1160944 (1915-11-01), Muller
patent: 1181280 (1916-05-01), Winter
patent: 3623753 (1971-11-01), Henry
patent: 4192464 (1980-03-01), Chow
patent: 4736969 (1988-04-01), Fouts
patent: 5178423 (1993-01-01), Combeau
patent: 5307995 (1994-05-01), Jackson et al.
patent: 5605359 (1997-02-01), Hoff
patent: 5622393 (1997-04-01), Elbich et al.
patent: 5879033 (1999-03-01), Hansel et al.
Brinson Patrick
Chapin Manufacturing, Inc.
Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP
Nguyen Dinh Q.
LandOfFree
Bulkhead fitting for a tank sprayer having a non-rotatable... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Bulkhead fitting for a tank sprayer having a non-rotatable..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Bulkhead fitting for a tank sprayer having a non-rotatable... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2497965