Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Coupling part with relatively pivotable concentric...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-18
2002-04-09
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Coupling part with relatively pivotable concentric...
C439S318000, C285S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06368135
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a coupling device, more particularly to a coupling device for interconnecting the first and second slender members.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate a conventional tube light
1
that comprises a plurality of slender members
11
,
12
. One of the slender members
11
is provided with a power plug
112
. The other slender members
12
serve as lamp sections of the tube light. One of the slender members
11
,
12
of an adjacent pair is provided with a pair of pin conductors
132
. The other one of the slender members
11
,
12
of the adjacent pair is provided with a pair of socket conductors
131
for connecting with the pin conductors
132
, thereby establishing electrical connection between the adjacent pair of the slender members
11
,
12
. The slender members
11
,
12
of every adjacent pair are further interconnected by a coupling device
2
. Each coupling device
2
includes a positioning sleeve
22
, an externally threaded sleeve
21
and a nut member
24
. The positioning sleeve
22
is sleeved and secured on one end
122
of a first one of the slender members
12
, and has a front end portion formed with a radial outward stop flange
221
. The externally threaded sleeve
21
is sleeved and secured on one end
113
of a second one of the slender members
11
, and has an externally threaded front end portion
211
. The nut member
24
has a base ring portion
241
formed with a through-hole
242
to permit sleeving of the nut member
24
on the positioning sleeve
22
, and a surrounding wall portion
243
that extends forwardly from a periphery of the base ring portion
241
and that is formed with an internal screw thread
244
for engaging the externally threaded front end portion
211
of the externally threaded sleeve
After bringing the externally threaded sleeve
21
toward the positioning sleeve
22
to interconnect the pin and socket conductors
131
,
132
, the coupling device
2
can be used to connect the adjacent slender members
11
,
12
by engaging the nut member
24
threadedly with the externally threaded sleeve
21
until the base ring portion
241
abuts against the stop flange
221
in a fully tightened position of the nut member
24
. A ring gasket
23
, which is sleeved on the end
122
of the first one
20
of the slender members
12
, abuts sealingly against the stop flange
221
and the front end portion
211
of the externally threaded sleeve
21
for waterproofing purposes. As such, the coupling device
2
can be used to maintain the electrical connection between the
25
adjacent slender members
11
,
12
.
A main drawback of the conventional coupling device
2
resides in that the nut member
24
is easily moved and loosened. When the nut member
24
is loosened, it will affect the connection between the pin and socket conductors
131
,
132
, and the ring gasket
23
will be loosely retained between the externally threaded sleeve
21
and the positioning sleeve
22
, thereby affecting adversely the waterproofing capability of the coupling device
2
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a coupling device of the above-mentioned type that is capable of overcoming the aforesaid drawbacks commonly associated with the prior art.
Accordingly, the coupling device of the present invention includes a positioning sleeve, an externally threaded sleeve, a nut member and a limiting member. The positioning sleeve is adapted to be sleeved and secured on one end of a first slender member, and has a radial outward stop flange at a front end portion thereof, and a radial outward stop projection at a rear end portion thereof. The stop flange and the stop projection are spaced apart from each other along an axis of the positioning sleeve. The externally threaded sleeve is adapted to be sleeved and secured on one end of a second slender member, and has an externally threaded front end portion. The nut member has a base ring portion sleeved on the positioning sleeve, and a surrounding wall portion extending forwardly from a periphery of the base ring portion. The surrounding wall portion is formed with an internal screw thread for engaging the externally threaded front end portion of the externally threaded sleeve such that the base ring portion abuts against the stop flange in a fully tightened position of the nut member. The limiting member is sleeved on the positioning sleeve, and has a front end face that abuts against the base ring portion of the nut member and a rear end face that abuts against the stop projection, thereby arresting movement of the nut member from the fully tightened position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3881753 (1975-05-01), Bochory
patent: 4462653 (1984-07-01), Flederbach et al.
patent: 4500153 (1985-02-01), Mattingly, Jr. et al.
patent: 4829223 (1989-05-01), Broberg et al.
patent: 4990101 (1991-02-01), Blaisdell
patent: 5350201 (1994-09-01), Bynum
Chen Chi-Wen
Le Thanhi-Tam
Sircus Brian
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