Pipe coupling socket

Valves and valve actuation – With correlated flow path – Valve operated by joining flow path sections

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C137S614050, C251S149900

Reexamination Certificate

active

06779777

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe coupling socket which uses a ball valve as a valving element and to or from which a plug can be attached or detached speedily and easily, and more particularly, to a pipe coupling socket suited for the connection between an air tool or the like and piping.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional pipe coupling sockets of this type are described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-108279 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,063, for example.
If a plug is inserted into a plug inlet of the pipe coupling socket described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-108279, in connecting the plug, a plug connecting sleeve and a valve control sleeve, having so far been retreated, advance. Thereupon, the plug is locked by means of the plug connecting sleeve, and a valve is opened by means of the valve control sleeve. In disconnecting the valve, the valve control sleeve is retreated, the valve is closed in the middle of the retreat, and a fluid in the plug is discharged to the outside. If the valve control sleeve is retreated further, the plug connecting sleeve retreats to unlock the plug, whereupon the plug can be disconnected from the pipe coupling socket.
If a plug is inserted into a plug inlet of the pipe coupling socket described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,063, in connecting the plug, on the other hand, a plug connecting sleeve, having so far been retreated, advances to lock the plug. If a valve control sleeve is advanced thereafter, the valve is opened. In disconnecting the plug, the valve is closed by retreating the valve control sleeve, and a fluid in the plug is discharged to the outside. If the plug connecting sleeve is retreated thereafter, the plug is unlocked, whereupon the plug can be disconnected from the pipe coupling socket.
Further, either of the pipe coupling sockets described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-108279 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,063 is designed so that the valve control sleeve cannot be advanced, that is, the valve cannot be opened, unless the plug control sleeve is advanced. Means for holding the plug control sleeve in the retreated position shares lock balls with lock means for locking the plug. When the plug is not connected, the plug control sleeve engages the lock balls on the centrifugal side and is prevented from advancing. As the lock balls move to the centripetal direction when the plug is connected, the engagement is canceled, whereupon the plug control sleeve advances.
These pipe coupling sockets may be used for the connection of air piping and an air tool. In moving the air tool to another neighboring job site, regarding the pipe coupling socket described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-108279, the plug connecting sleeve also retreats to cause the plug to be disconnected inevitably if the valve control sleeve is retreated to close the valve. Thus, the pipe coupling socket and the plug cannot be connected with the valve closed. Therefore, the plug may be either kept connected or disconnected as the tool is moved. In the former case, the valve is open, so the air tool may be accidentally actuated and cause injury while the air tool is being moved. Although the latter case is free from this problem, it is subject to a problem that the plug must be connected again at a destination, which is troublesome.
Since the valve control sleeve that is advanced to open the valve is allowed to retreat, moreover, the valve control sleeve may possibly run against some surrounding obstacles and retreat during the operation of the air tool, thereby causing the valve and the plug to be closed and disconnected, respectively.
In the case of the pipe coupling socket described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,063, furthermore, the pipe coupling socket and the plug can be connected in a manner such that only the valve control sleeve is retreated to close the valve. Since the valve control sleeve can advance, however, there is a problem that the valve control sleeve may possibly run against some surrounding obstacles and advance as the air tool moves, thereby causing the valve to open.
Further, either of the pipe coupling sockets described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-108279 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,063 shares the same lock balls with the lock means for locking the plug as means for holding the plug control sleeve in the retreated position. Therefore, the lock balls may possibly move to the centripetal direction with the plug connected only partially to a pipe coupling. In this case, the plug control sleeve inevitably advances despite the partial connection of the plug, thus the valve control sleeve is unavoidably allowed to advance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a pipe coupling socket provided with lock means that prevents the advance and retreat of a valve control sleeve and a plug connecting sleeve, whereby safety is improved.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe coupling socket in which the advance of a plug connecting sleeve is prevented so that a valve cannot be opened by means of a valve control sleeve if valve connection is partial, whereby safety is improved.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe coupling socket in which seal valve-seats are prevented from being pressed to the ball valve under a fluid pressure. This ensures the durability of the seal valve-seats and the perfection of sealing.
In order to achieve the above objects, the invention according to claim
1
is a pipe coupling socket having a piping junction at one end thereof and a plug inlet at the other end, in which a piping passage and the plug inlet are internally connected by means of a through passage of a built-in ball valve, comprising: a socket body having therein a valve chamber, one end of which communicates with the piping passage and the other end of which communicates with the plug inlet, the ball valve located for rotation in the valve chamber, and a valve control sleeve which is fitted on the outer periphery of the socket body and which advances to open the ball valve and retreats to close the ball valve; a locking element which is supported on the distal end portion of the socket body for movement in the centripetal and centrifugal directions and engages an engaging groove formed on the outer periphery of a plug inserted in the plug inlet, thereby locking the plug; a plug connecting sleeve which is fitted on the distal-side outer periphery of the socket body and which advances to move the locking element to the centripetal direction, thereby locking the plug, and retreats to allow the locking element to move to the centrifugal direction, thereby unlocking the plug; first lock means which prevents the valve control sleeve from advancing when the plug connecting sleeve is situated in a retreated position; and second lock means which prevents the retreat of the plug connecting sleeve and the advance of the valve control sleeve when the plug connecting sleeve and the valve control sleeve are situated in an advanced position and a retreated position, respectively, and third lock means which prevents the retreat of the plug connecting sleeve and the valve control sleeve when the plug connecting sleeve and the valve control sleeve are situated in their respective advanced positions.
According to this configuration, the first lock means can prevent the valve control sleeve from advancing when the plug connecting sleeve is situated in the retreated position, the second lock means can prevent the retreat of the plug connecting sleeve and the advance of the valve control sleeve when the plug connecting sleeve and the valve control sleeve are situated in the advanced position and the retreated position, respectively, and the third lock means can prevent the retreat of the plug connecting sleeve and the valve control sleeve when the plug connecting sleeve and the valve control sleeve are situated in their respective advanced positions.
Preferably, the plug connecting sleeve is pre

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