Pipe joints or couplings – Essential catch
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2003-05-27
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3679)
Pipe joints or couplings
Essential catch
C285S319000, C285S039000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568716
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns securing couplings for corrugated pipes.
Various types of securing couplings for corrugated pipes have been known for many years. Numerous types indicate spring-loaded locking elements with elastic fingers which are provided with projections which again engage in a wave trough of a corrugated pipe in order to establish and accomplish a position-fixation of the pipe. The fingers of such couplings suffer an elastic deflection when the pipe is pushed into and removed from its position.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE 39 03 353 discloses a connecting fitting for circumferentially flanged pipes or hoses, particularly for flexible corrugated hoses with corrugations or the like which are transverse to the hose axis and run around the circumference. The connecting fitting has a sleeve to accommodate the end of the corrugated hose, and in the wall of this sleeve there is a single tongue, which is deflectable against a restoring force of a resilient region. This tongue extends in the axial direction of the sleeve and has a projection directed into the interior of the sleeve for the purpose of engaging a corrugation or the like of the corrugated hose or corrugated pipe to fix its axial position. The region of the tongue exhibiting the projection has a large dimension in the circumferential direction and the length of the projection in the circumferential direction of the sleeve is at least approximately equal to the internal radius of the sleeve.
In DE 296 13 054 U1, a pipe connector made of plastic is disclosed, consisting of a sleeve-shaped body designed to accommodate a rigid or flexible pipe (hose). The jacket of this body contains at least one formed tongue, which is formed by a somewhat U-shaped recess and has spring-supported movement around its base. The tongue has at its free end a blocking element for engaging in a recess or for a rear grip of a flange of a pipe pressed forward into position, and the tongue and the blocking element are oriented at a right angle to the sleeve axis.
EP 0414500 discloses a coupling wherein a finger is connected with the tubular body of the coupling by way of lateral mounting elements which ensure that the finger has flexible or resilient displacement because of elastic torsional straining of the elements around a transverse axis.
The disadvantage with all these couplings is the fact that the locking elements or fingers, respectively, are either too weak in order to keep the corrugated conduit in position against a strong withdrawing force, or they are strong enough to hold the corrugated conduit but are too stiff to allow the conduit to be pressed conveniently into the coupling. In addition, there is a possibility of allowing, without a tool, an unforeseeable release of the corrugated pipe either by means of unintentional and/or intentional misuse swivelling of a corresponding finger. This is a significant disadvantage especially in safety-relevant areas and applications.
From the statements made above, the problem subsequently results that, with the help of newly designed securing couplings for corrugated pipes, the above-mentioned disadvantages are to be at least partially eliminated. The resulting problem is, in particular, to provide securing couplings for corrugated pipes which—especially only with the help of a tool—allow in an uncomplicated manner the possible release of a previously fixed-positioned corrugated pipe and which prevent the corrugated pipe from slipping out of position unintentionally.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The securing coupling according to the invention includes a tubular sleeve with an open lead-in end for receiving a corrugated pipe, at least a first locking tongue which is movably arranged in a first aperture in the circumferential wall of the sleeve, and at least one blocking projection for the engagement into a circumferential groove of the corrugated pipe. The locking tongue, with reference to the sleeve, is connected by means of at least one securing element at the sleeve, radially movable with a spring effect, so that the blocking projection can be disengaged from the groove of the corrugated pipe.
The locking tongue is preferably arranged in a sleeve section which is pivotable radially outward from the peripheral wall of the tubular sleeve by means of an integral hinge.
By means of the integral hinge and with a corresponding design and construction of the sleeve section and the part of the tubular element of the securing coupling accommodating the open end of the sleeve section, an uncomplicated opening is possible only with the help of a tool. The blocking projection of the tongue on the sleeve section is thus disengaged from the groove of the corrugated pipe.
The securing coupling preferably also includes at least one second locking tongue, movably arranged in a second aperture in the peripheral wall of the sleeve, opposite the first locking tongue, where the second locking tongue with reference to the sleeve is joined by way of at least one securing element not designed as an integral hinge. In this way, and with the opening of a sleeve section, an unintentional or accidental slipping-out of the corrugated pipe is practically avoided because at least the second locking tongue engages in the peripheral groove of the corrugated pipe. With the design of the connection or joining of the second locking tongue as an integral hinge, a release of a corrugated pipe would only be possible by way of an unlocking with an auxiliary tool where, with a previous unlocking, an unintentional slipping-out would be possible upon loosening/disengagement of the (first) integral hinge. In order to avoid this, the second joining/connection of the second locking tongue is not to be designed as an integral hinge.
The tubular sleeve includes a bearing ring at the open lead-in end, at least in the zone of the sleeve section, as a corrugated pipe is fixedly positioned in the securing coupling, and the stability of the joining/connection of the sleeve section to the sleeve established by way of the integral hinge is increased.
Furthermore, the bearing ring is oval shaped because a very good fixation of a corrugated pipe is possible and, beyond this, the loosening/disengagement of the corrugated pipe—with the sleeve section opened—is only possible with the help of a tool at radial displacement of the second locking tongue into a release position outside of engagement in a groove of the corrugated pipe. Therefore, an unintentional falling-out of the corrugated pipe is practically ruled out.
With this design arrangement, and by means of a light reciprocating movement of the previously fixed-positioned hose and/or by minor radial deformation of the sleeve, the corrugated pipe can be released and, consequently, drawn out of the securing coupling. This represents—after opening the sleeve section—a particularly uncomplicated release of the corrugated pipe from the securing coupling.
The second locking tongue includes a lever arm protruding over the securing element in the axial direction over the open lead-in end. By pivoting the lever arm in the direction of the sleeve axis, and subsequently a relatively convenient release of the secured corrugated pipe with the integral hinge opened—is possible by means of a radial pivoting of the second locking tongue to a release position outside of engagement.
The second securing coupling includes a tubular sleeve with an open lead-in end for accommodating the corrugated pipe, where the sleeve carries at least one blocking projection for the engagement into a peripheral grove of the corrugated pipe. The blocking projection is arranged in a radially outward pivoting sleeve section from the peripheral wall of the tubular sleeve by means of an integral hinge.
By means of the integral hinge and with a corresponding design and construction of the sleeve section and the part of the tubular element of the securing coupling accommodating the open end of the sleeve section, an uncomplicated opening is possible only with the help of a t
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Collins G M
Flexa GmbH & Co. KG
Knight Anthony
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