Pipe joints or couplings – Pipe to discreet nipple or sleeve to plate – Expandable detent engages plate to hold nipple
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-30
2004-04-20
Nicholson, Eric K. (Department: 3679)
Pipe joints or couplings
Pipe to discreet nipple or sleeve to plate
Expandable detent engages plate to hold nipple
C285S210000, C285S207000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06722704
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The invention concerns a connecting fitting for fixing longitudinal bodies such as tubing, corrugated tubing, pipes, cables or other such things to an opening, especially to a perforation or punch hole, for example, in a wall of a housing or some such surface, whereby the connecting fitting features a fastening projection which protrudes axially in the direction of insertion, which is divided, essentially, into holding tongues by slots that extend in the axial direction. On the outside of these tongues, at least when in use, there are retaining projecting elements that project radially outwardly, so that when the fastening projection is pushed into the opening, the holding tongues achieve a holding position behind the edge of the opening (perforation or similar hole), in that they at least partially extend behind this edge. A stop is also situated at a distance from the retaining projecting elements. When in use, this stop lies on the edge of the opening opposite the edge of the opening which is engaged from the rear. The stop is formed of an elastic or elastic rubber ring which is supported by an oblique surface of the connecting fitting which expands from the opening from the inside to the outside in an oblique manner, whereby the ring can be moved and displaced, because of its elastic reset ability, in the axial direction when the diameter is elastically enlarged.
This type of connecting fitting is already known from the German Patent DE 198 04 719 C1, and has been proven useful, because it can be used on openings, holes, or perforations of housing walls with differing wall thicknesses, whereby the elasticity of the ring forming the stop is utilized for adjusting to differing wall thicknesses, since this ring is supported on one of the surfaces of the connecting fitting expanding away from the opening and can be more or less displaced, depending on the thickness of the wall, by the elastic enlargement of its diameter.
However, the greatest possible wall thickness is limited to the distance between the beginning of the oblique surface and the retaining projecting elements that extend behind the opening in the wall. Moreover, an elastic ring with a relatively large cross section must be used in consideration of relatively thin wall thicknesses, which also makes a greater displacement ability necessary for use with relatively large wall thicknesses. In addition, an elastic ring with a larger cross section also means higher costs.
SUMMARY
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a connecting fitting of the type defined in the introduction, whereby rings with a smaller cross section can be used as stops, therefore also enabling the fitting to be used with greater wall thicknesses.
As a solution to this seemingly contradictory task, a connecting fitting is provided that is divided into separate parts adjacent to the region with the oblique surface and/or in the region of the largest diameter of the oblique surface; the separate part with the oblique surface on the connecting fitting can be displaced in the axial direction, enabling the axial distance of the oblique surface from the retaining projecting elements to be modified or selected.
In this way, it is possible to allow for a wall thickness in the region of a perforation of the housing to be engaged from behind in such a way that an elastic ring with a relatively small cross section is sufficient to achieve the desired fastening. This elastic ring, an O-ring for example, can be correspondingly inexpensive. In addition, above all, there is no large displacement force exerted on the elastic stop ring, even with large wall thicknesses, which can also be allowed for by the displacement of the part with the oblique surface.
Additionally, even larger wall thicknesses can be engaged without problems, due to the possibility of displacing the part with the oblique surface opposite the connecting fitting in an axial direction.
It is especially convenient if the separate part with the oblique surface can be displaced in the axial direction, and then also immobilized by means of turning on a screw threading. In this way, an infinitely variable adjustment to different wall thicknesses can be achieved. For fixing the position, the self stopping action of the screw threading, especially in conjunction with the elastic ring or O-ring, is sufficient in most cases.
The part with the oblique surface can be a ring which has internal screw threading over at least part of its axial length, and which fits onto an outer screw thread on the connecting fitting. This makes it possible to achieve a simple axial displacement by turning this ring, which then can also adjust the elastic ring correspondingly.
The part with the oblique surface can have a ring area located adjacent to the oblique surface in an axial direction, situated at a further distance from the retaining projecting elements than from the oblique surface when in use. This ring area can be constructed as a gripping ring for turning and/or provided with indentations for grasping it by hand or, if necessary, by a tool. It is therefore especially conducive to ease of use if the area with the oblique surface is divided up, with some distance from the end of the oblique surface, i.e. from the area with the largest diameter opposite the connecting fitting, so that a gripping ring is also formed at the same time, allowing the part with the oblique surface or the ring to be comfortably grasped and turned for fastening together.
A modified version of the invention can be constructed in which the part with the oblique surface or the ring can be axially displaced in stages and can be immobilized by means of a detachable bolting device, e.g. with a cross pin that fits into cross perforations of the part or ring and the connecting fitting. Since the elastic ring serving as a stop can adapt to differences in wall thickness at the perforation in the housing, spaced-apart or graduated displacements and immobilizations of the separate part with the oblique surface can suffice for adapting to large differences in wall thickness without any problem. The use of screw threads can thus be avoided.
In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the cross pin can be constructed as a bolt, whereby the pin itself is correspondingly well secured in its locked position. The number of cross perforations depends, then, on the overall differences in wall thickness in the area of a housing perforation that the device is supposed to be able to bridge.
For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the connecting fitting can be provided with another screw threading for a collet, so that a collet with clamps can be situated inside the connecting fitting and operated in a self-evident manner, e.g. for immobilizing a cable.
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Bartholoma Mario
Gerber Philipp
Gotz Volker
Zugel Fritz
Anton Hummel Verwaltungs - GmbH
Nicholson Eric K.
Volpe and Koenig P.C.
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