Lightweight fire hose coupling with protective shoulder and method of manufacturing the coupling
AssigneeMercedes Textiles Ltd.
InventorRobert Richardson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fire hose coupling includes a substantially annular body having a first end adapted to connect to a fire hose and a second end having male threads. The annular body has a central bore. The coupling includes circumferentially spaced-apart lugs extending radially outwardly from an outer surface of the first end of the body. The coupling further includes a protective shoulder extending radially outwardly from the body between the male threads and the lugs. The protective shoulder has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the male threads to thereby protect the male threads.
Claims19
A method of manufacturing a fire hose coupling, the method comprising:
- providing a metal bar stock;
- boring a hole in the metal bar stock;
- cutting away an outer portion of the metal bar stock to define an annular body having a constant outer diameter and to define a plurality of lugs extending radially outwardly from the annular body and to further define a single circular shoulder that extends radially outwardly from the annular body;
- and
- cutting male threads on a second end of the annular body such that the shoulder lies between the male threads and the lugs and such that an outer diameter of the male threads is less than an outer diameter of the shoulder,
- wherein the shoulder has a thickness less than a circumferential width of each lug, wherein the circumferential direction at a maximum radial extension of each lug, and
- wherein the shoulder of the first hose coupling protects the male threads from damage when the fire hose coupling is dropped or when the fire hose coupling collides with hard surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.