Refrigeration hose with multiple access points and method of evacuating an air conditioning or refrigeration unit using the same
AssigneeUniweld Products, Inc.
InventorsDouglas B. Pearl, David Foster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hose having an upstream end and a downstream end, each of the upstream and downstream ends including a connecting member to connect the hose arrangement to, for example, the high side or the low side of an air conditioning or refrigeration unit, or to a manifold. An intermediate access fitting is provided along the length of the hose, such as a T-shaped fitting, and provides a port to enable the hose arrangement to be connected to a device conveniently and without the necessity of adapters. Also disclosed is a method of evacuating or dehydrating an air conditioning or refrigeration system using the hose.
Claims4
A flexible hose configured to connect to an external device, said flexible hose comprising an elongated member with an internal bore, said hose having first and second free ends, a first connector at said first free end configured to form a liquid-tight and gas-tight connection with a first one-way valve, a second connector at said second free end configured to form a liquid-tight and gas-tight seal connection with a manifold, and an intermediate access port positioned between said first and second free ends, said intermediate access port having an access fitting in fluid communication with said internal bore and receiving a second one-way valve, such that when said flexible hose is connected to said external device and said second one-way valve is actuated by said external device to an open position, fluid communication between said internal bore and said external device is established.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.