US 4,070,003 AGranted

Coupler with automatic shut-off

AssigneesSidney J. Shames, Harold Shames

InventorsSidney J. Shames, Harold Shames, John F. Logan

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Abstract

A quick connection coupler for securement to a complementary nipple is produced principally of plastic parts by using molded slide-type cam jaws in a molded tubular body for gripping the nipple, and by using a molded downstream seal retainer telescoped into the coupler body for supporting a downstream packing that is to effect a seal with the downstream end of the nipple. The seal retainer preferably provides a valve thereon that operates automatically to close and prevent back flow through the coupler when the coupler is separated from the nipple, and to be opened for flow therepast upon connection of the coupler to the nipple.

Claims8

Dependent claims

In a coupler that includes:

elongated tubular body means having upstream and downstream ends, the upstream end being arranged to telescopically receive thereinto an exteriorly grooved nipple to which coupling is to be effected;
and a plurality of radially movable, arcuately shaped, interference members carried by said body means, each interference member having arcuate inner and outer edges and being movable radially between an outer, inoperative position, and an inner position where a portion of said interference members enter the nipple's groove to hold the nipple within the body means by interfering with withdrawal of the nipple from the tubular body means;
and means for selectively moving the interference members between said outer and inner positions;
the improvement comprising, in combination:
the elongated tubular body means being an elongated, unitary, tubular body part of molded plastic constructed to provide thereon an upstream annular section that is apertured transversely of the body's longitudinal axis to provide upstream attachment means adapted for effecting securement with said nipple, the upstream attachment means including a plurality of holes each of generally rectangular cross-section extending through the wall of the tubular body part to provide in the tubular body part a pair of end walls, located in planes that are substantially at right angles to each other, and a pair or parallel top and bottom walls spaced apart a fixed amount axially of said elongated tubular body;
the interference members each being constructed and arranged for substantially only radial slide-type movement in the space defined between the parallel walls of an associated one of said holes extending through said tubular body part, said interference members each being an arcuately, elongated molded plastic part provided with arcuate inner and outer edges and upper and lower parallel sides, and with ends transverse to said arcuate edges and parallel sides and located in planes that are substantially at right angles to each other;
and
an actuator sleeve surrounding the tubular body part and being freely slidably movable, axially in opposite directions relative to said body part, the sleeve having a cam means defined interiorly thereof and positioned to normally maintain the interference members in their inner position, the sleeve being selectively manually slidable to a second sleeve position, at which the interference members may move to their outer inoperative position.

5 more elements

In a coupler that includes:

elongated tubular body means having upstream and downstream ends, the upstream end being arranged to telescopically receive thereinto an exteriorly grooved nipple to which coupling is to be effected;
and a plurality of radially movable, arcuately shaped, interference members carried by said body means, each interference member having arcuate inner and outer edges and being movable radially between an outer, inoperative position, and an inner position where a portion of said interference members enter the nipple's groove to hold the nipple within the body means by interfering with withdrawal of the nipple from the tubular body means;
and means for selectively moving the interference members between said outer and inner positions;
the improvement comprising, in combination:
the elongated tubular body means being an elongated, unitary, tubular body part of molded plastic constructed to provide thereon, adjacent its upstream end, an upstream annular section that is apertured transversely of the body's longitudinal axis to provide upstream attachment means adapted for effecting securement with said nipple, the upstream attachment means including a plurality of circumferentially elongated, slot-like holes extending through and completely surrounded by the wall of the tubular body part;
the interference members each being constructed and arranged for substantially only radial slide-type movement in the associated one of said slot-like holes extending through said tubular body part, said interference members each being an arcuately elongated molded plastic part provided with arcuate inner and outer edges;
an actuator sleeve surrounding the tubular body part and being freely slidably movable, axially in opposite directions relative to said body part, the sleeve having a cam means defined interiorly thereof and positioned to normally maintain the interference members in their inner position, the sleeve being selectively manually slidable to a second sleeve position, at which the interference members may move to their outer inoperative position;
the interior of the elongated, unitary tubular molded plastic body part, that is downstream of said upstream attachment means, being provided with a pair of axially spaced, annular abutments that define upstream and downstream ends of an internal elongated sealing sleeve;
an annular, flexible, seal means of U-shaped cross-section positioned within said plastic body part with the bight of the U of the seal means engaging the upstream abutment and with the outer leg of the U-shape engaging the internal elongated sealing sleeve;
and
a molded, axially elongated, tubular retainer for the seal means telescoped into, and frictionally retained by engagement with, a portion of the said tubular body part located downstream of said internal elongated sealing sleeve, the upstream end of said tubular retainer being of selected diameter and wall thickness to engage the downstream one of said pair of annular abutments and to extend radially inwardly of said one abutment to a position to prevent movement of the seal means downstream of said elongated sealing sleeve.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

In a coupler that includes:

elongated tubular body means having upstream and downstream ends, the upstream end being arranged to telescopically receive thereinto an exteriorly grooved nipple to which coupling is to be effected;
and a plurality of radially movable, arcuately shaped, interference members carried by said body means, each interference member having arcuate inner and outer edges and being movable radially between an outer, inoperative position, and an inner position where a portion of said interference members enter the nipple's groove to hold the nipple within the body means by interfering with withdrawal of the nipple from the tubular body means;
and means for selectively moving the interference members between said outer and inner positions;
the improvement comprising, in combination:
the elongated tubular body means being an elongated, unitary, tubular body part of molded plastic constructed to provide thereon an upstream annular section that is apertured transversely of the body's longitudinal axis to provide upstream attachment means adapted for effecting securement with said nipple, the upstream attachment means including a plurality of holes each of generally rectangular cross-section extending through the wall of the tubular body part to provide in the tubular body part a pair of end walls, located in planes that are substantially at right angles to each other, and a pair or parallel top and bottom walls spaced apart a fixed amount axially of said elongated tubular body;
the interference members each being constructed and arranged for substantially only radial slide-type movement in the space defined between the parallel walls of an associated one of said holes extending through said tubular body part, said interference members each being an arcuately, elongated molded plastic part provided with arcuate inner and outer edges and upper and lower parallel sides, and with ends transverse to said arcuate edges and parallel sides and located in planes that are substantially at right angles to each other;
and
an actuator sleeve surrounding the tubular body part and being freely slidably movable, axially in opposite directions relative to said body part, the sleeve having a cam means defined interiorly thereof and positioned to normally maintain the interference members in their inner position, the sleeve being selectively manually slidable to a second sleeve position, at which the interference members may move to their outer inoperative position.

5 more elements