Back to results
US 4,632,432 AGranted
Remote ball connector
AssigneeGripper, Inc.
InventorBobby J. Reneau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for connecting together a ball and a cup wherein the ball has mounted thereover a hydraulic flange assembly which includes extendable guide arms which extend outwardly for initial centering of the ball in alignment with the cup and includes a mechanism for pulling the ball into the cup. After the ball is fully aligned within the cup, radial latching segments move down and finally latch the ball and cup together. The entire apparatus is hydraulically operated such that it may be used for diverless connections of flowline portions together.
Claims18
Apparatus for connecting together first and second flowline members comprising:
- a female member adapted to be connected to a first flowline;
- a male member adapted to be connected to a second flowline;
- said male member including a ball portion having an exterior convex configuration of a sphere;
- said female member having a cup portion which is a concave interior portion partially in the configuration of a sphere to receive said ball portion of said male member;
- one of said male or female members having an attachment member;
- the other of said male or female members having a hydraulic flange assembly mounted therewith;
- guide means mounted with said hydraulic flange assembly for guiding said hydraulic flange assembly and said other member mounted therewith into a position of initial alignment with said one member;
- said guide means further including alignment means for pulling said male and female members together and into substantially final alignment such that said ball member is positioned within said cup member;
- final locking means mounted with said hydraulic flange assembly and forming a part thereof for moving from said hydraulic flange assembly into locked engagement with said one member;
- and
- mount means mounting said hydraulic flange assembly on said other member for limited movement of the hydraulic flange assembly with respect to said other member to cooperate with said guide means to align said male and female members.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.