Pipe slip joint system
OwnerZimmerman, Harry M.inventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An in-line pipe coupling comprising a joint housing which encloses a piston means having a standard diameter pipe section which protrudes from one end of the joint housing may be compressed and inserted into a small cutaway section of existing pipeline and then expanded to fit over the two free ends of pipe, forming a continuous water-tight connection. The slip joint may be utilized in conjunction with either a standard straight pipe coupling or a T-coupling or cross coupling in order to facilitate addition of one or more branch lines to an existing pipeline.
Claims5
An expandable pipe coupling which comprises:
- an elongated housing having first and second ends, said housing defining an elongated cylindrical bore therein;
- a radially inwardly-directed annular flange on said housing proximate said second end, said flange defining a piston pipe aperture coaxial with and of smaller diameter than said cylindrical bore;
- a tubular piston comprising an elongated piston pipe with a radially enlarged annular piston head proximate one end, said piston being axially telescopically mounted in said housing with said piston head slideably engaged in said cylindrical bore and said piston pipe slideably engaged in said flange aperture with said pipe projecting axially outwardly from said second end of said housing in all axial positions of said piston;
- and
- an annular reducer bushing rigidly attached to said housing proximate said first end, said reducer bushing being a separate structural part from said cylinder so as to enable the expandable pipe coupling to be assembled by insertion of said piston into said cylinder through said first end toward said second end prior to attachment of said reducer bushing to said cylinder;
- the concentric interface between said piston head and said cylindrical bore defining a substantially fluid tight seal, and the attachment of said reducer bushing to said housing also defining a substantially fluid tight seal;
- said reducer bushing defining the limit of travel of said piston toward said first end of said housing, and opposing annular shoulders on said piston head and said flange defining the limit of travel of said piston toward said second end of said housing;
- said concentric interface between said piston head and said cylindrical bore comprising O-ring seal means mounted on said piston head;
- said housing having annular groove means therein stepped radially outwardly from said cylindrical bore and in registry with said O-ring seal means when said piston is at its said limit of travel toward said first end of said housing so that said O-ring seal means is substantially uncompressed radially in such position of said piston.
In an expandable pipe coupling which comprises an elongated housing with an axial bore therethrough, a tubular hollow piston having head means and being telescopically movable in said bore, flange means at a second axial end of said housing to retain said piston in said bore, an annular reducing bushing removably insertable into said bore at a first axial end of said housing to define the limit of travel with said flange means of said piston within said bore, and fluid-tight sealing means compressed the head of said piston and the inside wall of said bore;
- the improvement which comprises:
- said axial bore having a greater diameter segment and a lesser diameter segment, the greater diameter segment extending axially inwardly from said first end a distance greater than the length of that portion of said bushing which inserts into said bore;
- and
- the portion of said greater diameter bore segment extending axially inwardly from the inner end of said bushing comprising an annular groove with which said sealing means registers when said piston is fully telescoped into said bore so that said sealing means is in a substantially uncompressed state when in registry with said groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.