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US 4,786,085 AGranted
Coupling device for tubular members
AssigneeRasmussen GmbH
InventorsHeinz Sauer, Wilfried Heise
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRasmussen GmbH
InventorsHeinz Sauer, Wilfried Heise
Estimating the term…
A coupling device between a hose and the radiator of a motor vehicle has a nipple on the radiator with a circumferentially complete rib at its front end. The front flank of the rib is conical and the rear flank of the rib extends radially of the nipple and is adjacent a groove with three equidistant axially parallel ramps one of which is in line with a bridge extending forwardly of the conical flank. The end of the hose is attached to a coupling element with three equidistant prongs each having a radially inwardly extending claw at its front end. The claws slide along the conical flank of the rib when the front end of the coupling element is inserted into the front end of the nipple, and the claws ultimately enter into and are held in the groove. Each claw has two mutually inclined cam faces, the same as the bridge. If a claw hits the bridge during attachment of the coupling element to the nipple, the cam faces of the bridge and the cam faces of the abutting claw cooperate to turn the coupling element relative to the nipple so as to ensure that each claw can slide along the conical front flank of the rib on its way into the groove. The ramps have top lands between pairs of concave surfaces in the groove. In order to separate the coupling element from the nipple, the coupling element is turned so that the claws slide along the concave surfaces and reach the top lands of the ramps; such top lands are at the level of the radially outermost portion of the rib so that the coupling element can be pulled away from the nipple.
A device for sealingly and separably coupling two tubular members, comprising a first annular coupling element on one of the tubular members and a second annular coupling element on the other of the tubular members, one of said coupling elements including a first front end, an annular external rib with a conical first flank diverging outwardly from said front end and a substantially radial second flank facing away from said front end, said one coupling element further including at least one bridge extending from said first flank substantially radially and axially of said rib between said front end and said second flank, the other of said coupling elements including a tubular body portion having a second front end movable into sealing engagement with said one coupling element in the general region of said first front end and a plurality of deformable prongs each having a rear portion rigid with said body portion behind said second front end and a front portion provided with a substantially radially inwardly extending claw slidable over said first flange, with attendant outward flexing of the respective prong, and engageable with said second flange to thereby hold said second front end in sealing engagement with said first front end, said bridge and each of said front portions having complementary means for turning said first coupling element relative to said second coupling element in response to axial movement of said coupling elements toward each other when in such angular positions that one of said front portions abuts said bridge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.