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US 4,793,637 AGranted
Tube connector with indicator and release
AssigneeAeroquip Corporation
InventorsRobert A. Laipply, John C. Field
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAeroquip Corporation
InventorsRobert A. Laipply, John C. Field
Estimating the term…
A push-to-connect tube connector for interconnecting conduits wherein a male part is received within a female part passage by relative axial displacement. Resilient fingers mounted upon one part cooperate with a shoulder defined on the other part to maintain the parts fully connected, seals interposed between the parts prevent leakage, and indicia means in the form of a sleeve axially displaceable upon the male part supports an indicator displaced thereon by the female part during connection to provide a visual indication of the degree of interconnection. A reference mark defined on the sleeve is masked by the indicator upon the parts being fully connected. Upon removal of the indicator, which is in the form of a split ring, the sleeve may be used to "open" the fingers to disconnect the parts, and in an embodiment non-circular transverse cross sections defined on the respective parts telescopingly cooperate during full connection to prevent relative rotation between the parts.
A push-to-connect connector comprising, in combination, a female part having a passage defined therein, a male part axially receivable within said passage, retainer means mounted upon one of said parts engagable with the other part to maintain said parts in a fully connected condition upon said male part being fully axially inserted into said female part, and indicia means separate from said retainer means mounted upon said male part engagable with said female part during axial movement of said male part within said passage indicating the extent of axial insertion of said male part into said passage.
A push-to-connect connector comprising, in combination, a female part having a passage defined therein, said passage having an open end, a shoulder defined on said female part adjacent said open end, an annular seal defined in said passage, a tubular male part having a nose receivable within said passage in sealed relationship with said seal, an annular sleeve mounted on said male part axially displaceable thereon between a first floating position and a second stop position, stop means defined on said male part limiting movement of said sleeve away from said nose when said sleeve is at said second position, said sleeve being receivable within said passage, observable indicia defined on said sleeve, indicia masking means displaceably mounted upon said sleeve engagable with said female part shoulder upon insertion of said male part into said passage whereby insertion of said male part nose into said female part passage translates said sleeve to said second position and said masking means masks said indicia upon said parts being fully connected, and retainer means mounted upon one of said parts engaging the other part upon said other parts being fully connected to maintaining the connection of said parts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.