Coupling

A coupling comprising two complementary coupling halves designed to mate with one another for interconnecting sections of hose, each said coupling half comprising:

• a tubular body having at one end a projecting tooth structure comprising a plurality of uniformly spaced arcuate connector teeth axially outstanding from the tubular body and terminating in a radially directed arcuate protrusion, and a corresponding socket arrangement comprising a corresponding plurality of arcuate ribs directed in the opposite radial direction to said protrusions at a radius corresponding to that of said teeth, and a plurality of tooth entrance ways located circumferentially between each of said ribs and one of said teeth;
• detent locking means associated with said socket arrangement being mounted in said body to be moveable towards and away from an advanced position, and means for moving said detent locking means towards said advanced position;
• detent unlocking means carried by said body being manually moveable from an inoperative position to an operative position, said unlocking means upon movement thereof to said operative position being adapted to engage with withdraw said detent locking means from its advanced position;
• wherein said detent locking means comprises an axially outwardly resiliently biased locking pin supported in one said connector tooth and operable to automatically engage a complementary aperture in the socket of the other coupling half when said pin is moved into register with such aperture, when the two coupling halves are joined;
• and wherein said detent unlocking means comprises an annular ring supported on and extending around the circumference of said body to be angularly rotatable thereon, said ring being resiliently biased in one direction of rotation towards said inoperative position;
• the arrangement being such that one said coupling half is connectable in axial alignment to the other coupling half be juxtaposition and interengagement between the complementary tooth structures and socket arrangements thereof to form the coupling, with each of said locking detent means being automatically moved to its advanced position once make-up of the coupling has been completed to block disengagement from the associated socket arrangement of the tooth structure of the opposed coupling half;
• disengagement of the two coupling halves requiring angular rotation of said two annular rings in opposite directions to withdraw said detent locking means of each coupling half.