US 5,372,388 AGranted

Integral multi-duct conduit section

AssigneeAmerican Pipe & Plastics, Inc.

InventorJoseph L. Gargiulo

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Abstract

An integral conduit section of a multiple conduit system includes an outer housing having a straight coupling portion at one end and a belled coupling portion at the other end, a plurality of innerducts disposed in a parallel manner within the outer housing, one or more spacers for parallely positioning said innerducts in the outer housing, and a three-piece innerduct coupler disposed within the belled portion of the outer housing and engaged with the trailing ends of a plurality of innerducts, being linearly interconnectable with like conduit sections. The innerduct coupler includes a guide for facilitating entry of the plurality of innerducts of an adjacent conduit section into a like section; a seal that creates an air and water tight seal between the adjacent innerducts when like sections are interconnected, without the need for cement or sealing lubricants; and a seating component that terminally positions the innerducts in the innerduct coupler upon the interconnection of like integral conduit sections.

Claims25

Dependent claims

In an improved multiple duct conduit system including a plurality of linearly interconnectable, integral conduit sections wherein each integral conduit section includes an outer housing and a plurality of inner ducts disposed in parallel relation within the outer housing, the improvement comprising:

(a) a first portion of the outer housing having a straight end;
(b) a second portion of the outer housing having a belled end;
(c) an inner duct coupler disposed within the outer housing, the inner duct comprising:
(1) a guide component including a flange having a sealing surface and at least one guide tube projecting from the flange the guide tube having an inner diametral surface having an annular recess adjacent the sealing surface;
(2) a seating component including a flange having a sealing surface and at least one seating tube projecting from the flange for receiving a trailing end of a corresponding inner duct for forming a fluid tight engagement thereto;
and
(3) a seal having a sealing disk portion including a first and a second sealing surface for forming a fluid tight seal with the seating component sealing surface and guide component sealing surface, at least one sealing aperture for slidably receiving a leading end of a corresponding inner duct therethrough, and a corresponding sealing collar projecting from the first sealing surface to encircle a corresponding sealing aperture for forming a fluid tight seal between each adjacent inner duct and inner duct coupler;
and,
(d) at least one spacer contacting an innerduct for maintaining the inner ducts in mutual parallel relation within the outer housing,
whereby the fluid tight seal is formed between a first and a second conduit section upon insertion of the first section inner ducts into the second section inner duct coupler and insertion of the first section straight end into the second section belled end

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.