US 5,372,392 AGranted

Connecting devices

AssigneeNorgren Limited

InventorsMyron Dunn, Kevin T. Dickson, Urs T. Moeker

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Abstract

A connecting device for sealingly connecting together a pair of modular compressed air conditioning units, for example a filter and a lubricator, comprises a generally rectangular clamp adapted to engage a pair of ported flanges formed respectively on the units to be connected so as to urge the units into fluid-tight communication with one another via an intermediate ported spacer retaining O-ring seals. One side of the rectangular clamp is pivotally mounted so that it can be pivoted out of its operative position to permit reception of the flanges into the clamp and then pivoted back into its operative position in which it can be releasably locked by tightening a bolt. The device may be unitary in nature, i.e. has no separate parts that might otherwise get lost, and is simple to manufacture and manipulate.

Claims9

Dependent claims

Connecting structure for contiguously connecting together a pair of fluid-flow elements, each fluid flow element including flange so as to define a pair of ported flanges associated with the fluid-flow elements, said connecting structure comprising:

a four-sided, generally rectangular clamp adapted, in its operative clamping position, to engage, in parallel relationship with one another, the pair of ported flanges, one of said sides of the clamp being pivotally mounted so that said one side can be pivoted out of said operative clamping position in order to permit reception of said flanges into the clamp and then pivoted back into said operative clamping position,
sealing means for establishing fluid-tight communication between the respective ports formed in said flanges, and
locking means for releasably locking said one side in said operative clamping position, in which position the clamp urges the flanges towards one another thereby establishing together with said sealing means, said fluid-tight communication between said ports.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.