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US 5,472,016 AGranted
Quick connector stuffer pin
AssigneeITT Corporation
InventorGeorge Szabo
Life of this patent
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AssigneeITT Corporation
InventorGeorge Szabo
Estimating the term…
A stuffer pin for mounting seals and a retainer element in a quick connector used with fluid conduits. The stuffer pin includes an integral shaft, an enlarged stop and a handle. Annular seal mounting portions are formed on the shaft for releasibly supporting seal elements. A ridge is formed on the shaft for releasibly engaging and mounting a retainer on the shaft. Resilient arms extend axially from an end of the shaft and have a larger nominal outer diameter than the diameter of the shaft to retain the seal elements on the shaft prior to insertion into a bore in a fluid carrying member. The resilient arms are bent radially inward when contacting a stepped bore in the fluid carrying member to enable release of the seals and retainer elements during withdrawal of the stuffer pin from the bore.
A stuffer pin for mounting at least one seal element and a retainer including at least one resilient arm in one end of a bore of a fluid carrying member, the stuffer pin comprising:
A stuffer pin for mounting at least one seal element and a retainer including at least one resilient arm in one end of a bore of a fluid carrying member, the stuffer pin comprising:
A stuffer pin for mounting two seal elements and a retainer including at least one resilient arm in one end of a bore of a fluid carrying member, the stuffer pin comprising:
In combination with a fluid connector formed of a tubular conduit having an annular upset portion at one end, a housing formed with a first axial bore for receiving the conduit and a second bore coaxial with the first bore and of smaller diameter than the first bore, seal elements for providing a fluid seal between the conduit and the first axial bore in the housing, a retainer element including at least one movable arm and means for fixedly mounting the retainer element to the housing, the movable arm engaging the upset on the conduit to fixedly mount the conduit in the first axial bore of the housing, the improvement comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
The flexible hook extending radially inwardly from an outer part and engaging a bead, recess or the like on an inner part: the flexible hook being…
Means for stopping flow in pipes or hoses: plugs
Pipes
Term ended 4 Oct 2013 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The present invention relates, in general, to quick connectors.
Snap-fit or quick connectors are employed in a wide range of applications, particularly, for joining fluid carrying conduits in automotive and industrial applications. In a typical quick connector, a retainer is fixedly mounted within a bore in a housing or conduit. The retainer has a plurality of radially extending arms which extend inwardly toward the axial center line of the bore. A tube to be sealingly mounted in the bore includes a radially upset portion which abuts an inner peripheral surface of the retainer arms. Seal and spacer members as well as a bearing or top hat are typically mounted in the bore ahead of the retainer to form a seal between the female housing or conduit and the tube when the tube is lockingly engaged with the retainer arms.
In such a connector, it is necessary to first mount the sealing members, the top hat, and the retainer in the bore in the housing or conduit. A stuffer plug disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,136 has been devised for this purpose. This stuffer pin includes an elongated, tubular rod which coaxially supports sealing elements and a retainer element prior to insertion of such elements into the bore in a housing. Positioning means in the form of annular grooves are formed in the end of the rod for supporting O-ring type seal members. An annular projection formed with an inclined surface is also formed on the rod and engages the retainer element to releasibly mount the retainer on the stuffer plug body before the rod is inserted into the bore of the housing. Once the rod is fully inserted into the bore in the housing, the retainer element engages the housing and is locked in place. This permits the rod to be withdrawn, during which the seal elements slide from the rod and are positioned in the bore in the housing.
The various features, advantages and other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stuffer pin constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the stuffer pin shown in FIG. 1;
Referring to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawing, there is depicted a stuffer pin 10 designed to mount seal elements and a retainer in a bore in a fluid carrying member.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the stuffer pin 10 is in the form of a one-piece body, preferably formed of a suitable plastic material. The stuffer pin includes a shaft 12, a stop 14, and a handle means 16.
The shaft 12 has a tubular, elongated shape with a first end 18 and an opposed second end 20. By way of example only, the shaft 12 is formed of four perpendicular oriented legs, each denoted by reference number 22, which are spaced 90.degree. apart and integrally joined at a common center edge. The first end 18 of the shaft 12 is integrally formed with the stop 14, with the second end 20 extending axially from the first end 18 and the stop 14. It will be understood that the shaft 12 may have other shapes, such as a generally solid, cylindrical shape with a smooth outer surface.