Splined safety lock with resilient retaining ring

A locking sleeve assembly for use with a connector body including a collar, the collar having a plurality of body splines arranged in parallel spaced apart relationship, a circular face at an end thereof, and a lock-ring groove disposed between the body splines and the circular face, the locking sleeve assembly comprising:

• a cylindrical portion, a shaped portion, an open-ended bore defined by the cylindrical portion and shaped portion for receiving the connector body, at least one shoulder projecting inwardly from the sleeve into the open-ended bore, and an opening in the cylindrical portion communicating with the open-ended bore, the cylindrical portion further having a plurality of parallel internal sleeve splines extending into the open-ended bore with a lock channel being defined between the sleeve splines and the shoulder and an unlock channel being defined in the internal sleeve splines;
• and
• a resilient expanding lock-ring seatably insertable in the lock-ring groove for locking the sleeve and connector body together, the lock-ring having opposite ends terminating in a release and a catch respectively, said opening including means for the reception of said release and catch, the lock ring being contractible by operation of the release and catch within the opening means to permit limited relative axial movement of the sleeve and connector body between a first position wherein the lock-ring is in said lock ring grove and is further located in the lock channel with the circular face adjacent the shoulder and the sleeve splines and body splines mating to prevent rotational and axial movement between the connector body and the sleeve, and a second position wherein the lock-ring is in said lock ring grove and is located in the unlock channel so that the sleeve splines and body splines can be disengaged and rotational movement only between the connector body and the sleeve is permitted.