Refrigerant charging hose assembly

Refrigerant charging apparatus comprising:

• a pressurized refrigerant storage canister having an outlet portion;
• an aerosol shut-off valve releasably connectable to said outlet portion;
• a disconnect coupler fitting including:
• a hollow body releasably connectable to a refrigerant circuit service fitting having a depressible opening pin therein,
• a hollow resilient seal member captively and stationarily retained within said hollow body, with a refrigerant flow passage extending through the interior of said seal member, said seal member having a first portion sealingly engageable by the service fitting when said hollow body is connected thereto, and a second portion,
• a control structure carried within said hollow body and operative, in response to connection of said hollow body to the service fitting, to engage and depress the depressible opening pin of the service fitting along an axis, said control structure being moveable relative to said hollow body along said axis between first and second positions in which said control structure respectively (1) sealingly engages said second portion of said sealing member and precludes refrigerant flow through said refrigerant flow passage, and (2) is shifted out of sealing engagement with said second portion of said sealing member and permits refrigerant flow through said refrigerant flow passage, and
• a spring structure resiliently biasing said control structure toward said first position;
• and
• a refrigerant charging hose connected at its opposite ends to said aerosol shut-off valve and said disconnect coupler fitting.

A disconnect coupler fitting for use on a refrigerant charging hose assembly, said disconnect coupler fitting comprising:

• a hollow body releasably connectable to a refrigerant circuit service fitting having a depressible opening pin therein;
• a hollow resilient seal member captively and stationarily retained within said hollow body, with a refrigerant flow passage extending through the interior of said seal member, said seal member having a first portion sealingly engageable by the service fitting when said hollow body is connected thereto, and a second portion;
• a control structure carried within said hollow body and operative, in response to connection of said hollow body to the service fitting, to engage and depress the depressible opening pin of the service fitting along an axis, said control structure being moveable relative to said hollow body along said axis between first and second positions in which said control structure respectively (1) sealingly engages said second portion of said sealing member and precludes refrigerant flow through said refrigerant flow passage in a first direction, and (2) is shifted out of sealing engagement with said second portion of said sealing member and permits refrigerant flow through said refrigerant flow passage in said first direction;
• and
• a spring structure resiliently biasing said control structure toward said first position.