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AssigneeSecurus, Inc.
InventorsDuane R. Condon, Thomas L. Kendall, Larry D. Brown, Scott W. Randolph, Dennis L. Hart
Estimating the term…
A method and device for pressure testing a pipe line is provided wherein a fitting is inserted into the pipeline by inserting male ends of the pipeline into female ends of the fitting to define a flow path through the fitting extending along a longitudinal axis. The fitting has an internal boss extending around a circumference of the flow path and extending radially inward toward the centerline a distance corresponding to the wall thickness of the mating male ends of the pipes so the pipes and boss define a periphery of the flow path through the fitting. A recess is formed in the boss to sequentially receive two slides. An externally accessible port allows a test slide to be inserted into the recess, with the test slide sealing against the walls defining the recess to form a fluid-tight seal for pressure testing the line. The test slide is removed and a finish slide is inserted into the recess. The finish slide has an opening located and configured to coincide with the flow path through the male ends of the pipes, and to block the recess to provide a substantially uniform, cylindrical flow path through the fitting.
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
A pressure testing kit for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
An assembly for testing the pressure in a pipe line, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
By using fluid or vacuum: test plugs for closing off the end of a pipe
Means for stopping flow in pipes or hoses: closing devices introduced radially into the pipe or hose
Fluid handling: convertible
Testing static or dynamic balance of machines or structures
Term ended 30 Jun 2021 (estimated)
Buildings and houses have pipe lines that need to be pressure tested in order to verify that the various joints in the pipe line do not leak. Such lines include water lines and drainage lines. This testing is typically done by hooking up a source of pressurized air or water to the line and filling the line. Because an open line will not hold the pressure for testing, the end(s) of each line must be capped or plugged prior to introducing the pressurized air or water. This is troublesome, and there is thus a need for an easier way to block the line for testing.
Further the line must frequently be tested in an intact state, after all joints have been fully assembled. If a single joint, or a series of joints are tested, this testing requires plugs to be introduced into the interior of the pipe via temporary openings which must be later closed and sealed. The current methods of achieving these temporary seals introduce significant and undesirable complications, including leaks, or spills. Moreover, several methods of temporarily sealing the line involve introducing inflatable balloon-like devices into the pipe via a fitting opening, inflating the balloon inside the line to seal the line for testing, and then removing the balloon and screwing a sealing cap into the opening through which the balloon was inserted. If the balloon is defective or over-inflated it can rupture and explode, with the potential for damage to the line or serious injury to the plumber. There is thus a need for a simpler, easier and safer way to temporarily block plumbing pipes for testing.
Moreover, current methods of introducing the pressurized fluid into the pipeline may require the plumber to do so from a location remote from the test and then return to the point of the test, or it may require two persons to accomplish the filling and testing. There is thus a need for a better way to pressurize and test lines, or portions of lines, by a single person at a single location.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description and drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
FIG. 1 shows a side, sectional view of a fitting and test slide of this invention taken along Section 1—1 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the fitting and test slide of FIG. 1, taken along Section 2—2 of FIG. 1;
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, 7 and 9-10, a main fitting 20 is provided for insertion into a pipe line, such as the water line of a house or building, or a sewage drain system, so as to allow fluid to flow through the fitting 20 and the line. The fitting 20 is shown as a straight fitting with a longitudinal axis there through, but the fitting could be of various shapes and types, including a Y-fitting, a clean out fitting, an elbow fitting, a reducing fitting, or an enlarging fitting. A first slide, referred to here as a test slide 22, can be removably inserted into the fitting 20 to provide a fluid tight seal with mating surfaces of the fitting 20 to allow pressure testing of the drain system upstream of the test slide 22. After testing is completed, the test slide is removed and a second slide, referred to here as finish slide 24 (FIG. 7), is then inserted into the fitting 20 and secured to the fitting in order to prevent fluid from escaping the fitting 20, and preferably but optionally, to also provide a preconfigured flow surface on the inside of the fitting. The preconfigured flow surface is preferably shaped so that the interior flow passage of the fitting reduces the collection of debris from the fluid flowing through the fitting during use of the plumbing line. Advantageously it provides a substantially continuous surface with no substantial recesses, cavities or protrusions, and especially provides a surface lacking such discontinuities as would be prohibited under plumbing codes for such pipe lines.
The fitting 20 has an opening or port 26 configured to sealingly receive test slide 22. The port 26 can have various shapes, but is shown with a rectangular opening or port 26 that extends through a wall 28 of the main fitting 20. The wall 28 has an exterior side 32 and an interior side 30 that are generally parallel and typically form a tube. The port can be at various locations and orientations, but is described here as being located on the top side of the fitting, where top or the upward direction refers to a direction away from the ground while the bottom or downward direction refers to a direction toward the ground.
The port 26 opens into a recess 34 that extends around an inner circumference of the interior wall 30. The recess 34 is preferably formed partially in wall 28 and partially in a boss 36 extending radially inward from the interior walls 30 toward centerline 37. The recess 34 could be formed entirely in either part. The recess 34 can have various shapes, but is shown as having a rectangular cross-sectional shape with opposing and generally parallel walls 38a, 38b. The recess forms a groove in the inside walls of the fitting 20 extending away from the longitudinal axis 37, but opening toward the axis 37. When viewed along the longitudinal axis 37, the juncture of the recess 34 and the port 26 can be thought of as a circular recess 34 encircling the flow path, joined to a port 26 having a rectangular shape with a semi-circular cut-out at the location of the flow path and recess. When viewed along the path followed by the slides 22, 24 when they are inserted and removed, the rectangular-cross-sectioned port 26 has its smaller edges extending straight to a plane through the longitudinal axis 37 which plane is perpendicular to the path that the slides 22, 24 travel.