Flexible pipe coupling
AssigneeEBW, Inc.
InventorAndrew Thomas Bay
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible pipe coupling having first and second member rotatable relative to one another. The first member defines national pipe taper, or NPT, threads and the second member includes an internal swag member for forming a swagged connection with a flexible pipe. The coupling can be swagged fitted with respect to an end of a fluid transfer pipe having an inner or primary hose and an outer or secondary hose. The swaged connection can be made with the primary hose. The outside diameter of the coupling can be substantially the same as the outside diameter of the secondary hose so that the coupling can be passed through an entry boot of a sump disposed under a fuel dispenser.
Claims19
In a system for communicating fluid between a storage tank and a dispensing device, the system including a sump with at least one opening and an entry boot associated with the at least one opening for receiving and sealing a flexible fluid transport conduit having an inner, primary, fluid-containment conduit and an outer, secondary, fluid-containment jacket sheathing the primary conduit, the improvement of an adapter comprising:
- a first generally cylindrical member having a first end, a second end, an inner surface defining an aperture extending between the first end and the second end, and an outer surface defining treads adjacent at least one end;
- a second generally cylindrical member including an internal swag portion to be inserted within an internal diameter of a longitudinal end of the primary fluid-containment conduit, the second member swivelably connected with respect to the first member;
- a third generally cylindrical member sheathing the internal swag portion of the second member with sufficient clearance to receive the primary conduit for swagging engagement with the fluid conduit adapter;
- and
- a locking ring engagable between the first and second members for holding the first and second members in a relatively fixed longitudinal position with respect to one another, while allowing rotation of the first and second members about a common axis with respect to one another, wherein the first, second, and third members of the adapter have maximum external dimensions sufficiently small to allow insertion of the adapter through the entry boot and the associated opening into the sump, while permitting sealing engagement between the entry boot and an external periphery of the outer, secondary, fluid-containment jacket, wherein at least a portion of the second member is freely insertable in the aperture of the first member and the at least a portion of the second member is insertable in the first end and extends to the second end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.