Pipe coupling including arcuate snap couplers

An arcuate snap coupler for coupling together the end portions of two pieces of pipe, wherein each pipe end portion has a radial flange extending radially outwardly around at least a circumferential portion of the end portion of the pipe, and the radial flanges are held together face to face by means of fastener bolts extending between said flanges and the flanges are kept separated by means of a partitioner, the arcuate snap coupler comprising:

• an open channel portion having two parallel side walls spaced apart a distance corresponding to the distance over the face to face flanges for sitting over the face to face flanges when the two pipe end portions are joined together;
• a first hinge portion centered and positioned between but not in abutment with the two parallel side walls for rotatable attachment of an end of the arcuate snap coupler to a first fastener bolt extending between the flanges;
• a second hinge portion centered and positioned between but not in abutment with the two parallel side walls for attachment to a second fastener bolt extending between the flanges when the arcuate snap coupler is rotated about the first fastener bolt so that portions of the face to face flanges are received within the channel portion to thereby lock the arcuate snap coupler into position with the face to face flange portions received within the channel;
• wherein the arcuate snap coupler has opposite ends, and wherein the first hinge portion forms one end of the arcuate snap coupler and the second hinge portion forms the opposite end of the arcuate snap coupler;
• and
• wherein the two parallel side walls of the open channel portion of the arcuate snap coupler are joined by a channel web, and the first and second hinge portions extend from ends of the channel web in a direction generally inwardly from the channel web.

A coupler for coupling together the end portions of two pipes, comprising:

• a radial flange formed directly on and extending radially outwardly around at least a circumferential portion of the end portion of each of two pipe ends to be connected and having a plurality of fastener bolt holes in the radial flanges;
• a plurality of fastener bolts, each fastener bolt adapted to extend between one of the plurality of fastener bolt holes in one radial flange and one of the plurality of fastener bolt holes in the other radial flange to connect the two radial flanges together in face to face mirrored matching positions;
• a partitioner adapted to be positioned between the face to face flanges to hold the flanges in separated, spaced apart condition when the flanges are connected by the fastener bolts;
• and
• at least one arcuate snap coupler adapted to have an end thereof rotatably coupled to one of the fastener bolts and to extend to and be coupled to a second of the fastener bolts to join the two flanges together in spaced, face to face relationship, each arcuate snap coupler comprising:
• an open channel portion having two parallel side walls spaced apart a distance corresponding to the distance over the face to face flanges for sitting over the face to face flanges when the two pipe ends are joined together,
• a first hinge portion centered and positioned between but not in abutment with the two parallel side walls for rotatable attachment of an end of the arcuate snap coupler to a first fastener bolt extending between the flanges,
• a second hinge portion centered and positioned between but not in abutment with the two parallel side walls for attachment to a second fastener bolt extending between the flanges when the arcuate snap coupler is rotated about the first fastener bolt so that portions of the face to face flanges are received within the channel portion to thereby lock the arcuate snap coupler into position with the face to face flange portions received within the channel,
• wherein the arcuate snap coupler has opposite ends, and wherein the first hinge portion forms one end of the arcuate snap coupler and the second hinge portion forms the opposite end of the arcuate snap coupler, and
• wherein the two parallel side walls of the open channel portion of the arcuate snap coupler are joined by a channel web, and the first and second hinge portions extend from ends of the channel web in a direction generally inwardly from the channel web.