SLEEVED COUPLING
First Claim
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1. A sleeved coupling assembly for providing non-welded attachment to an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable, the assembly comprising:
- a connection component defining a first face and an oppositely directed second face;
a longitudinal member extending from the second face of the connection component, the longitudinal member defining a helical groove extending from a distal end of the member to the second face of the connection component, the groove configured to threadedly receive an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable to be attached to the assembly; and
a generally cylindrical sleeve extending from the second face of the connection component and concentrically positioned about the longitudinal member thereby defining an annular hollow region between the longitudinal member and an inner circumferential wall of the sleeve, wherein the annular hollow region is sized to fittingly engage an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable threadedly received in the groove of the longitudinal member, the inner wall of the sleeve being free of one or more threaded regions or helical grooves.
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Abstract
A sleeved coupling for retaining a helically wound cable onto a connector or other component is described. The sleeve is positioned against a shoulder region of a connector and extends over a portion of the cable end. The sleeved coupling significantly increases the torque carrying capability of the resulting cable and connector assembly and achieves performance characteristics similar to welding the cable and connectors together.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A sleeved coupling assembly for providing non-welded attachment to an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable, the assembly comprising:
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a connection component defining a first face and an oppositely directed second face; a longitudinal member extending from the second face of the connection component, the longitudinal member defining a helical groove extending from a distal end of the member to the second face of the connection component, the groove configured to threadedly receive an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable to be attached to the assembly; and a generally cylindrical sleeve extending from the second face of the connection component and concentrically positioned about the longitudinal member thereby defining an annular hollow region between the longitudinal member and an inner circumferential wall of the sleeve, wherein the annular hollow region is sized to fittingly engage an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable threadedly received in the groove of the longitudinal member, the inner wall of the sleeve being free of one or more threaded regions or helical grooves. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A sleeved coupling assembly for an end of a helically wound drain cleaning cable, the assembly comprising:
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a connection component having a first face and an oppositely directed second face; a longitudinal member extending from the second face of the connection component, the longitudinal member defining a helical groove extending from a distal end of the member to the second face of the connection component; a helically wound cable disposed within the helical groove of the longitudinal member and extending along the length of the longitudinal member; a generally cylindrical sleeve extending from the second face of the connection component and along at least a portion of the length of the longitudinal member, the length of the sleeve being the distance which the sleeve extends along the longitudinal member, the sleeve defining an inner circumferential wall, the sleeve sized and positioned such that the inner circumferential wall contacts at least a majority of the outermost surface regions of the helically wound cable along the length of the sleeve, the inner circumferential wall being free of one or more threaded regions or helical grooves; whereby as a result of (i) contact between the inner circumferential wall of the sleeve and at least a majority of the outermost surface regions of the helically wound cable along the length of the sleeve, and (ii) the cable being disposed within the helical groove of the longitudinal member, the cable is securely attached and retained to the connection component and free of any welding, brazing, or soldering along the region of its engagement with the longitudinal member. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A welding-free, brazing-free, and soldering-free method for attaching a distal end of a helically wound cable to a connection component having a longitudinal member extending from the connection component, the method comprising:
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providing a helically wound cable defining a distal end; providing a connection component having a longitudinal member extending from a face of the connection component, the connection component including a longitudinal member extending from the face and defining a helical groove along the length of the member, the longitudinal member and the helical groove configured to receive the helically wound cable; positioning the cable onto the longitudinal member such that the cable is disposed in the helical groove defined by the longitudinal member and the cable extends over the length of the longitudinal member; placing a generally cylindrical sleeve over the cable such that the sleeve extends from the face of the connection component and extends over at least a majority of the length of the longitudinal member, wherein the sleeve defines an inner circumferential wall sized so that at least a majority of the outermost surface regions of the cable along the length of the longitudinal member contact the inner wall, whereby the attachment method is free of welding, brazing, or soldering the cable to the connection component. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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Specification