MECHANICAL CONNECTING DEVICE
First Claim
1. A separable coupling comprising a female coupling member including a circular first peripheral wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses accessible at the inner face of said peripheral wall and cam defining faces tapered radially outwardly in a direction toward the outer edge of said wall, a male coupling member having a circular second peripheral wall at least partially rotatably telescoping with said first peripheral wall and having peripherally spaced openings registering with said corresponding recesses in said first peripheral wall, and an elongated resilient wire member disposed in said male coupling member and having outwardly directed ears with outwardly converging side arms, resiliently biased outwardly under the influence of said resilient wire member through said respective openings and into engagement with said recesses when said coupling members are in coupled condition, the radial distance between the outer edges of said ears and the longitudinal axis of said male coupling member when said ears are fully extended being less than the radial distance between the outer edges of said cam faces and the longitudinal axis of said female coupling member and greater than the radial distance between said recesses and said longitudinal axis.
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Abstract
A separable coupling includes a female coupling member having a first circular peripheral wall provided with circumferentially spaced coplanar first slots and cam faces leading radially inwardly from the outer edge of the peripheral wall towards respective slots. A male coupling member has a second circular wall which slideably telescopes the first peripheral wall and has slots registering with the first slots. A locking member formed of resilient wire is located in the male coupling member and has integrally formed outwardly directed ears with outwardly converging side edges engaging corresponding pairs of registering slots. The peripheral walls may be conical or cylindrical and may be continuous or interrupted along their lengths. In joining the coupling members they are axially brought together with the cam faces contracting the ears until they register with and expand in the slots and by twisting one of the members relative to the other the ears are contracted out of the female slot permitting uncoupling.
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Citations
4 Claims
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1. A separable coupling comprising a female coupling member including a circular first peripheral wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses accessible at the inner face of said peripheral wall and cam defining faces tapered radially outwardly in a direction toward the outer edge of said wall, a male coupling member having a circular second peripheral wall at least partially rotatably telescoping with said first peripheral wall and having peripherally spaced openings registering with said corresponding recesses in said first peripheral wall, and an elongated resilient wire member disposed in said male coupling member and having outwardly directed ears with outwardly converging side arms, resiliently biased outwardly under the influence of said resilient wire member through said respective openings and into engagement with said recesses when said coupling members are in coupled condition, the radial distance between the outer edges of said ears and the longitudinal axis of said male coupling member when said ears are fully extended being less than the radial distance between the outer edges of said cam faces and the longitudinal axis of said female coupling member and greater than the radial distance between said recesses and said longitudinal axis.
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2. The separable coupling of claim 1 wherein said peripheral faces extend continuously about the peripheries of said coupling members.
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3. The separable coupling of claim 1 wherein said recesses and openings are defined by circumferentially extending slots.
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4. The separable coupling of claim 1 wherein said peripheral walls are cylindrical.
Specification