CONNECTOR STRUCTURE

• US 3,840,256 A
• Filed: 03/31/1972
• Issued: 10/08/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John A. Cox Jr
• Original Assignee: John A. Cox Jr
• Inventors: Cox, John A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arola, Dave W.
• Application Number:
  US05/240,027
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 285/245,251,331,424,161,390,177,174,12,39,175,149,286,287
• US Class Current: 285/154.2
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/00 Devices or appurtenances for use in, or in connection with, pipes or pipe systems the preceding groups and groups F16L57/00, F16L59/00 take precedence; repairing or joining pipes on or under water F16L1/26; nozzles B05B; cleaning of pipes B08B9/02; arrangements of draining devices for water main or service pipe systems E03B7/08; devices for preventing bursting of water pipes by freezing E03B7/10; draining devices for hydrants E03B9/14; for domestic plumbing installations E03C1/00; steam traps for draining of liquids from enclosures containing gases or vapours F16T; arrangements for sealing leaky tubes or conduits of heat-exchangers F28F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0616 Joints for connecting tubing to casing

Abstract

This is a fabricated connector for joining flexible conduit to a terminus, such as a box or enclosure or the like. The connector has a sheet metal housing with a conduit-receiving portion at one end and a mounting arrangement for fitting to the terminus at the other so that the connector can be machine assembled to pre-cut lengths of conduit.

Claims

1. A connector for joining flexible metallic conduit to a terminus, including a fitting having a sheet metal rigid outer housing with a generally open interior, a tapered section in one end of the housing narrowing inwardly and adapted to engage the exterior of the conduit, a thread form on the tapered section adapted to indent the flexible exterior of the conduit, a generally cylindrical pilot in the said one end of the housing with an exterior thread form thereon extending beyond the end of the tapered section adapted to engage the interior of the flexible conduit, and an exterior male thread form on the other end adapted to be connected to a terminus, the conduit engaging inner surface at the said one end of the housing being in the form of a plastic insert fitted on the said one end of the housing with two portions, one inside of the housing and the other outside, overlapping the end of the housing.

2. A connector for joining flexible metallic conduit to a terminus, including a fitting having a sheet metal rigid outer housing with a generally open interior, a tapered section in one end of the housing narrowing inwardly and adapted to engage the exterior of the conduit, a thread form on the tapered section adapted to indent the flexible exterior of the conduit, a generally cylindrical pilot in the said one end of the housing with an exterior thread form thereon extending beyond the end of the tapered section adapted to engage the interior of the flexible conduit, and an exterior male thread form on the other end adapted to be connected to a terminus, the tapered section being in the form of a sheet metal inner housing connected to the outer housing and forming an air space therebetween.

3. A connector for joining flexible metallic conduit to a terminus, including a fitting having a sheet metal rigid outer housing with a generally open interior, a tapered section in one end of the housing narrowing inwardly and adapted to engage the exterior of the conduit, a thread form on the tapered section adapted to indent the flexible exterior of the conduit, a generally cylindrical pilot in the said one end of the housing with an exterior thread form thereon extending beyond the end of the tapered section adapted to engage the interior of the flexible conduit, an exterior male thread form on the other end adapted to be connected to a terminus, and an octagon formation on the outside of the housing having a hollow annular interior opening toward the male thread form and an annular seal in the hollow of the octagon extending beyond the opening thereof so as to engage and seal against the wall of the terminus when the said other end of the housing is inserted through an opening in the terminus.

4. The structure of claim 3 further characterized in that the octagon is U-shaped in cross-section with inner and outer flanges, the inner flange being circular and brazed to the outer surface of the housing, and the outer flange being in the form of an octagon.

5. A connector for joining flexible metallic conduit to a terminus, including a fitting having a sheet metal outer housing, a sheet metal inner housing connected to the outer housing to form an air span therebetween and defining a conduit-engaging inner surface adapted to engage the outside of the conduit in sealing engagement therewith, and a generally cylindrical sheet metal insert in the fitting adapted to engage the inside of the conduit, the outer and inner housings and the insert being formed as a rigid, dimensionally-stable unit which are brazed together.

6. A connector for joining flexible metallic conduit to a terminus, including a fitting having a sheet metal outer housing, a sheet metal inner housing connected to the outer housing to form an air span therebetween and defining a conduit-engaging inner surface adapted to engage the outside of the conduit in sealing engagement therewith, a generally cylindrical sheet metal insert in the fitting adapted to engage the inside of the conduit, a tapered section in the inner housing narrowing to a union with the insert, and a thread form in the tapered section of the inner housing adapted to engage the exterior of the conduit.

7. A connector for joining flexible metallic conduit to a terminus, such conduit including an inner helically wound metal core with an exterior insulating distortable cover, the connector including a unitary housing open at one end and defining an impervious compression chamber to receive and seal against and compress the exterior distortable cover of the end of the flexible conduit inwardly against the helically wound metal core, the compression chamber being defined on the inside by a generally centrally located nonrotatable cylindrical pilot that engages the metal core of the conduit and on the outside by a generally inwardly tapered inner compression surface that engages the distortable cover of the conduit in sealing relationship, the pilot projecting by an amount beyond the area of the tapered inner surface engaged by the distortable cover, the pilot and tapered surface being fixed against movement relative to each other, a thread form on and rising from the outer surface of the pilot formed as a single thread with a multiple pitch and sized such that the thread form will smoothly and evenly engage and will mesh with the interior of the helically wound metal core of the flexible conduit without cutting into the interior of the conduit to provide an axial interlock therewith to draw the exterior distortable cover of the conduit into compressive sealing relationship with the tapered inner surface when the connector is turned down on the end of the conduit, the thread form on the pilot extending a sufficient distance beyond the engaged area of the tapered surface such that sufficient axial interlock between the pilot and helical core of the conduit will be acquired when the outside of the distortable cover engages the tapered inner surface so that, thereafter, the pilot and helical core will remain interlocked during further turning of the connector on the conduit which will cause the distortable cover to be compressed by and sealed against the tapered inner surface, the other end of the housing being open and having an impervious thread form metallurgically united thereto and adapted for connection to a terminus.

8. The structure of claim 7, further characterized by and including a thread form on the tapered inner surface adapted to indent the distortable cover of the conduit during such compressing and sealing engagement.

9. The structure of claim 7 further characterized in that the connector has a sheet metal rigid outer housing.

10. The structure of claim 9 further characterized in that the cover engaging tapered inner surface is in the form of a plastic insert fitted on the end of the connector.

11. The structure of claim 7 further characterized in that the connector includes a sheet metal outer housing, a sheet metal inner housing connecTed to the outer housing to form an air space therebetween, with the pilot being in the form of a generally cylindrical sheet metal insert in the housings adapted to engage the inside of the conduit, with the outer and inner housings and the insert being formed as a rigid, dimensionally stable unit and brazed together.

12. The structure of claim 7 further characterized in that the thread form on the other end of the housing adapted for connection to a terminus is in the form of a male thread brazed to the exterior of the housing.

13. The structure of claim 7 further characterized in that the generally inwardly tapered nonrotatable inner surface is in the form of a separate plastic insert fitted on the said one end of the housing with two portions, one inside of the housing and the other outside, overlapping the end of the housing.