Tubing joint

• US 5,692,784 A
• Filed: 05/30/1996
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nihon Pisuko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Nihon Pisuko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hama, Tomio, Yamazaki, Kiyoyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Arola, Dave W.
• Application Number:
  US08/655,642
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 285/308, 285/340, 285/105
• US Class Current: 285/308
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0915 with a separate member for releasing the coupling

Abstract

A tubing joint having a long life span, in which stress concentration can be avoided even if external force from the tube repeatedly works on the ring claw. In the tubing joint of the present invention, the ring claw is formed into a zigzag shape with outer notch sections and inner notch sections. The ring claw has a plurality of outer ring sections, a plurality of inner ring sections, each of which is provided between adjacent outer ring sections, and a plurality of connecting sections, each of which connects an end of the inner ring section with an end of the outer ring section. The outer notch sections are substantially formed into a U-shape, and inner edges of adjacent connecting sections, which mutually face and form each U-shaped outer notch section, are arranged parallel and substantially perpendicular to the outer edge of the ring claw.

Claims

1. A tubing joint comprising:

a joint body having a cylindrical shape;

a ring claw comprising an elastic plate material, an outer edge of said ring claw including a bent portion bent in tube-admitting direction and located in a ring groove formed in said joint body, said ring claw having a plurality of radially directed U-shaped outer notch sections extending from the outer edge toward a center of the ring claw, said U-shaped outer notch sections including a pair of spaced-apart parallel sidewall portions interconnected by a semi-circular connecting portion, said ring claw further having a plurality of radially directed inner notch sections extending from an inner edge of the ring claw toward the outer edge, the outer notch sections and the inner notch sections being alternately arranged, wherein the inner edge of said ring claw is arranged to bite an outer circumferential face of a tube which has been inserted in said joint body, to prevent the tube from moving in the direction of a tube-withdrawal; and

a release cylinder located in said joint body and axially slidable therein for pushing the inner edge of said ring claw to release the tube;

wherein said ring claw has;

a plurality of outer ring sections;

a plurality of inner ring sections, each of which is provided between adjacent outer ring sections; and

a plurality of connecting sections, each of which connects an end of one of said inner ring sections with an end of one of said outer ring sections which corresponds to the end of said inner ring section, and

wherein inner edges of adjacent connecting sections, which mutually face one another and form said sidewall portions of each U-shaped outer notch section, are arranged parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the outer edge of said ring claw.

2. The tubing joint according to claim 1,

wherein a portion of each connecting section has a substantially fixed width.

3. The tubing joint according to claim 1,

wherein positions of bending the outer edge of said ring claw are located along a virtual circular line connecting innermost parts of the inner notch sections.

4. The tubing joint according to claim 1,

wherein said joint body includes:

a cylindrical base section; and

a guide cylinder section whose one end is connected with one end of said cylindrical base section,

wherein said ring claw is provided in said guide cylinder section, and

wherein said release cylinder is slidably fitted in the other end of said guide cylinder section.

5. A tubing joint comprising:

a joint body having a cylindrical shape;

a ring claw comprising an elastic plate material, an outer edge of said ring claw including a bent portion bent in tube-admitting direction and located in a ring groove formed in said joint body, said ring claw having a plurality of radially directed U-shaped outer notch sections extending from the outer edge toward a center of the ring claw, said U-shaped outer notch sections including a pair of spaced apart parallel sidewall portions interconnected by a semi-circular connecting portion, said ring claw further having a plurality of radially directed inner notch sections extending from an inner edge of the ring claw toward the outer edge, the outer notch sections and the inner notch sections being alternately arranged, wherein the inner edge of said ring claw is arranged to bite an outer circumferential face of a tube which has been inserted in said joint body, to prevent the tube from moving in the direction of a tube-withdrawal; and

a release cylinder located in said joint body and axially slidable therein for pushing the inner edge of said ring claw to release the tube;

wherein said ring claw has;

a plurality of outer ring sections;

a plurality of inner ring sections, each of which is provided between adjacent outer ring sections; and

a plurality of connecting sections, each of which connects an end of one of said inner ring sections with an end of one of said outer ring sections which corresponds to the end of said inner ring section, and

wherein inner edges of adjacent connecting sections, which mutually face one another and form said sidewall portions of each U-shaped outer notch section, are arranged parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the outer edge of said ring claw,

wherein said joint body includes;

a cylindrical base section; and

a guide cylinder section whose one end is connected with one end of said cylindrical base section,

wherein said ring claw is provided in said guide cylinder section,

wherein said release cylinder is slidably fitted in the other end of said guide cylinder section,

wherein said release cylinder has a plurality of engage holes, which are formed in an outer circumferential face of an inner part and arranged in the circumferential direction, and each of which is elongated in the axial direction, and

wherein said guide cylinder section has a plurality of engage pieces, which are extended radially inward, and which respectively engage with the engage holes so as to limit the axial movement of said release cylinder.

6. The tubing joint according to claim 5,

wherein said engage pieces are tongue pieces, which are partially cut away from the other end of said guide cylinder section and bent radially inward.

7. The tubing joint according to claim 6,

wherein the one end of said guide cylinder section is formed into a large diameter section, which covers the one end of said base section, and

wherein the outer edge of said ring claw is held in the ring groove between one end face of said base section and an inner face of the larger diameter section of said guide cylindrical section.