Coupling bodies

• US 5,975,591 A
• Filed: 07/15/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Guest International Limited (Reliance Worldwide Corporation (UK) Limited)
• Original Assignee: John Derek Guest
• Inventors: Guest, John Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Arola, Dave W.
• Application Number:
  US08/892,874
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 285/340, 285/302, 285/194, 285/137.11, 285/139.3, 285/140.1, 285/323, 285/319
• US Class Current: 285/319
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/091 by means of a ring provided with teeth or fingers
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0925 with rings which bite into the wall of the pipe
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0927 the wedge element being axially displaceable for releasing the coupling

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a tube coupling body (13) of circular external cross-section having an internal throughway open at one end to receive a tube with a collet form tube locking device in the open end of the throughway to lock a tube in the coupling body. The coupling body has on its outer side an encircling groove spaced from said one end of the body and a grab ring mounted in the groove of V-shaped cross-section facing the axial direction of the ring towards said one end of the coupling body. One limb of the V-shaped grab ring is lodged in the groove and the other limb projects from the groove at its free end for gripping engagement in a bore in which the coupling body is inserted.

Claims

1. A tube coupling body of circular external cross-section having an outer side and an internal throughway open at one end to receive a tube with a locking device in the open end of the throughway to lock a tube in the coupling body, the coupling body having on its outer side an encircling groove spaced from said one end of the body and a grab ring having a V-shaped cross-section and an axis, said grab ring having divergent inner and outer limbs with respect to the ring axis, the ends of said limbs facing in the axial direction of the ring towards said one end of the coupling body and being of different lengths, the inner limb of the V-shaped ring being the shorter limb and the outer limb being the longer limb, said inner and outer limbs located in said groove with a portion of said outer limb projecting from the groove at its free end for gripping engagement in a bore in which the coupling body is inserted, said outer side of the coupling body having an annular recess next to and communicating with said groove on the side of said groove nearest said one end of the coupling body, said outer limb of the V-shaped grab ring having a distal end which extends over said recess whereby, when said coupling body is inserted in a bore, said distal end is depressed inwardly into said recess.

2. A tube coupling body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corner of the coupling body between the groove and recess is chamfered.

3. A tube coupling body as claimed in claim 2, wherein the groove is of rectangular cross-section and said inner limb is lodged at the corner of the groove between the bottom and side of the groove nearest said one end of the coupling body and extends obliquely across the groove with the apex of the V-shaped grab ring lodged on the other side of the groove.

4. A tube coupling body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grab ring is discontinuous.