Screw on connector
DCFirst Claim
1. A spout and connector assembly comprising:
- a) a spout having an outer surface and a spout opening;
b) at least one flexible tab attached to and protruding away from the outer surface; and
c) a connector having a connector opening and an internal thread;
wherein when the at least one flexible tab and the internal thread are rotatably engaged together during assembly of the spout and connector, the at least one flexible tab is deformed and provides an alignment force that tends to align the connector and spout; and
wherein the at least one flexible tab is deformed such that a torque to the connector is less than about 10 lbf-in.
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Abstract
An improved screw-on assembly for coupling line connectors with spouts has been invented. The invention can be used with bag-in-box packaging or with a variety of other applications requiring fluid coupling. In one embodiment, threading is accomplished by mating internal threads on a line connector with flexible tabs located on the spout. Deformation of the tabs during threading provides a restorative force that stabilizes the assembly during threading. Cooperation of the deformable tabs with structures near the end of the thread provides for self-locking of the assembly. In addition, the tabs are situated on a flange, providing compatibility of the present invention with prior art line connectors.
68 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A spout and connector assembly comprising:
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a) a spout having an outer surface and a spout opening;
b) at least one flexible tab attached to and protruding away from the outer surface; and
c) a connector having a connector opening and an internal thread;
wherein when the at least one flexible tab and the internal thread are rotatably engaged together during assembly of the spout and connector, the at least one flexible tab is deformed and provides an alignment force that tends to align the connector and spout; and
wherein the at least one flexible tab is deformed such that a torque to the connector is less than about 10 lbf-in. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A self-locking fluid flow connector assembly comprising:
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a) a tabbed body having a surface, an axis, and at least one flexible tab protruding away from said surface in a direction perpendicular to said axis; and
b) a threaded body having an opening adapted to receive said tabbed body, and a thread threadably engaged with the at least one flexible tab, wherein during assembly of the tabbed body and the threaded body, the at least one flexible tab deforms and biases the tabbed and threaded bodies toward alignment with each other and wherein the at least one flexible tab is deformed such that a torque to the connector is less than about 10 lbf-in. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification