Female connector for releasable coupling with a male connector defining a fluid conduit

• US 7,770,939 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nordson Corporation
• Original Assignee: Value Plastics Incorporated (Nordson Corporation)
• Inventors: Jensen, Jeffrey P., Townsend, Raymond, Burns, Ralph E., Pisula, James D. Jr., Cairns, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunwoody; Aaron M
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEE, FANNIE C
• Application Number:
  US12/178,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20080277924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 285/305, 285307-308, 285/317, 604/284, 604533-536
• US Class Current: 285/307
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1016 Unlocking means providing a secure or comfortable disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1027 Quick-acting type connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1044 Verifying the connection, e.g. audible feedback, tactile feedback, visual feedback, using external light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1094 at least partly incompatible with standard connectors, e.g. to prevent fatal mistakes in connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/1011 Locking means for securing connection; Additional tamper safeties A61M39/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/00 Couplings of the quick-acting type radially binding sleeves F16L17/04, F16L21/06; connecting hoses to rigid members F16L33/00; connections made automatically when vehicles are brought together B60D, B61G; specially adapted for lubricating devices F16N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0985 the flexible hook extending radially inwardly from an outer part and engaging a bead, recess or the like on an inner part F16L37/0982 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0987 the flexible hook being progressively compressed by axial tensile loads acting on the coupling

Abstract

A fluid connector system may include a female connector for releasable coupling with a male connector. The male connector defines a fluid conduit and includes a male end adapted to be received within the female connector. The male end includes a coupling feature. The female connector comprises an opening, a collet finger, and an actuation element. The opening is adapted to guide the male connector along a first line of action as the male connector passes into the opening to be received within the female connector. The collet finger includes an engagement feature adapted to engage the coupling feature of the male end and displace along a second line of action generally normal to the first line of action. The actuation element is adapted to displace along a third line of action generally normal to the first and second lines of action in order to disengage the engagement feature from the coupling feature of the male end. When the engagement feature is engaged with the coupling feature, the fluid conduit of the male connector is held in fluid communication with a fluid conduit of the female connector.

Claims

1. A connector system for releasably coupling together fluid conduits, the connector system comprising:

a male connector including a coupling feature; and

a female connector including;

an opening configured to receive therein the coupling feature of the male connector when the male and female connectors are releasably coupled, wherein the opening guides the coupling feature of the male connector along a first line of action as the coupling feature of the male connector is received into the opening;

an engagement member including an engagement feature, wherein the engagement feature displaces along a second line of action that is different than the first line of action when the coupling feature of the male connector is received in the opening, the engagement feature engaging the coupling feature to releasably couple the male connector to the female connector; and

an actuation element that displaces along a third line of action that is different than the first and second lines of action in order to disengage the engagement feature from the coupling feature.

2. The connector system of claim 1, wherein the female connector further includes a button from which the actuation element extends.

3. The connector system of claim 2, wherein the female connector further includes a housing and wherein the button is pivotally coupled to the housing.

4. The connector system of claim 2, wherein the female connector further includes a housing substantially enclosing the engagement member and supporting the button.

5. The connector system of claim 2, wherein the female connector further includes first and second biasing elements, the first biasing element acting against the engagement member to bias the engagement feature into engagement with the coupling feature, the second biasing element acting against the button to bias the actuation element away from the engagement member.

6. The connector system of claim 1, wherein:

the male connector includes an end defining the coupling feature and a fluid conduit;

the female connector includes a fluid conduit; and

when the end of the male connector is fully received in the opening, the fluid conduits of the male and female connectors are placed in fluid communication.

7. A connector system comprising:

a male connector including an end and a fluid conduit extending through the male connector from the end; and

a female connector including an opening, an engagement member adjacent the opening, an actuation member adjacent the engagement member, and a fluid conduit extending through the female connector from a location near the opening,

wherein inserting the end of the male connector in a first direction into the opening of the female connector causes the engagement member to first move in a second direction and then a third direction different from the second direction as the engagement member engages the end of the male connector, the first direction being different from the second direction,

wherein causing the actuation member to move in a fourth direction causes the engagement member to move in the second direction and out of engagement with the end of the male connector, the fourth direction being different from the first and second directions.

8. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the engagement of the engagement member with the end of the male connector maintains the fluid conduit of the male connector in fluid communication with the fluid conduit of the female connector.

9. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the third direction is generally opposite the second direction.

10. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the first, second, third and fourth directions are different from each other.

11. The connector system of claim 10, wherein the engagement member is biased in the third direction.

12. The connector system of claim 10, wherein the actuation member is biased in a fifth direction different from the fourth direction.

13. The connector system of claim 12, wherein the engagement member is biased in the third direction.

14. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the first and second directions are generally perpendicular to each other.

15. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the first and fourth directions are generally perpendicular to each other.

16. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the first, second and fourth directions are generally perpendicular to each other.

17. The connector system of claim 16, wherein the second and third directions are generally opposite each other.

18. A connector system comprising:

a male connector including;

an end; and

a fluid conduit extending through the male connector from the end; and

a female connector including;

a housing with an opening defined therein, the opening configured to receive therein the end of the male connector when the male and female connectors are coupled together;

a fluid conduit at least partially residing within the housing;

an engagement member including a portion adjacent the opening, the portion engaging the end of the male connector and maintaining the end of the male connector within the opening once received therein; and

an actuation member pivotal relative to the housing, wherein displacement of the actuation member in a first direction causes the portion of the engagement member to move in a second direction to disengage from the end of the male connector, thereby freeing the end of the male connector for removal from the opening.

19. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the fluid conduit of the female connector includes an end near the opening.

20. The connector system of claim 19, wherein, when the end of the fluid conduit of the male connector is maintained within the opening of the housing by the portion of the engagement member, the fluid conduits are in fluid communication.

21. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the actuation member is pivotal relative to the housing via a pin and hinge arrangement.

22. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the portion of the engagement member forms a portion of a passageway between the opening and an end of the fluid conduit of the female connector.

23. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the engagement member at least partially resides within the housing.

24. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the actuation member includes a button that is at least partially depressible within the housing when causing the engagement member to disengage.

25. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the engagement member includes a collet finger.

26. The connector system of claim 18, wherein the second direction of movement for the portion of the engagement member is substantially lateral to the first direction of displacement for the actuation member.