Tear-out rubber coupling

• US 6,575,475 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Max Homami, MCP Industries, Inc., Scott E. Duncan
• Original Assignee: MCP Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Duncan, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beres, John L.
• Application Number:
  US09/765,758
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 277/602, 277/607, 277/609, 277/917, 285/3, 285/4, 285/369, 138/90, 138/92, 138/94, 138/89, 73/46, 73/491, 73/495, 73/498
• US Class Current: 277/607
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 7/02 Shut-off devices in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/1141 the plug being made of elastic material
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/022 Test plugs for closing off the end of a pipe
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 277/917 Seal including frangible feature

Abstract

A unitary removable barrier for installation in a cylindrical water line to selectively block the water line to passage of water therethrough. The unitary removable barrier is composed of a single piece rubber body having at least one cylindrical section sized to receive upstream and downstream pipes of the water line. A unitary rubber planar disc molded with the cylindrical section is of a circular circumference and which completely blocks the water line but which is selectively removable from the cylindrical section thus removing the barrier to the passage of the water through the line.

Claims

1. A unitary removable barrier for installation in a cylindrical water line to selectively block the water line to passage of water therethrough, said unitary removable barrier being composed of a single piece rubber body having a cylindrical section having a cross-sectional area, longitudinal axis and sized to frictionally receive an upstream pipe and downstream pipe of said water line, each of said pipes having substantially equal inside diameters, said upstream pipe and said downstream pipe substantially abutting one another at a rubber planar disc molded with said cylindrical section which is characterized as being of circular circumference which completely blocks said cross-sectional area, having a diameter which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and which is selectively removable from said cylindrical section thus removing said barrier to said water line.

2. The unitary removable barrier of claim 1 wherein when said planar disc is removed from said cylindrical section, a ledge of said planar disc remains providing a circular opening within said cylindrical section substantially equal to the inside diameters of said upstream and downstream pipes.

3. The unitary removable barrier of claim 1 wherein said planar disc is provided with at least one score line to facilitate its removal from said cylindrical section.

4. The unitary removable barrier of claim 3 wherein said at least one score line comprises a helical score line from a centerpoint on said planar disc to the circumference of said planar disc.

5. The unitary removable barrier of claim 3 wherein a pull line is appended to said planar disc which extends outside of said cylindrical water line such that by pulling on said pull line, said planar disc ruptures along said score line whereupon said planar disc is removable from said water line.

6. The unitary removable barrier of claim 5 wherein said pull line is appended to a lug located at the geometric center of said planar disc.

7. The unitary removable barrier of claim 1 wherein said at least one cylindrical section is designed to frictionally receive said upstream pipe and downstream pipe of said water line.

8. The uniting removable barrier of claim 1 wherein said upstream pipe and said downstream pipe substantially abut one another at said unitary removable barrier.

9. A unitary removable barrier for installation in a cylindrical water line to selectively block the water line to passage of water therethrough, said unitary barrier being composed of a single piece rubber body having a first cylindrical section of first diameter and a second cylindrical section of second diameter and a longitudinal axis passing through both first and second cylindrical sections, said first cylindrical section sized to receive an upstream pipe and said second cylindrical section sized to receive a downstream pipe of said water line and, when said upstream pipe and said downstream pipe are received, respectively, by said first and second cylindrical sections, a rubber disc molded as a unitary piece with said first and second cylindrical sections is positioned between said upstream pipe and downstream pipe to completely block said water line to the passage of water between said upstream pipe and downstream pipe, said rubber disc being completely removable from said water line.

10. The unitary removable barrier of claim 9 wherein said rubber disc is characterized as having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of said downstream pipe.

11. The unitary removable barrier of claim 9 wherein said rubber disc is provided with at least one score line to facilitate its removal from said water line.