Pipe sealing tool and methods for use

• US 9,475,231 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest, Conrad, Nina, Burke, Brian, Vivian, Don, Wajda, Tomasz F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TADESSE, YEWEBDAR T
• Application Number:
  US14/471,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20150091292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 118/300, 118/692, 118/666, 118/667, 118/694, 118/302, 118/712, 285/21.1, 156/86, 156/165, 156/213, 73/46, 73/40
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/05 Filamentary, e.g. strands
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/42 between pre-assembled parts B29C65/605 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/425 characterised by the composition of the molten plastics applied between pre-assembled parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4815 Hot melt adhesives, e.g. thermoplastic adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/542 by injection
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/02242 Perforating or boring
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1142 Single butt to butt joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1222 comprising at least a lapped joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1224 comprising at least a butt joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/322 Providing cavities in the joined article to collect the burr
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/342 Preventing air-inclusions
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/5221 for forming coaxial connections, i.e. the tubular articles to be joined forming a zero angle relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/5229 involving the use of a socket
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/52292 said stop being internal
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8167 Quick change joining tools or surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8181 characterised by the cooling constructional aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/861 : Hand-held tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8618 : being battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9121 : by measuring the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91216 : enabling contactless temperature measurements, e.g. using a pyrometer
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91221 : of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91231 : of the joining tool
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/919 : characterised by specific temperature, heat or thermal flux values or ranges specific electrical resistance values B29C66/81262
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9221 : by measuring the pressure, the force or the mechanical power
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9674 : involving special data outputs, e.g. special data display means B29C66/8748 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 : PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/083 : EVA, i.e. ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 : PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 : ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/737 : Articles provided with holes, e.g. grids, sieves nets B29L2028/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 13/116 : for socket pipes

Abstract

A pipe connecting tool having a pipe joining material section including a pipe joining material container, a conduit from the pipe joining material container to a delivery nozzle, and a heater in thermal communication with at least a portion of the pipe joining material section. The pipe connecting tool may include one or both of a sensor for determining when a cavity has been filled by pipe joining material ejected from the delivery nozzle and a drill module.

Claims

1. A pipe connecting gun for use in connecting first and second parts of a piping system, the pipe connecting gun comprising:

a) a pipe joining material section comprising a pipe joining material container, a conduit from the pipe joining material container to a delivery nozzle, and a heater in thermal communication with at least a portion of the pipe joining material section;

b) an actuator drivingly connected to the pipe joining material section;

c) a sensor configured to determine that an interstitial cavity defined between an inner surface of the first part of the piping system and an outer surface of the second part of the piping system and downstream of the delivery nozzle of the pipe connecting gun has been filled by pipe joining material ejected from the delivery nozzle; and

,

d) a signaling member drivenly connected to the sensor and operable to issue a signal when the sensor determines that the cavity has been filled.

2. The pipe connecting gun of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor operatively connected to at least one of the pipe joining material section and the actuator.

3. The pipe connecting gun of claim 2 wherein the pressure sensor comprises a pressure transducer configured to measure the pressure of liquefied pipe joining material in the pipe joining material section.

4. The pipe connecting gun of claim 2 wherein the pressure sensor measures a pressure applied to the pipe joining material by the actuator.

5. The pipe connecting gun of claim 2 wherein the signaling member comprises a light, a display screen, a vibrating member, or an audio signaling member.

6. The pipe connecting gun of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an infrared detector provided at a front end of the gun and a processor configured for determining when the cavity reaches a predetermined temperature indicative of the cavity being filled by pipe joining material.

7. The pipe connecting gun of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises:

a) a volume analyzer configured to determine a volume of the cavity; and

,

b) a delivery analyzer configured to determine when an amount of pipe joining material sufficient to fill the volume of the cavity has been ejected from the delivery nozzle.

8. The pipe connecting gun of claim 1 further comprising a drill bit chuck, a motor drivingly connected to the drill bit chuck, and a drill actuator drivingly connected to the motor.

9. The pipe connecting gun of claim 8 wherein the delivery nozzle and the drill bit chuck are provided on a forward face of the gun.

10. The pipe connecting gun of claim 8 wherein the delivery nozzle and the drill bit chuck are parallel.

11. The pipe connecting gun of claim 8 further comprising a distance guide for determining a particular distance from an end of a pipe or pipe fitting.

12. The pipe connecting gun of claim 2, further comprising a data logging module configured to record data corresponding to at least one of:

a total volume of pipe joining material ejected from the delivery nozzle;

a number of cavities that are filled;

a time at which a volume of pipe joining material was ejected from the delivery nozzle;

a number of signals issued by the signaling member.

13. The pipe connecting gun of claim 12, wherein the data logging module is configured to establish a communication channel between the data logging module and a computing device, and to transmit the recorded data to the computing device over the communication channel.

14. The pipe connecting gun of claim 13, wherein the communication channel comprises a wireless communication channel.

15. The pipe connecting gun of claim 14, wherein the communication channel comprises a wireless communication channel established in accordance with the Bluetooth communications protocol.

16. A pipe connecting gun comprising:

a) a pipe joining material section comprising a pipe joining material container, a conduit from the pipe joining material container to a delivery nozzle, and a heater in thermal communication with at least a portion of the pipe joining material section;

b) an actuator drivingly connected to the pipe joining material section;

c) a sensor for determining when a cavity has been filled by pipe joining material ejected from the delivery nozzle, the sensor comprising;

i) a volume analyzer configured to determine a volume of the cavity, wherein the volume analyzer comprises a detector configured to determine a diameter of a pipe and provide a signal to a processor configured to calculate the volume of the cavity based on the diameter; and

,

ii) a delivery analyzer configured to determine when an amount of pipe joining material sufficient to fill the volume of the cavity has been ejected from the delivery nozzle; and

d) a signaling member drivenly connected to the sensor and operable to issue a signal when the sensor detects that the cavity has been filled.

17. The pipe connecting gun of claim 16 wherein the delivery analyzer comprises a flow analyzer.

18. The pipe connecting gun of claim 16 wherein the detector comprises a camera.

19. A pipe connecting gun comprising:

a) a pipe joining material section comprising a pipe joining material container, a conduit from the pipe joining material container to a delivery nozzle, and a heater in thermal communication with at least a portion of the pipe joining material section;

b) a first actuator drivingly connected to the pipe joining material section; and

,

c) a drill bit chuck, a motor drivingly connected to the drill bit chuck, and a drill actuator drivingly connected to the motor, wherein the drill bit chuck is configured to receive a drill bit and drill a hole while the pipe joining material section and the drill bit chuck are each connected as part of the pipe connecting gun.

20. The pipe connecting gun of claim 19, further comprising a first trigger member for selectively actuating the first actuator, and a drill trigger member for selectively actuating the drill actuator.

21. The pipe connecting gun of claim 20, further comprising a handle portion, wherein the first trigger member is mounted on a first side of the handle portion, and wherein the drill trigger member is mounted on a second side of the handle portion.

22. The pipe connecting gun of claim 19, further comprising an interlock coupled to the first actuator and the drill actuator and configured to selectively prevent both of the actuators from being actuated simultaneously.

23. The pipe connecting gun of claim 19, further comprising a trigger member for selectively actuating the first actuator and the drill actuator and an interlock coupled to the first actuator and the drill actuator and configured to selectively prevent both of the actuators from being actuated simultaneously.

24. The pipe connecting gun of claim 22, wherein the interlock is further configured to selectively prevent either actuator from being actuated.

25. The pipe connecting gun of claim 19 wherein the delivery nozzle and the drill bit chuck are provided on a forward face of the gun.

26. The pipe connecting gun of claim 19 wherein the delivery nozzle and the drill bit chuck are parallel.

27. The pipe connecting gun of claim 19 further comprising a distance guide for determining a particular distance from an end of a pipe or pipe fitting.