US3249373A - Tube coupling having a longitudinally movable biting ring - Google Patents

Description

A. GOLDSTEIN May 3, 1966 TUBE COUPLING HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE BITING RING Filed Nov. 14, 1963 Flal llf//f/ vFIGB United States vPatent O 3,249,373 TUBE COUPLING HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY v MGVABLE BITING RING Arthur Goldstein, Richmond Heights, Mo., asslguor of one-half to George P. Goldstein and one-half to Kenneth Goldstein, both of St. Louis County, Mo.

Filed Nov. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 323,777

1 Claim. (Cl. 285-382) This invention relates generally to coupling devices, but more especially to those that are intended to interlock a pair of nestable tubes, pipes, conduits and the like against accidental separation.

The invention has among its general objects, the construction of such a device that is simple and inexpensive in construction, extremely sturdy in service, easy and rapid to use, made of a single piece of material, and which will give good and satisfactory service wherever the need for its use arises.

Another object of mty invention is to so construct a device of the kind aforementioned, that after once positioned in interlocking position, will be very diiiicult, if not impossible, to separate the tubes without actually vdestroying the tubes themselves.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described, and the uses thereof, will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, as will be clearly evident from the specilication and claims that follow.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views.

'FIGURE l is a longitudinalsectional view through a pair of tubes that are about to be coupled together;

FIGURE 2 is al perspective view of the coupling devlce;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cooperating pair of tubes, at about the initial and iinal assembly positions; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail sectional view, showing the teeth of the coupling device penetrating one of the tubes to interlock the tubes.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 and 2 indicates two lengths of tubing of any preferred material, as for example of strong paperboard, the first tube being suiciently larger in internal diameter than the latter to permit of easy telescopic entry of the A latter into the first tube, with plenty of lateral clearance therebetween.

A pair of annular bands 3 and 4, of suitable thickness,

are glued or otherwise suitably aiixed to the interior of the larger tubeand arranged in axially spaced-apart relation therein, somewhat as shown, the former band being adjacent one end of the tube, land the other band placed a suitable distance inwardly of the tube therefrom.

Thesebands serve -as abutment stops for the coupling device, as will be hereinafter explained, said device being longitudinally slidably movable in said tube between said bands.

The device may consist of a relatively thin one-piece ring having any desired width, and preferably made of strong sheet metal, treated for proper hardness and flexibility as desired, to make it serve for the use to which it is to be put, the annular bounding portion of the ring being indicated at 5.

One peripheral edge portion of said ring is bent reentrantly rearwardly upon itself, into the ring, to provide a double-thicknessl portion 6 of any appreciable width, `to thereby reinforce the ring thereabout.

There are teeth or prongs 7 formed to extend rearwardly from said thickened portion of the edge, and arice ranged circumferentially, said teeth extending toward the other edge of the ringand bent to extend at an angle to project radially inwardly of the annulus, somewhat as indicated, the external diameter of said ring being such that itvmay slidably move without interference within the larger tube, between said bands until the ring abuts one or the other of the bands, depending on the direction of its longitudinal travel.

The external outside diameter of the smaller tube is such that it will enter the larger tube, substantially initially slidably engaging the bands, the latter serving to center and guide the entering tube.

To assemble the tubes into coupled relationship, one

end of the smaller tube is inserted longitudinally into an adjacent end of the larger one and is longitudinally or axially advanced thereinto until said advancing or forward end of the tube engages the ring member. Continued advancement of the smaller tube actuates the coupling device along therewith, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3, such advancing movement continuing until the ring abuts the innermost band 4 to cease further entering movement of the ring.

Now, continued advancement of the tube 2 rides the same along the teeth of the ring to'flex them against the inner peripheral bounding surface of the ring to substantially flatten them, as indicated in full lines in FIG.v 3.

' The adjacent end of the smaller tube may be still further advanced past the ring and project axially therebeyond the latter, as indicated in full lines in FIG. 3.

-Now, any withdrawal movement of the tubes to separate them, as by shifting the smaller tube (to the right) relatively of the larger tube, from its position indicated in full lines in FIG. 3, will carry the ring with the moving tube until the ring abuts the end band 3, which stops further retraction of the ring, to thereby bend the teeth into the tube and substantially gouge into the peripheral surface of the latter as indicated at 8 in FIG 4, any further withdrawal movement of the smaller tube causing even deeper penetration of the teeth into the tube with further angular deiiection of the teeth, and the ilakedoff tube material building up between the teeth and the internal peripheral surface of the ring to even more firmly wedge the teeth into the material of the smaller tube to lock the tubes together thereabout.

The aforesaid interlock can be made very strong, as desired, and in fact, tests have shown that a pull of approximately 800 pounds Could be exerted on an approximately 21/2 O D. paperboard tube, without breaking the teeth.

What is claimed is:

In a device adapted for longitudinally coupling a pair of tubes one of which is of smaller diameter than the other, a larger diameter tube having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart annular bands fixed peripherally therein to serve as an abutment stop for said device, a ring slidably seatable in said larger tube and adapted to abut one of said bandsv `as its limit of longitudinal movement in one direction, said ring having a cylindrical portion whose diameter is substantially equal to the internal diameter of said larger tube and is bent reentrantly about one edge to form a double thickness of ring material thereabout and of appreciable width, the innermost portion of said reentrant material provided with teeth arranged circumferentially thereabout and with their points directed inwardly from said edge and toward the'center of the ring, the space between said bands being substantially greater than the axial length of said ring, the internal diameter of the bands being substantially that of the external diameter of the small tube, .and with the teeth points terminating radially inwardly beyond the internal surface of said bands, whereby withdrawal force on said smaller tube causes increasing penetration of the teeth into the latter and a wedging of material scraped from the smaller tube into between the teeth vand the inner opposed peripl1 eral surface of said ring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS l@ 5/1958 Leadbetter ,285--382 X 8/1960 Kocsuta 285--340 9/1964 Briegel et al. 285--322 X FOREIGN PATENTS 3/ 1960 Australia. 12/1951 Switzerland.

CARL W. 4TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

22,5 340 10 THOMAS F. CALLAGHAN, Examiner.

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