IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0358476
(2003-02-05)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Lebreton, Edward T.
- Ellis, George S.
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
3 인용 특허 :
13 |
초록
▼
A quick-release fitting assembly has a male fitting and a female fitting. The male and female fittings are secured together by a retaining ring that is at least partially received in aligned first and second retaining grooves that are provided in the male fitting and the throat of the female fitting
A quick-release fitting assembly has a male fitting and a female fitting. The male and female fittings are secured together by a retaining ring that is at least partially received in aligned first and second retaining grooves that are provided in the male fitting and the throat of the female fitting respectively. A water tight seal is provided by an O-ring that is retained in a sealing groove of the male fitting and radially compressed against the throat wall when the male fitting is inserted in the female fitting. The water tight seal remains substantially intact when the male fitting is rotated relative to the female fitting. In a preferred embodiment, the male fitting is removable from the female fitting by first compressing the retaining ring so that it no longer extends into the second retaining groove. In this embodiment, a locking ledge may be provided in the first retaining groove which prevents the retaining ring from being compressed when the fitting is under pressure so that the male fitting cannot be removed from the female fitting under pressure.
대표청구항
▼
1. A fitting assembly comprising a male fitting, a female fitting, a retaining ring and an O-ring, said male fitting comprising a cylindrical portion and a plurality of axially spaced, radially extending annular portions extending from said cylindrical portion, a first pair of said radially extendin
1. A fitting assembly comprising a male fitting, a female fitting, a retaining ring and an O-ring, said male fitting comprising a cylindrical portion and a plurality of axially spaced, radially extending annular portions extending from said cylindrical portion, a first pair of said radially extending annular portions defining a first retaining groove therebetween, a second pair of said radially extending annular portions defining a sealing groove therebetween, said first retaining groove adapted to receive said retaining ring therein and said sealing groove adapted to receive said O-ring therein, said female fitting comprising a throat having a throat wall and a second retaining groove disposed in said throat wall, said second retaining groove dividing said throat wall into an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, said male fitting further comprising a locking ledge disposed circumferentially about said cylindrical portion thereof within said first retaining groove, said retaining ring having a resting inner diameter large enough to accommodate said locking ledge therein,wherein said retaining ring, said locking ledge, and said first and second retaining grooves are adapted to provide said retaining ring in a locked position when said fitting assembly is pressurized, such that said locking ledge is seated within said inner diameter of said retaining ring thereby preventing said retaining ring from being compressed completely within said first retaining groove, thereby preventing removal of said male fitting from said female fitting in a pressurized condition of said fitting assembly, said fitting assembly further comprising means to compress said retaining ring into said first retaining groove when said retaining ring is in an unlocked position, thereby permitting removal of said male fitting from said female fitting in an unpressurized condition of said fitting assembly. 2. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said throat of said female fitting being adapted to receive and accommodate said male fitting therein such that a) said first retaining groove of said male fitting is aligned with said second retaining groove in said throat wall, b) said retaining ring is at least partially retained in each of said first and said second retaining grooves, and c) said O-ring is radially compressed against said throat wall to provide a water tight seal.3. A fitting assembly according to claim 2, further adapted such that said O-ring is radially compressed against said lower wall portion of said throat wall to provide said water tight seal when said male fitting is received in said female fitting.4. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said male fitting comprising three of said radially extending annular portions, being first, second and third radially extending annular portions respectively, said first retaining groove being defined between said first and said second radially extending annular portions, said sealing groove being defined between said second and said third radially extending annular portions.5. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, one of said extending annular portions being discontinuous, having a gap about an outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical portion of said male fitting.6. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said female fitting further comprising a circumferential lip defining an opening of said throat in said female fitting, said circumferential lip having a chamfered edge.7. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said lower wall portion of said throat wall having a circumferential edge adjacent said second retaining groove in said throat wall, said circumferential edge of said lower wall portion being a chamfered edge.8. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said upper wall portion having a larger diameter than said lower wall portion.9. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said locking ledge being provided adjacent an intersection of said cylindrical portion with one of said extending annular portions.10. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said male fitting being received within said female fitting, said first retaining groove being aligned with said second retaining groove, said retaining ring being at least partially retained in each of said first and said second retaining grooves, said O-ring being retained within said sealing groove and being radially compressed against said throat wall to provide a water tight seal, said retaining ring, said locking ledge, and said first and second retaining grooves cooperating to provide said retaining ring in said locked position when said fitting assembly is pressurized.11. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said O-ring being radially compressed against said lower wall portion of said throat wall.12. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said male fitting being rotatable within said female fitting without substantially compromising said water tight seal.13. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said retaining ring being substantially circular and discontinuous, and having a first overhang portion disposed at a first terminus thereof, and a second overhang portion disposed at a second terminus thereof.14. A fitting assembly according to claim 13, one of said extending annular portions of said male fitting being a first extending annular portion and being discontinuous, having a gap about an outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical portion, said gap in said first extending annular portion being adapted to accommodate said first and said second overhang portions of said retaining ring when said retaining ring is received in said first retaining groove.15. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said retaining ring being made from a stiffly flexible material.16. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, at least one of said male fitting and said female fitting being molded into a tank or vessel, forming an integral part thereof.17. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, at least one of said male and female fittings being threaded such that it is threadably connectable to a fixture in a fluid system, said fixture being selected from the group consisting of tanks, vessels, pipes, and operational units.18. A fitting assembly according to claim 1, said female fitting further comprising a metal rim portion, said second retaining groove provided in said metal rim portion.19. A fitting assembly according to claim 18, said metal rim portion being provided as an integral part of a fixture selected from the group consisting of tanks, vessels, pipes, and operational units.20. A fitting assembly according to claim 11, said fixture being a fluid vessel, said metal rim portion being fixed to said fluid vessel by blow molding or rotational molding said vessel around said metal rim portion such that said metal rim portion becomes an integral part of said molded vessel.21. A fitting assembly according to claim 20, said vessel being resin coated or filament wound or both.22. A fitting assembly according to claim 19, said metal rim portion having a retentive shaped groove therein adapted to physically retain plastic material from said molded vessel that is pressed in said retentive shaped groove during a molding process.23. A fitting assembly according to claim 19, an outer wall of said vessel being molded around and over an outer circumferential rim of said metal rim portion thereby securely constraining said metal rim portion in place as an integral part of said vessel.24. A fitting assembly according to claim 18, said retaining ring being made from metal, a portion of said throat wall being a metal surface provided by said metal rim portion, a further portion of said throat wall being a plastic surface, said sealing groove and said plastic surface being arranged such that, when said male fitting is received in said female fitting, said O-ring is radially compressed against said plastic portion of said throat wall to provide said water tight seal.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.