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A coupling used during testing of a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe connected by the coupling. A removable barrier disk prevents water from flowing through the connected pipes until after testing, when the disk is then detached from the body member of the coupling. A pier

A coupling used during testing of a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe connected by the coupling. A removable barrier disk prevents water from flowing through the connected pipes until after testing, when the disk is then detached from the body member of the coupling. A piercing assembly interacts with a groove near the perimeter of the disk to initiate a tear that propagates along the groove as the disk is pulled away from the body member of the coupling. The piercing assembly is attached to the disk by a fulcrum element offset with respect to a center of the planar disk.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A coupling used during testing of a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, said coupling comprising a substantially cylindrical wall member having a longitudinal centerline, and a removable substantially planar circular disk within the cylindrical

The invention claimed is: 1. A coupling used during testing of a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, said coupling comprising a substantially cylindrical wall member having a longitudinal centerline, and a removable substantially planar circular disk within the cylindrical wall member, integral therewith, and substantially at a right angle to the cylindrical wall member, said planar disk having a center with said longitudinal centerline intersecting said center substantially at a right angle to the disk and said planar disk forming within the wall member on opposite sides thereof a first section sized to receive the upstream pipe and a second section sized to receive the downstream pipe, said planar disk having an upstream surface and a downstream surface, said upstream surface having therein a groove that is substantially circular and substantially continuous, said groove having an outer perimeter offset inward from the cylindrical wall member a predetermined distance substantially from 0.10 to 0.28 inch to provide, upon removal of the planar disk, a substantially annular pipe stop extending outward from an inside surface of the cylindrical wall member substantially at a right angle to the wall member to enable an end of the upstream pipe to abut an upstream side of the annular pipe stop and an end of the downstream pipe to abut a downstream side of the annular pipe stop, and a piercing assembly attached to the disk and offset with respect to the center of the planar disk, said piercing assembly including a piercing member mounted to the upstream side of the planar disk and having a piercing end aligned with the groove and positioned within or spaced away from the groove substantially 0.1 inch, said piercing member adapted to be pulled manually towards the planar disk to pierce said planar disk at the groove, and a lever member mounted to the downstream side of the planar disk and oriented substantially in the same manner as the piercing member and having an outer terminal end offset inward from the groove substantially from 0.15 to 0.28 inch, and a pulling member to attached to said outer terminal end of the lever member to enable a user while the coupling is installed in a water line to pull the lever member, causing the piercing assembly to rotate and advance the piercing member towards the planar disk and pierce said planar disk at the groove. 2. The coupling of claim 1 where the piercing assembly includes a pin element that extends through the disk and has a first end projecting from said upstream side of the disk and a second end projecting from said downstream side of the disk, said piercing member at an inner terminal end being attached to the first end and said lever member at an inner terminal end being attached to the second end. 3. The coupling of claim 2 where the planar disk includes a central spacer member and the cylindrical wall, planar disk, and spacer member are molded as a unitary structure and made of a rubber or plastic to provide a single piece body member, and the pin element is bonded to the central spacer member during molding. 4. The coupling of claim 1 where the pipe stop has a predetermined thickness and the disk has a thickness that is greater than the predetermined thickness of the pipe stop. 5. The coupling of claim 1 where the cylindrical wall and planar disk are a single piece body member molded as a unitary structure and made of a rubber or plastic. 6. A coupling used during testing of a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, each pipe having a predetermined circumferential configuration, said coupling comprising a single piece elastic body member molded as a unitary structure including an upstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the upstream pipe and sized to receive the upstream pipe, a downstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the downstream pipe and sized to receive the downstream pipe, and a removable disk disposed between the upstream wall section and the downstream wall section to block the flow of water between the wall sections, said disk having a perimeter and a groove therein nearby said perimeter, and a piercing assembly attached to the planar disk by a fulcrum element offset with respect to a center of the planar disk, said piercing assembly including a piercing member having a piercing end aligned with the groove and another end attached to the fulcrum element, said piercing member mounted to the planar disk on one side thereof to be pulled towards the planar disk to pierce said planar disk at the groove, and a lever member mounted to planar disk on the other side of the planar disk to enable the lever member to be manually pulled. 7. The coupling of claim 6 where the fulcrum element comprises a pin element that extends through the disk and has a first end projecting from said one side of the disk and a second end projecting from another side of the disk, said another end of the piercing member being attached to the first end and said lever member being attached to the second end, and a spacer member mounted on the pin element between the piercing member and said one side of the disk to space the piercing end of the piercing member away from the groove substantially 0.1 inch. 8. A coupling used during testing of a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, each pipe having a predetermined circumferential configuration, said coupling comprising a single piece body member molded as a unitary structure including an upstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the upstream pipe and the upstream pipe received therein, a downstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the downstream pipe and the downstream pipe received therein, and a removable disk disposed between the upstream wall section and the downstream wall section initially to block the flow of water between the pipes until removed, said disk having a perimeter with a substantially circular and substantially continuous substantially V-shaped groove therein nearby said perimeter, and a piercing assembly attached to the planar disk by a fulcrum element offset with respect to a center of the planar disk and extending through the disk with a first portion projecting into the upstream wall section and a second portion projecting into the downstream wall section, said piercing assembly including a piercing member having a piercing end aligned with the groove and spaced therefrom and an opposed end attached to the first portion of the fulcrum element, said piercing member mounted to the planar disk on an upstream side thereof to be pulled towards the planar disk to pierce said planar disk at the groove, and a lever member mounted to planar disk on a downstream side of the planar disk to enable the lever member to be manually pulled and having an end portion attached to the second portion of the fulcrum element. 9. The coupling of claim 8 where the piercing end of the piercing member is spaced from the groove substantially from 0.1 inch. 10. The coupling of claim 9 where the downstream side of the disk includes a substantially circular and substantially continuous substantially V-shaped groove therein nearby said perimeter, said V-shaped groove in the downstream side of the disk being in substantial registration with the V-shaped groove on the upstream side of the disk. 11. The coupling of claim 10 where the V-shaped groove on the upstream side of the disk has an outer perimeter offset inward from the cylindrical wall member a predetermined distance substantially from 0.10 to 0.28 inch to provide, upon removal of the planar disk, an annular pipe stop extending outward from an inside surface of the cylindrical wall member substantially at a right angle to the wall member to enable an end of the upstream pipe to abut one side of the annular pipe stop and an end of the downstream pipe to abut another side of the annular pipe stop. 12. The coupling of claim 11 where the pipe stop has a predetermined thickness and the disk has a thickness that is greater than the predetermined thickness of the pipe stop. 13. A water line comprising an upstream pipe, a downstream pipe, and test coupling connecting said pipes together, each pipe having a predetermined circumferential configuration and said coupling comprising a single piece body member molded as a unitary structure including an upstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the upstream pipe and the upstream pipe received therein, a downstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the downstream pipe and the downstream pipe received therein, and a removable disk disposed between the upstream wall section and the downstream wall section to block initially the flow of water between the pipes, said disk having a perimeter and an upstream side with a substantially circular and substantially continuous groove therein that is nearby said perimeter, and a piercing assembly attached to the planar disk by a fulcrum element offset with respect to a center of the planar disk, said piercing assembly including a piercing member having a piercing end aligned with the groove, said piercing member mounted to the upstream side of the planar disk to be pulled towards the planar disk to pierce said planar disk at the groove, and a lever member mounted to planar disk on the downstream side of the planar disk to enable the lever member to be manually pulled. 14. The coupling of claim 13 where the piercing end of the piercing member is positioned within or spaced from the groove substantially from 0.1 inch. 15. The water line of claim 14 including a second groove in the disk on a downstream side of the disk, both said grooves being substantially V-shaped and being substantially in registration. 16. The water line of claim 15 where the V-shaped grooves each have an outer perimeter offset inward from the wall sections a predetermined distance substantially from 0.10 to 0.28 inch to provided, upon removal of the planar disk, a pipe stop extending outward from an inside surface of the wall sections substantially at a right angle to the wall sections to enable an end of the upstream pipe to abut one side of the pipe stop and an end of the downstream pipe to abut another side of the pipe stop. 17. The coupling of claim 16 where the pipe stop has a predetermined thickness and the disk has a thickness that is greater than the predetermined thickness of the pipe stop. 18. A method of testing a water line including an upstream pipe and a Wye-fitting downstream pipe having a branched section at an acute angle with respect to a straight section, said branched section having a side opening, said method comprising the steps of (a) coupling ends of the pipes together with a coupling including a single piece body member molded as a unitary structure having an upstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the upstream pipe that is inserted therein, a downstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the downstream pipe that is inserted therein, and a removable disk disposed between the upstream wall section and the downstream wall section to block initially the flow of water between the pipes, said disk having a perimeter and an upstream side with a substantially circular and substantially continuous groove therein that is nearby said perimeter, and a piercing assembly attached to the planar disk and offset with respect to a center of the planar disk, said piercing assembly including a piercing member having a piercing end aligned with the groove, said piercing member mounted to the planar disk on the upstream side of the planar disk, and an lever member mounted to planar disk on the downstream side of the planar disk to enable the lever member to be manually pulled by a pulling member attached at one end to the lever member and having another end extending outward from the side opening in the branched section of the downstream pipe, (b) positioning the coupling and the pipes with respect to each other so that the piercing end of the piercing assembly is within a zone in the upstream pipe having an area that substantially corresponds to substantially half of the cross-sectional area of the upstream pipe that is furthest from the side opening, (c) pulling the pulling member to separate partially the disk from the body member of the coupling, and (d) pushing inward on a portion of the pulling member within the downstream pipe with a tool extending through the side opening and concurrently pulling on the pulling member to separate completely the disk from the body member of the coupling. 19. A method of testing a water line including an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe having a side opening, said method comprising the steps of (a) coupling ends of the pipes together with a coupling including a single piece body member molded as a unitary structure having an upstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the upstream pipe that is inserted therein, a downstream wall section having an internal circumferential configuration substantially the same as the circumferential configuration of the downstream pipe that is inserted therein, and a removable disk disposed between the upstream wall section and the downstream wall section to block initially the flow of water between the pipes, said disk having a perimeter and an upstream side with a substantially circular and substantially continuous groove therein that is nearby said perimeter, and a piercing assembly attached to the planar disk by a fulcrum element offset with respect to a center of the planar disk, said piercing assembly including a piercing member having a piercing end aligned with the groove, said piercing member mounted to the planar disk on the upstream side of the planar disk, and a lever member mounted to planar disk on the downstream side of the planar disk to enable the lever member to be manually pulled a pulling member attached at one end to the lever member and having another end extending outward from the side opening, and (b) pulling the pulling member to separate the disk from the body member of the coupling. 20. The method of claim 19 where the lever member is attached to the fulcrum element.