Coupling device

Claim 1

A COUPLING DEVICE COMPRISING A PIPE FITTING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO A FLOW LINE AND HAVING A RIGID TUBE THEREON, A COLLAPSIBLE FLEXIBLE TUBE HAVING ONE OF ITS END PORTIONS FITTING ONTO THE RIGID TUBE, A BODY INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF BODY PORTIONS MOVABLE RELATIVELY TOWARD EACH OTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THE TUBES INTO EMBRACING RELATION TO AT LEAST ONE END PORTION OF THE COLLAPSIBLE FLEXIBLE TUBE, COACTING RETAINING MEANS ON THE RIGID TUBE AND IN THE BODY PORTIONS TO CLAMP AND SUPPORT THE RIGID TUBE IN SUCH BODY PORTIONS AND TO CONSTRAIN THE RIGID TUBE FROM AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREIN, A CURVILINEAR CONTRACTIBLE SPLIT COLLAR CONSISTING OF A SINGLE THIN BAND OF RELATIVELY STIFF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL WHICH HAS ITS ENDS FREE FROM CONNECTION WITH EACH OTHER AND THE FREE END PORTIONS OVERLAPPING EACH OTHER CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE COLLAR IN FACE TO FACE RELATION WITH ONE OF THE OVERLAPPED FACES SUPERPOSED ON THE OTHER RADIALLY OF THE FLEXIBLE TUBE WHEN THE COLLAR IS IN UNCONTRACTED CONDITION AND WHICH IS ARRANGED WHEN UNSTRESSED TO EMBRACE THE PERIPHERY OF SAID END PORTION OF THE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE, THE BODY PORTIONS HAVING SURFACES FIRMLY ENGAGING THE COLLAR IN A MANNER TO CONTRACT THE COLLAR BY MOVEMENT OF ITS ENDS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE TUBE AND THEREBY COMPRESS THE FLEXIBLE TUBE RADIALLY ABOUT THE RIGID TUBE WHEN THE BODY PORTIONS ARE DRAWN TOWARD EACH OTHER TO FINAL ASSEMBLED POSITION IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY OF THE TUBES, MEANS FOR SECURING THE BODY PORTIONS IN SAID FINAL POSITION, AND DETACHABLE HINGE MEANS FORMED INTEGRAL WITH THE BODY PORTIONS AND HINGEDLY CONNECTING THE BODY PORTIONS TOGETHER FOR SWINGING TOGETHER AND APART ABOUT A HINGE AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO, AND OFFSET FROM, THE AXIS OF THE TUBES, SAID COLLAR BEING DISPOSED AROUND THE FLEXIBLE TUBE WITH THE FREE ENDS OF THE COLLAR SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE FROM SAID HINGE AXIS.