Flange seal

Claim 1

A CONNECTOR FOR SECURING TWO SECTIONS TOGETHER IN ASSEMBLED RELATION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN UPPER AND LOWER SECITON, FLANGE MEANS FOR FASTENING SAID SECTIONS TOGETHER, SAID FLANGE MEANS FORMED BY A PAIR OF FLANGES THAT ARE INTEGRAL WITH EACH OF SAID SECTIONS, SAID FLANGES BEING LOCATED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID SECTIONS, SAID FLANGES EACH HAVING A MATING FACE AND AN OUTER FACE, SAID OUTER FACE HAVING A STRAIGHT PORTION AND A TAPERED PORTION, SEALING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FLANGE MEANS, WEDGING MEANS SPACED FROM SAID FLANGE MEANS AND ATTACHED TO EACH OF SAID SECTIONS, CLAMPING MEANS RECEIVED BY SAID FLANGE MEANS AND SAID WEDGING MEANS, SAID CLAMPING MEANS COMPRISING A RIGID BELT OF SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, SAID RIGID BELT BEING RECEIVED IN SAID SPACES, SAID RIGID BELT HAVING EARS FOR RECEIVING BOLTS THERETHROUGH, SAID BOLTS THREADABLY RECEIVED BY A PLURALITY OF SPACED BOSSES, SAID BOSSES BEING LOCATED INTERMEDIATE SAID WEDGE MEANS AND FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID SECTIONS, SAID RIGID BELT HAVING TAPERED PORTIONS THAT CONFORM TO AND MATE WITH SAID TAPERED PORTION ON SAID OUTER FACE OF SAID FLANGES AND SAID TAPERED PORTION OF SAID WEDGE MEANS THUS EXERTING A DOUBLE WEDGING ACTION ON SAID FLANGES WHEN SAID BOLTS ARE TIGHTENED URGING SAID RIGID BELT INWARDLY CAUSING SAID FLANGES TO CLOSELY INTER-ENGAGE AND FORM A SEAL THEREBETWEEN, ADDITIONAL MEANS FOR SECURING SAID CLAMPING MEANS TO SAID SECTIONS WHEREBY SAID SECTIONS ARE SECURELY FASTENED TOGETHER AND SAID SEALING MEANS SEALS SAID FLANGE MEANS.