Tube fitting having means to indicate complete assembly positions

Claim 1

A FITTING FOR USE WITH TUBING HAVING ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT RESISTANCES TO SETTING, COMPRISING: A BODY HAVING A BORE PROVIDED WITH AN ANNULAR CAM SURFACE NARROWING AXIALLY INWARDLY, AND AN ANNULAR OUTER SURFACE SPACED AXIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CAM SURFACE AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO THE BORE; A NUT CONNECTED TO THE BODY AND HAVING A BORE COMMUNICATING WITH THE BODY BORE, SAID NUT HAVING A DEFLECTABLE INNER END PORTION ENGAGING SAID CAM SURFACE TO BE DEFLECTED RADIALLY INWARDLY THEREBY AS A RESULT OF A MOVING TOGETHER OF THE BODY AND NUT, AND SAID NUT FURTHER HAVING A TRANSVERSE ANNULAR SURFACE CONFRONTING SAID OUTER SURFACE OF THE BODY; AND A RING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID OUTER BODY SURFACE AND CONFRONTING NUT SURFACE FORMED OF A RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING LIMITED READY YIELDABILITY, THE AXIAL LENGTH OF THE RING BEING CORRELATED WITH THE SLOPE OF THE CAM SURFACE, THE SPACING OF THE CAM SURFACE FROM SAID OUTER BODY SURFACE, AND THE SPACING OF THE DEFLECTABLE NUT PORTION FROM THE PLANE OF SAID CONFRONTING NUT SURFACE SO THAT WHEN SAID BODY OUTER SURFACE AND CONFRONTING NUT SURFACE ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER TO ABUT OPPOSITE PORTIONS OF THE RING AND COMPRESS AXIALLY THE RING A PRESELECTED SMALL AMOUNT WHICH IS LESS THAN ONE-HALF THAT ALLOWED BY THE LIMITED YIELDABILITY OF SAID RING, A LIMITED INWARD DEFLECTION OF THE DEFLECTABLE PORTION RESULTS WHICH IS PROPER FOR EFFECTING A SEALING SECURING OF THE DEFLECTABLE PORTION TO THE TUBING AND TO THE CAM SURFACE, AND WHEN, SUBSEQUENT TO SUCH A BRINGING TOGETHER OF THE BODY OUTER SURFACE AND CONFRONTING NUT SURFACE ARE MOVED APART AND AGAIN BROUGHT TOGETHER, SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AXIAL COMPRESSION OF THE RING MAY BE EFFECTED TO PROVIDE SUCH INWARD DEFLECTION OF THE DEFLECTABLE PORTION FOR EFFECTING THE SEALING SECURING OF THE DEFLECTABLE PORTION TO THE TUBING AND TO THE CAM SURFACE WHERE THE TUBING HAS NOT BEEN SET AS A RESULT OF THE PREVIOUSLY EFFECTED SECURING, AND ADDITIONAL AXIAL COMPRESSION OF THE RING MAY BE EFFECTED UP TO THE LIMIT OF ITS YIELDABILITY TO PROVIDE SUCH ADDITIONAL INWARD DEFLECTION OF THE DEFLECTABLE PORTION PROPER FOR EFFECTING A SEALING SECURING OF THE DEFLECTABLE PORTION TO THE TUBING AND TO THE CAM SURFACE WHERE THE TUBING HAS TAKEN A SET AS A RESULT OF THE PREVIOUSLY EFFECTED SECURING.