Pipe joint for soil pipes having wedge locking means

Claim 1

A JOINT FOR PIPES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING TELESCOPICALLY INTERFITTING PIPE PARTS DEFINING BETWEEN THEM AN AXIALLY DEEP ANNULAR SPACE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RADIAL WIDTH, A COMPRESSIBLE SEAL RING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SPACE NEAR THE BOTTOM THEREOF REMOTE FROM THE MOUTH OF SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND OCCUPYING A RELATIVELY SMALL VOLUME OF SAID ANNULAR SPACE, A RIGID RING UNIT WHICH IS AXIALLY DISPOSED BODILY WITHIN THE ANNULAR SPACE AND OCCUPYING SUBSTANTIALLY THE REMAINING VOLUME OF SAID ANNULAR SPACE AXIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE SEAL RING AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE SEAL RING NEAR THE BOTTOM OF SAID SPACE ONLY TO COMPRESS THE SEAL RING AXIALLY AND RADIALLY WITHIN THE BOTTOM OF SAID SPACE, SAID RIGID RING UNIT ENGAGING THE BORE OF ONE PIPE PART AND THE PERIPHERY OF THE OTHER PIPE PART OVER THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE TELESCOPING AREAS THEREOF TO STABILIZE THE LATTER, SAID RIGID RING UNIT PROVIDED IN ITS RADIALLY OUTER PERIPHERY WITH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED WEDGE FACES WHICH TAPER AXIALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS RELATIVE TO THE ENDS OF THE RIGID RING UNIT, PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY TAPERING WEDGE ELEMENTS SLIDABLY ENGAGING SAID OPPOSITELY TAPERING WEDGE FACES AND ADAPTED TO PROJECT RADIALLY BEYOND THE RIGID RING UNIT IN CERTAIN ADJUSTED POSITION OF THE WEDGE ELEMENTS, WHEREBY THE LATTER MAY GRIP THE BORE OF SAID ONE PIPE PART AT A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT LOCALITIES TO FIRMLY ANCHOR THE RIGID RING UNIT THERETO, AND AXIALLY EXTENDING SCREW-THREADED MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE WEDGE ELEMENTS OF EACH PAIR TO OPERATE THE SAME AXIALLY OF THE RIGID RING UNIT AND DISPOSED BODILY WITH THE RIGID RING UNIT IN SAID ANNULAR SPACE SO THAT ALL PARTS ARE CONFINED WITHIN THE ANNULAR SPACE.