Tube coupling

Claim 1

A COUPLING FOR A TUBE HAVING A FORWARD END AND A TUBE ANNULAR SHOULDER EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM INWARDLY OF SAID FORWARD END, SAID TUBE ANNULAR SHOULDER HAVING A FORWARD SIDE FACING SAID FORWARD END, SAID COUPLING COMPRISING A SOCKET MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE FORWARD END PORTION OF SAID TUBE BY INSERTION OF SAID TUBE INTO SAID OPENING AT ONE END OF SAID SOCKET MEMBER, SAID COUPLING HAVING INWARDLY EXTENDING SHOULDER MEANS IN SAID OPENING SPACED FROM SAID ONE END AND ADAPTED TO LIMIT THE INWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID TUBE TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION IN WHICH SAID TUBE ANNULAR SHOULDER ON SAID TUBE IS RECEIVED IN SAID SOCKET MEMBER, A SEALING RING EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE OPENING IN SAID SOCKET MEMBER AND DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID INWARDLY EXTENDING SHOULDER MEANS IN SAID SOCKET MEMBER TO RECEIVE SAID TUBE AND SEAL AGAINST THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF ADJACENT THE FORWARD SIDE OF SAID TUBE ANNULAR SHOULDER WHEN SAID TUBE IS IN SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION, LOCKING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID TUBE IN SAID COUPLING COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DETENTS SUPPORTED IN APERTURES IN SAID SOCKET MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY OF THE SIDE WALL OF THE OPENING THROUGH SAID SOCKET MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO MOVE INWARDLY OF THE SIDE WALL OF THE OPENING THROUGH SAID SOCKET MEMBER TO A LOCKING POSITION IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE TRAILING SIDE OF SAID TUBE ANNULAR SHOULDER TO COOPERATE WITH SAID TRAILING SIDE OF SAID TUBE ANNULAR SHOULDER TO HOLD SAID TUBE AGAINST WITHDRAWAL WHEN SAID TUBE IS IN SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID DETENT MEANS AGAINST MOVEMENT OUTWARDLY FROM THEIR LOCKING POSITION, AND AN INTERNAL SUPPORT MEMBER COAXIALLY DISPOSED WITH SAID OPENING AND EXTENDING FROM SAID SHOULDER MEANS THROUGH AND BEYOND SAID SEALING RING AND HAVING AN EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE TUBE PROXIMATELY THAT OF THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE TUBE WHEREBY SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IS RECEIVED IN SAID TUBE AS SAID TUBE IS INSERTED INTO SAID SOCKET MEMBER AND SAID SEALING RING.