Bell and spigot joint with selflocking wedge rings

Claim 1

A JOINT AND SEAL STRUCTURE FOR SOIL PIPES AND THE LIKE HAVING TELESCOPICALLY INTERFITTING ENDS AND AN ANNULAR CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, SAID STRUCTURE COMPRISING A COMPRESSIBLE GASKET WITHIN SAID CHAMBER NEAR THE BOTTOM THEREOF ADAPTED WHEN COMPRESSED TO FORM A FLUID-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN SAID INTERFITTING ENDS, AN ANNULAR RELATIVELY HARD ADAPTER BODY WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND ABOVE SAID GASKET AND BEARING UPON THE GASKET AND OF A RADIAL THICKNESS TO SUBSTANTIALLY FILL SAID CHAMBER AND SHIFTABLE DOWNWARDLY TO COMPRESS THE GASKET AND HAVING RADIALLY PROJECTING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED LOCKING PARTS AND EXTERNAL GROOVES WHICH TAPER AXIALLY FROM THEIR OUTER ENDS AND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY ADJACENT THE LOCKING PARTS AND EXTENDING BELOW AND ABOVE THE SAME, AND A CORRESPONDING NUMBER OF METALLIC WEDGE WHICH ARE TAPERED COMPLEMENTARY OF THE GROOVE TAPER AND HAVING THEIR THICKEST SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE GREAST RADIAL THICKNEST OF SAID ADAPTER BODY TO BE DRIVEN DOWNWARDLY WITHIN SAID GROOVE AND BETWEEN THE GROOVE AND THE BORE OF THE OUTERMOST PIPE END FOR FRICTIONALLY AND POSITIVELY LOCKING THE ADAPTER BODY IN A DOWNWARD POSITION COMPRESSING SAID GASKET, SAID WEDGE PROVIDED IN THEIR INNER SIDES AND INTERMEDIATE THEIR END WITH LOCKING RECESSES RECEIVING SAID LOCKING PARTS OF THE ADAPTER BODY IN INTERLOCKING RELATION, SAID RECESSES FORMING ON SAID WEDGE ADJACENT THIN WALLED SECTIONS INTERCONNECTING UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF THE WEDGES, SAID THIN WALLED SECTIONS BUCKLING DURING FINAL DRIVING OF THE WEDGES TO ALLOW THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE WEDGES TO DESCENT A FINAL DISTANCE INTO SAID GROOVES, THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE WEDGE THEN REMAINING SUBSTANTIALLY STATIONARY RELATIVE TO THE ADAPTER BODY.