Hydraulic pipe coupling having an automatically actuated locking sleeve

Claim 1

A COUPLING DEVICE COMPRISING A FIRST MEMBER FOR TRANSMITTING FLUID, A SECOND MEMBER FOR TRANSMITTING FLUID, SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS HAVING END PORTIONS WHICH CAN BE ASSOCIATED TOGETHER TO PROVIDE FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF FLUID FROM ONE OF SAID MEMBERS TO THE OTHER, A SLEEVE CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID FIRST MEMBER ADJACENT SAID END PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER, SAID SLEEVE BEING AXIALLY SLIDABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST MEMBER, AT LEAST ONE LOCKING MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID FIRST MEMBER AND MOVABLE INWARDLY TOWARD THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING A RECESS ADJACENT SAID END PORTION OF SAID SECOND MEMBER FOR RECEIVING SAID LOCKING MEMBER WHEN SAID LOCKING MEMBER IS SO MOVED INWARDLY, SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN ABUTMENT AND BEING SLIDABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH SAID ABUTMENT HOLDS SAID LOCKING MEMBER IN SAID INWARD POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH SAID ABUTMENT IS REMOTE FROM SAID LOCKING MEMBER, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SLEEVE IN SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING A LATCHING MEMBER PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID FIRST MEMBER AND PIVOTAL BETWEEN A LATCHED AND AN UNLATCHED POSITION, SAID LATCHING MEMBER BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY CRUCIFORM SHAPE HAVING TWO PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY EXTENDING ARMS AND BEING PIVOTAL ABOUT ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF ARMS, SAID LATCHING MEMBER AND SAID SLEEVE HAVING ABUTMENT SURFACES IN ENGAGEMENT WHEN SAID LATCHING MEMBER IS IN SAID LATCHED POSITION FOR HOLDING SAID SLEEVE IN SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE OF SAID LATCHING MEMBER BEING DEFINED BY ONE OF THE OTHER PAIR OF SAID OPPOSITELY EXTENDING ARMS, SAID LATCHING MEMBER HAVING AN ADDITIONAL SURFACE ON THE OTHER ONE OF SAID PAIR OF ARMS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SECOND MEMBER WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS ARE ADVANCED INTO SAID ASSOCIATION TO EFFECT PIVOTING OF SAID LATCHING MEMBER TO MOVE SAID LATCHING MEMBER TO THE UNLATCHED POSITION SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE OF SAID LATCHING MEMBER BEING REMOTE FROM SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE WHEN SAID LATCHING MEMBER IS IN SAID UNLATCHED POSITION FOR PERMITTING SAID SLEEVE TO MOVE TO SAID FIRST POSITION, RESILIENT MEANS URGING SAID SLEEVE TOWARD SAID FIRST POSITION, AND MEANS BIASING SAID LATCHING MEMBER TOWARD SAID LATCHED POSITION.