Flexible coupling for rigid members

Claim 1

A COUPLING FOR FLEXIBLY CONNECTNG PLAIN END DUCTS COMPRISING CYLINDRICAL END MEMBERS ADAPTED FOR CIRCUMFERENTIAL ATTACHMENT OVER THE ENDS OF THE DUCTS TO BE CONNECTED, SAID END MEMBERS ON EACH OF SAID DUCTS HAVING A CHANNEL AT ONE END FORMED BY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED INNER AND OUTER RADIAL FLANGES, A LARGE RADIUS FILLET FORMED AT THE JUNCTION BETWEEN EACH OF SAID INNER FLANGES AND A RESPECFIVE OUTER SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID END MEMBERS, A CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE HAVING OUTWARDLY DIRECTED RADIAL END FLANGES, SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN INSIDE DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE OUTERMOST DIAMETER OF THE INNER FLANGES OF THE END MEMBERS, ANNULAR SEALING ELEMENTS OF A SILICONE POLYMER BASE, SAID ELEMENTS HAVING A RECTANGULAR LOWER PORTION SEATED IN THE CHANNELS OF THE END MEMBERS AND A BULBED UPPER PORTION IN AN INTERFERENCE FIT WITH THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE SLEEVE AND ONE PIECE RESILIENT SPLIT SNAP RINGS HAVING A STRAIGHT FIRST RADIAL PORTION AND A REVERSELY BENT PERIPHERAL PORTION TERMINATING IN AN INWARDLY DIRECTED SECOND RADIAL PORTION OF SHORTER LENGTH THAN SAID FIRST RADIAL PORTION, SAID TWO RADIAL PORTIONS DEFINING AN INWARDLY OPENING CHANNEL, SAID RINGS BEING SNAPPED OVER AND RESILIENTLY RETAINED ABOUT THE END FLANGES OF SAID SLEEVE AND RETAINED ABOUT SAID FLANGES AGAINST AXIAL DISPLACEMENT, THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID FIRST RADIAL PORTION ENGAGING SAID LARGE FILLET OF SAID INNER FLANGE TO THEREBY RETAIN THE DUCTS IN FLUID SEALED CONNECTED RELATION AND TO PERMIT LIMITED AXIAL MISALIGNMENT THEREOF.