Pipe coupling having latching and locking means

Claim 1

A COUPLING HAVING TWO IDENTICAL COUPLING UNITS ADAPTED TO INTERLOCK WITH EACH OTHER, EACH COUPLING UNIT COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER CARRYING AT ONE END A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING IDENTICAL LATCHING PRONGS, EACH PRONG HAVING A STEM FIXED AT ONE END TO THE TUBULAR MEMBER AND PROVIDED AT ITS OTHER END WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIALLYEXTENDING LATCH PORTION, THE LATCH PORTIONS LYING IN A COMMON ANNULAR ZONE AND EXTENDING IN THE SAME CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIRECTION FROM THEIR ASSOCIATED STEM PORTIONS, THE LATCHING PRONGS BEING SO ARRANGED THAT WHEN THE TWO UNITS ARR JOINED, THE LATCHING PRONGS OF EACH UNIT ARE INSERTABLE LONGITUDINALLY INTO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACES BETWEEN ADJACENT PRONGS OF THE OTHER UNIT WHERE, UPON RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE TWO UNITS IN ONE DIRECTION, THE LATCH PORTIONS ARE CAUSED TO INTERLOCK AND PREVENT LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION OF THE UNITS WITHOUT RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE TWO UNITS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION; (B) A SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER ENCIRCLING THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER AND SLIDABLE IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION RELATIVELY THERETO BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS; (C ) A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED IDENTICAL FINGERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM ONE END OF THE SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER AND ARRANGED SO THAT ONE FINGER IS POSITIONED ADJACENT EACH PRONG ON THE SIDE OPPOSITE THE SIDE FROM WHICH THE LATCH PORTION EXTENDS, AT LEAST A PORTION OF EACH FINGER LYING IN SAID COMMON ANNULAR ZONE; (D) THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACE IN SAID ZONE BETWEEN THE LATCH PORTION OF EACH PRONG AND THE ADJACENT PRONG BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE AT LEAST ONE FINGER AND ONE PRONG, AND THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN INTERLOCKED PRONGS BEING APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE COMBINED CIRCUMFERENTIAL WIDTH OF TWO FINGERS; (E) THE LOCKING FINGERS BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT THE SAID OTHER ENDS OF THE ASSOCIATED PRONGS WHEN THE SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER IS IN THE FIRST POSITION SO THAT WHEN THE TWO UNITS ARE JOINED AND THEIR PRONGS ARE INTERLOCKED THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACE BETWEEN EACH ADJACENT PAIR OF INTERLOCKED PRONGS IS SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED BY A PAIR OF FINGERS IN SIDE ENGAGEMENT, EACH PAIR OF FINGERS INCLUDING A FINGER FROM EACH COUPLING UNIT, AND THE FINGERS BEING MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY A DISTANCE NOT LESS THAN ONE-HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID SIDE ENGAGEMENT WHEN THE SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER IS MOVED TO SAID SECOND POSITION THEREBY PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE INTERLOCKED COUPLING UNITS IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO DISENGAGE THE PRONGS; (F) AND SEALING MEANS CARRIED BY THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER AND ARRANGED TO SEAL THE RESULTING JOINT WHEN THE TWO COUPLING UNITS ARRE INTERLOCKED.