Adjustable plumbing fittings

Claim 1

A PLUMBING FITTING FOR RAPIDLY CONNECTING IN HIGH PRESSURE SEALING ENGAGEMENT AND DISCONNECTING TWO PLUMBING FIXTURES SUCH AS A FLUSH VALVE AND A CONTROL VALVE WHICH MAY BE SPACED VARIABLE DISTANCES APART INITIALLY, AND FOR RAPIDLY MAKING SUBSEQUENT RAPID NON-DESTRUCTIVE HIGH PRESSURE CONNECTIONS AND DISCONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE PLUMBING FIXTURES WITHIN THE RANGE OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE FITTING, SAID PLUMBING FITTING COMPRISING A CONDUIT, AND STRUCTURE FOR CONNECTING THE CONDUIT TO A RECEIVING STRUCTURE IN HIGH PRESSURE SEALING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, SAID STRUCTURE INCLUDING A CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING THREAD ELEMENT FORMED ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE CONDUIT, THE AXIAL LENGTH OF THE THREAD ELEMENT DEFINING THE RANGE OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE CONDUIT WITH RESPECT TO THE RECEIVING STRUCTURE AND FLANKING A HIGH PRESSURE SEALING ENGAGEMENT BAND BETWEEN THE RECEIVING STRUCTURE AND THE CONDUIT, A SECOND CONTINOUSLY ADVANCING THREAD ELMENT FORMED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF AN APERTURE IN THE RECEIVING STRUCTURE, THE THREAD ELEMENTS HAVING OPPOSED, INTERENGAGING CRESTS AND ROOTS, SAID THREAD ELEMENTS BEING FORMED WITH A CLEARANCE THEREBETWEEN SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE THE ELEMENTS TO BE QUICKLY AND EASILY ROTATED INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER, THE OVERLAP BETWEEN OPPOSED ROOTS AND CRESTS BEING SUFFICIENTLY DEEP TO SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENT BLOW-OUT AT HIGH FLUID PRESSURES, A PERIPHERAL RECESS COAXIAL WITH AND HAVING THE SIDE WALL THEREOF NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID CONDUIT FORMED IN ONE OF THE THREAD ELEMENTS WITHIN THE RANGE OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE FITTING, THE AXIAL LENGTH OF THE RECESS BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE PITCH OF SAID THREAD ELEMENTS, AND AN ANNULAR ELASTOMERTIC SEALING MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID RECESS, SAID SEALING MEMBER, IN AN UNDISTORTED CONDITION, IN COMPLETELY FILLING THE RECESS AND HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER LESS THAN THE COMMON PITCH CIRCLE OF THE THREAD ELEMENTS, SAID SEALING MEMBER, WHEN DISTORTED AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RECESS AND THE ROOT AND CREST OF THE OPPOSING THREAD ELEMENT, SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING THE ENTIRE AREA DEFINED BY THE RECESS AND THE ROOT AND CREST OF THE THREAD ELEMENT OPPOSING SAID PERIPHERAL RECESS THEREBY OVERLAPPING AND MAKING SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH A COMPLETE TURN OF A THREAD ELEMENT AND FORMING A BAND OF HIGH PRESURE SEALING ENGAGEMENT, THE ROOTS AND CRESTS BEING SUFFICIENTLY ROUNDED TO AVOID DESTRUCTION OF THE DISTORTABLE MEMBER UPON REPEATED ASSEMBLING.