Preassembled pipe coupling with ground connection

Claim 1

A FACTORY PREASSAMBLED PIPE COUPLING READY TO BE SHIPPED AND SUBSEQUENTLY INSTALLED IN A PIPE LINE WITHOUT DISSASSEMBLY TO CONNECT TWO ADJOINING PIPE SECTIONS OF A DESIGNATED PREDETERMINED STANDARD SIZE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A TUBULAR SLEEVE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE END PORTIONS OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS TO BE JOINED AND HAVING END PORTIONS FLARED IN AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE AXIS OF SAID SLEEVE TO DEFINE IN PART A GASKET RECESS AT EACH END OF SAID SLEEVE AND TERMINATING IN END EDGES; AN ANNULAR GASKET OF FIRM ELASTOMERIC MATERIAL REFEIVED IN EACH GASKET RECESS AND HAVING AN APPROXIMATELY CYLINDRICAL APERTURE TO RECEIVE THE RESPECTIVE PIPE SECTION, A CONICAL SURFACE ENGAGEABLE WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CORRESPONDING FLARED END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE, A CHOULDER ENGAGEABLE WITH THE END EDGE OF SAID FLARED END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE, AN APPROXIMATELY CYLINDRICAL OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE HAVING A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE MAIXIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID FLARED END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE, AND AN OUTER END FACE; A FOLLOWER RING AT EACH END OF SAID SLEEVE, EACH OF SAID FOLLOWER RINGS HAVING A PIPE-RECEIVING APERTURE, A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY PROJECTING FLANGE PORTION, AN INNER END SURFACE ENGAGING THE OUTER END FACE OF THE GASKET AND AN INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE FITTING THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID GASKET SNUGLY WITHOUT APPRECIABLE PLAY THEREBETWEEN, AND BOLTS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID FLANGE PORTIONS OF THE FOLLOWER RINGS AND TIGHTENED SUFFICIENTLY TO HOLD SAID GASKETS SECURELY BETWEEN SAID FLARED SLEEVE ENDS AND SAID FOLLOWER RINGS, SAID GASKETS BEING HELD SUBSTANTIALLY CENTERED RELATIVE TO SAID SLEEVE BY ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FLARED SLEEVE ENDS AND SAID FOLLOWER RINGS BEING HELD CENTERED RELATIVE TO SAID GASKETS AND SAID SLEEVE BY THE SNUG FIT OF SAID FOLLOWER RINGS ON THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID GASKETS, THE PIPE APERTURES OF SAID GASKETS AND FOLLOWER RINGS BEING THEREBY ALIGNED, SAID GASKETS HAVING PIPE APERTURES WITH A DIAMETER IN RELAXED CONDITION WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE PIPE APERTURES OF SAID FOLLOWER RINGS AND IS GREATER THAN THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS BY AN AMOUNT UP TO 3% OF THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS, AND NOT MORE THAN ONE HALF AN INCH WHEREBY SAID FACTORY PREASSEMBLED COUPLING IS INSTALLED SOLELY BY STABBING SAID PIPE SECTIONS INTO IT AND THEREAFTER FURTHER TIGHTENING SAID BOLTS TO PROVIDE A COMPLETELY FLUID-TIGHT PRESSURE SEAL, SAID GASKETS BEING SECURED IN CENTERED POSITION BETWEEN SAID FLARED SLEEVE ENDS AND FOLLOWER RINGS DURING THE STABBING OF SAID SECTIONS INTO THE COUPLING AGAINST DISPLACEMENT BY ENGAGING BY SAID PIPE SECTIONS.