Locking ring for demountable bowls subjected to pressure

Claim 1

IN A COMPRESSED AIR LINE SYSTEM HAVING A BODY MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A PASSAGE FOR CONDUCTING PRESSURIZED AIR THERETHROUGH AND A REMOVABLE BOWL RECEIVING AIR FROM SAID PASSAGEWAY AND HAVING A RADIAL FLANGE AROUND THE UPPER END THEREOF FOR SUPPORTING THE BOWL ON SAID BODY MEMBER WHEN PRESSURIZED, THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR VENTING SAID BOWL OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE, SAID BOWL AND BODY MEMBER HAVING LOOSELY ENGAGING ANNULAR PORTIONS TELESCOPING IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION, SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID TELESCOPING PORTIONS INCLUDING AN ANNULAR RESILIENT SEALING MEMBER CARRIED BY ONE OF THE TELESCOPING PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING THE OTHER TELESCOPING PORTION IN A RADIAL DIRECTION IN AXIALLY SLIDABLE PRESSURE SEALING RELATIONSHIP, A RING MEMBER ENGAGING SAID FLANGE ON THE BOWL IN SUPPORTING RELATIONSHIP, SAID RING MEMBER INCLUDING ADJACENT TO ITS EDGE THAT IS REMOTE FROM SAID BOWL A SET OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RADIALLY PROJECTING SEGMENTED ANNULAR FLANGE ELEMENTS HAVING A UNIFORM AXIAL CONTOUR THROUGHOUT THEIR LENGTHS UPON THEIR SIDE THAT IS REMOTE FROM SAID EDGE, A CORRESPONDING SET OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RADIALLY PROJECTING SEGMENTED ANNULAR FLANGE ELEMENTS UPON SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A UNIFORM AXIAL CONTOUR THROUGHOUT THEIR LENGTHS MATING WITH THE FIRST MENTIONED AXIAL CONTOUR, MANUALLY RELEASED LATCH MEANS CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID MEMBERS FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY TO ITS FLANGE ELEMENTS IN THE SPACE BETWEEN TWO OF ITS FLANGE ELEMENTS, SAID SETS OF FLANGE ELEMENTS INTERDIGITATING WITH EACH OTHER UPON RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN WITH THE SPACES BETWEEN ONE SET BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGT H OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE OTHER SET SO THAT EACH SET PASSES THROUGH THE SPACES OF AND BEYOND THE OTHER SET FOR RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE SETS IN ALTERNATE DIRECTIONS, ONE OF THE FLANGE ELEMENTS ON THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS ENGAGING AND COCKING THE LATCH UPON SAID AXIAL MOVEMENT AND SAID LATCH SNAPPING INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN TWO FLANGE ELEMENTS ON SAID ONE MEMBER UPON ROTATION OF THE FLANGE ELEMENTS OF ONE SET INTO AXIAL OVERLAPPING POSITION WITH THE OTHER SET TO LOCK THE RING MEMBER AGAINST RELATIVE RELEASE ROTATION IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING AIR PRESSURE TO SAID RESERVOIR BOWL URGING SAID SEALING MEANS INTO SEALING RELATIONSHIP AND SAID OVERLAPPING SETS OF FLANGE ELEMENTS AXIALLY INTO HEAVY FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER.