Tube connector with permanently assembled sleeve and nut elements

Claim 1

A FITTING FOR USE WITH SOFT TUBING, COMPRISING: A BODY HAVING A BORE THERETHROUGH INCLUDING AN AXIALLY OUTWARDLY FACING, TRANSAXIALLY INWARDLY PROJECTING SHOULDAER AND AT INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, AND AN AXIALLY INWARDLY ENLARGING, FRUSTO-CONICAL OUTER END PORTION; A NUT HAVING A BORE THERETHROUGH AND AN INTURNED ANNULAR, AXIALLY OUTER FLANGE HAVING AN AXIALLY INNER SURFACE PORTION AND AN AXIALLY OUTER PLANAR RADIAL SURFACE PORTION, SAID FLANGE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID TO MAINTAIN THE DIAMETERS OF SAID SURFACE PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PRIOR TO AND UPON COMPLETION OF MAKE-UP OF THE FITTING; COOPERATING MEANS ON SAID BODY AND NUT ADJUSTABLY COAXIALLY SPACING SAID END PORTION OF THE BODY BORE AND SAID NUT FLANGE; AND A TUBULAR PLASTIC SLEEVE ARRANGED TO RECEIVE A TUBE END COAXIALLY THERETHROUGH HAVING AN INNER END RECEIVED IN SAID OUTER PORTION OF THE BODY BORE AND DEFINING AN ANNULAR, AXIALLY AND RADIALLY INNER DIGGING EDGE HAVING A RIGHT ANGULAR CONFIGURATION IN DIAMETRIC SECTION, SAID INNER END HAVING A RADIAL THICKNESS OF AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY TWICE THE UNDEFORMED CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBE END AND SAID OUTER END PORTION OF THE BODY BORE AT THE POSITION WHEREBY SAID INNER END OF THE SLEEVE DISPOSED UPON COMPLETION OF MAKE-UP OF THE FITTING, TRANSAXIALLY OUTWARDLY ENLARGED MIDPORTION ENGAGING SAID INNER SURFACE PORTION OF THE NUT FLANGE, AND A TRANSAXIALLY OUTWARDLY ENLARGED ANNULARLY CONTINUOUS OUTER PORTION HAVING A PLANAR RADIAL INNER SURFACE ENGAGING SAID OUTER SURFACE PORTION OF THE NUT FLANGE, THE AREA OF ENGAGEMENT OF SAID AXIALLY OUTER SURFACE OF THE NUT FLANGE WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE OUTER ENLARGED PORTION OF THE SLEEVE BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO APPROXIMATELY THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID INNER END OF THE SLEEVE, SAID SLEEVE BEING FORMED OF A RESILIENT MATERIAL SUCH AS A PLASTIC PERMITTING A CONSTRICTION THEREOF SUFFICIENTLY TO PASS ONE OF SAID ENLARGED PORTIONS THROUGH THE NUT FLANGE TO DISPOSE SAID ENLARGED PORTIONS OF THE SLEEVE RESPECTIVELY AXIALLY INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID FLANGE TO RETAIN THE SLEEVE PERMANENTLY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NUT WHILE ALLOWING COAXIALLY ROTATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID SLEEVE BEING FORCED AXIALLY INWARDLY BY SAID NUT FLANGE AS AN INCIDENT OF ADVANCE OF THE NUT TOWARD THE BODY TO FORCE THE SLEEVE INNER END AGAINST THE FRUSTO-CONICAL END PORTION OF THE BODY BORE AND THEREBY CONSTRICT SAID SLEEVE INNER END TO AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF THE RADIAL THICKNESS THEREOF INTO SEALING, GRIPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TUBE END EXTENDED THROUGH THE NUT BORE AND THE SLEEVE TO ADJACENT SAID SHOULDER OF THE BODY BORE, SAID DIGGING EDGE DEFORMING SAID TUBE RADIALLY INWARDLY WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY MAINTAINING SAID RIGHT ANGLE CONFIGURATION, SAID SLEEVE RETURNING SUBSTANTIALLY TO ITS UNDEFORMED CONFIGURATION UPON DISASSEMBLY OF THE FITTING.