Pipe coupling

Claim 1

A COUPLING JOINING TWO SECTIONS OF PIPE HAVING ENDS WITH OUTWARDLY FLARED OUTER SURFACES, SAID COUPLING COMPRISING A GASKET BETWEEN SAID ENDS, BAND SEGMENTS OPPOSED TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG PAIREED LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND FORMING TOGETHER A BAND GENERALLY SURROUNDING SAID PIPE ENDS AND HAVING AN INNER SURFACE BEARING UPON SAID FLARED OUTER SURFACES OF SAID ENDS OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS, EACH SAID BAND SEGMENT HAVING ON ITS OUTER SURFACE IN THE VICINITY OF EACH OF ITS SAID PAIRED LONGITUDINAL EDGES AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING RIDGE, A SPRING CLIP SPANNING EACH PAIR OF SAID RIDGES IN THE VICINITY OF SAID PAIRED LONGITUDINAL EDGES, EACH SAID SPRING CLIP COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND RIDGE-ENGAGING PORTIONS EACH ENGAGING ONE RIDGE OF SAID PAIR OF SAID RIDGES AND URGING SAID PAIR OF SAID RIDGES TOGETHER AT OPPOSING EDGES THEREOF TO HOLD SAID BAND SEGMENTS ABOUT SAID ENDS OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS, SAID RIDGEENGAGING PORTIONS BEING JOINED AT FIRST ENDS THEREOF, ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIDGE-ENGAGING PORTIONS HAVING EXTENDING FROM ITS REMAINING END A THIRD PORTION EXTENDING IN A CURVE CONCAVE ALONG ITS EDGE NEAREST SAID PIPE SECTIONS AND HAVING A TIP WHICH ENGAGES THE OTHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIDGE-ENGAGING PORTIONS TO MAINTAIN SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIDGE-ENGAGINS PORTIONS CLAMPED ABOUT SAID RIDGES, SAID TIP EXTENDING BEYOND SAID OTHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIDGE-ENGAGING PORTIONS BY AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SAID TIP TO ENGAGE SAID BAND WHEN SAID CLIP IS MOVED IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE AXES OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS AND IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID FIRST END, SAID RIDGES BEING GENERALLY WEDGE-SHAPED AND JOINING THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID BAND SEGMENTS TO FORM CONCAVE JUNCTURES, SAID RIDGE-ENGAGING PORTIONS OF SAID CLIPS BEING LOCATED IN SAID JUNCTURES, SAID WEDGE-SHAPED RIDGES HAVING THEIR NARROWER ENDS ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER, AND SAID FIRST ENDS OF SAID RIDGE-ENGAGED PORTIONS BEING NEARER SAID NARROWER ENDS OF SAID RIDGES.