Detachable connection for tubular members

Claim 1

IN A VACUUM CLEANER HAVING AN AIR LINE THROUGH WHICH FLOW OF AIR IS EFFECTED, THE AIR LINE HAVING A DETACHABLE AIR-TIGHT COUPLING INCLUDING AN OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER AND AN INNER TUBULAR MEMBER WHICH TELESCOPICALLY FITS WITHIN THE OUTER MEMBER, THE SPACED OUTER AND INNER CYLINDRICAL SURFACES RESPECTIVELY OF THE TELESCOPICALLY FITTING INNER AND OUTER TUBULAR MEMBERS, WHICH ARE ROTATABLE AND ANGULARLY MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES, ENGAGING IN A BEARING INTERFACE THEREBETWEEN THE COMBINATION OF A CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE OF ANNULAR FORM IN EACH OF THE TUBULAR MEMBERS, THE GROOVES IN THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBERS BEING FORMED AT THE INNER WALL SURFACE THEREOF AND OPENING INWARD, THE GROOVE FORMED IN THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER OPENING OUTWARD, THE PART OF THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER BETWEEN ITS INNER SURFACE AND THE GROOVE FORMED THEREIN DEFINING A RING-SHAPED ZONE WHICH IS IMPERFORATE, THE GROOVES IN THE TUBULAR MEMBERS FORMING A RING-SHAPED CAVITY WHEN DIRECTLY OPPOSITE ONE ANOTHER, THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING EXTENDING THROUGH THE WALL THEREOF TO ITS OUTER SURFACE FROM THE INWARDLY OPENING GROOVE AT THE INNER WALL SURFACE THEREOF, RING-SHAPED CONNECTING MEANS WHICH IS DISPOSED IN THE RING-SHAPED CAVITY AND MANUALLY INSERTABLE INTO AND REMOVABLE FROM THE CAVITY, THE RING-SHAPED CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED REMOVABLE CONNECTING MEMBER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS WHICH ARE JOINED TO ONE ANOTHER AND IN END-TO-END RELATION, THE FIRST SECTION OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER BEING LONGER THAN THE SECOND SECTION THEREOF AND HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND SHAPE THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA AND SHAPE OF THE RING-SHAPED CAVITY, THE FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER BEING DEFINED IN PART BY A SINGLE CONTINUOUS SURFACE EXTENDING FROM ONE END TO THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF, THE RING-SHAPED CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING THE ELONGATED MEMBER BEING SELF-SUSTAINING AND FORMED OF SYNTHETIC RESINOUS MATERIAL POSSESSING ELASTIC PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, THE ELONGATED MEMBER BEING FLEXIBE IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH TO FORM AN ELONGATED CURVED BODY DISPOSED IN THE RING-SHAPED CAVITY WITH THE SINGLE CONTINUOUS SURFACE THEREOF BEARING AGAINST THE BOTTOM OF THE OUTWARDLY OPENING GROOVE OF THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER, THE SECOND SECTION OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER FORMING AN ENLARGED HEAD WHICH IS OF LARGER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN THAT OF THE FIRST SECTION AND PROJECTS OUTWARD FROM THE CAVITY INTO THE OPENING AND SNUGLY FITS THEREIN, THE RING-SHAPED CONNECTING MEANS IN THE RING-SHAPED CAVITY AND INCLUDING THE ELONGATED CONNECTING MEMBER BEING DISPOSED IN AIR-TIGHT SEALING RELATION BETWEEN THE OUTER AND INNER TUBULAR MEMBERS, THE ENLARGED HEAD OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER BEING ACCESSIBLE AT THE EXTERIOR OF THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER, THE OPENING BEING DEFINED BY TWO PAIRS OF SPACED WALLS, THE SPACED WALLS OF ONE PAIR EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE RING-SHAPED CAVITY AND THE SPACED WALLS OF THE OTHER PAIR BEING TRANSVERSE TO THE SPACED WALLS OF THE ONE PAIR AND EXTENDING CROSSWISE OF THE RING-SHAPED CAVITY, AND THE OTHER PAIR OF WALLS OF THE OEPNING, IN A SECTION NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE OUTER AND INNER TUBULAR MEMBERS, BEING DISPOSED IN PARALLEL PLANES SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING THE HEAD-FORMING SECOND SECTION OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER FITTING IN THE OPENING, THE OTHER PAIR OF WALLS OF THE OPENING FURTHER BEING SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER SUBSTANTIALLY THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL LENGTH OF THE HEAD-FORMING SECTION OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER FITTING IN THE OPEN, WHEREBY THE HEAD-FORMING SECTION WHEN RELEASED MOVES INTO THE OPENING WITH A SNAP FIT AND ACCENDENTAL REMOVAL OF THE HEAD FROM THE OPENING IN WHICH IT SNUGLY FITS IS MINIMIZED AND THE HEAD MAY BE GRASPED TO REMOVE FROM THE CAVITY THE ELONGATED FLEXIBLE MEMBER OF WHICH IT FORMS A PART AND SEPARATE THE OUTER AND INNER TUBULAR MEMBERS WITHOUT TOOLS, THE RING-SHAPED CONNECTING MEANS FORMED OF SYNTHETIC RESINOUS MATERIAL AND INCLUDING THE ELONGATED FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEMBER HAVING A SUFFICIENTLY LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION TO RENDER THE OUTER AND INNER TUBULAR MEMBERS TO BE MANUALLY MOVED ANGULARLY WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES WHEN TURNING MOVEMENT IS IMPARTED TO ONE OF THE TUBULAR MEMBERS RESULTING FROM MANIPULATION OF THE AIR LINE WHEN THE VACUUM CLEANER IS BEING OPERATED.