Pipe coupling having gasket with sectional end

Claim 1

A COMPRESSION PIPE COUPLING COMPRISING A MIDDLE RING DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL GASKET RECESS, AN ANNULAR GASKET EXTENDING WITHIN SAID RECESS, SAID GASKET BEING FORMED OF A BODY OF RUBBER-LIKE ELASTOMERIC MATERIAL AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL SHAPE PRESENTING A SMALLER TAPERED END PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAID RECESS, A CIRCULAR FOLLOWER INCLUDING MEANS FOR WEDGING SAID GASKET INWARDLY AGAINST THE MIDDLE RING AND THE OUTER SURFACE OF A PIPE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, SAID GASKET HAVING A PLURALITY OF EXPOSED METALLIC RING SEGMENTS SECURED THERETO AT THE PERIPHERY OF ITS SMALLER END PORTION, THE CONTINUITY OF SAID GASKET END PORTION BEING INTERRUPTED AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS BY NOTCHES EXTENDING INTO THE BODY OF SAID MATERIAL DEFINING SPACES BETWEEN SEPARATE SEGMENTS OF THE RING STRUCTURE, THEREBY TO PERMIT CONSTRICTION OF SAID RING SEGMENTS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH A PIPE WHEN THE RUBBER-LIKE ELASTOMERIC BODY OF GASKET MATERIAL IS CONFINED UNDER THE COMPRESSING EFFECT OF SAID WEDGING WITHIN THE MIDDLE RING.