Flexible pressure-compensated pipe coupling

Claim 1

FLEXIBLE PRESSURE-COMPENSATED APPARATUS FOR COUPLING TOGETHER LENGTHS OF FLUID-CARRYING PIPING, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A TUBULAR BELL-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING A SMALL DIAMETER REAR END PORTION AND A RADIALLY-ENLARGED FORWARD END PORTION, THE INTERIOR WALL OF SAID FORWARD END PORTION BEING FORMED WITH A FORWARD CYLINDRICAL SECTION AND AN ARCUATE REAR SECTION HAVING A SMOOTH RADIUS OF CURVATURE, A TUBULAR PISTON MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE COUPLED TO THE OTHER OF SAID PIPE LENGTHS AND HAVING ITS FREE END TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED WITHIN AND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID RADIALLY-ENLARGED PORTION OF THE BELLSHAPED MEMBER, A TUBULAR BALL-JOINT MEMBER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PISTON MEMBER, A COLLAR MEMBER DETACHABLY AND ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED IN FLUSH ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FORWARD END OF SAID INTERIOR CYLINDRICAL WALL SECTION OF THE BELL-SHAPED MEMBER, SAID COLLAR ALSO HAVING AN ARCUATELY-FORMED INTERIOR WALL PROVIDING AN UNINTERRUPTED CONTINUATION OF THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF SAID ARCUATE SECTION OF THE BELL-SHAPED MEMBER, A SEALING MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID COLLAR MEMBER AND SAID BELL-SHAPED MEMBER FOR SEALING SAID FLUSH ENGAGEMENT, SAID BALL-JOINT MEMBER HAVING AN ARCUATE EXTERNAL WALL SECTION FITTED TO AND SLIDABLE ON SAID ARCUATE SECTIONS OF BOTH THE BELL-SHAPED AND THE COLLAR MEMBERS, A SECOND SEALING MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID INTERIOR ARCUATE WALL OF THE COLLAR MEMBER AND SAID ARCUATE EXTERNAL WALL SECTION OF THE BALL-JOINT MEMBER, SAID BALL-JOINT MEMBER ALSO BEING RECESSED FOR FORMING WITH SAID PISTON MEMBER A PRESSURE-COMPENSATING CYLINDER, A PISTON FLANGE CARRIED BY AND PROJECTING RADIALLY-OUTWARDLY OF SAID PISTON MEMBER INTO SAID PRESSURECOMPENSATING CYLINDER FOR PARTITIONING SAYD CYLINDER INTO TWO CHAMBERS, SAID TUBULAR PISTON MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH APERTURE MEANS ADMITTING PIPE FLUID INTO ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS, VENT MEANS FOR SAID OTHER CHAMBER, SAID VENT MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID OTHER CHAMBER THROUGH THE BALLJOINT MEMBER TO THE ATMOSPHERE FORWARDLY OF SAID SECOND SEALING MEMBER, AND SEALING MEANS FOR SAID CHAMBERS, SAID ARCUATE EXTERNAL WALL OF THE BALL-JOINT MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH AN ELONGATE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-CONTINUOUS GROOVE REARWARDLY OF SAID SECOND SEALING MEMBER PROVIDING IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID BELL-SHAPED MEMBER AND SAID COLLAR A LIQUID RESERVOIR, THE SLIDABLE FITTING OF SAID BALL-JOINT MEMBER ON SAID BELL-SHAPED MEMBER BEING UNSEALED FOR PERMITTING FRICTION-REDUCING FLUID SEEPAGE INTO SAID RESERVOIR THEREBY PROVIDING A FLUID FRICTION REDUCING FILM BETWEEN THE SLIDING FITTING OF SAID BALL-JOINT MEMBER AND BELL-SHAPED MEMBER.