Pressure vessel and closure assembly therefor

Claim 1

IN A CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR AN OPENING IN A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SUCH AS A PRESSURE VESSEL OR THE LIKE, WHEREIN THE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER HAS AN EXTERNAL ANNULAR FLANGE OF PREDETERMINED WIDTH BOUNDING THE OPENING THEREIN; (A) A REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEMBER FOR CLOSING THE OPENING IN SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND HAVING AN EXTERNAL ANNULAR FLANGE OF CORRESPONDING PREDETERMINED WIDTH OPPOSED TO THE EXTERNAL ANNULAR FLANGE ON THE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, (B) A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR RESILIENT CLAMPING BAND ENCIRCLING THE OPPOSED EXTERNAL FLANGES AND HAVING A SPLIT THEREIN FORMING SPACED BAND ENDS, SAID CLAMPING BAND HAVING A WEB PORTION EXTENDING UNINTERRUPTEDLY THROUGHOUT THE CLAMPING BAND BETWEEN SAID BAND ENDS AND HAVING LEGS FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH AND EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID WEB PORTION, THE RESILIENCY OF SAID CLAMPING BAND CAUSING SAID BAND TO NORMALLY OCCUPY AND BE INHERENTLY BIASED TOWARD A CONTRACTED POSITION WHEREIN SAID LEGS STRADDLE AND ARE IN CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EXTERNAL FLANGES FOR CLAMPING THE FLANGES TOGETHER, SAID CLAMPING BAND BEING ADAPTED TO BE MOVED FROM SAID CONTRACTED POSITION TO AN EXPANDED CIRCULAR POSITION WHEREIN SAID LEGS ARE OUT OF STRADDLING RELATION TO THE FLANGES TO RELEASE SAID CLAMPING BAND FROM SAID FLANGES AND BEING OF SUCH STIFFNESS AS TO AVOID BUCKLING THEREOF FROM CIRCUMFERENTIAL FORCES ALONG SAID BAND WHEN THE BAND IS MOVED FROM SAID CONTRACTED TO EXPANDED POSITION, (C) RETAINING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND CIRCULARLY ARRANGED ABOUT SAID EXTERNAL FLANGES, SAID RETAINING MEANS BEING DISPOSED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID CLAMPING BAND WHEN SAID CLAMPING BAND IS IN SAID CONTRACTED POSITION AND UNIFORMLY SPACED THEREFROM A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE RADIALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING LENGTH OF SAID LEGS TO PERMIT SAID LEGS TO MOVE OUT OF STRADDLING RELATION TO THE OPPOSED FLANGES, BUT A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE EXPANSIVE CA-