Releasable vessel coupling

Claim 1

A RELEASABLE COUPLING FOR A VESSEL OR THE LIKE HAVING A PAIR OF PARTS EACH OF WHICH HAS AN ANNULAR END PORTION, COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST COUPLING ASSEMBLY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRIC ANNULAR COUPLING SECTIONS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS ON THE END OF ONE OF SAID PARTS OF THE VESSEL, (B) A SECOND COUPLING ASSEMBLY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRIC ANNULAR COUPLING SECTIONS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS ON THE END OF THE OTHER OF SAID PARTS OF THE VESSEL, (C) EACH OF SAID COUPLING SECTIONS IN THE FIRST AND SECOND ASSEMBLIES HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED COUPLING SEGMENTS WITH A SPACE BETWEEN ADJACENT SEGMENTS, (D) THE WIDTH OF THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SEGMENTS BEING SUFFICIENT TO RECEIVE THE SEGMENTS ON THE OPPOSITE PART PRIOR TO A RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE TWO ASSEMBLIES TO ALIGN THE SEGMENTS IN LOCKING POSITION, (E) INTERLOCKING PROJECTIONS AND RECESSES ON THE SEGMENTS OF THE TWO ASSEMBLIES FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING THE ASSEMBLIES AND THE TWO PARTS OF THE VESSEL TOGETHER WHEN THE SEGMENTS ARE ALIGNED IN LOCKING POSITION, (F) THE PROJECTIONS AND RECESSES ON THE ANNULAR COUPLING SECTIONS OF THE FIRST COUPLING ASSEMBLY BEING DISPOSED ON THE OUTER SURFACES OF EACH SUCH SECTION, (G) THE PROJECTIONS AND RECESSES ON THE ANNULAR COUPLING SECTIONS OF THE SECOND COUPLING ASSEMBLY BEING DISPOSED ON THE INNER SURFACES OF EACH SUCH SECTION, (H) THE INNER SURFACES OF EACH ANNULAR COUPLING SECTION OF THE FIRST COUPLING ASSEMBLY BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL, (I) THE OUTER SURFACES OF EACH ANNULAR COUPLING SECTION OF THE SECOND COUPLING ASSEMBLY BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL, AND (J) THE INNER SURFACES OF THE FIRST COUPLING ASSEMBLY AND THE OUTER SURFACES OF THE SECOND COUPLING ASSEMBLY WHICH ARE ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER WHEN SAID INTERLOCKING PROJECTIONS AND RECESSES ARE LOCKED TOGETHER, WHEREBY BENDING MOMENTS ON THE COUPLING SECTIONS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY BALANCED OUT EXCEPT AT THE INNERMOST COUPLING SECTION AND OUTERMOST COUPLING SECTION.