Hermaphrodite coupling

Claim 1

A COUPLING COMPRISING: A CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED PISTON HAVING A FORWARD END OF A FIRST DIAMETER FOR CONNECTION TO ANOTHER COUPLING AN A REARWARD END FOR CONNECTION TO A FLUID SOURCE, SAID PISTON HAVING A PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THERETHROUGH; SAID PISTON HAVING A FORWARD GROOVE WITH A BASE PORTION OF A GIVEN DIAMETER FORMED A DISTANCE REARWARDLY SPACED FROM SAID FORWARD END, A CENTER PISTON PORTION EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID FORWARD GROOVE AND HAVING A DIAMETER INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST DIAMETER OF SAID FORWARD END OF THE PISTON AND SAID BASE DIAMETER OF SAID FORWARD GROOVE, AND A REARWARD GROOVE PORTION EXTENDING REARWARDLY OF SAID CENTER PISTON PORTION AND HAVINHG A BASE DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THE BASE DIAMETER OF SAID FORWARD GROOVE; A CYLINDER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ABOUT SAID PISTON, HAVING A FORWARD END PORTION WITH AN INTERNAL DIAMETER APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO SAID FIRST DIAMETER OF SAID PISTON AND A REARWARD END; A PLURALITY OF COUPLING HOLES FORMED RADIALLY THROUGH SAID CYLINDER NEAR SAID FORWARD END THEREOF FOR HOLDING COUPLING ELEMENTS, A FIRST INTERNAL SEAL-RING GROOVE FORMED ON SAID CYLINDER REARWARDLY OF SAID COUPLING HOLES FOR HOLDING A FIRST SEAL-RING, A SECOND INTERNAL SEAL-RING GROOVE FORMED ON SAID CYLINDER REARWARDLY OF SAID FIRST INTERNAL GROOVE FOR HOLDING A SECOND SEAL-RING; AN OUTER STEP PORTION FORMED ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID CYLINDER FOR HOLDING THE END OF A COIL SPRING, AT LEAST ONE LOCKINGBALL HOLE FORMED RADIALLY THROUGH SAID CYLINDER AT A POSITION THEREOF SPACED REARWARDLY OF SAID STEP PORTION FOR HOLDING AT LEAST ONE LOCKING BALL THEREIN, AND A CYLINDER RIM FORMED ON THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID CYLINDER EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY; A SLEEVE SLIDABLY MOUNTED ABOUT SAID CYLINDER, HAVING A FORWARD END PORTION AND A REARWARD END PORTION, SAID SLEEVE FORWARD END PORTION IN CONTACT WITH SAID CYLINDER; A SPRING RECEIVING GROOVE FORMED IN SAID SLEEVE FOR RECEIVING A SPRING, AN INNER RECEIVING GROOVE FORMED REARWARDLY OF SAID FIRST GROOVE PORTION, AN INNER LEDGE PORTION FORMED REARWARDLY OF SAID RECEIVING GROOVE PORTION AND HAVIANG AN INNER DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID RECEIVING GROOVE, AN INNER REARWARD PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE EXTENDING REARWARDLY OF SAID INNER LEDGE PORTION AND HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID LEDGE PORTION, AND AN INWARDLY EXTENDING SLEEVE RIM FORMED ON THE REARWARD END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN INNER DIMENSION SMALLER THAN SAID INNER REARWARD POSITION AND SMALLER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDER RIM WHEREBY TO CONTACT SAID CYLINDER RIM AND PUSH IT REARWARDLY; A PLURALITY OF COUPLING ELEMENTS LARGER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE WALLS OF SAID CYLINDER ABOUT SAID HOLES, POSITIONED IN SAID HOLE; CRIMPING MEANS AT THE BOTTOM AND TOP OF SAID COUPLING HOLES IN SAID CYLINDER FOR RETAINING SAID ELEMENTS THEREIN; A SEAL-RING IN EACH OF SAID INTERNAL SEAL-RING GROOVE IN SAID CYLINDER; AT LEAST ONE LOCKING BALL POSITIONED IN SAID LOCKING BALL HOLE OF SAID CYLINDER AND HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID CYLINDER WALLS ADJACENT SAID HOLE; SAID SLEEVE SLIDABLE AXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID PISTON, AND THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BASE OF SAID FORWARD GROOVE OF SAID PISTON AND SAID INNER LEDGE PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE BEING APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID LOCKING BALL, THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID CENTER PISTON PORTION AND SAID INNER RECEIVING GROOVE OF SAID SLEEVE BEING APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID LOCKING BALL, AND THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID REARWARD GROOVE PORTION OF SAID PISTON AND SAID INNER REARWARD PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE DIAMTER OF SAID LOCKING BALL; AND A SPRING DISPOSED AT LEAST PARTLY WITHIN SAID SPRING RECEIVING PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE AND HAVING AN END PORTION ABUTTING SAID OUTER STEP PORTION OF SAID CYLINDER.