Bellows restraining device

Claim 1

IN A BELLOWS RESTRAINING DEVICE OF THE TYPE HAVING A PAIR OF INTERLACED STRUT ASSEMBLIES WITH NOSE PIECES INCLUDING A BALL AND SOCKET MEANS SWIVELLY INTERCONNECTING SAID ASSEMBLIES WHEN UNDER TENSION, A MEANS FOR DISENGAGING SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS COMPRISING: A FLAT PLATE IN EACH OF SAID STRUT ASSEMBLIES, EACH OF SAID PLATES HAVING A PAIR OF ANGULARLY RELATED EDGES CONVERGING TOWARDS A NOSE PIECE AND SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED ABOUT AN AXIS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR SLOT FORMED IN SAID PLATE AND HAVING SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED ABOUT SAID AXIS, CONFRONTING SURFACES, INCLUDING EACH OF SAID NOSE PIECES AND EDGES OF SAID SLOTS OF SAID PLATES, HAVING FIRST PORTIONS TO POSITIVELY LIMIT SEPARATING MOVEMENT OF SAID NOSE PIECES WITHIN TWO PERPENDICULAR PLANES INTERSECTING THE CENTER OF SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS AND ADAPTED TO LIMIT SUCH SEPARATING MOVEMENT SUFFICIENTLY TO MAINTAIN SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS IN SELF-CENTERING OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEATING UPON TENSIONING OF SAID ASSEMBLIES; SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID CONFRONTING SURFACES POSITIVELY LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES ABOUT A PAIR OF PERPENDICULAR AXES INTERSECTING THE CENTER OF SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS AND LYING IN SAID PERPENDICULAR PLANES; EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES BEING PIVOTAL ABOUT BOTH SAID AXES TO MOVE A NOSE PIECE OF ONE OF SAID ASSEMBLIES INTO A CORNER OF THE SLOT OF THE OTHER OF SAID ASSEMBLIES, ONE OF THE ANGULARLY RELATED EDGES OF THE PLATE OF SAID ONE ASSEMBLY THEN PROVIDING CLEARANCE WITH THE CORNER OF SAID SLOT OF THE OTHER ASSEMBLY TO MOVE SAID FIRST PORTIONS OUT OF OPPOSING REGISTRATION TO PERMIT FURTHER SEPARATING MOVEMENT OF SAID NOSE PIECES SUFFICIENTLY TO DISPLACE SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS OUT OF SAID SELF-CENTERING OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION AND TO ALLOW ACCESS TO SUBSTANTIALLY ALL SURFACES OF SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS.