US3620245A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Perforator and apparatus for using same
Assignee: Mueller Co
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Filing: 1969-10-21
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Granted: 1971-11-16
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Expires: 1989-10-21
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for opening a flow-way in a main when a main is to be connected to a secondary main or service line. In opening the flow-way in the main, a perforator or tapping tool is utilized, which will progressively form the hole or aperture in the main by upsetting the material of the main outwardly of the same into the through bore of a fitting attached to the main, the upset material acting as a mechanical fastening means for increasing the resistance of a fitting to twist about the axis or centerline of the main.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert R Finney
- 👤 Lawrence F Luckenbill
- 👤 Gerry E Kissell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 17:50
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23B; B23B51/00; B23B51/04; B23B51/044; F; F16; F16L; F16L41/00; F16L41/04; F16L41/06; F16L41/065; F16L47/00; F16L47/26; F16L47/34; F16L47/345; B23B2215/00; B23B2215/72; B23B2260/00; B23B2260/138; B23B2260/1381; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/598; Y10T137/612; Y10T137/6123; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49403
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
An assembly for forming a hole in a main comprising: a fitting having a through bore, said fitting at one end of said through bore being adapted to be secured to the exterior of said main; and tapping means movable axially of said through bore for engaging and forming the hole in the main, said tapping means including a tapping tool having a tapered portion for progressively forming the hole, said tapered portion having a thread on the exterior thereof of a predetermined lead for controlling movement of material from the hole being formed, and means to positively advance said tapping tool a predetermined distance in said bore for each revolution of the same, said advancement of said tool for each revolution of the same being less than the lead of said thread on said tapered portion whereby material, during forming of the hole, is upset outwardly of the main into the through bore of the fitting.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
An assembly for forming a hole in a main comprising: a fitting having a through bore, said fitting at one end of said through bore being adapted to be secured to the exterior of said main; and tapping means movable axially of said through bore for engaging and forming the hole in the main, said tapping means including a tapping tool having a tapered portion for progressively forming the hole, said tapered portion having a thread on the exterior thereof of a predetermined lead for controlling movement of material from the hole being formed, and means to positively advance said tapping tool a predetermined distance in said bore for each revolution of the same, said advancement of said tool for each revolution of the same being less than the lead of said thread on said tapered portion whereby material, during forming of the hole, is upset outwardly of the main into the through bore of the fitting.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said tapered portion of said tapping tool has an included angle in the order of 30*.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said tapered portion of said tapping tool terminates at its small end substantially in a point, and in which said thread on the exterior of the tapered portion extends from adjacent its small end terminating in a point to adjacent its large end.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 3, in which said thread terminates in a buttress thread adjacent the large end of the tapered portion.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said tapered portion is frustoconical with its small end terminating in a plane normal to the axis of said tapping tool, said tool having a closed end bore extending from the tapered portion''s small end axially of the same to define a cutting means for cutting and retaining a coupon cut from the main.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said tapping tool includes a cylindrical-shaped shell cutter extending axially from the smallest end of said tapered portion, said shell cutter having a cutting edge for preliminarily cutting a coupon from the main with said tapered portion enlarging and forming the hole in the main with material being upset outwardly of the main into the through bore of the fitting.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said means to advance said tapping tool includes thread means operatively between said tapping tool and said fitting for advancing said tool a predetermined distance for each revolution of the same.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 7, in which said thread on said tapered portion of said tool is coarser than said thread means for advancing said tool.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 8, in which said thread on said tapered portion has helices in the order of 80 percent of the number of helices of said thread means for advancing said tool.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 9, in which said tapered portion of said tapping tool and its thread have an included angle in the order of 30*.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
141 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said means to advance and rotate said tapping tool in the bore of said fitting includes a drilling machine comprising an operating bar detachably supporting said tapping tool on one end thereof, a feed sleeve slidably supporting said operating bar, means for fixedly attaching said feed sleeve and said operating bar to one another to prevent movement relative one another, a body member having an interior threaded bore therethrough, means to fixedly support said body member on said fitting with its interiorly threaded bore axially aligned with the through bore in said fitting, said feed sleeve having exterior threads thereon received in the interior threads of said body member, whereby rotation of said sleeve will advance and retract said tapping tool when said feed sleeve is fixedly attached to said operating bar.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein said means to fixedly support said body member on said fitting includes valve means through which said tapping tool may be advanced when said valve means is open.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
133 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said tapping tool includes a cylindrical shaped shell cutter extending axially from the smallest end of said tapered portion, said shell cutter having a cutting edge for preliminarily cutting a coupon from the main with said tapered portion and its thread enlarging and forming the hole in the main with the material being upset outwardly of the main into the through bore of the fitting, and in which said means for advancement of and rotation of said tapping tool includes a drilling machine mounted on said fitting, said drilling machine having a boring bar, said tapping tool being mounted on the end of said boring bar, and means to rotate and advance said boring bar a predetermined distance for each rotation of the same.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
99 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said through bore at the end where the fitting is secured to the exterior of the main is provided with means on its surface to receive material upset from the hole in the main, and in which said tool has means for swaging the upset material outwardly of the axis of the through bore into said last-mentioned material receiving means to mechanically fasten the fitting to said main to resist twisting about the axis of the main, as well as to resist removal of the fitting radially of the main.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 14, in which said material receiving means in said through bore includes at least one annular groove in said through bore.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 14, in which said material receiving means in said through bore includes interior threads in said through bore of said fitting.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 14, in which said swaging means includes a second tapered portion on said tapping body in series with said first tapered portion.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
87 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 17 in which said second tapered portion has included an angle in the order o 20* and in which the smaller end of said second tapered portion is of less diameter than the larger end of said first tapered portion, whereby a relief is provided after the threads on said first tapered portion have done their work of upsetting material so as to drop operating torque at least just prior to final 85 swagging outwardly of the axis of said tool.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
69 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 14, in which said swaging means includes a second tapered portion on said tapping tool separated from the large end of said first tapered portion by a cylindrical portion, a sleeve loosely carried on said cylindrical portion and said second portion, said sleeve being positioned by said tapping tool within the upset material after the hole is formed, to thereby reinforce the same.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 19, in which said sleeve has an axial length approximately equal to the wall thickness of the main, plus height of the upset material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
78 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 14, in which said tapping tool includes a cylindrical shaped shell cutter extending axially frOm the smallest end of said tapered portion and having a cutting edge preliminarily cutting a coupon from the main, and in which said swaging means includes a cylindrical portion extending from the large end of said tapered portion and having a diameter at least equal to the maximum crest diameter of the threads on said tapered portion.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
81 words
A perforating tool for use with a fitting at least preliminarily secured to a main comprising a pluglike body member having means thereon for perforating the wall of the main by upsetting the material surrounding the hole into the through bore of the fitting upon rotative advancement at a predetermined rate, said means including a tapered portion having a perforating thread thereon with a lead greater than the rate of rotative advancement of the pluglike member for controlling movement of material.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
81 words
A perforating tool for use with a fitting at least preliminarily secured to a main comprising a pluglike body member having means thereon for perforating the wall of the main by upsetting the material surrounding the hole into the through bore of the fitting upon rotative advancement at a predetermined rate, said means including a tapered portion having a perforating thread thereon with a lead greater than the rate of rotative advancement of the pluglike member for controlling movement of material.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
69 words
A perforating tool as claimed in claim 22 in which said pluglike body member includes a cylindrical portion of greater diameter than the large end of said threaded tapered portion, said cylindrical portion having a thread thereon for cooperating with means on said fitting to rotatively advance the pluglike body member, the lead of said last-mentioned thread being less than the lead on the thread of the tapered portion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
35 words
A perforating tool as claimed in claim 23 including swaging means intermediate said cylindrical portion and said tapered portion to swage the material upset by said threaded tapered portion radially outwardly of said body member.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
47 words
A perforating tool as claimed in claim 24 in which the included angle of the threaded portion is in the order of 30* and in which said swaging means includes a second tapered portion having a smooth exterior and an included angle in the order of 20*.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
42 words
A perforating tool as claimed in claim 25 including a coating of a dry lubricant on said threaded tapered portion, and said second tapered portion being uncoated, whereby torque will materially increase when said second tapered portion is performing its swaging operation.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
52 words
A perforating tool as claimed in claim 25 in which said second tapered portion has a diameter at its smaller end less than the maximum diameter of said first threaded tapered portion to thereby define an annular recess whereby torque at least momentarily reduces when said threaded tapered portion completes its work.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
146 words
An assembly for forming a hole in a main comprising: a fitting having a through bore, said fitting at one end of said through bore being adapted to be secured to the main where the hole is to be formed; tapping means movable axially of said through bore for engaging and forming the hole in the main, said tapping means including a tapping tool having a tapered portion with a tapered thread thereon for progressively forming the hole, said thread having a predetermined lead; and means to rotate and positively advance said tapping tool a predetermined axial distance in said bore for each revolution of the same, said last-mentioned means advancing said tapping tool during each revolution a different distance to the travel of the lead of said thread whereby material removed in forming the hole is directed in a predetermined direction axially of said hole.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
146 words
An assembly for forming a hole in a main comprising: a fitting having a through bore, said fitting at one end of said through bore being adapted to be secured to the main where the hole is to be formed; tapping means movable axially of said through bore for engaging and forming the hole in the main, said tapping means including a tapping tool having a tapered portion with a tapered thread thereon for progressively forming the hole, said thread having a predetermined lead; and means to rotate and positively advance said tapping tool a predetermined axial distance in said bore for each revolution of the same, said last-mentioned means advancing said tapping tool during each revolution a different distance to the travel of the lead of said thread whereby material removed in forming the hole is directed in a predetermined direction axially of said hole.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3094137A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-11-15 | 1975-05-17 | 1975-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-11-15 | 1979-05-17 | 1979-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-11-15 | 1983-05-17 | 1983-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |