Joints for flexible ducting

Claim 2

A flexible ventilating duct having at one end a continuous circumferential seam containing an opening, flexible, rope-like, strand material received in said seam throughout the length thereof and having parts extending from opposite directions toward each other outwardly of said opening, said parts being interconnected outwardly of said opening with sufficient slack to receive between them a substantially rigid twisting member for twisting said parts about themselves upon rotation of a twisting member to shorten said strand material and contract said seam, and releasable keeper means carried by said duct and adapted to cooperate with a twisting member to prevent said parts from untwisting after twisting thereof by said member.

Claim 3

The duct of claim 1 including a second continuous circumferential seam at the opposite end of the duct, and at least one wire ring housed in said second seam.

Claim 4

The duct of claim 1 wherein said seam encloses a wire ring spaced axially from said flexible rope-like strand.

Claim 5

The duct of claim 1 wherein said seam is formed with two angularly spaced openings through which different portions of said flexible rope-like strand are exposed.

Claim 6

The duct of claim 1 including a twisting member comprising a captive pin.

Claim 7

The duct of claim 1 including a rigid stick-like member, each of the outwardly extending parts of said strand material having longitudinally spaced connections with said stick-like member arranged so that upon rotation of said member said parts are twisted about themselves, and means carried by said member for cooperation with said keeper means to prevent said parts from untwisting after twisting thereof by said member.

Claim 8

The duct of claim 6 wherein said connections comprise openings at spaced positions on said stick-like member, the respective parts of said strand material passing through said openings, and means for preventing said parts from being withdrawn from said openings, said keeper means comprising a loop on said ducting adjacent said opening in said seam, and an extension integral with said stick-like member and engageable with said loop.

Claim 9

A joint between lengths of flexible duct comprising a continuous circumferential seam on the end of one duct, at least one wire ring within said seam, said seam and said ring being received within the end of a second duct having a continuous circumferential seam thereon containing a part circumferential opening, flexible, rope-like strand material received in said second named seam throughout the length thereof and having interconnected parts extending from opposite directions towards each other outwardly of said opening, a twisting member between said parts and imparting twist to said parts to shorten said rope-like strand material and contract its seam about the seam and wire ring on the end of said first duct, and releasable keeper means carried by said second duct and cooperating with said twisting member to retain said parts in twisted condition.

Claim 10

A joint between lengths of flexible duct comprising a continuous circumferential seam on the end of one duct, at least one wire ring within said seam, said seam and said ring being received within the end of a second duct having a continuous circumferential seam thereon containing a part circumferential opening, flexible, rope-like strand material received in said second named seam throughout the length thereof and having interconnected parts extending from opposite directions towards each other outwardly of said opening, a twisting member between said parts and imparting twist to said parts to shorten said rope-like strand material and contract its seam about the seam and wire ring on the end of said first duct, and releasable keeper means carried by said second duct and cooperating with said twisting member to retain said parts in twisted condition.

Claim 11

The joint of claim 8 wherein the seam on the end of the first duct encloses in addition a second axially spaced wire ring.

Claim 12

Means for connecting two lengths of ducting each having a single wire ring in each end comprising a short length of ducting having at each end a continuous circumferential seam containing an opening, flexible, rope-like, strand material received in said seam throughout the length thereof and having parts extending from opposite directions toward each other outwardly of said opening, said parts being interconnected outwardly of said opening with sufficient slack to receive between them a substantially rigid twisting member for twisting said parts about themselves upon rotation of a twisting member to shorten said strand material and contract said seam, and releasable keeper means carried by said duct and adapted to cooperate with a twisting member to prevent said parts from untwisting after twiSting thereof by said member.

Claim 13

Means for connecting two lengths of ducting each having a single wire ring in each end comprising a short length of ducting having at each end a continuous circumferential seam containing an opening, flexible, rope-like, strand material received in said seam throughout the length thereof and having parts extending from opposite directions toward each other outwardly of said opening, said parts being interconnected outwardly of said opening with sufficient slack to receive between them a substantially rigid twisting member for twisting said parts about themselves upon rotation of a twisting member to shorten said strand material and contract said seam, and releasable keeper means carried by said duct and adapted to cooperate with a twisting member to prevent said parts from untwisting after twiSting thereof by said member.

Claim 14

Means as in claim 10 wherein the same at each end of said short length of ducting further encloses a wire ring spaced axially from the rope-like strand material.