Lockable hose coupling

Claim 1

A hollow hose coupling comprising: (a) a hollow body having integral therewith an arcuate lip with a lip bead on which is formed a lip bearing surface and a first guard arm having a guard arm groove for receiving therein the lip bead of a second one of a pair of coupled hose couplings, wherein the improvement comprises: (b) a mounting boss fixed to the outside of said hollow body, and (c) a leaf spring locking member mounted by one end thereof on said mounting boss and having formed intermediate the ends thereof a substantially S-shaped portion normally disposed generally parallel to the side of and out of contact with said body, said leaf spring locking member having formed on the other end thereof a stop that is shiftable by a second guard arm of said second one of said pair of hose couplings out of the pathway of said second guard arm as said second guard arm is rotated toward the fully coupled position of the pair of hose couplings, the configuration of said stop being such and responsive to the resiliency of said leaf spring locking member that, upon attainment of said fully coupled position, in which said second guard arm moves out of contact with said stop, said stop is moved into the pathway of said second guard to inhibit relative rotation of the hose couplings and consequent undesirable uncoupling thereof, (d) said S-shaped portion and stop being yieldingly movable, upon application of manual force thereon, toward said body and an unlocking position in which said stop is moved out of the pathway of said second guard arm so that said hose couplings may be relativey rotated to an uncoupled disposition.