Hose clamp for thin wall, high pressure fire hose

Claim 1

In combination with a fire hose coupling of the type having a predetermined outer diameter and an axially extending nipple insertable in one end of a length of thin walled, high pressure fire hose of distortable material: a plurality of alternate, axially-spaced, annular, relatively-blunt, ribs and grooves, each having tapered side walls and flat cylindrical circumferential walls on the exterior face of said nipple; and a split clamp having a smooth outer face of diameter less than the diameter of said coupling cooperable with the nipple of said coupling; said clamp comprising a pair of substantially identical, semi-annular complementary one piece halves; each said clamp half having alternate, axially-spaced, semi-annular, relatively-blunt, ribs and grooves, each having tapered side walls and flat, cylindrical, circumferential walls on the interior face thereof, which mate with the corresponding ribs and grooves on said nipple with each rib on one opposite, identically configured with, and fitting the groove on the other to distort and firmly clamp said hose end therebetween without fracture thereof; each said clamp half having a smooth cylindrical exterior face, free of protuberances, with rounded side edges and each having a single central machine screw head recess in each opposite end, spaced from its joint face, and each having a threaded hole, for a machine screw, extending from each said recess to its adjacent joint face; and a single, central, pair of machine screws each having its head recessed in one of said head recesses and each threaded in the threaded holes at a joint to clamp said halves together in a radial direction around said hose end on said nipple.