Pipeline connector for plastic instruments

Claim 2

A coupling device between the bottom end of a plastic instrument and a nipple comprising: a ring element rotatably mounted about said bottom end comprising two exteriorly threaded shell halves affixed to one another about said bottom end and freely rotatable thereabout both during coupling and when uncoupled; a nut element mounted for rotation about said nipple, said bottom end and said ring element; and two O-rings, each having a radial compression set, one mounted for sealing engagement and radial compression between the nut element and the bottom end, and the other mounted for sealing engagement between the nut element and the nipple; wherein a gap is provided between the nipple and the bottom end.

Claim 3

A coupling as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the second bottom end of the instrument is coupled to a second nipple by a union nut coupling, wherein the improvement comprises: said second bottom end defining a flange at the end thereof and not defining screw threads on its exterior surface; and two exteriorly threaded annular shell halves coupled to one another for non-rotation about said second bottom end and abutting said flange; and a union nut mounted about said shell halves and said nipple and arranged to engage the threads of said shell halves.

Claim 4

A coupling in a pipeline for a plastic instrument including a bottom element to a nipple defining an exterior shoulder, said coupling comprising: an outwardly extending flange on the end of said bottom end; two annular shell halves coupled to one another about said bottom end and, freely rotatable thereabout both during coupling and when uncoupled, said shell halves having screw threads on their exterior surfaces and defining an outwardly extending flange at one end thereof; a nut element mounted about the shell halves, the bottom end flange and the nipple and defining at the interior of one end thereof threads complementary to the threads on the exterior surface of the shell halves and defining an interior shoulder at the other end thereof; and two O-rings, each having a radial compression set, one being sealingly disposed and radially compressed between the body of the bottom end and the interior of the nut element, the second being sealingly disposed and radially compressed between the body of the nut element and the body of the nipple.

Claim 5

A coupling in a pipeline for a plastic instrument including a bottom element to a nipple defining an exterior shoulder, said coupling comprising: an outwardly extending flange on the end of said bottom end; two annular shell halves coupled to one another about said bottom end and, freely rotatable thereabout both during coupling and when uncoupled, said shell halves having screw threads on their exterior surfaces and defining an outwardly extending flange at one end thereof; a nut element mounted about the shell halves, the bottom end flange and the nipple and defining at the interior of one end thereof threads complementary to the threads on the exterior surface of the shell halves and defining an interior shoulder at the other end thereof; and two O-rings, each having a radial compression set, one being sealingly disposed and radially compressed between the body of the bottom end and the interior of the nut element, the second being sealingly disposed and radially compressed between the body of the nut element and the body of the nipple.

Claim 6

A coupling as claimed in claim 3 wherein the second bottom end of the instrument is coupled to a second nipple by a union nut coupling, wherein the improvement comprises: said second bottom end defining a flange at the end thereof and not defining screw threads on its exterior surface; and two exteriorly threaded annular shell halves coupled to one another for non-rotation about said second bottom end and abutting said flange; and a union nut mounted about said shell halves and said nipple and arranged to engage the threads of said shell halves.