Gasket seating ring

Claim 1

A hard ring for seating a resilient gasket in the bell of a length of plastic pipe having an inner periphery of predetermined interior diameter, a belled end and central axis comprising a hard plastic, shaped, non-resilient annulus, the shaped annular comprising a radially inwardly facing annular seat, the seat having a leading edge, a trailing edge a non-resilient seating surface defined between the leading edge and the trailing edge, the seating surface having a diameter substantially equal to the interior diameter of the pipe, the shaped annulus further comprising a rearward, radially outwardly inclined ramp extending forwardly from the trailing edge of the seat and a joined forward, partial, radially inwardly inclined ramp, the junction between the rearward and forward ramps defining the outer periphery of the hard ring, the shaped annulus being configured to define a radially inwardly opening junction, the junction being defined by walls of hard, plastic material, the said forward, partial, radially inwardly inclined ramp terminating radially outwardly of the said inner periphery of the pipe to define a forwardly open annular path to the said radially inwardly open junction of size to receive portions of the resilient gasket therein, the diameter of the annular path being larger than the diameter of the inner periphery of the pipe; whereby the resilient gasket may be readily applied to the hard ring at the forwardly open path by positioning a portion of the gasket in peripheral contact with the said radially inwardly open junction.