Plastic retainer for fluid coupling

Claim 1

A fluid coupling comprising: a housing defining a bore with an axis extending inwardly into said bore from an entrance to said bore; a seal package positioned within said bore; a one-piece plastic retainer having a cylindrical axially inner ring at a first axial position, a conically tapered portion extending inwardly from an inner face of said inner ring, and a cylindrical axially outer ring at a second axial position spaced axially outwardly from said first axial position, a plurality of arms extending axially inwardly from a radially outer peripheral surface of said outer ring, said arms having an inner periphery spaced by a greatest radial distance from said axis at a location adjacent said entrance to said outer ring, and said arm inner periphery extending radially inwardly to an axially inner end spaced from said axis by a radial dimension that is less than said greatest radial dimension; a tube received within said bore, said tube being of a first outer diameter over the majority of an axial length, a greater diameter portion being formed at one axial portion of said tube, said greater diameter portion being spaced axially inwardly of said arms such that said arms retain said tube within said bore; and said entrance being of a first inner diameter at a position leading into said bore, said cylindrical axially outer ring having an entrance portion with an outer diameter slightly less than said first diameter of said entrance, and said entrance portion extending axially outwardly of said entrance.

Claim 14

A method of securing a tube within a housing bore comprising the steps of: (1) positioning a seal package within the bore to seal a fluid connection between a tube and the housing; (2) positioning a retainer within the bore, the retainer having a cylindrical forward ring spaced from a cylindrical rear ring, the forward and rear rings being connected by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced webs, the rear ring having a plurality of arms extending in a direction towards the forward ring, the arms having an inner periphery which is spaced by a relatively great radial distance from a center axis of the bore adjacent to the rear ring, and is spaced by a lesser radial distance at a position adjacent an end of the arm removed from the rear ring; and (3) inserting a tube having a first outer radial dimension over the majority of its length, and a radially greater dimension over a small portion of its axial length, until the greater dimension portion abuts the inner periphery of the arm, the tube then being forced further into the bore and forcing the retainer inwardly along with the tube until the forward ring abuts an axially outer portion of the seal package, the seal package then preventing further insertion of the retainer, continuing to insert the tube until the greater dimension portion causes the arms to flex radially outwardly about the rear ring, and allows the radially greater portion of the tube to move axially past the arms.

Claim 15

A method of securing a tube within a housing bore comprising the steps of: (1) positioning a seal package within the bore to seal a fluid connection between a tube and the housing; (2) positioning a retainer within the bore, the retainer having a cylindrical forward ring spaced from a cylindrical rear ring, the forward and rear rings being connected by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced webs, the rear ring having a plurality of arms extending in a direction towards the forward ring, the arms having an inner periphery which is spaced by a relatively great radial distance from a center axis of the bore adjacent to the rear ring, and is spaced by a lesser radial distance at a position adjacent an end of the arm removed from the rear ring; and (3) inserting a tube having a first outer radial dimension over the majority of its length, and a radially greater dimension over a small portion of its axial length, until the greater dimension portion abuts the inner periphery of the arm, the tube then being forced further into the bore and forcing the retainer inwardly along with the tube until the forward ring abuts an axially outer portion of the seal package, the seal package then preventing further insertion of the retainer, continuing to insert the tube until the greater dimension portion causes the arms to flex radially outwardly about the rear ring, and allows the radially greater portion of the tube to move axially past the arms.