NZ740467B2 - Releasable connect/disconnect fitting connection - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed invention provides advantage wherein the retaining ring is in a concealed from, or at least not exposed to the outer elements, which lessens the likelihood that it would be moved unintentionally and undesirably to unlock the pipe. A connection to connect and disconnect a pipe to a fitting, the connection comprising a fitting body having a pipe opening for axially receiving a pipe along a longitudinal axis and having at least one body radial opening, each body radial opening having an angled tab engaging surface and further having a retaining ring having at least one axially extending resilient retaining tab, each resilient retaining tab having a radially inwardly extending portion and a radially outwardly extending portion, wherein each of said radially outwardly extending portions have a chamfered body engaging surface which operatively engages the angled tab engaging surface of a corresponding body radial opening, wherein said radially inwardly extending portions engage the pipe when the pipe is in an inserted position and the retaining ring is in a first locked axial position to retain the pipe in the inserted position, wherein, in the first locked axial position, the retaining ring is substantially contained within the fitting body so as not to extend beyond the pipe opening; and wherein relative axial movement of the retaining ring with respect to the fitting body from the first locked axial position to a second unlocked axial position causes the chamfered body engaging surface of each radially outwardly extending portion to operatively engage the angled tab engaging surface of the corresponding body radial opening to resiliently radially outwardly deform each resilient retaining tab disengaging the radially inwardly extending portions from the pipe to permit removal of the pipe from the inserted position in the fitting body.

Claims (16)

Claims

1. A connection to connect and disconnect a pipe to a fitting, the connection sing: a fitting body having a pipe opening for y receiving a pipe along a longitudinal axis and having at least one body radial opening, each body radial opening having an angled tab engaging surface; a retaining ring having at least one y extending resilient retaining tab, each resilient retaining tab having a radially inwardly extending n and a radially outwardly extending portion; wherein each of said radially outwardly extending portions have a chamfered body engaging e which operatively engages the angled tab engaging surface of a corresponding body radial opening; wherein said ly inwardly extending ns engage the pipe when the pipe is in an inserted position and the ing ring is in a first locked axial position to retain the pipe in the inserted positon; wherein, in the first locked axial position, the retaining ring is substantially contained within the fitting body so as not to extend beyond the pipe opening; and wherein relative axial movement of the retaining ring with respect to the fitting body from the first locked axial position to a second unlocked axial position causes the chamfered body engaging surface of each radially outwardly extending portion to operatively engage the angled tab engaging surface of the corresponding body radial opening to resiliently radially outwardly deform each resilient retaining tab disengaging the radially inwardly extending portions from the pipe to permit removal of the pipe from the inserted position in the fitting body.

2. The connection as defined in claim 1, n the relative axial movement of the retaining ring with respect to the fitting body from the first locked axial position to the second unlocked axial position results from the retaining ring moving axially forward into the pipe g of the fitting body.

3. The connection as defined in claim 1, wherein, in the first locked axial position, the red body engaging surface of each radially outwardly extending portion is axially offset from the angled tab engaging surface of the corresponding body radial opening, and, in the second unlocked axial position the chamfered body engaging surface of each radially outwardly extending portion is axially aligned with the angled tab engaging surface of the ponding body radial opening such that the chamfered body engaging surface operatively engages the angled tab engaging surface to translate the relative axial movement of the retaining ring with respect to the fitting body from the first locked axial position to the second unlocked axial position into radial movement of each resilient ing tab from a ly locked position, where the radially inwardly extending portion is engaging the pipe to retain the pipe in the inserted position, to a radially unlocked position, where the radially inwardly extending portion is disengaged from the pipe, permitting removal of the pipe from the inserted on in the fitting body.

4. The connection as defined in claim 1, further comprising a l tool to relatively axially move the retaining ring with respect to the fitting body from the first locked axial position to the second axial unlocked position; n said removal tool s the retaining ring to relatively axially move the retaining ring with t to the fitting body.

5. The connection as defined in claim 4, wherein the retaining ring is annularly shaped and ses a removal tool engaging surface which is located within or flush with the pipe opening of the fitting body; and wherein said removal tool fits within the pipe opening between the pipe in the ed position and the pipe opening of the fitting body to engage the removal tool engaging surface of the retaining ring and y move the retaining ring forward into the pipe opening of the fitting body from the first locked axial position to the second unlocked axial position.

6. The connection as defined in claim 1, each of said radially outwardly extending portions extends h the corresponding body radial opening of the fitting body, and, the body radial openings of the fitting body are open to an exterior surface of the fitting body to permit visible inspection of the radially inwardly extending portions engaging the pipe when in the pipe is in the ed position.

7. The connection as defined in claim 6 further comprising a gasket axially located between an inserted end of the pipe and the retaining ring when the pipe is in the inserted on and the retaining ring is in the first locked axial position to seal the g.

8. The connection as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said radially inwardly extending portions have a pipe retaining e for retaining the pipe in the inserted position when the retaining ring is in the first locked axial position; wherein axial insertion of the pipe into the fitting body causes the pipe to resiliently radially outwardly deform the resilient retaining tab permitting axial insertion of the pipe in the fitting body; and wherein continued insertion of the pipe into the pipe opening to the inserted position when the retaining ring is in the first locked axial position causes the pipe ing surface to engage the pipe and retain the pipe in the inserted position.

9. The connection as defined in claim 8, wherein the pipe has at least one external groove which operatively engages the pipe retaining surface of at least one radially inwardly ing portion when the pipe is in the inserted on and the retaining ring is in the first locked axial on.

10. The connection as d in claim 9, wherein the at least one external groove has inner wall facing the pipe opening such that insertion of the pipe into the pipe opening to the inserted position causes the pipe retaining e of at least one radially inwardly extending portion to operatively engage the inner wall of the at least one external groove and retain the pipe in the inserted position while the retaining ring remains in the first locked axial position.

11. The connection as defined in claim 10, wherein the inner diameter of the radially inwardly extending portions is less than the outer diameter of the pipe such that when the resilient retaining tabs is resiliently inwardly deformed into the external groove permitting the pipe retaining surface to engage the pipe, a snapping sound is made.

12. The connection as defined in claim 11 wherein each of said radially inwardly extending portions have a chamfered pipe engaging surface facing the opening of the fitting body which engages the pipe during axial ion thereof to ently outwardly deform the resilient ing tab permitting axial ion of the pipe to the inserted position in the fitting body.

13. The connection as defined in claim 12 further comprising a stop wall which limits axial insertion of the pipe into the fitting body; and wherein the pipe retaining surface of the at least one ly inwardly extending portion has an axial position in the fitting body with respect to the stop wall which corresponds an axial position of the at least one groove with respect to an insertion end of the pipe such that the insertion end of the pipe is near but not adjacent the stop wall when the pipe is in the inserted position.

14. The connection as defined in claim 1 wherein each radial body g further comprises a radial tab engaging surface facing the angled tab engaging surface and each of said radially outwardly extending portions extends through the ponding body radial opening of the fitting body and comprise an axial stop surface which engages the radial tab engaging surface to prevent relative axial movement of the ing ring in a direction toward the pipe opening of the fitting body.

15. The tion as defined in claim 14 wherein the radial tab engaging es are ntially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the fitting body and the angled tab engaging surfaces are oriented at an acute forward angle to the longitudinal axis.

16. The connection as defined in claim 15 wherein the retaining ring is annularly shaped with an outer er which is less than the inner diameter of the pipe opening such that the retaining ring is substantially contained within the pipe opening; and wherein each of said radially dly extending portions extend radially through the corresponding body radial opening of the fitting body beyond the inner diameter of the pipe opening. w: HMDUFH 5— N HMDUFH