AU701721B2 - In-bore joining method apparatus - Google Patents

Description

IN BORE JOINING METHOD APPARATUS The present invention relates to an in-bore joining method and apparatus which finds particular application in the manufacture of tapware spouts.

Hitherto spouts have been fabricated from a length of bent brass tube into one end of which is brazed a threaded mounting device and into the other end of which is brazed a strainer or like flow outlet. After the brazing is complete the spout is then power coated or chrome plated.

The manufacturing step of brazing is both relatively skilled and time consuming and therefore increased the overall cost of the manufactured spout.

It is the object of the present invention to reduce the cost of manufacturing such spouts, in particular by the abolition of brazing and the use of a push-in seal by which means the strainer and mounting device can be connected to their respective ends of the spout.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a push-on, in-bore sealing connector for spouts and the like, said spouts and the like having a tubular bore, said connector comprising a spigot dimensioned to be received within said bore, and a metal deformable retention device having a central aperture, eeee: said retention device adapted carried by said spigot and deformable by the interior of said bore to retain said spigot therein by friction fit between said deformed retention 20 device and the interior of said bore, wherein said spigot is provided with a transverse groove for carrying of said retention device and said spigot is adapted to be resiliently compressible to receive the central aperture of said retention device into said groove.

Preferably, at least the periphery of the retention device is deformable into a substantially barbed arrangement by the interior of said bore.

Preferably also, the friction fit of the barbed retention device is increased upon subsequent attempted removal of the connector from the bore.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a spout having at least one in-bore sealing connector inserted in an end thereof.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of installing the above described in-bore sealing connector.

The prior art and two embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:- Fig. 1 is an exploded side elevation of a prior art spout, Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ends of the spout of Fig. 1, [n:\libd100729:DMB -la- Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the spout of the preferred embodiment illustrating two connectors each engaged with a corresponding end of the spout, Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but being a longitudinal cross-section through the spout, and, Fig. 5 and 6 are respectively plan views of the two retention devices utilised in Figs. 3 and 4.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the prior art spout 1 consists of a brass tube 2 bent into a generally U-shaped configuration and having a threaded mounting device 3 at one end and a strainer 4 at the other end. Both the mounting device 3 and strainer 4 are turned from brass and include a spigot 5 which is passed into the bore 6 of the tube 2.

The mounting device 3 and strainer 4 are then brazed onto the ends of the tube 2 so as to complete the assembly. After the brazing step the entire device is then powder coated or metal plated so as to cover the material of the braze and provide the finished article.

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*i o o *o [n:\libd100729:DMB The mounting device 3 and strainer 4 are then brazed onto the ends of the tube 2 so as to complete the assembly. After the brazing step the entire device is then powder coated or metal plated so as to cover the material of the braze and provide the finished article.

The brazing step requires relatively skilled personnel and is therefore "doubly expensive" in that it is both time consuming and utilises skilled personnel who must be paid a wage premium for their skill. In addition, the need to finish the device after brazing means that the completed article must be either sent away for, or passed through, a powder coating or metal plating step which again adds to manufacturing costs.

Manufacturing costs can be reduced if the mounting device and strainer can be manually inserted into the tube without the need for any brazing step. Furthermore, such a manual insertion process means that any power coating or metal plating can be carried out on sub-assemblies prior to the final assembly.

To this end two preferred embodiments are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. A mounting device 13 has a threaded hollow base substantially as before, however, its spigot 15 is substantially different. In particular, the spigot 15 is provided with a transverse groove 16 which receives an O-ring 17. In addition, the leading end of the spigot 15 is longitudinally slotted at 18 and provided with a transverse groove 19.

20 The longitudinal slots 18 mean that the end of the spigot 15 is to some extent compressible and therefore is able to be compressed to an extent sufficient to receive a *disc shaped retention device 20 having a central aperture 21 which is received in the groove 19.

As best seen in Figs. 3 and 5, the disc-shaped retention device 20 essentially takes the form of a thin metal washer having an external diameter slightly larger than the internal diameter of the bore 6 of the tube 2 and having a plurality of cut-outs 22 regularly spaced around its periphery. The cut-outs 22 define regularly spaced radially extending arms 23 which are connected to a central annulus 24. By virtue of the radial extent of the cut-outs 22 the arms 23 are resilient with respect to the central annulus 24.

As a consequence, as seen in Fig. 4, with the O-ring 17 mounted in the groove 16 and the retention disc 20 mounted in the groove 19, the mounting device 13 can be pushed into the end of the tube 2. This action deforms the disc-shaped retention device into a generally conical configuration with the outer edges of the arms 23 engaged S"with the interior of the bore 6. In this configuration the inherent resilience of the 35 retention device 20 forms a strong friction fit between the retention device 20 and the bore 6.

Turning now to the preferred embodiment of the strainer, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4 the spigot 34 takes the form of an apertured disc 33 which carries a ribbed [n:\libe]00592:ATD projection 35. The disc 33 is threadably engageable with a collar 36 and an 0-ring 37 is locatable around the disc 33 and within the collar 36.

As best seen in Figs. 3 and 6, a cruciform retention device 38 having four arms 39, a slot 40 and a central aperture 41 is able to be pushed onto the ribbed projection 35. The slot 40 enables the aperture 41 to expand sufficiently to pass over the ribs on the ribbed projection As indicated in Fig. 4 with the O-ring 37 located between the disc 33 and collar 36, and with the retention device 38 on the projection 35, the entire strainer assembly 42 is able to be pushed into the tube 2 so that the projection 35 and part of the disc 33 are pushed into the bore 6. This compresses the O-ring 37 so as to provide the necessary seal and also resiliently deforms the arms 39 which thereby creates a frictional fit between the retention device 38 and the bore 6.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above describe connectors can be assembled so as to make a water tight fit using either unskilled labour or industrial robots. As a consequence, the overall cost of the spout is substantially reduced.

4* 4* [n:\libe]00592:ATD -4- The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A push-on, in-bore sealing connector for spouts and the like, said spouts and the like having a tubular bore, said connector comprising a spigot dimensioned to be received within said bore, and a metal deformable retention device having a central aperture, said retention device adapted carried by said spigot and deformable by the interior of said bore to retain said spigot therein by friction fit between said deformed retention device and the interior of said bore, wherein said spigot is provided with a transverse groove for carrying of said retention device and said spigot is adapted to be resiliently compressible to receive the central aperture of said retention device into said groove.

2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least the periphery of the retention device is deformable into a substantially barbed arrangement by the interior of said bore.

3. A connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the friction fit of the 15 barbed retention device is increased upon subsequent attempted removal of the connector from the bore.

A connector as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said connector includes an O-ring or like sealing device, compressed between said spigot and said bore.

20 5. A connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said O-ring or like sealing device is carried by said spigot and compressed between said spigot and the interior of i: said bore.

6. A connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein said spigot has an external groove within which said O-ring is retained.

S 25 7. A connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said O-ring or like sealing device is compressed between the end of said bore and a strainer formed from a perforated disc.

8. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, wherein said retention device is disc shaped with a central aperture and has an external diameter slightly larger than said bore diameter.

9. A connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein said retention device has a plurality of cut outs substantially regularly spaced around its periphery.

A connector as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, wherein said retention device is substantially planar and has a plurality of arms extending substantially radially from a central core.

11. A connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein said retention device is substantially cruciform shaped.

[n:\libd]00729:DMB

Claims (6)

12. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 1-11, wherein said spigot includes therein one or more longitudinal slots at least up to said transverse groove so as to be resiliently compressible.

13. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 1-12, wherein said transverse groove is one of a plurality of exterior ribs or threads, interacting with said centre of said retention device for fixedly receiving said retention device on said spigot.

14. A connector as claimed in claim 13, wherein said retention device has at least one radial cut out leading into said central aperture and configured to allow said central aperture to expand sufficiently to pass over said ribs or threads.

15. A push-on, in-bore sealing connector, substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 3 or Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A spout having at least one in-bore sealing connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims inserted in an end thereof.

17. A method of installing a connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said method being substantially as herein described and utilising the connector as claimed in any one of claims 1-16. DATED this Third Day of December 1998 Caroma Industries Limited S Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON :oo: 9 9i [n:\libd100729:DMB In-Bore Joining Method Apparatus ABSTRACT A push-on, in-bore sealing connector for spouts and the like having a tubular bore said connector comprising a spigot (15,34) dimensioned to be received within said bore and a deformable retention device (20,38) carried by said spigot (15,34) and deformable by the interior of said bore to retain said spigot (15,34) therein by friction fit between said deformed retention device (20,38) and the interior of said bore S [N:\libe]00695:GMM