AU2006100610A4 - Connector - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Agent and Address Peter Lindsay Saunders and Kym Louise Saunders Peter Lindsay Saunders for Service: MADDERNS, 1st Floor, 64 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention Title: CONNECTOR Details of Associated Provisional Application No: 2005903837 dated 20 July 2005 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a connector for pipes or tubing.

BACKGROUND

Some pipes (or tubes) cannot be permanently joined because the pipes are made from a material which cannot be welded a plastic). Furthermore, if the pipes are to be temporarily joined they may be required to be separable or slidable to shorten or lengthen the pipe.

Pipes which are joined in a manner that allows the full length of the joined pipes to be shortened and lengthened are often used in temporary structures such as garden umbrellas, tents, canopies or awnings. These structures require the temporary structural rigidity provided by the pipes to support the fabric, tent material or shade cloth portion of the structure. However, the pipes which form these structures are desirably collapsed when not in use for ease of storage.

In the case of a canopy, it is desirable that the canopy material is held taut by the supporting pipes when in use. The pipes which support the canopy material are however required to be separated at the joint when the canopy is collapsed, removed or folded away. The separation of the pipes requires some slack in the canopy material so that the pipes can be removed from the taut material if required.

Alternatively, the manner of the join in the pipes may allow the overall length of the pipes to be collapsibly shortened.

It is a problem if, in order to move the pipes (for example, to fold away a canopy) the pipes must be disconnected from the connector. This can be time-consuming and frustrating to the user. Furthermore, pipes which are left loose must be looked after carefully to ensure they are not misplaced. In cases where the pipes are not disconnected from the connector, often there is insufficient movement in the connection to fold the pipes when not in use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pipe connector or at least to provide an alternative to the prior art discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a connector for connecting pipes, the connector comprising a centre spigot and a capturing spigot, each spigot for connecting to a pipe, the spigots pivotally connected, wherein the capturing spigot comprises at least two parts and the centre spigot is retained between said parts.

Preferably, the at least two parts of the capturing spigot are retained with said centre spigot by the pipe which connects to said capturing spigot.

Preferably, the centre spigot comprises a body portion having at least two protrusions, each protrusion adapted to pivotally engage with respective parts of the capturing spigot.

More preferably, each part of the capturing spigot comprises a further body portion having an indentation adapted to pivotally engage with a protrusion on the centre spigot.

Alternatively, the body portion of the centre spigot comprises at least two indentations, each indentation adapted to pivotally engage with respective parts of the capturing spigot.

Further alternatively, each further body portion of the capturing spigot comprises a protrusion adapted to pivotally engage with an indentation on the centre spigot.

Alternatively, the body portion of the centre spigot comprises one indentation and one protrusion, each indentation and protrusion adapted to pivotally engage with respective parts of the capturing spigot.

Further alternatively, a first further body portion of the capturing spigot comprises a protrusion adapted to pivotally engage with an indentation on the centre spigot and a second further body portion of the capturing spigot comprises an indentation adapted to pivotally engage with a protrusion indentation on the centre spigot.

Alternatively, a first further body portion of the capturing spigot comprises a protrusion adapted to capture the centre body portion and said protrusion is adapted to receive an indentation on a second further body portion.

Preferably, the body portion of the centre spigot further comprises an aperture.

More preferably, each further body portion of the capturing spigot comprises a further aperture.

Preferably, the pivotal connection permits the spigots, each having a longitudinal axis, to pivot from a coaxial position to a parallel axis position.

More preferably, when the spigots are in the coaxial position, the aperture and the further aperture in the body portion and further body portion of the centre and capturing spigots respectively, align to form a passage through said connector, said passage adapted to receive a locking pin for locking the connector in the coaxial position.

Preferably, the connector further comprises a means to retain the spigots in the coaxial position, said means including a movable part biased away from the body portion of the centre spigot.

More preferably, the body portion of the centre spigot further comprises an indentation for receiving the movable part when the spigots are in the coaxial position.

The connector of the present invention provides an improved means of connecting together two pipes or tubes. The connector has three main body parts each of which are preferably moulded from a plastic. The connector is therefore relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture. Once the connector parts are assembled the particular construction of the connector eliminates the need for a pivot pin, the connector simply pivots about the pivotal connection formed between the three connector parts. Furthermore, the pivotal rotation of the connector (and therefore any connected pipes) about a pivot axis means that pipes used in structures such as canopies can be easily folded away or collapsed when the canopy is not in use. The structure of the canopy need not be disassembled pipes removed) when it is not in use and therefore there are no loose pipes or parts of the canopy to be stowed away. The ability of the pipes to bend at the connector also permits the taut fabric of a canopy to be slackened which improves the user's ability to manipulate the canopy into the desired position.

Throughout this specification unless the context requires otherwise, the words comprise' and 'include' and variations such as 'comprising' and 'including' will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described in some further detail with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying Figures. This embodiment is illustrative, and is not meant to be restrictive of the scope of the invention.

Suggestions and descriptions of other embodiments may be included within the scope of the invention but they may not be illustrated in the accompanying figures or alternatively features of the invention may be shown in the figures but not described in the specification.

BREIF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying representation in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the connector when connected to two pipes according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3A is a top view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3B is a side view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3C is an end view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3D is a cross-sectional view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 4A is a perspective view of the connector in use in a boat canopy; Figure 4B is a perspective view of the connector of Figure 4A in a partially collapsed position; and Figure 4C is a perspective view of the connector of Figure 4A and 4B in a further collapsed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE

INVENTION

The invention will be generally discussed in relation to a knuckle connector for boat canopies but it is not so restricted and may be applied to other structures where articulated connectors are required, for example, in awnings, folding legs or caravan TV aerials, etc.

Figure 1 shows a connector 10 having three connector parts forming two spigots 14 and 16, the free ends of each spigot connected to a pipe 12 and 12'. The pipes 12 and 12' may form part of an awning or canopy structure and may be of any desired length, width or material. For example, the pipes may be steel pipes having an inner aperture of 2.5 centimetres (cm) in diameter into which connector 10 can connect. The pipes may be, for example, 1 meter in length and a further connector may be connected at the other end of the pipe (not shown). It is also an option that a first 6 pipe 12 has a first inner diameter 2.5 cm) while a second pipe 12', disposed on the other end of the connector 10, may have a second inner diameter 3 cm).

Furthermore, the shape of pipe may be altered e.g. from a round pipe aperture to an elliptical aperture or pipes having square profiles may be used with a reciprocally shaped spigot on the connector. Whether the connector will fit the aperture of a particular pipe depends entirely upon the shape of the free ends of spigots 14 and 16.

A multitude of different shapes of spigot 14 and 16 can be manufactured as required since the spigots are moulded from a plastic, for example Acrylonitrate-Butadiene- Styrene (ABS). The moulds which form the spigots 14 and 16 can be modified (recast) depending upon the shape of the pipes to be connected to the connector 10. Although plastic is the preferred material (given that it is light-weight and relatively inexpensive), other materials could be used, for example, the spigots may be formed from a metal such as steel.

The free end of the spigots 14 and 16 located inside pipes 12 and 12' respectively are represented in Figure 1 by dotted lines. The spigots extend about 4 cm into pipes 12 and 12', however, each spigot may extend into the pipe at any distance which is sufficient to securely connect the pipes to connector 10 and provides structural integrity to the boat canopy frame element created by the joined pipes.

It is an option that the portion of the spigot which extends into pipes 12 and 12' is adapted to improve the spigots' grip on the inside walls of pipes 12 and 12'. For example, at least a portion of the spigot may be coated in a material which increases the friction between the spigot and the pipe wall, i.e. rubber. It is also an option that the spigots' construction improves its shear strength so that when a pipe is connected to the spigot, there is a reduced likelihood of the connector bending or breaking at the point where the pipes join the connector. In the preferred embodiment, the spigot has a number of webs and spaces to provide strength and grip the inside walls of the pipes and to increase the lateral strength of the spigot when inside the pipe.

Spigots 14 and 16, having longitudinal axes, are pivotally connected so that the free ends of both spigots can move relative to one another. In Figure 1 the connector is shown with the spigots (and corresponding pipes) in the coaxial position. However, the spigots can pivot relative to one another about axis 18, in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 1. The connector can pivot to cause the spigots (and corresponding pipes) to be in the parallel axis position (not shown).

Centre spigot 14 has a body portion 141 which is the portion of the spigot extending from pipe 12. Capturing spigot 16 has two parts 161 and 161' each having two half body portions (further body portions) 162 and 162', both of which body portions extend from pipe 12'. The two parts 161 and 161' of capturing spigot 16 locate and retain between them the centre spigot 14.

In the preferred embodiment, the spigots 14 and 16 are moulded to comprise, in one piece, a body portion and a free-end portion which extends into a pipe. It is an option, however, that the body portion and the portion which extends into a pipe are moulded separately and then later joined by suitable means such as a clip or adhesive. It will be appreciated that this is not the preferred connector construction since the structural rigidity of the connector may be affected.

It should be appreciated that in the preferred embodiment the two parts 161 and 161' of spigot 16 are mirror images of one another and are formed from separate plastic moulds. However, if desired, the two parts may not be of equal sizes (one part forming more of the spigot than the other). Furthermore, the two parts may be joined to one another. A join must not affect the shape of spigot 16 such that the spigot will not snugly fit into pipe 12'. Furthermore, any join must not prevent spigot 16 from retaining spigot 14. As a workable example, the two parts 161 and 161' may be joined by a hinge at the end of the spigot which extends into pipe 12' so as to keep the parts joined even though they are not assembled to form the connector.

When the connector is in use, the two free-end parts 161 and 161' (of the capturing spigot 16) are retained in connection with the centre spigot 14 by pipe 12'. Pipe 12' fits over both of the two parts 161 and 161' and effectively forces the two parts 161 and 161' into contact with each other, thereby forming spigot 16. If a pipe is not connected to spigot 16, a locking pin can be used to hold two parts 161 and 161' in contact with one another (discussed further below).

It is an option that the surfaces of two parts 161 and 161' which contact one another have at least one complementary moulded hollow and a projection. The hollow(s) and projection(s) will assist in keeping two parts 161 and 161' in alignment. Such a hollow 17 is shown in Figure 2; the corresponding projection on part 161' is obscured from view.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the elements of connector 10, (the elements being the centre spigot, capturing spigot, etc). It will be understood that the elements of connector 10 are shown dismantled from one another and that the pipes 12 and 12' have been disconnected from the connector. In Figure 2 the three parts of the connector 10 are clearly seen, as are the two parts 161 and 161' of spigot 16. The body portions 141, 162 and 162' of the spigots can also be seen distinct from the portions of the spigots which extend into pipes 12 and 12'.

Spigots 14 and 16 are pivotally connected to one another by any means which provides a pivotal connection whilst still ensuring that the two parts of spigot 16 retain spigot 14. For example, body portion 141 may be substantially spherical in shape and the two body portions 162 and 162' may be cup-shaped. The two cupshaped body portions 162 and 162' may retain the substantially spherically shaped body portion 141 between them and the connector will be able to pivot about that connection. In the preferred embodiment however, as shown in Figure 2, body portion 141 has at least two protrusions 20 and 20' adapted to pivotally engage with respective parts of the two half body portions (or further body portions) 162 and 162'. The protrusions 20 and 20' are annular and protrude at least 0.5 cm from body portion 141. However any shape of protrusion could be employed. The two half body portions 162 and 162' each have an annular indentation 22 and 22' (the latter obscured from view in Figure The indentations 22 and 22' are adapted to engage with the respective protrusions 20 and 20' from body portion 141 of centre spigot 14.

The two half body portions (or further body portions) 162 and 162' are engaged with protrusions 20 and 20' by pushing the annular indentations onto the corresponding annular protrusions 22 and 22'. The annular indentations have substantially matched diameters to the diameter of the annular protrusion thereby providing a snug fit of the indentations onto the protrusion. Connector 10 is thus formed and the connector can then pivot about the longitudinal axis of the annular indentations and protrusions of the pivotal connection. An advantage of this arrangement is that the connector can only pivot about axis 18 and cannot swivel about a number of axes as in the case of a ball and cup-shaped arrangement as described above. A single axis pivotal connection is preferred since the pipes are easier to manipulate to a folding or collapsed state canopy or similar structure as it is preferable to fold in a predetermined manner and order.

It should be understood that, alternatively, body portion 141 may have annular indentations therein and the two half body portions may have corresponding annular protrusions. Alternatively, one side of body portion 141 may have an annular protrusion while the other side has an annular indentation, the capturing half body portions (162 and 162') each having the corresponding connection.

Furthermore, one half body portion 162 may have an annular protrusion adapted to pass through the centre of body 141 thereby forming a protrusion on the other side of body portion 141 onto which half body portion 162' may connect (by way of a corresponding indentation). The resulting connector in all cases once constructed will operate in substantially the same way as the connector described above.

In Figure 2 it can be seen that body portion 141 further comprises a wall defining a longitudinal aperture 24. The two half body portions 162 and 162' each comprise a further aperture 26 and 26'. The apertures are positioned at right angle to the longitudinal axes of the spigots. It should be clear from Figure 2 that once two half body portions 162 and 162' are connected onto body portion 141 and, if connector is in the coaxial position, the three apertures 24, 26 and 26' will align to form a passage bridging the centre and the capturing spigot. This alignment is more clearly shown in Figure 1 where the connector 10 is in use. It can be seen in Figure 1 that locking pin 28 has been inserted through the passage formed by the apertures thereby locking and maintaining the connector with the spigots 14 and 16 in the coaxial position. The connector will be locked in this position whether or not pipes 12 or 12' are attached.

The passage formed by apertures 24, 26 and 26' is adapted to receive a locking pin 28 having a substantially matched diameter to that of the passage to ensure a good fit.

Locking pin 28 can be any rod or bar which is capable of passing through the passage formed by apertures 24, 26 and 26'. Preferably the locking pin is held securely in the passage. In the preferred embodiment the locking pin has a bulb or nodule at the end which preferably tapers towards the rod thereby allowing easy insertion but which restricts retraction of the locking pin. Furthermore, a ring can be attached to the locking pin to assist in removing or retracting the pin from the connector.

It is an option that other locking devices are used to lock the connector in positions other than the coaxial positions. For example, if the spigots of the connector are rotated so as to be perpendicular to one another a locking device can be inserted through apertures 24 and 26 and 26' to lock the connector in that position. In this case the locking device may be a U-shaped (or staple-shaped) pin.

Figure 3A is a top view of the connector 10 connected to pipes 12 and 12' clearly showing that two parts 161 and 161' retain the body portion 141 of spigot 14. Figure 3B is a side view of the connector showing the outside housing of the pivotal connection means. In both Figures 3A and 3B locking pin 28 is shown inserted through the passage formed by aligned apertures 24, 26 and 26'.

Figure 3C is an end-on view of the connector showing the two parts of spigot 16. The two parts 161 and 161' retain between them body portion 141. In this view, said body portion 141 can be seen between parts 161 and 161'.

Figure 3D is a cross-sectional view of the connector showing that capturing spigot 16 contains within it a retention means 30 to assist the retention of the spigots 14 and 16 in the coaxial position when locking pin 28 is not fitted. The retention means includes a movable part which is biased away from body portion 141 by a biasing means. In the preferred embodiment the movable part is a small spherical part 32 having a protrusion which protrudes into a spring 34 to assist in maintaining its correct orientation towards body portion 141.

Body portion 141 comprises a shaped indentation 36 (shown in Figure 3D and Figure 2) for receiving the spherical part 32 when the spigots 14 and 16 are in the coaxial position. When the spigots 14 and 16 are pivoted relative to one another the spherical part provides a degree of resistance to the pivotal rotation. Once the spigots are caused to align in the coaxial position, spherical part 32 is biased into indentation 36 which has a corresponding shape a sperical indent). As spherical part 32 is pushed into indentation 36 an audible sound is created. This audible sound assists the user to know when the coaxial position has been achieved (and therefore the locking pin 28 can be inserted). The spherical part is biased into indentation 26 and therefore provides a bias which is a degree of resistance which must be overcome before the connector will move from the coaxial position.

Figure 4A shows connector 10 in use in a boat canopy. Pipes 12 and 12' are connected in the coaxial position and the connector is locked in position by locking pin 28 (having a ring attached). It should be appreciated that the connector will maintain the coaxial position even if locking pin 28 is not inserted, however, for security, the locking pin is inserted when the connector is in use. The pin 28 prevents the connector from pivoting since the spigots 14 and 16 are not able to move relative to one another.

In Figure 4B locking pin 28 has been removed and the full length of the joined pipes 12 and 12' has been shortened by pivoting the pipes about the pivotal connection provided by connector 10. This shortening of the pipes provides slack in the canopy material without having to disconnect pipes 12 or 12' from the connector 10. Figure 4C shows that the pipes 12 and 12' can be fully pivoted into a near parallel axis position in order to collapse and stow away the canopy. If desired a further locking pin (not shown) could be inserted through apertures 24, 26 and 26' (the latter obscured from view in this Figure) in order to lock the connector in the position depicted. When the canopy is reassembled, the pipes can be quickly repositioned in the coaxial position. The collapsing and reassembling steps can be performed as often as required.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. The connector can be used to connect any pipes which are required to fold. The pipes may form a temporary structure such as a canopy or awning, or the pipes may form some other foldable structure not supporting cloth or material (such as a foldable TV aerial). Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include all such modifications within its scope.

Claims (4)

1. 2. A connector according to claim 1 wherein the free ends of each spigot portion have a respective longitudinal axis and the capturing spigot and centre spigot are arranged so that the pivotal movement of the pivot is limited to vary between the longitudinal axes of the spigot portions being coaxial to one another to being parallel to one another.
2. 3. A connector according to claim 2, wherein the centre spigot further includes at least one wall defining a longitudinal aperture through the centre spigot, the longitudinal axis of the aperture positioned to be at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the spigot portion of the centre spigot; and the capturing spigot further includes at least one wall defining an aperture in at least one of the two body portions, the aperture being located so as to align with the aperture in the centre spigot when the said longitudinal axes of the spigot portions are coaxial so as to form a passage for receiving a pin which when located in said passage bridging the centre spigot and the capturing spigot, maintains the coaxial alignment of the longitudinal axes of the spigot portions.
3. 04. A connector according to claim 2 wherein, the connector further includes a 0 r means to substantially retain the longitudinal axes coaxial, said means Sincluding a movable part biased away from a body portion of the centre Sspigot or the capturing spigot; and a shaped indentation in the respective body portion for receiving the movable part when the longitudinal axes of the Sspigots portions are coaxial to one another. INO
4. 5. A connector according to claim 4 wherein the bias of the moveable part INO permits removal of the moveable part from the indentation as the spigot c 10O portions are moved so that the longitudinal axes of the spigots portions are no longer coaxial to one another. Dated this 20th day of July, 2006. Peter Lindsay Saunders and Kym Louise Saunders By their Patent Attorneys MADDERNS