AU599654B2

AU599654B2 - Connector for pipes

Info

Publication number: AU599654B2
Application number: AU73347/87A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Allan David Barker
Original assignee: AD&RE Barker Pty Ltd
Current assignee: AD&RE Barker Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1986-05-27
Filing date: 1986-05-27
Publication date: 1990-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-25
Also published as: AU7334787A

Description

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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 Name of Applicant o Address of Applicant Actual Inventor S Address for Service A.D. R.E. BARKER PTY. LTD.

7 Oak Street, NERANG. QUEENSLAND. 4211

AUSTRALIA.

ALLAN DAVID BARKER GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 333 Adelaide Street, BRISBANE. QUEENSLAND. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

COMPLEiT SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: "CONNECTOR FOR PIPES" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us: -1-

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.o 0 0 r A) A) l Ao A 0 04 00 4, THIS INVENTION relates to a connector for pipes. (Throughout the specification, the term "pipes" shall include tubes, conduits and the like, and the term "connector" shall include "couplings" and the like.) There are many applications where pipes must be connected together coaxially or by elbows, tees or bends. Examples include water, stormwater and sewerage pipes; scaffold; electrical conduits and fence pipes.

In many applications, the pipes cannot be moved and it is difficult to fit the necessary connectors.

It is. an object of the present invention to provide a connector for pipes which is simple, yet efficient.

It is a preferred object of the present invention to provide a connector which can be fitted after the pipes have been restrav ied in alignment.

It is a further preferred object to provide a connector which can incorporate seals to provide a liquid-or-gas-tight connection between the pipes.

Other preferred objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

In a broad aspect the present invention resides in a connector for pipes including: a pair of body members arranged substantially as a mirror-image pair, each body member having at least two inlet portions each engageable with a respective pipe to be connected; integral hinge means interconnecting the body members to enable the connector to be opened, where the pipes are engageable in or removable from the connector and to be closed where the pipes are retained and interconnected by the connector; and releasable locking means on one of the body members to engage the other body member to releasably -2retain the connector closed, wherein: the inlet portions are profiled to match the external profile of the pipes to be connected to provide an interference non-deformable fit with the pipes.

Preferably each inlet portion has a sealing means, eg. a lip seal, resilient ring or gasket, to engage its respective pipe.

The connector may be an elbow or bend with two inlets; a tee of Y with three inlets; a cross with four inlets or of some other configuration.

The connector may be formed of metal or plastics material (eg. polypropylene, PVC, GRP). If the connector is formed of polypropylene, the hinge may comprise a thin strip with an integral crease forming the hinge means. Alternatively, the body portions may S be connected by hinge pins and lugs.

Releasable straps may be provided on the inlet portion of one member to restrain and locate the pipes in the inlet portion of the other body member as the connector is closed.

To convert the connector from one configuration, eg. a tee to another configuration, eg.

o 0an elbow, a disc may be placed in the inlet in the connector not required.

25 To enable the invention to be fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG l is a perspective view showing a teepiece connector interconnecting three corrugated stormwater pipes; FIG 2 is a plan view of the connector in its opened position; FIG 3 is an end elevation corresponding to FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is an end elevation showing the connector when closed; FIG. 5 is a plan view of one of the locking means; FIG. 6 is a sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 5; and PIG. 7 is a perspective view showing two pipes restrained in the connector prior to closing, where one of the inlets is blocked to conve c the tee-piece connector to a straight connector.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7 in particular, the connector 10 is provided in the form of a tee-piece to connect three lengths of corrugated stormwater pipe 11 to 13.

o "The connector 10, formed of injection-moulded o polypropylene, has two body members, 14, 15 which substantially form a mirror-image pair. Each body member has a body portion 16 provided with three inlet-portions c 20 17 to 19, the opposed inlet portions on the body member o being arranged to clamp around the respective pipes 11 o «to 13.

Each inlet portion has a lip seal 20 to enable the connector to sealably engage the pipes, the lip 25 seals forming an interference sealing fit with romplementary circumferential recesses on the pipes.

S' The body members 14, 15 are hinged together by an integral strip 21 which has a thinned crease or hinge line.

A resilient latch 22 is provided on each corner web 23 of the body member 15 to releasably engage a respective slot 24 on the corresponding corner web on body member 14. A loop 26 on each web 23 is arranged to be "snapped-over" its respective latch (see FIGS. and head block 27 being engaged in the slot 24 to

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'1 i/ r j o~o 9 0u 59r 9 o an 0 0 prevent accidental release of the latch.

To restrain the pipes in the connector before the latter is closed, clamping straps 28 are provided at the ends of the aligned inlet portions 17, 18 of body member 14. Each strap has an enlarged head 29 adapted to engage a respective recess 30 in the corner web 23 of the body member 15. As shown in FIG. 7, the pipe 12 is laid in the inlet portion 17 or 18 of the body member and the locking strap 28 is passed over the pipe to clamp the pipe to the body member 15 before the connector is closed.

As shown in FIG. 7, a tee-piece connector may be converted to a straight through connector, or an elow connector (not shown) by installing a solid disc 31 in the inlet of the connector which is not required.

This reduces the tooling costs for the different connectors. In addition, the connector may be used with plain-walled pipes 32 fitted with a circumferential seal 33 engaged inwardly of the lip seals 20. The lip seals are dimensioned to lie on the wall of the pipe to provide a double sealing assembly.

For e.g. cast metal connectors, lugs on the body members will replace the strip 17, the lugs being hinged together by suitable hinge pins.

The potential application and configuration of the connectors are almost infinite and will be selected to suit the particular application. However, the connector can connect pipes which cannot be moved to enable the connection to be made i.e. the connector can be applied to the pipes and nriot vice versa.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A connector for pipes including: a pair of body members arranged in substantially as a mirror-image pair, each body member having at least two inlet portions each engageable with a respective pipe to be connected; integral hinge means interconnecting the body members to enable the connector to be opened, where the pipes are engageable in or removable from, the connector and to be closed where the pipes are retained and interconnected by the connector; and releasable locking means on one of the body o" members to engage the other body member to releasably Sretain the connector closed, wherein: the inlet portions are profiled to match the external profile of the pipes to be connected to provide an interference non-deformable fit with the pipes.

2. A connector according to Claim 1 wherein: each inlet portion has sealing means to engage its respective pipe to form a sealing connection thcrebetween. s

3. A connector according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein: the body members are formed of plastics S 25 material, and the hinge means comprises a thin strip of material interconnecting the body members, the thin strip having an integral crease or thinned section.

4. A connector according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein: a respective clamping strap is provided on at least one inlet portion of one of the body members to clamp a respective pipe in the corresponding inlet portion of the other body member to restrain the pipe before the connector is closed.

5. A connector according to Claim 4 wherein: 14 S6 ri i' one end of the clamping strap is anchored to P one side of the inlet portion of the one body member and P the other end of the clamping strap has an enlarged head P engageable in a slot or recess provided in a web on the inlet portion of the other body member.

6. A connector according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the releasable locking means comprises: a slot or hole in a web on one of the inlet portions of the one of the body members; a latch on a web on the corresponding inlet portion of the other body member; and a loop on the web of the cther body member having a head engageable in the slot hole behind the °O latch to prevent accidental release of the latch from 15 the slot or hole. A 0

7. A connector for pipes substantially as 0 0 0 hereinbefore described with reference to FIGS 1 to 7 of o a .0 the accompanying drawings. DATED this fifteenth day of May 1990. 20 A D R E BARKER PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRANT ADAMS COMPANY