AU655120B2 - Offset connector - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1 99 0 COMPLETE SPEC IF ICAT ION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

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Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: KEY PLASTICS PTY. LTD., A.C.N. 000 063 623 Hugo Hendrik Dijkman i

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Address for Service: Invention Title: Details of Associated SHELSTON WATERS Clarence Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 "OFFSET CONNECTOR" Provisional Application No: PL3329 dated 3rd July, 1992 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- ~ili~ -I Il-' 02 /q,3 n

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C CI CC CC <C C V ,L t:: 2 The present invention relates to a connector and in particular to an offset connector.

The invention has been developed primarily for connecting bath tub outlets to fixed pipes or conduits in a concrete slab. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use and is also suitable for connecting offset pipes, conduits or passageways either used in the building industry or otherwise.

When a concrete slab has been laid and formed to include the relevant drainage pipes for the various sinks, baths and basins there may be some misalignment between these pipes and respective outlets from the vessels due to the construction tolerances. Having 15 particular regard to baths, the limited space available prevents the installation of conventional s-bends on other pipe work to correct any offset.

In order to overcome this problem it has been known to use connectors extending between the drainage pipes 20 and respective outlets. Such connectors include a body disposed above a respective pipe and a conduit which extends into complementary fixed engagement with the pipe. The outlet from the bath or other vessel is attached to a hole which is drilled in the body once the bath has been positioned.

This connector is generally inconvenient to use and install due to the fact that holes are required to be drilled and a number of separate components required to

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be arranged and assembled on site. Moreover, once the hole has been drilled in the body of the connector there is no allowance for any error that may have occurred in the placement of that hole or subsequent realignment of the vessel. In extreme cases it will be necessary to replace the whole connector.

Other possible solutions to the problem are to leave an oversized hole in the concrete slab such that a wide margin for error in positioning of the vessel is provided. During installation of, for example a bath, a downwardly depending drainpipe would be secured to the bath outlet and inserted in the oversized hole.

Thereafter, grout would be inserted into the hole to fill any excess volume no longer required. This technique is 15 generally unsatisfactory due to the need to seal the drainpipe into the slab after the installation. This operation being more difficult and expensive and often does not result in the required seal being formed.

Furthermore, it has been found that lumps of grout move into the pipe before setting and may harden and form blockages which are difficult to remove.

It is an object of the present invention, at least in its preferred embodiment, to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.

According to the invention there is provided an offset connector for providing fluidic communication between the free ends of two spaced apart fluid -4 passageways, the connector including: a hollow tubular body having a first and a second wall being movable with respect to each other, wherein said walls are respective opposed end walls of said body; and ,e ;r

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((L'i i L d( h r tr 84 ii first and second conduits extending from respective walls and communicating with said hollow body and being movable between a minimum and maximum offset configuration in response to the relative movement between the walls, the conduits being complementarily retainable with respective free ends such that fluid is able to pass sequentially through one passageway, the connector and the other passageway.

Preferably, the first and second walls are 15 respectively rotatably and fixedly mounted to the body.

Preferably also, the body is generally cylindrical and said walls are substantially circular and are sealingly engaged about their respective radial peripheries with opposite ends of said body. More preferably, the conduits axially extend from or adjacent the radial periphery of respective walls for allowing a maximum possible range of offset between said conduits.

In a preferred form one of the conduits is adjustably nestable within a respective passageway for maintaining the body at a predetermined distance from the free end of that passageway and the other conduit is fixedly nested within the other passageway.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be A -i described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an offset connector according to the invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the connector of Figure 1; and t r st C s 4*1* Cr c Itr *4C*r 4* 4 Figure 3 is a section through line 3-3 of Figure 2 and including a coupler for engagement with a correspondingly sized passageway.

Referring to the drawings, an offset connector 1 provides fluidic communication between the free ends of two spaced apart fluid passageways (not shown).

Connector 1 includes a hollow tubular body 2 having a first and second opposed substantially circular end walls 3 and 4 which are rotatably movable with respect to each other. First and second conduits 5 and 6 extend from respective walls 3 and 4 and are movable between a minimum and maximum offset configuration in response to the relative rotational movement between the walls. The walls are adjustable for allowing complementary retention of conduits 5 and 6 by respective free ends of the passageways such that fluid is able to pass sequentially through one passageway, the connector and the other passageway.

Body 2 is generally cylindrical and extends along an axis 8. Sidewall 4 extends radially outwardly from axis 8 and defines a circular aperture 9 offset from axis 8 and centred on an axis 10. It is preferred that axes 8 4, 6 I 14 Ir 4.4.

and 10 are maximumly radially spaced apart.

Conduit 5 axially extends from a first end 11 being integrally formed with the periphery of aperture 9 to a second end 12 to define a fluid flow path. End 12 is bevelled to facilitate insertion in a respective passageway.

As best shown in Figure 3, conduit 6 supports an annular outlet coupling 15. This coupling includes an axially extending body 16 for in:sertion within and engagement with the inside of one of the passageways.

Body 16 includes a radially diverging peripheral lip 17 disposed at one end thereof to limit the extent of the insertion of body 16 within the passageway and to facilitate an interference fit therebetween. If required 15 a suitable water resistant adhesive is pre-applied along the length of body 16 before insertion within a passageway.

Body 16 is sealingly engaged to conduit 6 by way of an 0-ring 18 contained within a channel 19. 0-ring 18 facilitates restrained axial progression of body 16 along the length of conduit 6 to allow in situ variation of the extent of intrusion of conduit 6 into a respective passageway. Additionally, O-ring 18 effects a sealing engagement between conduit 6 and coupling Wall 3 is centred on axis 8 and includes a peripherally depending lip 20 which has an inwardly directed semi-circular protrusion 21 spaced from wall 3 for retaining the wall in engagement with body 2.

Protrusion 21 abuts against an outwardly directed I. I. I S I I

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7 shoulder 22 which is integrally formed with body 2.

Shoulder 22 also defines a recess 24 for retaining an 0-ring 25 which ensures sealing engagement between wall 3 and body 2.

Wall 3 also includes a circular aperture 27 centred on axis 28 which is maximumly radially displaced from axis 8, although in less preferred embodiments of connector 1 a reduced displacement between the axes 8 and 28 is utilised. Conduit 6 axially extends from a first end 29 which is integrally formed with the periphery of aperture 27 to a second end 30 to define a fluid flow path.

Adjacent end 30, conduit 6 includes a radially extending retention shoulder 31 for maintaining a square 15 cut ring 32 at a predetermined distance from end Shoulder 31 also retains a threaded nut 33.

Nut 33, body 2 and lip 20 all include a plurality of respective axially extending ribs 34 for facilitating manual rotation of these components.

In use, conduit 6 is inserted in a passageway formed in a concrete slab or the like, such that coupling is presented into an interference fit with that passageway. Offset connector 1 is able to be used with a large range of pipe diameters by providing appropriately sized couplings 15. In some applications coupler 15 is not used and conduit 6 is simply inserted into the passageway. Furthermore, if required adhesive is used to more securely retain coupler 15 within the passageway.

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i; 8 Once coupler 15 is sufficiently secured connector 1 is axially displaced to dispose body 2 a predetermined distance from coupler 15. Consequently, end 30 of conduit 5 will also be located a predetermined distance from coupler Either or both of conduit 6 and wall 3 are then rotated in relation to coupler 15 and wall 2 respectively to adjust the offset between axis 10 and 28 and align conduit 5 with the other passageway. Once aligned any further axial adjustments are made, as required, and then nut 33 is threaded onto a complementarily threaded end of the adjacent passageway. Conduit 5 is intended to neatly fit within a respective passageway and be retained in sealing engagement therewith by the action of ring 32 and 15 nut 33. Accordingly, a fluid path is established from one passageway, through connector 1 and through the other conduit.

In the embodiment illustrated the maximum offset between axis 10 and 28 is 75mm which is adequate to cori;ensate for the tolerances generally encountered.

However, larger offset are able to be provided by suitable scaling of connector 1.

The invention is ideally suited for use with baths and their installation. Connector 1 is simply installed in the existing outlet in the concrete slab and appropriately adjusted during installation. No drilling or other structural operations or modifications are required.

t r *r t 6-c c* 6* t 44 C 6-4 ft i 6- 6- 9 The described embodiment is able to provide for a minimum of zero offset up to the maximum as described above. Less preferred embodiments would provide for a smaller range of offsets between passageways.

Connector 1 is general installed with conduit 6 inserted within a vertically extending pipe extending from or located within a concrete slab. Consequently, conduit 5 will also be substantially vertically disposed and wall 3 will be substantially horizontally disposed.

The wall 4, however, is inclined toward aperture 9 to ensure that all the fluid entering body 2 will be passed through to conduit 6. Additional webbed sections or ribs can be included on an- or all of body 2 and walls 3 and 4 for strengthening purposes. Body 2 may also include some baffles or a restriction to reduce the noise made by the fluid flowing therethrough.

Although the invention has been described with *reference to a specific example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be t t i m o 20 embodied in many other forms.

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Claims (6)

1. An offset connector for providing fluidic communication between the free ends of two spaced apart fluid passageways, the connector including: a hollow tubular body having a first and a second wall being movable with respect to each other, wherein said walls are respective opposed end walls of said body; and :1I L Sicc first and second conduits extending from respective walls and communicating with said hollow body and being movable between a minimum and maximum offset configuration in response to the relative movement between the walls, the conduits being complemenc4rily retainable with respective free ends such that fluid is able to pass sequentially through one passageway, the connector and the other passageway.

2. A connector according to claim 1 wherein the first and second walls are respectively rotatably and fixedly mounted to the body.

3. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the body is generally cylindrical and said walls are substantially circular and are sealingly engaged about their respective radial peripheries with opposite ends of said body.

4. A connector according to claim 3 wherein said conduits axially extend from or adjacent the radial periphery of respective walls for allowing a maximum possible range of offset between said conduits. 11 A connector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one of the conduits is adjustably nestable within a respective passageway for maintaining the body at a predetermined distance from the free end of that passageway.

6. A connector according to claim 5 wherein the other coniuit is fixedly nested within the other passageway.

7. An offset connector for providing fluidic communication between the free ends of two spaced apart fluid passageways substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. S, DATED this 28th Day of September, 1994 KEY PLASTICS PTY. LTD. Attorney: LEON K. ALLEN Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of SHELSTON WATERS S* C L It~ lC '4 c 12 ABSTRACT An offset connector provides fluidic communication between the free ends of two spaced apart fluid passageways. Connector includes a hollow tubular body having a first and second opposed substantially circular end walls which are rotatably moveable with respect to each other. First and second conduits extend from respective walls and are movable between a minimum and maximum offset configuration in response to the relative rotational movement between the walls. The walls are adjustable for allowing complementary retention of conduits by respective free ends of the passageways such that fluid is able to pass sequentially through one passageway, the connector and the other passageway. U 4* n e* 4