GB2304845A

GB2304845A - Quick connector for water outlet pipes

Info

Publication number: GB2304845A
Application number: GB9518618A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jason Fang
Original assignee: Ching-Yuan Wang
Current assignee: Ching-Yuan Wang
Priority date: 1995-09-12
Filing date: 1995-09-12
Publication date: 1997-03-26
Also published as: GB9518618D0

Abstract

A quick connector comprises an externally threaded connector body 5 connected to the water outlet pipe 9 of a water pipe system to hold a hose 1 for guiding water from the water outlet pipe 9 to said hose 1, the connector body 5 having a plurality of radial through holes 51, a plurality of locating elements 52 repectively inserted into the radial through holes 51, a holding-down ring 6 having a tapered internal diameter and mounted around the connector body 5, and an adjustment ring 61 threaded onto the connector body 5 and turned to force the ring 6 upward, causing the periphery of of the tapered inner diameter of ring 6 to force the locating elements 52 into engagement with the outside wall of the water outlet pipe 9. An internally threaded lock ring 7 mounts hose 1 to body 5. The locating elements may be arch shaped received in curved radial holes.

Description

QUICK CONNECTOR FOR WATER OUTLET PIPES The present invention relates to quick connectors for water outlet pipes, and relates more particularly to such a quick connector specifically designed for fastening a hose to the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system.

A water pipe system generally has a water outlet pipe or water faucet tor outlet of water. For guiding water from the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system to a water container or an object, a hose may be used. Various connectors have been developed for fastening a hose to the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system. Figure 1 shows a connector for this purpose. This structure of connector has two retaining notches at two opposite sides for mounting a chain. When the connector is attached to the water outlet pipe of a faucet, the chain is hung on the faucet with its two opposite ends fastened to the retaining notches of the connector to hold the connector in place.

This structure of connector is still not satisfactory in function because the chain tends to be broken, and water tends to escape out of the connector through the gap between the connector and the water outlet pipe.

Figure 2 shows another structure of connector for connecting a hose to a water outlet pipe. This structure of connector has a plurality of radial through holes. When the connector is attached to a water outlet pipe to hold a hose, it is fixed in place by threading tightening up screws into the radial through holes. This structure of connector is also not satisfactory in function because it is difficult to fasten up the tightening up screws more particularly in a narrow area.

Because the distance between the water outlet pipe of a water faucet and the wall in which the water faucet is installed is short, there is little space for the operation of a screw driver or a hand tool which is used for turning the tightening up screw.

The present invention has been accomplished to provide a quick connector for connecting a hose to a water outlet pipe which is easy to install and its installation is free from the limitation of working space. According to the present invention, the quick connector comprises an externally threaded connector body connected to the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system to hold a hose, a lock ring to lock the hose in place, a plurality of locating elements respectively inserted into radial through holes on the connector body, a tapered holding-down ring mounted around 5 the connector body, and an adjustment ring threaded into the connector body.When the adjustment ring is turned upwards to lift the holding-down ring, the locating elements are forced by the tapered inner diameter of the holding-down ring into 10 engagement with the periphery of the water outlet pipe, and therefore the connector body is fixed to the water outlet pipe.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a water outlet pipe connector according to the prior art; Fig. 2 shows another structure of water outlet pipe connector according to the prior art; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of a quick connector for water outlet pipes according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the quick connector mounted on the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system according to the present invention; Fig. 5 is an installed view showing the locating rings forced into engagement with the water outlet pipe, and the lock ring locked according to the present invention; and Fig. 6 shows an alternate form of the present invention.

Referring to the various drawings attached herewith, a detailed description of the structural features of " QUICK CONNECTOR FOR WATER OUTLET PIPES of the present invention is as follows: - Preferring to Figure 3 the connector body, referenced by 5, is for connection to the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system, having a plurality of radial through holes 51 around the periphery near the top end. A plurality of cylindrical locating elements 52 are respectively fastened to the radial through holes 51 for fixing the connector body 5 to a water outlet pipe. The number of the locating elements 52 is preferably three. The connector body 5 is externally threaded for mounting an internally threaded adjustment ring 61 and an internally threaded lock ring 7.A holding-down ring 6 is mounted around the connector body 5 to hold down the locating elements 52. The inner diameter of the holding-down ring 6 gradually increases toward the top end. The lock ring 7 is threaded onto the connector body 5 to hold a flanged hose connector 8 and a hose 1.

The hose 1 is connected to the flanged hose connector 8. The adjustment ring 61 is threaded onto the connector body 5 and disposed between the holding-down ring 6 and the lock ring 7.

Referring to Figure 4 the connector body 5 has a gasket ring 53 mounted inside the stepped inner diameter thereof. When the connector body 5 is mounted on the water outlet pipe 9 of a water pipe system, the water outlet pipe 9 is stopped against the gasket ring 53. In Figure 4, the locating elements 52 are not forced into engagement with the outside wall of the water outlet pipe 9, and the lock ring 7 is still not fastened up.

When the adjustment ring 61 is turned upwards, as shown in Figure 5, the holding-down ring 6 is moved upwards to force the locating elements 52 radially inward against the outer wall of the water outlet pipe 9, and therefore the connector body 5 is firmly retained to the water outlet pipe 9. When the connector body 5 is fixed to the water outlet pipe 9, the lock ring 7 is fastened up to fix the hose connector 8 and the hose 1 in place.

Figure 6 shows an alternate form of the present invention, in which the locating elements 52' are made of arched shape moved in respective curved radial through holes (not shown) on the connector body 5. When the locating elements 52' are forced by the holding-down ring 6 toward the outer wall of the water outlet pipe 9, the are moved obliquely upward and then obliquely downward into engagement with the outer wall of the water outlet pipe 9. Furthermore, the contact area of each locating element 52' may be toothed for positive positioning on the outer wall of the water outlet pipe 9.

Claims

I CLAIM:

1. A quick connector comprising an externally threaded connector body connected to the water outlet pipe of a water pipe system to hold a hose for guiding water from said water outlet pipe to said hose, said connector body having a plurality of radial through holes, a plurality of locating elements respectively inserted into said radial through holes and forced into engagement with the outer wall of said water outlet pipe, a holding-down ring mounted around said connector body and defining a tapered inner diameter, an adjustment ring threaded onto said connector body and turned to force said holding-down ring upward, causing the periphery of the tapered inner diameter of said holding-down ring to force said locating elements into engagement with the outside wall of said water outlet pipe.

2. A quick connector as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings of Figures 1,2, 3, 4 and 5; or Figure 6.