The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 08, 1997
Filed:
Oct. 27, 1994
Kevin S Warehime, Taneytown, MD (US);
Daniel T Munley, Laurel, MD (US);
Thomas S Oh, Columbia, MD (US);
Jeffrey E Swensen, Eldersburg, MD (US);
EG&G Pressure Science, Inc., Beltsville, MD (US);
Abstract
A pipe coupling device for coupling the peripheral flanges of a pair of pipes together, including a pair of retainers with gripping grooves therein for receiving portions of the peripheral flanges of the pipes. The gripping grooves of the retainers have a unique inner surface with a pair of slanted gripping surfaces and a pair of non-gripping surfaces that are located within the outer envelope of the peripheral flanges. This provides for lightweight, compact retainers. The retainers are pivotally coupled at one of their ends by a hinge assembly and releasably coupled at their opposite ends by a latch mechanism. The hinge assembly has at least two links pivotally coupled at one of their ends to one of the retainers by a first pivot pin being received in a pivot slot formed in the retainer and pivotally coupled at their other end to the other retainer by a second pivot pin being received in a pivot slot formed in the retainer. The pivot slots are open holes in some embodiments to reduce the weight of the pipe coupling device. The pivot pins are separated from each other such that the links of the hinge assembly straddle the flanges of the pipes. The latch assembly utilizes coupling members with tenons which are received in coupling slots formed in the retainers.