Coupling means for connecting conduits

Claim 1

COUPLING MEANS FOR CONNECTING CONDUITS, COMPRISING AN EXTERNALLY THREADED FIRST TUBULAR FITTING HAVING A REAR END FOR ATTACHMENT TO ONE END OF A CONDUIT AND HAVING A FREE FRONT END, A THIN METAL DISC INSIDE THE FRONT END PORTION OF SAID FITTING AND PERMANENTLY SECURED THERETO IN A LOCATION SPACED FROM SAID FRONT END TO SEAL THE FITTING AGAINST PASSAGE OF FLUID THERETHROUGH, A SECOND TUBULAR FITTING HAVING A REAR END FOR ATTACHMENT TO ONE END OF ANOTHER CONDUIT AND HAVING A FREE FRONT END PORTION INSERTABLE IN THE FRONT END PORTION OF THE FIRST FITTING IN RADIALLY SPACED RELATION THEREWITH, SAID DISC BEING LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN THE FRONT END OF THE SECOND FITTING, A SLEEVE ENCIRCLING THE OUTSIDE OF THE FRONT END OF SAID SECOND FITTING AND TIGHTLY ENGAGING IT, RUPTURABLE MEANS FORMING A JOINT BETWEEN THE SLEEVE AND SECOND FITTING, THE SLEEVE BEING OF A DIAMETER SMALL ENOUGH TO ENTER THE FRONT END OF THE FIRST FITTING, A THIN METAL DISC EXTENDING ACROSS THE FRONT END OF THE SECOND FITTING AND PERMANENTLY SECURED TO THE SLEEVE TO SEAL THE SECOND FITTING AGAINST PASSAGE OF FLUID THERETHROUGH, A COUPLING NUT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE SECOND FITTING AND PROVIDED WITH INTERNAL THREADS FOR SCREWING IT ONTO THE FIRST FITTING TO DRAW THE TWO FITTINGS TOWARD EACH OTHER IN TELESCOPING RELATION, AND MEANS IN THE FIRST FITTING OUTSIDE THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND FITTING FOR LIMITING THE DISTANCE SAID SLEEVE CAN MOVE INTO THE FIRST FITTING, SAID RUPTURABLE JOINT BEING BREAKABLE BY THE FORWARDLY MOVING SECOND FITTING SLIDING FORWARD IN THE SLEEVE AFTER THE SLEEVE HAS BEEN STOPPED BY SAID LIMITING MEANS, SAID DISCS BEING WEAK ENOUGH TO BE RUPTURED BY THE PRESSURE OF THE FRONT END OF THE SECOND FITTING MOVING FORWARD RELATIVE TO THE EDGES OF THE DISCS, THE INSIDE OF THE FIRST FITTING DIRECTLY BEHIND SAID FIRST-MENTIONED DISC BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE THE FRONT END PORTION OF THE SECOND FITTING AFTER THE DISCS HAVE BEEN RUPTURED.