Coupling connection for plastic or soft tubing

Claim 1

A COUPLING CONNECTION BETWEEN A CONNECTION BODY AND A TUBE HAVING AN INSIDE AND AN OUTSIDE ANNULAR SURFACE, A SLEEVE HAVING A BORE WITH SAID TUBE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, SAID SLEEVE COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS HOLLOW BODY HAVING AT LEAST FIRST AND SECOND INTEGRAL HOLLOW BODY PORTIONS, SAID FIRST HOLLOW BODY PORTION COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL BODY CONSTITUTING AS CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION BEYOND WHICH THE END OF SAID TUBE EXTENDS, SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SURFACE AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL EXTENDING IN A GENERALLY RADIALLY INWARD DIRECTION AND TERMINATING IN A CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BITING EDGE AT THE AXIAL INNER END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE CAPABLE OF BITING INTO THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID TUBE AND EFFECTING A DRIVING CONNECTION THEREWITH, SAID SECOND HOLLOW BODY PORTION COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS SUBSTANTIALLY DIVERGING HOLLOW WEDGE BODY WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL INSIDE SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY TAPERING OUTSIDE SURFACE, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY TAPERING OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID SECOND HOLLOW BODY PORTION CONVERGING TOWARD SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION AND MEETING THEREWITH AND DEFINING A CIRCULAR JUNCTURE THEREBETWEEN, SAID CONNECTION BODY HAVING AN AXIALLY DIRECTED INWARDLY EXTENDING ANNULAR WALLED CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER TERMINATING INWARDLY OF SAID CONECTION BODY AND DEFINED BY AN OUTER ANNULAR WALL AND AN INNER ANNULAR WALL, SAID OUTER ANNULAR WALL COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ANNULAR WALL PORTIONS, SAID FIRST WALL PORTION COMPRISING AN INWARDLY CONVERGING CAM WALL HAVING A MAXIMUM ENTRANCE END AND A MINIMUM INWARD END, SAID SECOND WALL EXTENDING AXIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID OUTER SURFACE WALL EXTENDING AXIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID INWARD END OF SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL, SAID OUTER SURFACE WALL HAVING AN ENTRANCE END AND AN INWARD TERMINATING END WITH SAID ENTRANCE END DEFINING AN OUTER ANNULAR JUNCTURE WITH SAID MINIMUM INWARD END OF SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL, SAID INNER ANNULAR WALL COMPRISING FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD ANNULAR WALL MEANS, SAID FIRST WALL MEANS COMPRISING AN EXTENSION INNER SURFACE WALL HAVING AN ENTRANCE END AND AN INWARD END, SAID SECOND WALL MEANS COMPRISING AN INWARDLY DIVERGING INNER WEDGE WALL HAVING A MINIMUM DIAMETER DEFINING WITH SAID INWARD WITH SAID MINIMUM DIAMETER DEFINING WITH SAID INWARD END OF SAID EXTENSION INNER SURFACE WALL A FIRST INNER ANNULAR JUNCTURE, SAID THIRD WALL MEANS COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY AN ENLARGED INNER SURFACE WALL HAVING AN ENTRANCE END AND AN INWARD TERMINATING END WITH SAID ENTRANCE END DEFINING WITH SAID MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID DIVERGING WALL A SECOND INNER ANNULAR JUNCTURE, SAID SECOND INNER ANNULAR JUNCTURE AND SAID OUTER ANNULAR JUNCTURE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH EACH OTHER, TERMINATING WALL MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID INWARD TERMINATING END OF SAID OUTER SURFACE WALL AND SAID INWARD TERMINATING END OF SAID ENLARGED INNER SURFACE WALL, SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AND SAID DIVERGING WEDGE WALL SLOPING RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CONNECTION BODY AND TOWARD EACH OTHER WITH SAID WALLS DEFINING SUBSTANTIALLY AN ANNULAR TAPERED REGION THEREBETWEEN, SAID OUTER SURFACE WALL AND SAID ENLARGED INNER SURFACE WALL DEFINING AN ANNULAR COUNTERBORE HAVING A RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SURFACE WALLS WHICH IS LESS THAN THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SURFACES OF AN UNFLARED TUBE, SAID MAXIMUM ENTRANCE END OF SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AND THE ENTRANCE END OF SAID EXTENSION INNER SURFACE WALL HAVING RESPECTIVE DIAMETERS AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF THE AXIAL INNER END OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE AND NO GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE INSIDE SURFACE OF AN UNFLARED TUBE, SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AT SAID MINIMUM INWARD END HAVING A DIAMETER THAT IS CLOSER TO THAT OF THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF AN UNFLARED TUBE THAN TO THAT OF THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE AXIAL INNER END OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE, SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL BEING AXIALLY LONGER THAN SAID DIVERGING WEDGE WALL WHEREBY WITH SAID UNFLARED TUBE INSERTED OVER SAID EXTENSION INNER CYLINDRICAL WALL AND ENGAGING THE MINIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID DIVERGING WEDGE WALL SAID AXIAL INNER END OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE WILL ENGAGE SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AT AN INITIAL CONTACT PLACE AXIALLY SPACE INWARDLY FROM THE END OF SAID TUBE, SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL BETWEEN SAID INITIAL CONTACT PLACE AND SAID MINIMUM INWARD END THEREOF SLOPING TO DEFINE AN ACUTE ANGLE AT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL PLACES THEREALONG WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE TUBE, FORCE MEANS ENGAGING SAID SLEEVE AXIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID BITING EDGE FOR FORCING THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE AGAINST SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AND CAMMING THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL BITING EDGE OF SAID SLEEVE INTO SAID TUBE SUPPORTED ON SAID EXTENSION INNER CYLINDRICAL WALL WITH SAID BITING EDGE ENGAGING SAID TUBE AXIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE END OF SAID TUBE AND THEREBY PROVIDING A DRIVING CONNECTION THEREWITH, SAID EXTENSION INNER SURFACE WALL SUPPORTING SAID TUBE IN OPPOSITION TO SAID CLAMPING FORCE AND ENABLING SAID DRIVING CONNECTION TO FORCE THE END PORTION OF SAID TUBE OVER SAID DIVERGING SURFACE WALL AND CAUSE SAID DIVERGING WEDGE WALL TO FLARE THE END PORTION OF SAID TUBE, SAID DRIVING CONNECTION FORCING THE END OF THE FLARED TUBE AXIALLY INTO SAID ANNULAR COUNTERBORE WITH A SNUG FIT TO PLUG SAID COUNTERBORE FOR PROVIDING AN END PLUG FLUID SEAL MEANS, SAID FORCE MEAND DRIVING SAID SLEEVE TOGETHER WITH SAID TUBE THROUGH SAID DRIVING CONNECTION AS A UNIT IN A DIRECTION INWARDLY OF SAID ANNULAR WALLED CHAMBER WITH SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDERCAL OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE WEDGING ITSELF BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTED TUBE AND SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AND WITH SAID SUBSTANTIALLY TAPERING OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY DIVERGING WEDGE BODY ENGAGING SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL, SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE UPON WEDGING ITSELF BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTED TUBE AND SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL PROVIDING A SLEEVE, ANNULAR FLUID SEAL MEANS INCLUDING AN INNER FLUID SEAL BETWEEN THE CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL BITING EDGE OF SAID SLEEVE AND THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID TUBE AND AN OUTER FLUID SEAL BETWEEN THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE AND SAID CONVERGING CAMWALL, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY TAPERING OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY DIVERGING WEDGE BODY UPON ENGAGING SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL EFFECTING A WEDGE ANNULAR FLUID SEAL MEANS THEREBETWEEN AND ALSO LIMITING THE EXTENT TO WHICH SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE MAY WEDGE ITSELF BETEEN SAID SUPPORTED TUBE AND SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AND THEREBY ARRESTING THE AXIAL INNER END OF SAID CONTRACTIBLE END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE AT A PLACE IN ADVANCE OF SAID OUTER ANNULAR JUNCTURE BETWEEN SAID CONVERGING CAM WALL AND SAID ENTRANCE END OF SAID OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SECOND WALL PORTION.