Plastic fluid tight sealing device

Claim 1

A REUSABLE PLASTIC FITTING RELEASABLY CONNECTIBLE IN FLUID TIGHT RELATION TO A TUBE IN A TUBING SYSTEM AND THE LIKE TYPE ELEMENT COMPRISING: (A) A BODY MEMBER MADE OF A FLUOROCARBON RESIN MATERIAL HAVING A BORE THEREIN, (B) SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE PORTION OF PREDETERMINED THICKNESS BETWEEN THE WALL OF THE BOR AND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE BODY MEMBER, (C) A TUBULAR SECTION FORMED CONTINUOUSLY WITH SAID ONE PORTION OF THE BODY MEMBER AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, (D) SAID TUBULAR SECTION HAVING AN INNER SURFACE CONTINUOUS WITH THE WALL OF SAID BOR TO FORM A PASSAGE IN THE TUBULAR SECTION OPEN AT THE END REMOTE FROM THE BORE TO PERMIT THE ELEMENT TO BE SEALED TO EXTEND THERETHROUGH, (E) SAID TUBULAR SECTION HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN ONE-HALF THE THICKNESS OF SAID ONE PORTION OF THE BODY MEMBER, THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTSIDE DIAMETER RESULTING FROM SAID THICKNESS DIFFERENCE FORMING AN ABUTMENT MEANS WITH SAID ONE PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID FITTING, (F) THE DIMENSION OF THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR SECTION SIZED RELATIVE THE DIMENSION OF THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR SECTION WHEREBY SAID TUBULAR SECTION HAS A THIN ANNULAR RADIALLY DEFORMABLE WALL, (G) COMPRESSION MEANS INCLUDING: (1) AT LEAST ONE ELASTOMERIC RING ELEMENT DISPOSED ABOUT SAID TUBULAR SECTION FOR CONTACT INTERMEDIATE THE SURFACE OF THE WALL OF THE TUBULAR SECTION REMOTE FROM THE PASSAGE MEANS THEREIN AND DISPOSED TO BE MOVED INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ABUTMENT MEANS, (2) AN ELEMENT DISPOSED ABOUT THE TUBULAR SECTION OUTBOARD OF SAID ELASTOMERIC RING ELEMENT HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING PORTION AND A RADIALLY INWARD EXTENDING FLANGE FOR CONFINING SAID ELASMERIC RING ELEMENT IN POSITION AND UNDERCUT TO ALLOW FOR RADIAL EXPANSION OF SAID ELASTOMERIC RING ELEMENT DURING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ABUTMEANT MEANS, (3) AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID CONFINING ELEMENT TO MOVE SAID ELASTOMERIC RING ELEMENT INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ABUTMENT MEANS TO CAUSE SAID ELASTOMERIC RING ELEMENT IN ENGAGED POSITION TO EXERT A RADIALLY DIRECTED RELEASABLE FORCE AGAINST AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE WALL OF SAIDTUBULAR SECTION TO DEFORM THE SAME INTO UNIFORM ANNULAR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ELEMENT TO BE SEALED, (H) THE THIN WALLED TUBULAR SECTION PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM THE ADJACENT PORTION OF THE BODY TO WHICH IT IS CONNECTED A DISTANCE AT LEAST BEYOND THE CONFINING ELEMENT OF THE COMPRESSION MEANS PRIOR TO DEFORMATION OF SAID ELASTOMERIC RING TO ISOLATE THE ELASTOMERIC RING ELEMENT FROM LEAKAGE FLUID AGAINST WHICH SAID FITTING FAILS TO EFFECT SEALING AND TO PASS SAID LEAKAGE FLUID TO A POINT EXTERNAL OF THE FITTING.